The mystery of why a plane carrying 66 passengers and crew exploded over the Mediterranean Sea 57 years ago remains unsolved to this day

On October 12, 1967, a De Havilland DH.106 Comet 4B named British European Airways/BEA Flight CY284 completed the journey from Nicosia in Cyprus to Athens in Greece. The flight was operated on behalf of Cyprus Airways. The Comet 4B was among the first generations of pioneering commercial jet airliners that were designed and built in the UK by de Havilland.

Everything was going just fine through much of the flight. The aircraft leveled off steadily at 29,000 feet. Then, suddenly, contact was lost as the plane flew over the Mediterranean Sea, and in one of those freakish turns of events, it crashed into the waters off the Greek island of Kastellorizo. All 66 people on board died.

Plane debris were later found scattered in the sea, a situation which led investigators to conclude that the aircraft had actually suffered from a catastrophic mid-air explosion. According to the investigation, this was best explained by a bomb exploding on board.

The Island of Cyprus at the time was embroiled in political tension between its Greek and Turkish communities, with acts of terrorism far from unheard of. A variety of sources speculated that the bomb might have been an assassination attempt on a Cypriot militia member. No conclusion was ever drawn from the various theories however, and official Home Office investigation documents were sealed until 2067.

One of the victims was BEA Captain Gordon Blackwood, who had worked with Simon Hepworth’s father. Now a retired police officer, Hepworth has sought answers about the incident for years. “Being part of the BEA family, it hit very close to home,” he said. It remained with me for many years, and my parents never forgot it. My father had kept a set of BEA pilot wings from Gordon’s uniform, and I was able to return those to his daughter.

“For the families of those who died, it’s like a wound that never healed. There was no information for decades, so they were never able to find closure.”

In 2021, the Metropolitan Police reviewed it after a complaint from one of the relatives of those who had died; they concluded that not all lines of inquiry had been fully pursued at the time. A Met Police Spokesperson said, “The bombing of CY284 in 1967 was a tragedy in which 66 people lost their lives, including 21 UK nationals. No one has been brought to justice, and many questions remain unanswered.”.

It shows the strength and courage of the families that, after all these years, they did not give up in their quest for justice. We hope the findings of the 2021 review provide some clarity and understanding to the families of exactly what happened, and the steps taken by the Met and other agencies in the aftermath. We also continue to reflect on the lessons learned from past investigations to improve our work today.

The Met Police said they remained committed to supporting the families of those who died and attended a recent memorial, at which they paid respects with the bereaved families. The case remains open, with many hoping for answers that may one day bring closure.

Source: ladbible