thus far, the leading theory is that a sudden loss of cabin pressure and pilot unconsciousness were the cause. what makes this peculiar however is that: - the 737 pilots should have been able to bring the plane down from its cruising altitude. instead, it appears that the pilot was not in his seat, and the co-pilot was already unconscious. - none of the bodies found in the crash have been wearing their oxygen masks. although this could be explained by the fact that on-board emergency oxygen supply provides air for only 15 minutes.- F-16 pilots which got to within 100 meters of the plane did not observe any fogging/window misting, which is usually evident after/during a rapid decompression.if the plane did in fact depressurize rapidly (which seems to be the only viable explanation as to why the co-pilot "froze" in his seat), how come other passengers were seen struggling to regain control of the plane in the cockpit? if the plane was decompressed, a person would have no more than 15-30 seconds before falling unconscious.since the plane flew steadily, it's fairly safe to say it was on autopilot, and the reason that the struggling passengers couldn't regain control of it was because they did not know how to disengage the autopilot.the plane, a 737-31S was a new machine, first flown in 1997. however, in 2004, this very plane experienced a loss of cabin pressure, and 3 passengers were rushed to a hospital during a flight to warsaw. other passengers of helios airways have complained about air conditioning problems in the past as well.by the way, the sms which was supposebly sent from one of the passengers' cell phone on the plane "cousin farewell, we're freezing" was found to be a hoax. the man who claimed to have received it admitted to this, and was then arrested.i'd like to know what alternative theories anyone can postulate regarding the inconsistencies which led to this unusualy anomaly

With 30 years of real flying under my belt, and having read my share of accident reports, my alternative theory is to wait until the investigation is complete. Public speculation often has a way of crossing the line from "speculation" and "theories" to "fact". Ultimately, the families of the victims deserve this.For example: "it appears that the pilot was not in his seat," could become: "the pilot was not in the cockpit". This is not to say that you have not stated some facts, however, every accident is a chain of events, often a very complex one, and hopefully the investigators, far better than us, will be in a position to piece together that chain.Yes, we all want to try to find answers as fast as possible, but I learned long ago that truth is often stranger than fiction, and it is best to let the investigators do their thing, and then tell us what actually happened.BTW, unless this 737 was different, a good push forward on the yoke will disengage the AP.Regards,http://www.dreamfleet2000.com/gfx/images/F...R_FORUM_LOU.jpg

Lou you are absolutely right. Wait for the official report.By the way from your experience, how long does it usually take for these sort of reports to come out?Stelios

I'm not Lou, but...It can take 2 years or more for the American NTSB to issue the final report for a major air carrier accident. However, the relevant facts uncovered by the investigation are usually made public within a few months, and they often hold public hearings, prior to publishing the final report, where the investigation process and probable cause are discussed.

You may not be me, but you are still correct! ;-) As to how long it takes in Greece?????????Regards,http://www.dreamfleet2000.com/gfx/images/F...R_FORUM_LOU.jpg

I'll agree with everyone over the concept of "hold the phone..."On the other hand, there are some things which just ain't right. You should remember those things whenever you weigh the facts.Cheers,bt

They estimate 6-8 months for the report to come out.Also, I thought that a push of the yoke doesn't deactivate the AP, it only reverts to CWS.Regards,

Those "things which just ain't right" are voiced by hearsay, hoaxes, and people drawing conclusions from incorrect and incomplete data who've neither the training nor the authority to make such statements.Wait for the official report, and THEN go launch your conspiracy theories about a great government coverup (which seems the usual outcome of any investigation).

>You may not be me, but you are still correct! ;-) As to how>long it takes in Greece?????????>>Regards,>http://www.dreamfleet2000.com/gfx/images/F...R_FORUM_LOU.jpgAre you implying Lou that in Greece are too slow in publishing aircraft accident reports? Are you basing this from facts?Stelios

I didn't read his post that way at all, Stelios. He just said that it takes the NTSB (ie the Americans) about two years to publish a report, but he doesn't know how long it'll take the Greek equivalent agency. Maybe they're quicker, maybe they're slower... no-one over here is likely to know.Richard

Excuse me, Stelios, please get the BIG chip off your shoulder real fast, I have many good friends who are Greek, and so was my ex-wife!I simply have no idea how long, and the "????????" is my way of saying I am clueless has to how long!Talk about "reading between the lines", no wonder many of us developers loath posting in the forums. We never know when someone will read something into what we are saying, and BAM! I expect an apology from you.Regards,http://www.dreamfleet2000.com/gfx/images/F...R_FORUM_LOU.jpg

Hi Stelios,I don't think you owe anyone an apology.All you did was ask for a clarification of what he wrote. maybe if that developer was more clear in what he wrote, you would not have had to ask for a clarification.Grab My FREEWARE Voice recognition Profiles here:[a href=http://library.avsim.net/esearch.php?CatID=fs2004misc&DLID=58334]Cessna 172 Voice Profile[/a][a href=http://library.avsim.net/esearch.php?CatID=fs2004misc&DLID=60740]FSD Avanti Voice Profile[/a].You will need the main FREEWARE Flight Assistant program to use it, get it here:[a href=http://library.avsim.net/esearch.php?CatID=genutils&DLID=39661]Flight Assistant 2.2[/a]

>Excuse me, Stelios, please get the BIG chip off your shoulder>real fast,>>Talk about "reading between the lines", no wonder many of us>developers loath posting in the forums. We never know when>someone will read something into what we are saying, and BAM!>>>I expect an apology from you.>An apology.... Please... If you loathe posting here, then don't post here. Go post at the other place that you keep bragging aboutHe didn't read into anything, he asked for your context of your own confusing quote.Maybe if you as a loathing developer were more clear in what you wrote, he would not have had to ask for a clarification.Instead you insult him by accusing him of having some chip on his shoulder.Apology... yeah Right. Maybe from you to him...Grab My FREEWARE Voice recognition Profiles here:[a href=http://library.avsim.net/esearch.php?CatID=fs2004misc&DLID=58334]Cessna 172 Voice Profile[/a][a href=http://library.avsim.net/esearch.php?CatID=fs2004misc&DLID=60740]FSD Avanti Voice Profile[/a].You will need the main FREEWARE Flight Assistant program to use it, get it here:[a href=http://library.avsim.net/esearch.php?CatID=genutils&DLID=39661]Flight Assistant 2.2[/a]

Must be a boring afternoon for you, Joe. Let him defend himself, won't you? But in your defense the sweet, nuturing comment to Stelios was a nice touch...

JoeWould you care to share with everyone else just exactly what your grudge is with Lou?Jim