Cyprus Airways Flight 284

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Cypriot Airways Flight 284 was a de Havilland Comet 4B (registration G-ARCO) operated by British European Airways for Cyprus Airways. On 12 October 1967, the aircraft exploded in midair and crashed into the Mediterranean Sea while flying from Athens to Nicosia. All 66 people on board—59 passengers and 7 crew—were killed.

The plane had left Athens around 4:30 a.m. local time. About 45 minutes into the flight, radio contact with Nicosia ATC was lost, and the aircraft disintegrated at high altitude roughly southeast of Rhodes and south of the Turkish coast. Wreckage was spread over a large area at depths of about 9,000–10,000 feet. A drop tank was recovered, and a seat cushion found on the surface contained evidence of military-grade explosive.

Investigators concluded the disaster resulted from an in-flight explosion, not a mid-air collision. The most widely discussed theory is that the bombing was an assassination attempt on EOKA leader Georgios Grivas. The British Home Office has not declassified the full findings, with a noted deadline of 2067. In 2023, the Metropolitan Police acknowledged there were lapses in the investigation and noted possible political implications. 51 bodies were recovered within the first day.