Cypriot plane crashes in Greece

A Cypriot passenger plane carrying at least 121 people has crashed near Athens moments after losing radio contact with air traffic control.

Greek F-16 fighter jets scrambled to locate the plane reported seeing one pilot slumped in his seat, but could not see the plane's second pilot.

The Helios Airways plane, travelling from Larnaca, Cyprus, crashed in hills just north of the Greek capital.

A rescue helicopter dispatched to the site has not reported any survivors.

The head of air traffic control at Athens airport, Iannis Pantazaratos, told AFP they had no idea who was flying the plane.

"The airport lost all contact with the plane which should have landed in the late morning, and two air force planes sent up in reconnaissance found it flying above the Euboea peninsula, but they saw the pilots doubled up in the cabin," he said.

Rescue effort

Greek Prime Minister Costas Karamanlis cut short a holiday on the island of Tinos to return to Athens.

HELIOS AIRWAYS

1999: Established as first independent airline in Cyprus

2000: First chartered flight

2001: First scheduled flight

Flies to UK, Strasbourg, Sofia, Athens, Dublin, Warsaw and Prague

Operates four Boeing 737 planes

Police and military helicopters were sent to the scene, with dozens of ambulances also reportedly on their way.

One eyewitness, Dimitris Karezas, told the Reuters news agency he saw the plane being followed by fighter jets.

"Two, three minutes later I heard a big bang and ever since I've started looking for it, but I have not found anything yet," he said.

Helios Airways was founded in 1999 as Cyprus' first independent airline.

It operates a fleet of Boeing 737 jets between Cyprus and London, Athens, Sofia, Dublin and Strasbourg in France.

Did it crash,or get shot down.

"Two, three minutes later I heard a big bang and ever since I've started looking for it, but I have not found anything yet," he said.

It seems that the pilot had previously reported problems with the air conditioning system and that toxic gasses were in the cabin.

Scary...

However not Thailand related.

Perhaps start a thread in the Travel forum where we can all discuss our air travel phobias