September 10, 2005 | The air tragedy that shocked the National Guard and entire Cyprus – Photos

Defence Redefined

Published on 10/09/2020 at 13:52

Saturday, September 10, 2005. PC-9 (Pilatus), a small single-engine plane of the National Guard, which was taking part in an exercise, crashed in a residential area near Limassol, resulting in the death of its two pilots.

Squadron Leader Kouloumos Feraios and Flight Lieutenant Konstantinou Fotis were on board. The aircraft was taking part in the “Dimitra” exercise, when it crashed near the British Bases of Akrotiri and specifically in the area of the village of Kolossi, Limassol.

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The plane hit a bell tower in the village of Kolossi, 5 km west of Limassol, which was followed by a collision on the ledge of a two-storey house. The aircraft ended up in the garage of a neighboring house, a short distance from the medieval Castle of Kolossi, where it was engulfed in flames.

The tragic irony of the story is that 29-year-old Fotis Konstantinou was to be engaged the next day (Sunday, 11/09/2005) in Kolossi, in the area where the plane crashed.

At the time of the crash, the small plane was heading from Paphos to Agios Ioannis Malountas, near Nicosia, where the then Minister of Defence, Kyriakos Mavronikolas, and the former Chief of the National Guard, Lieutenant General Athanasios Nikolodimos, were. Both went to the area where the aircraft crashed.

Mr. Mavronikolas stated that the investigation commission of the National Guard and the police authorities have been appointed to determine the causes of the accident. At the same time, the assistance of experts from the Hellenic Air Force and the Cyprus Air Accident Investigation Committee was requested.

The aircraft, named “Famagusta”, was one of two training military aircraft owned by the National Guard. It was made in Switzerland and purchased in 1989.

Also read: July 05, 2006 | The crash of a National Guard Mil-35P