Air crash Memorial Buffavento

cyprusjoker


Joined: 29/08/2009
Posts: 1107

Message Posted:
31/12/2010 09:36

What happened to The Air crash Memorial in Buffavento? It's in an awful state and there don't seem to be much left of it just the base, was it vandalised or something, and what actually was it before? Would like to know a bit more about it and what actually happened, can anyone enlighten me please. Thank you and Happy new year to you all..

DutchCrusader



Joined: 19/05/2008
Posts: 11281

Message Posted:
31/12/2010 09:49

From November 24, 2010: Click the link [ http://is.gd/hIdFY ] for the full story.

ianwfs


Joined: 08/01/2008
Posts: 563

Message Posted:
31/12/2010 10:03

It's been in that state for at least 2 years that I know of. I last saw it intact around 2007. In spite of expressions of "something must be done", the authorities don't.

Carndi


Joined: 12/06/2009
Posts: 613

Message Posted:
31/12/2010 10:14

Such a shame. I took some friends who were visiting and they, along with other tourists, were comenting on the disgraceful amount of litter and the damage to the memorial.

Perhaps the tourism office here could malke a New Year resoulition to ger the memorial re-places before the summer tourist season starts.

cyprusjoker


Joined: 29/08/2009
Posts: 1107

Message Posted:
31/12/2010 10:20

Thank you Hans, do you know what nationality the crew were, and who would have vandalised such a thing? Maybe it's the weather up there that could have deteriated it and it wasn't vandalised at all. It's a shame it hasn't been restored.

Jetski


Joined: 21/07/2008
Posts: 584

Message Posted:
31/12/2010 10:25

I believe it was an Egyptian flight.

cyprusjoker


Joined: 29/08/2009
Posts: 1107

Message Posted:
31/12/2010 10:32

Am i right that the writing at the bottom of the Memorial is The Swahili language ?

DutchCrusader



Joined: 19/05/2008
Posts: 11281

Message Posted:
31/12/2010 10:47

RE msg 5: 1: If I remember well it was a Croatian crew. 2: The vandals are unknown. 3: You can see on the first picture in my report that the monument was slightly damaged, but no way could it suddenly have been fallen into the state it is now. 4: On another board a TC lady read my report and promised to make the Belediye pay attention to this disgrace. It's too much work to quote the whole correspondence here, but if you are interested you can read it here (*):

▶ [ http://is.gd/jP5jg ]

and here

▶ [ http://is.gd/jP5Am ].



(*) Moderators: I give these links for informative reasons to C44 member cyprusjoker and possibly others. I apologise if this is not allowed either. - DC.

waddo


Joined: 29/11/2008
Posts: 1966

Message Posted:
31/12/2010 10:51

cyprusjoker,



http://articles.latimes.com/1988-02-28/news/mn-194_1_northern-cyprus



Best report.

DutchCrusader



Joined: 19/05/2008
Posts: 11281

Message Posted:
31/12/2010 11:14

RE msg 9, waddo: Your link and another one (New York Times) were both included in my text here:

▶ [ http://is.gd/jP5jg ]. But thanks anyway!

bridie


Joined: 18/09/2008
Posts: 308

Message Posted:
31/12/2010 12:16

I remember it well, it was a Saturday morning and there was little visibility due to low cloud. The crew were in fact Finnish according to the newspaper reports at the time. We used to get many Finnish tourists in the eighties.

cyprusjoker


Joined: 29/08/2009
Posts: 1107

Message Posted:
31/12/2010 17:13

Thank you all for your time telling me about this, looking at DutchCrusaders pictures it looks like the sphere part of the memorial was marble and could have blown due to weather conditions up there and came off, then looks like it just weathered away, there don't seem to be much of a footing under it either. My guess is that it wasn't vandalised at all, i can't see anyone having any reason for doing it anyway seen as these poor souls were all Finnish. DC i can't get into your link as it comes up user name and password, ill have to sign up i spose. Thanks again. P.s Buffavento seems more than 800ft high as the paper says anyone know the exact height.

