The show "Inside Story" on Top Channel has devoted an investigation to the mysterious death of Gramoz Pashko. Was it an accident or an assassination? The investigative file about the helicopter that fell in the middle of the sea with Gramoz Pashko provided by "Inside Story" aims to shed light on this mystery.
Gramoz Pashko and the clash with Berisha
In the government of stability created after the fall of communism, Gramoz Pashko held the post of deputy prime minister and minister of economy. Under his leadership, the first policies of economic liberalism begin to be implemented.
Pashko faced the first reforms that had to be undertaken to move the economy from a centralized to a market economy. It was a period when knowledge of the free market system was minimal among the strata of society.
The withdrawal of the Democratic Party from the stability government also caused the first clashes between Pashko and Sali Berisha. Pashko was one of the main and most prepared founders of the Democratic Party. But his ambition to be elected at the head of the party to advance his ideas, would lead him to a confrontation with Sali Berisha. On August 13, 1992, when PD won the elections, he was expelled from this party along with other exponents.
Gramoz Pashko gradually broke away from political life to devote himself to academic life. His life would take an unexpected turn and Professor Pashko would once again return to political life. After many clashes, Pashko finally accepts Berisha's invitation to return to the Democratic Party in 2005. But he did not hold a leadership position, nor did he manage to be elected deputy.
Tragedy with 6 victims: The helicopter transporting Pashko did not have an airworthiness certificate
Inside Story points out that it has analyzed in detail the investigative file of this tragedy.
At that time, the Prosecutor's Office of Tirana immediately started an investigation to find out the causes of the air accident that took the lives of 6 people.
"The Easter accident is an unsolved event in my judgment and quickly covered up, for me", said the engineer, Arben Meçe
According to the prosecutor's investigation, it was found that the Bell 222 helicopter did not have an airworthiness certificate for the trip to Italy.
This certificate has not been issued. According to the photocopy of the certificate, this helicopter has been given a limited validity of three months. To go abroad, stay and return from the base of maintenance and repairs.
According to official documents, the helicopter was equipped with this certificate from March 29 to June 29, 2006. This validation was used to take the helicopter for repairs to the only repair base in Germany. On the day that the helicopter took off for Italy, it was without this document.
This helicopter came to Albania in 1986, since then it has been used to transport dignitaries. According to the testimony of the former commander of this helicopter, there is no possibility that the vehicle had problems after it had just returned from service. But a regulation mentioned by him will raise doubts regarding the tragic accident.
According to the regulation of the air force, it is determined that the pilots who participate in the flight during the day are not allowed to plan for the flight at night. Or they have to complete 6 hours of rest and get ready for flight.
According to the chronology of the event, it appears that on that day the helicopter crew had flown to Pogradec and then returned to Tirana. This flight was made for the then former Prime Minister Sali Berisha. According to witness statements, the pilots were not able to rest for even two hours and were called for the emergency flight.
"On 16.7.2006 I was on duty at the information office in the Guard of the Republic. It was 18:00-18:15 when I was given the task to go to Laprakë, to the helicopter field and accompany the pilots home with the ready vehicle. Then at 19:30 I was informed to take the pilots and take them to the helicopter field".
So it turns out that the pilots were not able to rest for 6 hours as provided for in the Civil Aviation regulation. While the other violation is related to what the regulation determines who has flown during the day should not fly at night.
How Pashko had an accident on Palasa beach
It is Sunday, July 16, 2006. Gramoz Pashko and his family are on vacation in Himare.
Specifically, they were located in the place called "Rrugët e Bardha" in the village of Palasë. On a secluded beach about 2.5 km from the Himarë-Vlorë highway.
Since the early hours of the morning they have headed to the sea together with some of their friends. After staying for several hours, several people entered the sea to bathe, including Gramoz Pashko.
The place where they were bathing was full of rocks. The others got out of the water, while Pashko continued to swim a few minutes later. At one point, he climbed a rock, from where he waved to the people who were with him.
