HELP

[sujeewa]

I was wondering if anyone can help me.

There was a message left on 121.5 in the Headcorn Area between 9 and 10.30 on the 2nd of July 2004. The call sign was GBRNZ.

I'm quite new to this and would appreciate it if anyone can tell me how I can go about getting the recordings for this date. Thank you.

[ukatco_535]

Why??

I doubt if the recordings are still kept, it is well outside the 30 days that such things are usually kept for, unless the calls been impounded for investigative purposes.

Unless there is an official reason for getting these recordings, or you were the one that made the call I can't see you having much luck.

[sujeewa]

Thank you.

[ppiper]

I was wondering if anyone can help me.

There was a message left on 121.5 in the Headcorn Area between 9 and 10.30 on the 2nd of July 2004. The call sign was GBRNZ.

I'm quite new to this and would appreciate it if anyone can tell me how I can go about getting the recordings for this date. Thank you.

I have just seen this thread!
Sujeewa, I picked up that message too but assume as he landed at Headcorn all was well. The plane is registered to What Anderson of Rowan House Camberley Surrey GU15 3UG. I don't recall the exact message but, like you, I thought it worth checking up on. If it was Mr Anderson flying, he was not speaking too clearly and my first thoughts were that he was being hijacked or something! After he landed there was nothing so I assume all was well. I left shortly afterwards and heard nothing more. He probably would not mind you droping him a line and asking what it was all about. I remember him saying he was going to need help. I assume he got it when he landed.

Paul

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

HIJACKED??? In a Piper Cherokee?? Where was he going? Havana?

[ppiper]

A few months after this I heard of someone hijacked in something much smaller. It was either a warrior or a cessna 172 - perhaps even a 152. He was made to bring a small consignment of drugs from somewhere quite local to a field in Kent but crashed and was killed ! I believe the field was too small or the conditions were too bad. In any event, he had been transmitting on 121.5 but no one was listening to him! His 'passenger' was not found and only some of the drugs were recovered. That's the way I heard it so I don't suppose it matters how big/small a plane is as long as it will seat two or more.

According to my book, the Cherokee Six is a seven seater and that one was on the CAA website as 'Public Transport'. It obviously wasn't a hijacking because he landed safely at Headcorn, but I would be interested to know why he was asking for help in the way he was.

Out of interest... anyone else know of any small planes being hijacked in that way - for whatever reason?

[Bern Oulli]

I have vague memories of a C172 (I think) being hijacked from Jersey to Guernsey by a drunken farmer armed with a shotgun. I think there was a "romantic triangle" background to the whole scenario. This was 25 - 30 years ago mind.

[RomeoTangoFoxtrotMike]

HIJACKED??? In a Piper Cherokee?? Where was he going? Havana?
It happens, see http://groups.google.com/group/rec.aviation/msg/8ce8fdea454ee8ef

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

<<In any event, he had been transmitting on 121.5 but no one was listening to him! >>

You should have said "nobody heard him". 121.5 is monitored on a 24hr basis by ground stations and also by many aircraft. If he was not heard then he must have either been very low or his radio was suspect.

Out of interest, which CAA web site says it was a Public Transport a/c?

[ppiper]

Interesting set of responses. So you see, it was not unreasonable to assume he may have been in a hijack situation! You are right about it being a quiet transmition. I did not think of that as being radio problems at the time but now that you mention it, it may have been. I thought he was just speaking quietly to avoid being heard by those near him? That was the way it came accross.

As for checking on the aircraft (which I did within an hour of the incident) you can just click on the following link:-

http://www.caa.co.uk/application.aspx?categoryid=60&pagetype=65&applicationid=1&mode=detailnosummary&fullregmark=G-BRNZ

When I did this in 2004 the plane was listed as a public transport carrier. Since then the CAA no longer issue this type of C of A. They have just switched over to a standard EASA cert - which is what the plane is listed as now. I note it still has the same owner though. If I find out his contact details, I might just poke my nose in and find out what actually did happen - if anything!

[ppiper]

RomeoTangoFoxtrotMike Thanks for that link. I just read it with great interest. It was difficult to know whether to laugh or cry....! You get the feeling that this sort of thing is far more common than we realise.

It would, of course, be understandable if people (the authorities) are keeping these incidents fairly quiet and not reporting too much of it, but I for one, would like to know some sort of figures. I mean, is there some sort of record kept somewhere about any GA hijackings or similar incidents? Does anyone actually know of any others? I do not recall the name of the airfield in kent where the pilot died in 2004. One minute it was on the news and then it went deathly quiet. There was no follow up or conclusion as to what happened, but i wonder how often this happens? I know he was made to bring drugs into the country.

I don't know what sort of transmission was made but his radio was said to be still tuned into 121.5 when they examined the wreck. I think he was also on 7500. The sad thing was (or so it seemed) that he was made to land somewhere he was not capable of landing. How do you say to a hijacker "Hmmm naa don't think I can get this in there .... not in these conditions...."?

Also, in the current climate (if it is as bad as we are being led to believe.....) I wonder if there should be some sort of new briefing as to what pilots should do and what ATC staff should do in these circumstances? I know from my own perspective, I would be too scared to select 7500 or speak on 121.5 if I had a hijacker sitting beside me, just in case ATC came back with "please confirm emergency...." or "are you aware you are transmitting on the emergency chanel?...." Your goose would be pretty much cooked then. It would be nice to think they could come back with "be aware there is military testing ahead of you at this time.... we will vector you to an airport unaffected by the flights...." or something similar. From the experience of the guy in the link, there is clearly no 'code of practice' in place. It might be time to set one up...?

Any more stories?

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

ppiper. With all respect, your knowledge of aviation operations appears limited. There are perfectly adequate procedeures in place for both commercial pilots and ATC for dealing with all forms of emergency and ATC will not behave in the manner you might imagine! Nor would any such incidents be "covered up". That simply does not happen. I was intimately involved in a hi-jacking almost before the term was popularised and the full, totally inaccurate, "story" was on the front pages that evening. I suggest that the reason the story of the flight you mentioned disappeared was that it was not newsworthy.. and that's all that papers are interested in. Have you checked AAIB for a copy of the accident report? If you read official accident reports you'd see that light aircraft are involved in minor skirmishes very frequently but how often do they become newsworthy?

I worked all my life in aviation operations and I do not believe that hi-jacking of small aeroplanes occurs to the extent you may believe. Apart from that isolated occurrence I never heard of a single one. What purpose would be served?

[bottom rung]

You can't blame ppiper for being inquisitive. According to his profile he likes to poke his nose in ;)

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

<<You can't blame ppiper for being inquisitive.>>

Absolutely, which is why I have tried to re-assure him. There are millions of "Joe Publics" who, through no fault of their own, are totally ignorant of aviation procedures. All they know is the rubbish they read in the papers, which does little to re-assure anyone!!

[chevvron]

HD - was that the one in about 1970/71 where the pilot said 'hi-jack' and the controller (whose name happened to be Jack) replied 'hi Fred'?