DutchCrusader



Joined: 19/05/2008
Posts: 11281

Message Posted:
31/12/2010 17:27

RE msg 12, Cyprusjoker: 950 metres. There is more Buffavento info on my site:

▶ [ http://www.allcrusades.com/CASTLES/CYPRUS/BUFFAVENTO/buffavento-castle-txt-1.html ]

DutchCrusader



Joined: 19/05/2008
Posts: 11281

Message Posted:
31/12/2010 17:32

Message 13: Sorry, cyprusjoker: 950 shoulod be 954 metres.

cyprusjoker


Joined: 29/08/2009
Posts: 1107

Message Posted:
31/12/2010 17:45

The paper says 900ft not 800ft my mistake, never the less the paper is still over 2000ft out. Thanks for the link DC.

cyprusjoker


Joined: 29/08/2009
Posts: 1107

Message Posted:
31/12/2010 17:56

Just had a look at a Boeing 727, it must have been one hell of an explosion when it hit the mountain and there must have been debree everywhere, anyone know if there were any pictures taken of the aftermath. Thanks

DutchCrusader



Joined: 19/05/2008
Posts: 11281

Message Posted:
31/12/2010 18:34

Cyprusjoker: even MORE Buffavento here:

▶ [ http://www.allcrusades.com/CASTLES_COUNTRIES/castles_cyprus_overview-2.html ].

Kambylikid


Joined: 31/10/2009
Posts: 148

Message Posted:
31/12/2010 19:04

The aeroplane was registered in Jugoslavia. The pilots were from that country. The cabin crew were of mixed nationality including a Brit. The aircraft was positioning to Ercan as a charter to pick up a group. The correct proceedure for appproach and landing at Ercan requires the aircaft to pass overhead the airfield at 5,000ft. In this case the crew reported (wrongly) that they had the field in site and the tower at Ercan cleared them to land. They had mistaken the short runway for the main one (the crew had never been to Ercan before). They let down to land and crashed into the mountain that was shrouded in cloud. Hope this clarifies a few points.

cyprusjoker


Joined: 29/08/2009
Posts: 1107

Message Posted:
31/12/2010 19:23

Thanks Kambylikid, can i ask where you got this information from and when you say the short runway do you mean the old one in Catalkoy. Thanks again

Kambylikid


Joined: 31/10/2009
Posts: 148

Message Posted:
31/12/2010 19:41

Re msg 19

There are 2 runways at Ercan. One basically east/west the other at the west end of the main runway running north/south. The latter is short and not tarmac. My information came from the crash report issued by the TRNC DGCA. The investigation was carried out by the Turkish forces, JAT airlines, Boeing and Pratt and Whitney. The Turkish forces/government are responsible for such investigations here.

cyprusjoker


Joined: 29/08/2009
Posts: 1107

Message Posted:
31/12/2010 19:50

Thanks Kambylikid for taking the time for giving me the facts.. Im sure there must still be some wreckage up there somewhere. Happy new year to you and all.

Offshore1


Joined: 18/05/2009
Posts: 26

Message Posted:
31/12/2010 21:25

I remember in 1993 finding my way up to Buffavento for the first time. Very poor track anbd complete lack of signs in those days from the main road - don't think the military wanted visitors overlooking their base below and often they would put the "road closed" sign up as well. They also used the run to the top of the castle as fatigues for the troops. Who on reaching the bottom again would all stop for a healthy cigarette. The memorial was in good condition until at least 2007 when the vandalism began - in no way weather related. I wonder who paid for the original memorial and when it was errected. Anyone know?

Jetski


Joined: 21/07/2008
Posts: 584

Message Posted:
31/12/2010 23:26

This is the crash I was referring to....



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_EgyptAir_Ilyushin_Il-18_crash



Maybe the memorial refers to this as there were far more victims? Could be wrong though.