About 30 minutes had passed and he was nowhere to be seen. Concerned family members have started looking for him. With difficulty, they could see his body upside down, face down in the water, among the rocks and waves. They intervened with difficulty because the sea had waves.
They managed to get it out of the sea in a difficult terrain. The height of the rocks was about 3 meters, and a rope and a stretcher were needed to get him out of there.
Eva Dibra, a general practitioner by profession and at the same time a close friend of the family, was the first to give him medical help. For the first time, she tells Inside Story about the horror they experienced in those moments.
"It was a traumatic moment, I didn't find him, but my son, who had fallen over, called, and my husband and then I went. It was a small bay and with the rocks there in the small Palasa, we took it out, it was a slightly steep rock and we started doing artificial respiration and heart massage. The heart started to work but the breathing is as shallow as the lungs filled with water, the condition was very serious. She held her breath until the helicopter arrived. His son also came because he was in Himare. It was a horror, I don't know what to say, a horror", said the doctor who assisted, Eva Dibra.
How the government helicopter disappeared with 6 people on board
After several attempts to get in touch with the helicopter crew, the search for rescue begins.
It was already clear that disaster had happened. The Bell 222 helicopter with six people on board had suffered an accident, plunging into the waters of the Adriatic Sea.
"We were gathered at home and I think Genci was the first to find out that the helicopter was not responding, but they didn't tell Moza that it was a horror. That it was not only Gramozi who was prepared, but also his son. An unprecedented horror, a very big tragedy, they told him he doesn't answer, then they told him that there is no more helicopter", said the family doctor, Eva Dibra.
The experts' hypotheses revolved around the optical illusion that the pilot could have or the cause was some vertical air turbulence. Optical illusions that pilots have have to do with the horizon not being clear. The sea and the sky are alike, even more so when you fly at night. This can cause the pilot to lose altitude and crash. Vertical air turbulence pulls the aircraft towards the ground or sea. Regardless of the circumstances, we already have tragedies in 5 families.
The mortuary doors have been opened in each of them, even though they don't want to lose hope that they might be alive. The most serious tragedy is in the family of Gramoz Pashko. His only 24-year-old son also lost his life with him. I don't believe anyone can find the words to comfort a mother who loses her only son and her husband on the same day.
Nuk është aspak e lehtë as për familjen e mjekut 40 vjeçar Aleksandër Baloi. Edhe pse ishte në një ditë pushimi ai u thirr më urgjencë për të shoqëruar pacientin në Itali, për shkak të aftësive që kishte si mjek. Vetëm dy ditë para aksidentit ai kishte arritur të përfundonte studimet master me rezultate shumë të mira.
Tragjedia ka pllakosur edhe në familjet e dy pilotëve dhe të inxhinierit teknik të helikopterit. Ata lanë fëmijët jetim dhe familjarët të zhytur në zi.
U zhduk mes shkëmbinjve për minuta të tëra
Gramoz Pashko kishte mbijetuar në ujë për minuta të tëra. Ishte një mrekulli që ai u gjet i gjallë, edhe pse kishte pak shpresa që t’ia dilte.
Ndihma e parë që iu dha nga njerëzit e tij e mbajti në jetë. Miqtë njoftuan të birin Rubenin që ndodhej në Himarë dhe u përgatit transporti drejt Tiranës.
“Gjetëm një doktor, atë të Dhërmiut, e morëm dhe kur arritëm në vend, Gramozi nuk ishte mirë, kishte ndenjur shumë në ujë. Momenti i fundit sa ka ardhur helikopteri ishte Gramozi i shtrirë, Rubeni që i mbante kokën dhe unë që mbaja çadrën se ishte diell dhe Rubenin që të mos batohej”, u shpreh miku i Rubenti, Redi Mazi.
“Për mua ka qenë fiks si një film horror, kam akoma dhe sot një breng që nuk isha pranë Rubenit në atë moment, nuk isha se kishim shoqëri të ndryshme”, u shpreh Bers Hado, i afërm i Ruben Pashkos.
