CX382 ZRH-HKG intercepted over Hungary today
 

Cathay B-777 (B-KPF) operating flight CX382 ZRH-HKG had been intercepted by two Hungarian Gripens today after failing to contact Austrian/Hungarian ATC. Reportedly (as the aircraft did not deviate from the flight plan route) they were "handed over" to Romanian ATC after "visual identification". The case made it to the news in Hungary to explain the sonic boom which was caused by the fighters proceeding to catch the Triple.

Looks like the DFO will learn a few more aviation "terms and procedures" today. Be nice if someone could explain the "Senior Fleet" concept to her at the same time.

Oops, headsets back on...

"Senior Fleet".
Reminds me of The Village People song "In the Navy".

I wonder who they'll send the fuel bill for the jets to?

Hey, at least this way they get to pay cheap non-hedged fuel for once.

Oops.........

How come the 777 seems to be crewed by the biggest bunch of misfits in CX. Or is it just the standard of training that is "guaranteed to be upheld" slipping as the Trainers suggested?




In the senior fleet! you cant take off your headsets!


In the senior fleet! you .......!

Seems CX are not the first...

British Airways flight to London Heathrow intercepted by fighter jets over Hungary

In my opinion incidents like these are inevitable and will increase as CX continue to lower the experience level on the flight deck and also fly those lesser experienced crews to the legal limits of fatigue.

If they were coming from ZRH they would have been handed off by Wien or Bratislava and squawking a discrete code. It seems a bit extreme of the Hungarians, an EU country, to fire off a couple of supersonic fighters for what is clearly an airliner, especially when coming from continental Europe rather than, say, Ukraine/Russia?

Anyway guys listen out, and keep 121.5 turned up to an audible level too!

The scramble was ordered by the NATO CAOC TJ.

Re-reading the OP carefully, if they hadn't contacted Wien either, then Budapest would be the second FIR they were flying through without R/T contact. Did they miss their handover from Swiss/Langen?

In any case, I suppose at some point one does have to make sure that the airliner hasn't been hijacked... cue another "listen out" NTC.

As an F/O who will be applying for "training officer" position, I take this kind of thing very serious and will do all in my power to remedy such.

Just my way of giving back

What's the chance they where asleep ?

1.) Take out the CFP and monitor your position, track changes, and upcoming FIR's.
2.) Take out the Enroute Chart and monitor your position, track changes, and upcoming FIR's.
3.) Listen out on the active frequency.
4.) Approachng an FIR, query ATC if handoff does not occur prior to next FIR.
5.) Pre-call any THIRD WORLD FIR PRIOR TO ENTRY.
6.) Google shoot down of KAL 007.

Feel free to add....

Mr AV - maybe read the NTC again - FO 's not invited to apply - thank god...

If they had a halfway decent EFB ( ie Jepp) the next FIR is so obvious you can't miss it .
did no ATC unit call them in 121.5 to check ,
did no other aircraft in the vicinity make a call
Or was the volume of the speaker turned right down , who knows? but it's easy enough to be caught out by this
But the total lack of RT comms should have been a clue

Errrmmmm..... it's called "controlled rest".

Please be guided accordingly.

Controlled rest at 3pm Europe time - a bit early, no?!

Maybe after take off from Colombo at 2am but not after a good layover in ZRH unless the cheese fondue was a but heavy.

Yet let's hire experienced DEFOs on to the airbus fleet rather than the hapless tripla. 120 sectors in 10 years before command on that circus.

Why did the airforce not make a phone call to CX Ops, arrange an ACARS message and solve the problem in 60-90 seconds? Too high tech to find a phone number or just not nearly as much fun as blasting around supersonic and making the headlines?

The Hungarian Airforce/ NATO to call IOC?

Get your hand off it.

Correct! - Are we supposed to apologise for having had rip snorting fun at the taxpayers expense? :E

Yes, I can see a Hungarian general sitting on hold listening to 'We Can Fly'....:ugh:

all HK based crew so midnight body clock or later...not surprising getting 90 hours jammed down their throats even in a 'leave days' month...
can't continue without more of this happening..
and IOC ?? really? anybody?

'We can lie'

"all HK based crew so midnight body clock or later..."
A lunchtime departure from ZRH puts them into Hungary 45 minutes later, so it's barely evening body clock time. No chance they were "controlled resting".

I think BA was intercepted over Hungary a few months ago as well. The 121.5 volume can get set low by accident. I have started making sure to check it along with the radar(yes, I have found it off) as one of the first things when coming back from crew rest.

You're a legend in your own lunchtime jammed stab. I've taken to ensuring the frigging thing is turned right down whenever possible. Primarily so I don't have to listen to all that ping pong ball In the mouth ****e over China.

Excellent post, both witty and coherent. :ok:

STP

Cheers. Literally !!

Well, perhaps that was you then over Hungary. If there is a problem with excessive chatter on 121.5, I just turn it down so that it is hardly audible and won't interfere with ATC. But if it is really quiet on ATC such as a screwup by being on the wrong frequency, I can hear them calling me on 121.5. A Hungarian pilot I know told me that their fighter pilots get so little flight time that they are extremely keen to get a chance to fly in formation with any Cathay or BA guy that likes to turn 121.5 down to inaudible.

The freighter fleet don't seem to have as many problems like this. I wonder why?

Sadly I haven't seen Hungarian airspace in a coons' age. So, no, it wasn't me over Hungary. That would be our illustrious senior fleet leading by example. Again. And again.

Senior fleet!?! Hahaha. No such thing at CX.

Yes, because listening to 121.5 on secondary, and changing freq between FIRs on primary, requires 1000s of hours of heavy jet time.
In most parts of the world that's part of PPL training, not sure how it's done in HK though....

CP

re: The key word is "training".

Without that, well...

Maybe it is, but experience is what will make you think "radio's been a bit quiet, who should we be talking to?", and thus trap these errors.

We all make errors, even the multi thousand hours pilot. It's how we catch and correct those errors that count. That's where experience comes in.

Pilots might have had no idea about current sensitive situation Turkey Syria Border just now. That is the problem when your management is not your friend.