Offshore1


Joined: 18/05/2009
Posts: 26

Message Posted:
01/01/2011 12:35

Hadn't heard about the Egyptair crash before. This appears to have happened further west than Buffavento - but there again the google marker may be in the wrong place. The Buffavento memorial - before it was trashed - definitely made no mention of any other crash.

waddo


Joined: 29/11/2008
Posts: 1966

Message Posted:
01/01/2011 13:47

Offshore1 - which google marker please? Had not heard of this earlier air crash before and as I walk the ranges quite often I may go in search. Even after 37 years there will probably still be marks about - just interested and not in a morbid way I might add.

cyprusjoker


Joined: 29/08/2009
Posts: 1107

Message Posted:
01/01/2011 14:01

Yes this is the first ive heard of that one too and as Waddo says just interested like wise.



Them there mountains have claimed a few lives over the years. Ive certainly learnt something over the last couple of days. HNY..

Offshore1


Joined: 18/05/2009
Posts: 26

Message Posted:
01/01/2011 15:40

I followed the wikipedia link from Jetski and that threw up a google map marked with the supposed crash site of the Egyptair plane. Appeared to be well west of Girne. Further link to aviation crash website gives more details of the crash. Was lining up to land at Nicosia at night but all too evidently was in the wrong place. The Times website has more detail of the crash but I'm not paying Rupert Murdoch a fiver to look at it!

Offshore1


Joined: 18/05/2009
Posts: 26

Message Posted:
01/01/2011 15:45

This from the aviation website



"The Il-18 crashed into the Kyrenia Mountain range near the village of Karavas, at an altitude of 783m (117m below the crest) while on downwind on a nighttime approach to Nicosia runway 14"



Gives somewhere to start looking.......

waddo


Joined: 29/11/2008
Posts: 1966

Message Posted:
01/01/2011 16:07

Now can see what you mean about the Google marker! There are some nasty pointy peaks to the South of the marker but none around the Karavas area. Will have to try a different tack and see if I can lay down a contour line between 750 and 800 m, that may give a better hint. Thanks.

cyprusjoker


Joined: 29/08/2009
Posts: 1107

Message Posted:
01/01/2011 16:17

Great stuff Waddo, keep us posted

fosterscan


Joined: 27/02/2010
Posts: 541

Message Posted:
01/01/2011 17:00

Heres a pic http://www.baaa-acro.com/Photos-59/OK-MDE-3.JPG mabe you reconise the place

Denny


Joined: 09/12/2010
Posts: 261

Message Posted:
01/01/2011 17:42

fosters,



Could this be the abandoned aircraft that sits in the UNPA about a click from the Cyprus Airways Trident that's been sitting there since 1974?

Denny


Joined: 09/12/2010
Posts: 261

Message Posted:
01/01/2011 17:45

More about air crashes in Cyprus:



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicosia_International_Airport#Incidents_and_Accidents

cyprusjoker


Joined: 29/08/2009
Posts: 1107

Message Posted:
01/01/2011 17:54

Its all very interesting, thanks guys

waddo


Joined: 29/11/2008
Posts: 1966

Message Posted:
01/01/2011 18:02

For sure that's a Tupolov but it looks like its at Kingsfield, guess it must be the one at Nicosia as the other report says it is still at the end of the runway. The interesting one is that which crashed in the mountains but it can't be the one at Buffavento as it happened to early - the search continues.......

fosterscan


Joined: 27/02/2010
Posts: 541

Message Posted:
01/01/2011 18:40

http://www.baaa-acro.com/Photos%20d%27accidents%201973.htm more pics

fosterscan


Joined: 27/02/2010
Posts: 541

Message Posted:
01/01/2011 18:43

looks like its on a trolly and been moved but not the damage you expect for 37 dead

Pugwash


Joined: 06/09/2010
Posts: 1797

Message Posted:
01/01/2011 18:44

This is the plane that crash landed at Nicosia airport, see here,



http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?placesearch=Nicosia+(NIC+/+LCNC)+(closed)



second one down

fosterscan


Joined: 27/02/2010
Posts: 541

Message Posted:
01/01/2011 18:51

pugwash yes no one died on msg36 pic same year different crash http://www.baaa-acro.com/Pays/C/Chypre.htm cyprus crashes