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Already 11 days global aviation has been trying, in vain, to find an answer to the mystery surrounding the missing Boeing 777 of Malaysian Airlines. There are many similarities with the case of the plane of the Cyprus company Helios Airways that crashed near Athens in 2005. Therefore, we sought the expert opinion of Captain Yanko Stoimenov, a former chief pilot of Helios Airways, who talked with Maria S. Topalova.

- Mr. Stoimenov, what are the similarities and the differences between the case of the missing Boeing 777 of Malaysian Airlines, which cannot be found for 11 days already, and the crash of Boeing of Cypriot Helios Airways near Athens in 2005?

- This case is very interesting. It has many similarities with the fatal flight 522 of Helios Airways. In both cases the connection with the crew of the aircraft was lost and a loss of control of the aircraft on the part of the crew for some reason is also possible in this case. If we compare it with the case of the crashed plane of the Cypriot company Helios Airways the difference is that it had deviated from the pre-planned route. This route is set in the computer and the plane has to follow it even if the crew is out of service for some reason. Assuming that something had happened on board and put the crew and passengers out of action, this modern aircraft, at that stage of the flight, namely one hour after take-off, would have followed the route and completed it like the plane of Helios Airways had completed it after using up the fuel on board and stopping the engines. However, in this case, there was a deviation from the route and this is a significant difference. This cannot happen without interference. The deviation can happen if the board computer has been pre-programmed or if the autopilot receives direct commands, or if the automatic control is turned off, thus switching to manual control, but it all requires human intervention with high competence in respect of this type of aircraft. Obviously, this could be the result of a deliberate act. If it was the work of the pilots because of an emergency, there was no indication of this. There was no distress signal; there was no code in the transponder, which establishes connection with the ground services, to suggest that the plane was in distress or that there was an emergency, or that it lost radio contact, or was the object of terrorist acts. There are three different codes that pilots can use in these three situations. Like in the case with the plane of Helios Airways, the connection with the crew was lost. In fact, we do not know to date what happened on board the plane of Helios Airways because there was no evidence and the investigation ended with speculation about what had happened. Now everything said in connection with Malaysian Boeing is speculation too. Like in the case with Helios Airways the accident is being politicized and politicians are in the foreground instead of experts. Everything is being associated with the crew, thus shifting the focus on details that can be used as the basis for shifting the blame on the human factor, which is very convenient in such cases.

- Indeed, the investigation is now focused on the two pilots. Is there something strange and unusual that makes you an impression bearing in mind the information about them available to date?

- I do not know in detail their history but the emphasis is on fact that, at some point, they did not want to fly together. This was one of the charges in the case of Helios Airways, although there was no evidence of this. I do not know if there is any evidence in this case either. One cannot expect that the hundreds of pilots in a large company would be of similar temper. However, we are talking about professionals and a difference in their temper does not prevent them from controlling such complex equipment in a safe manner. There are people in the government of a country who cannot stand other people too, and that does not mean that the country is going to collapse. These are quite hasty conclusions. Naturally, if you have to fly with someone in a cabin for 15 hours you would rather prefer to have something to talk about, beyond professional duties. In addition, it is quite ordinary for a pilot to have a Flight Simulator at home, I also have one and like playing with it from time to time.

- Is it possible for such a large plane like Boeing 777 to successfully land on some airport, be it civil or military, or on a territory, and to keep it a secret for 11 days?
 
