The crash of a Greek Canadair CL-215 and Greece's problem with these old planes

@DefAviation ES 7·25·2023 · 18:41 0

The serious wave of forest fires that Greece is suffering has claimed the lives of two aviators this Tuesday, July 25.

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The accident occurred when a Canadair CL-215-1A10, the 1055 (cn 1055), crashed at 2:52 p.m. while fighting a fire on the island of Euboea, near the town of Platanistos, as reported by the Greek Air Force at an official statement. The plane belonged to the 355th Tactical Transport Squadron "Atlas" of the 112th Fighter Wing of the Greek Air Force, based in Elefsina, near Athens. After the accident, a search and rescue operation began with a Super Puma helicopter and an AB-205 from the Greek Air Force.

As reported by the Greek media EPT News, the two crew members of the CL-215 have died. The pilot was Commander Christos Moulas, 34, and the co-pilot was Second Lieutenant Pericles Stefanidis, 27. The Greek Ministry of Defense has declared three days of official mourning, from July 25 to 27, for the death of both airmen.

EPT News has released this video of the accident, showing the Canadair CL-215 dumping water on a burning forest. The plane then turns to starboard and appears unable to take flight, crashing seconds later.

In this video from gvlacom we can see the crashed plane, 1055:

According to agairupdate.com, in 1974 the Greek Air Force bought 16 new CL-215s, equipped with Pratt & Whitney R-2800-83AM radial engines. In the 1990s, Greece bought another four aircraft that had belonged to the Yugoslav Air Force, as well as 13 engines and spare parts. Likewise, Greece leased 5 CL-215s to Canada between 1998 and 2000. The Greek Air Force has a problem with its CL-215s, because they are old planes and have been in service for many years. That could be one of the causes of its high accident rate.

Of the 20 CL-215s purchased by Greece, ten have been lost in accidents. Five of those accidents have been fatal, killing a total of 12 airmen. In addition, between 1999 and 2004 Greece bought 10 Bombardier CL-415 seaplanes, a derivative of the CL-215 with more modern avionics and turboprop engines. The Greek Air Force has lost two of these aircraft in accidents, with a total of two airmen killed. It currently maintains 8 CL-415 in service and, after this accident, 10 CL-215.

My prayers for the deceased airmen and my condolences to their families. Rest in peace.

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Main image: gvlacom.