The Greek Pilot who Against All Odds Saved a Plane at Athens Old Airport

The Olympic Airways Plane That Almost Crashed Into Athens. Credits: YouTube screenshot

The melodramatic near-crash of an Olympic Airways Boeing 747 implicit Athens successful 1978 remains a testament to exceptional piloting nether utmost pressure. With caller advances successful aviation safety, reflecting connected this lawsuit underscores the value of grooming and split-second decision-making successful avoiding disaster, making this communicative conscionable arsenic compelling today.

It was August 9, 1978, erstwhile an Olympic Airways level astir crashed into cardinal Athens, with the aviator managing to debar the catastrophe successful lone the past seconds of the flight.

It was a blistery August time astatine Ellinikon International Airport erstwhile 4 100 passengers boarded the Olympic Airways formation 411 to New York, astir of them U.S. citizens returning from their summertime abrogation successful Greece. There were eighteen unit members connected that long-distance trans-Atlantic flight.

The pilot, Sifis Migadis, who was successful complaint of piloting the 370-ton jumbo pitchy had thirty-two years of flying experience. Accompanying him was co-pilot Constantinos Fikardos, besides a seasoned aviator with whom helium flew frequently.

What transpired successful conscionable the span of ninety-three seconds connected that time volition beryllium everlastingly engraved successful the minds of the 418 radical aboard the Olympic Airways Boeing 747.

Heroic aviator Sifis Migadis saved galore lives by skillfully maneuvering the damaged level backmost to safety. Screenshot from YouTube.

Take-off and motor nonaccomplishment for the Olympic Airways plane

At 2:00 p.m. connected that day, the unit took their seats, and the level entered the runway for takeoff. The craft was carrying 160 tons of fuel, arsenic it would alert straight from Athens to New York.

During takeoff, the craft could not get precocious enough. Before the wheels could travel disconnected the ground, an detonation was heard from the close engine, which had been damaged.

Migadis could not halt the level and ordered Fikardos to prime up the wheels to proceed takeoff.

Meanwhile, the formation engineer, arsenic soon arsenic helium saw the harm successful the engine, chopped disconnected the h2o by turning disconnected the h2o injection strategy successful each the engines. With this, the level mislaid 4,500 pounds of thrust.

The aviator was struggling to get the Boeing 747 precocious capable up and radical from crushed power thought that the level would clang into the metropolis of Athens.

With a minimum tallness of altitude, the aviator managed to walk implicit the archetypal obstacle, which was a elevation successful the vicinity of Alimos. The elevation was 200 meters (656 feet) high.

Migadis flew astatine an altitude of lone 209 meters (685 feet) earlier the level started losing altitude again. At the aforesaid time, Fikardos was sending hopeless exigency signals to the power tower.

Alarms astatine the airdrome rang retired portion the immense jumbo pitchy flew implicit the flat buildings of Kallithea and Nea Smyrni, astir scratching the apical of the Interamerican gathering connected Syggrou Avenue.

According to a formation attendant, from the windows, they could look retired and spot the employees moving successful the offices looking backmost astatine the plane, wholly flabbergasted.

At that moment, the craft was flying astatine a velocity of conscionable 160 miles an hr astatine an unthinkable 55 meters (180 feet) supra ground.

The aviator decides to clang connected a hill

Migadis chose to support the craft unchangeable successful a horizontal position, arsenic helium knew the instrumentality of aerodynamics precise well. As helium had said successful an interview, helium broke galore aviation rules successful bid to support his level successful the air.

He decided not to crook it astir and effort to maneuver his mode retired of the situation. He kept the pitchy going consecutive forward, arsenic helium had decided to effort to get to Mount Egaleo, to clang the level successful an uninhabited area.

During those melodramatic ninety-three seconds, the 2 men successful the cockpit were silent. At the aforesaid time, the technologist was desperately trying to repair the engines immoderate mode helium could, portion the pilots remained focused, calm, and collected.

This was the crushed wherefore astir passengers did not recognize what was going connected and had the content that the debased formation implicit Athens was scheduled. In fact, immoderate of the passengers were taking pictures from the windows arsenic they passed conscionable supra the rooftops.

At 2:05 pm, a airy breeze helped the Boeing 747 spell a fewer feet higher, which successful operation with the simplification of h2o helped the craft to crook somewhat earlier the level crashed into Athens’ Mount Egaleo.

Olympic Airways level lands astatine Ellinikon

Right earlier the level would person crashed into Mount Egaleo, Migadis made a last-second determination and completed immoderate last-ditch maneuvers, managing to crook the craft astir and alert backmost to Ellinikon.

People astatine the power operation did not cognize what was going connected due to the fact that determination was nary connection from the cockpit. When they saw the Boeing 747 coming backmost from Piraeus, they could not judge their eyes.

Migadis flew implicit the oversea adjacent Piraeus and emptied immoderate of the fuel, making the craft lighter, enabling him to instrumentality the jumbo pitchy safely backmost to Ellinikon to onshore it.

The instrumentality of the craft was met with delirious applause connected the ground. When Migadis exited the plane, helium saw his 2 daughters waiting for him.

The 2 women had been notified by a cousin, who had seen the level flying a fewer meters supra the Panionios shot grounds and told them that it astir deed the airy pylons and would person crashed.

Migadis’ composure, skills, and acquisition undoubtedly saved thousands of lives. Had the level crashed successful a populated area, the result would person been dire. The craft flew astatine debased altitudes that look impossible. Even engineers from Boeing said that it was not imaginable for that peculiar craft to enactment successful the aerial astatine specified debased speeds.

After the near-tragedy, Migadis, similar the leader helium was, took his spot successful the cockpit of a replacement aircraft, and astatine 6:00 pm, with the remainder of the crew, flew the 4 100 passengers implicit the Atlantic to New York City.

As Migadis stated successful a 1994 interview, “Those of america who survived that time are stowaways successful life.”

Advances successful Aviation Safety Since 1978

The harrowing near-crash of the Olympic Airways Boeing 747 successful 1978 serves arsenic a captious lawsuit survey successful the improvement of aviation information standards. Since then, the manufacture has witnessed important advancements successful technology, training, and regulations designed to forestall specified adjacent calls.

1. Improved Cockpit Technology: The advent of much blase cockpit automation, including amended autopilot systems and precocious informing systems, has importantly reduced the chances of aviator error, which was a contributing origin successful galore accidents during the 1970s.
2. Enhanced Pilot Training: Today’s pilots acquisition rigorous grooming that includes simulated scenarios akin to the 1978 near-crash, ensuring they are amended prepared to grip unexpected emergencies. This includes Crew Resource Management (CRM) training, which focuses connected effectual teamwork and connection successful high-pressure situations.
3. Regulatory Changes: In effect to incidents similar the Olympic Airways near-crash, planetary aviation bodies specified arsenic the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) person implemented stricter regulations, peculiarly concerning formation platform operations and aerial postulation power coordination.