- Absolutely not. This is absolutely impossible. The landing of a plane on any airport cannot remain undetected by airport authorities and ground services.  Even if it lands outside an airport, someone will notice it. Even if it crashes somewhere, there will be remains. The only place where a plane can be totally "submerged" is if this happens literally under sea or other water surface. The claims that something will remain floating are not quite accurate. If the plane splashed down in a good and perfect manner, it could totally sink and nothing would be left of it. Of course, this raises the question as to why the passengers did not leave the plane with lifebuoys and boats as in the case with the plane that went down in the Hudson River when the passengers left it through the emergency exits, tumbled into inflatable rafts and tried to save themselves. If this plane sank intact, there would be two possibilities. One would be that the passengers could not come out and the other that they were unable to leave the plane. They would be unable to leave it if the plane was depressurized for more than 15-20 minutes and this is another similarity with the case of Helios Airways. The emergency oxygen on board is sufficient for about 12 minutes and then they will be in the "twilight zone". If they were flying for 4-5 hours, even with the extra oxygen bottles, no one would be conscious and able to survive. If the plane successfully splashed down in the water, intact, it would sink without leaving any traces on the surface. If it were not intact, something would come to the surface and would be noticed. But if it were intact, nothing would come to the surface, everything would sink to the bottom and regardless of how hard they search for it from above, they will find nothing.

- Is this your explanation for the mystery of flight MH370?
 
- Except for the intervention of an alien power, this is the only version that can explain, by means of logic and physics, how such a big plane can disappear in the 21st century. The rest is speculation. Many questions remain unanswered at present. One is why the production companies of the plane and its engines, namely Boeing and Rolls-Royce, are silent. Each modern plane, like that one, is equipped with systems that automatically transmit to the earth data on the functioning of the systems of the plane and its engines and they can be the basis of an analysis as to what happened to the plane while it was flying. Whether it was climbing or going down, what manoeuvres it made. This information is very important but no one speaks about it and even the people who have it, have no desire to declassify it. And the focus should be namely on it.

- What is your explanation? Why is it not insisted on the investigators, whose associates are Boeing and Rolls-Royce, providing this important information? Don’t you think that the technical failure was excluded at a very early stage?

- It was excluded but not totally. If an investigation follows the rules, the technical failure can be excluded only when the plane is found and all elements of its design and all information of the devices storing flight data (black box) are analyzed. Just recently, there had been an airworthiness directive for Boeing 777 as cracks were found at the points of attachment of antennas to the aircraft skin. Boeing, as always, is very careful in order for the cause and the effect of the crash to not focus on the company. As you know, in our case with Helios Airways, important elements that were sent to the laboratory for analysis disappeared. We do not know where they are either and they were crucial to the conclusion of the experts. Turning back to the analogy of Helios Airways we can certainly say that depressurization can partially or completely put a plane out of service. In the case of depressurization the crew has to follow certain procedures that require certain deviations from the route depending on the area of operation. It is normal for the pilot to deviate 45 degrees or 90 degrees from the route. This manoeuvre aims at avoiding crashing with other aircraft along the normal route when the plane has to urgently lower the flying height in the case of depressurization. Assuming that the reason for the deviation of HM370 was depressurization, one cannot explain why the pilots did not give an indication that the aircraft was in an emergency. It should be borne in mind that if the depressurization is due to the construction of the plane, involving cracks in aircraft skin, for example, it may put entire systems out of service, which in turn can explain the lack of communication if the connection between the specific antennas and the transmitter breaks.

- In an interview for GRReporter the director of the Hellenic Air Accident Investigation and Aviation Safety Board said that, for him, the case of the crash of the Helios Airways plane is over. Is this case over for you?
 
- It is absolutely not. Consultants to the Greek board urged it to re-investigate the case. Even today there are serious concerns about the safety of the aircraft and there has recently been an accident with a similar model of Boeing in Australia. Many European professional organizations sent recommendations to the Greek board to investigate the case again. I personally sent an application to the European Court of Human Rights in connection with the violation of my rights during the trial in Athens. You know about the translation, the concealment of evidence, the absolute imbalance in terms of the time that was given to the defence and the prosecution, the tolerance towards the prosecution and the pressure that was exerted on my defenders and me during the procedure, about the absolute impartiality of the court. Therefore, this case is definitely not over. In conclusion I want to say that although the circumstances between the Malaysian HM370 and the Cyprus Helios 522 are different, it seems that the scheme after the accident is the same. The case was first politicized, mostly politicians express opinions instead of experts. In the next stage, it will most probably be perceived as criminal whereas, meanwhile, the conclusions are formed under the cover of political and corporate interests.