Sipas kronologjisë së dosjes hetimore rezulton se rreth orës 13:40 është njoftuar rajoni i Policisë së Himarës se shtetasi Gramoz Pashko ndodhej në gjendje të rëndë shëndetësore dhe familjarët e tij kërkonin ndihmë urgjente mjekësore. Pas njoftimit të bërë aty kanë shkuar mjeku Jani Gjoka dhe shefi i rajonit të Himarës. Ndërkohë që familjarët janë munduar t’i bëjnë frymëmarrje artificiale e masazhe të zemrës, ai ndodhej në gjendje kome të thellë dhe kishte frymëmarrje të çrregullt.
Trupi i Pashkos ishte midis shkëmbinjsh, në buzë të detit pa ndjenja, i rrethuar nga familjarët, miq dhe shokë që ndodheshin me të. Kur u afrova, ai nxirrte shkumë nga goja dhe nga hunda, si dhe kishte rrahje të shpejta të zemrës. Në pjesën midis dy syve kishte një plagë, një të çarë, e cila me sa duket i kishte shkaktuar traumë cerebrale. Së bashku me mjekun e Dhërmiut, i cili kishte mbërritur para nesh, i dhamë ndihmën e nevojshme. Me personat që ndodheshin aty e vendosëm në barelë dhe me litar, me vështirësi të madhe e kemi nxjerrë nga shkëmbinjtë. Na u desh rreth 20 minuta përpjekje, pasi terreni ishte shumë i vështirë dhe gjithë shkëmbinj.
Pa humbur kohë mbërrin helikopteri i Ministrisë së Shëndetësisë në vendngjarje. Nën shoqërimin e mjekut të ambulancës Dhërmi, Kozma Çipa dhe të bashkëshortes, helikopteri me pacientin Gramoz Pashko, niset për në QSUT. Rreth orës 16:25 pacienti është çuar në reanimacionin e Kardiokirurgjisë së spitalit. Sipas kartelës së pacientit që Inside Story zotëron, nga mjekët aty është përjashtuar fillimisht mundësia e ndonjë infarkti. Më pas është realizuar skaneri i kokës, prej të cilit u përjashtua çdo dëmtim.
Nga mjekët u konkludua se mushkëritë e pacientit ishin të mbushura me ujë. Pasi parametrat e tjerë u stabilizuan mjekët në bashkëpunim me familjarët vendosën që të dërgohej për kurim jashtë vendit.
Konkretisht do të trajtohej në spitalin e Barit në Itali. Transporti i tij duhet të bëhej sa më shpejtë. Aty të pranishëm kanë qenë kryeministri i atëhershëm Sali Berisha dhe ai sugjeroi që transporti të bëhej me helikopterin qeveritar Bell 222.
Pilotët e helikopterit që transportonte Pashkon të pa trajnuar për fluturime natën
Inside Story ka zbardhur dëshmi të tjera nga dosja voluminoze që hedhin dritë mbi faktin se si pilotët shmangnin fluturimet natën.
Ata kërkonin gjithmonë që udhëtimet të kryheshin ditën duke qenë se Shqipëria nuk kishte infrastrukturën e duhur ajrore.
“Sipas një bisede që kam pasur me komandantin e helikopterit Bell 222 ai më ka thënë se për fluturimet natën të cilat ai i quante Instrumental Flight Rules, ai dhe piloti tjetër nuk kishin kryer kursin e nevojshëm të trajnimit. I cili duhej të kryhej nga instruktorë të licencuar”.
Another piece of evidence that adds even more doubt comes from the pilot's skill checker.
"During the time I was in that position, I checked the skills of the pilot Vangjel Çondi. This pilot was only licensed for VFR flights".
At the request of the pilot Çondi, night flights have been avoided as emergencies or scheduled.
So even according to this testimony, it turns out that the pilots were not licensed for night flights.
Not forgetting to emphasize that the pilots who had flown during the day were taken out again to fly without resting for 6 hours, according to the regulation.