Hijack situation in Jamaica
It's now being reported in Canadian media that the hostage taker has been taken into custody by local police. It is not yet known if it ended peacefully or with an armed takedown. A media briefing will take place in the next hour or so. I hope that the CJ crew are all unharmed.
Trash du Blanc
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(CNN) -- An armed man, described as "mentally challenged," took six crew members hostage after he barged onto a passenger jet at a Jamaican airport Monday and demanded to be flown to Cuba.
A hostage-taker commandeered a CanJet flight at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
The gunman, believed to be in his early 20s, released all passengers and two members of the crew from the CanJet plane but negotiations continued Monday morning at Sangster International Airport in the resort city of Montego Bay to secure the remaining crew members' release.
"The hijacking is that from a mentally challenged youngster and not anything that would be of concern in terms of an international incident," said Jamaica's Information Minister Daryl Vaz.
"His demand was to go to Cuba," he said.
CanJet Airlines flight 918 was carrying 174 passengers and eight crew members, said Kent Woodside, the airline's vice president. All the passengers are Canadian, he said.
The Boeing 737 flew in from Halifax, Canada, and had made a scheduled landing at Montego Bay, when the armed man boarded the plane late Sunday, the airline said. It was scheduled to continue on to Santa Clara, Cuba.
The gunman fired a shot in the boarding bridge to the plane as he entered, Woodside said.
He then took an undisclosed number of passengers and crew members hostage, said Elizabeth Scotton, a spokeswoman for the company that manages the airport.
All but six were released unhurt.
Two of the six crew members who remained inside the plane Monday locked themselves in the cockpit, Vaz said.
Among those negotiating with the man were his father and Prime Minister Bruce Golding, who flew in by helicopter. The country's minister of national security also was at hand.
"We are relieved that all the passengers involved in this incident are safe as well as two crew members, and our top priority is to provide the safe release of the remaining crew members," Woodside said.
The passengers were taken to a hotel, Vaz said. The airport was shut down.
Christian Gosselin, a passenger on the flight, told his father that the gunman demanded cash from the plane's occupants. Vaz confirmed the account.
"The guy wanted to have all their money," said Gosselin's father, Alphonse. "He (my son) told his girlfriend to take all the money and just take her passport and credit card and put it in her back pocket."
Christian Gosselin was part of a 25-person wedding party. He and his girlfriend were released by the hostage-taker, and they spoke to his father in New Brunswick, Canada, while waiting for another flight.
"I didn't ask them too many questions; I was more concerned for their safety," the father said. "They were a bit shaken up. It was quite an experience."
Another passenger, Brenda Grenier, called her husband and said the man apparently got aboard the plane as airport workers were loading bags.
Grenier and her daughter were safe, her husband said by phone from his home in Nova Scotia, Canada.
A hostage-taker commandeered a CanJet flight at Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
The gunman, believed to be in his early 20s, released all passengers and two members of the crew from the CanJet plane but negotiations continued Monday morning at Sangster International Airport in the resort city of Montego Bay to secure the remaining crew members' release.
"The hijacking is that from a mentally challenged youngster and not anything that would be of concern in terms of an international incident," said Jamaica's Information Minister Daryl Vaz.
"His demand was to go to Cuba," he said.
CanJet Airlines flight 918 was carrying 174 passengers and eight crew members, said Kent Woodside, the airline's vice president. All the passengers are Canadian, he said.
The Boeing 737 flew in from Halifax, Canada, and had made a scheduled landing at Montego Bay, when the armed man boarded the plane late Sunday, the airline said. It was scheduled to continue on to Santa Clara, Cuba.
The gunman fired a shot in the boarding bridge to the plane as he entered, Woodside said.
He then took an undisclosed number of passengers and crew members hostage, said Elizabeth Scotton, a spokeswoman for the company that manages the airport.
All but six were released unhurt.
Two of the six crew members who remained inside the plane Monday locked themselves in the cockpit, Vaz said.
Among those negotiating with the man were his father and Prime Minister Bruce Golding, who flew in by helicopter. The country's minister of national security also was at hand.
"We are relieved that all the passengers involved in this incident are safe as well as two crew members, and our top priority is to provide the safe release of the remaining crew members," Woodside said.
The passengers were taken to a hotel, Vaz said. The airport was shut down.
Christian Gosselin, a passenger on the flight, told his father that the gunman demanded cash from the plane's occupants. Vaz confirmed the account.
"The guy wanted to have all their money," said Gosselin's father, Alphonse. "He (my son) told his girlfriend to take all the money and just take her passport and credit card and put it in her back pocket."
Christian Gosselin was part of a 25-person wedding party. He and his girlfriend were released by the hostage-taker, and they spoke to his father in New Brunswick, Canada, while waiting for another flight.
"I didn't ask them too many questions; I was more concerned for their safety," the father said. "They were a bit shaken up. It was quite an experience."
Another passenger, Brenda Grenier, called her husband and said the man apparently got aboard the plane as airport workers were loading bags.
Grenier and her daughter were safe, her husband said by phone from his home in Nova Scotia, Canada.
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Great job to the Jamaican authorities for diffusing the situation without anybody getting hurt.
I must remember to take internet news with a grain of salt though, as the first post had a pilot dead.
I suppose he must not have been a very bright lad though, as he demanded to be taken to Cuba, which was a scheduled stop
I must remember to take internet news with a grain of salt though, as the first post had a pilot dead.I suppose he must not have been a very bright lad though, as he demanded to be taken to Cuba, which was a scheduled stop
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CanJet praises crew of hijacked flight
By DAN ARSENAULT and PATRICIA BROOKS ARENBURG Staff Reporters
Mon. Apr 20 - 11:14 AM
A CanJet executive lauded the efforts of the crew on board a plane that was hijacked late Sunday night in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
"I'd like to praise the professionalism and bravery of our crew who, while trained to deal with this serious incident, would have hoped never to dealt with this reality," Kent Woodside, vice-president and general manager of CanJet, told reporters after the gunman's arrest.
Eight crew members Capt. James Murphy, flight attendants Heidi Tofflemire and Nicole Rogers and air care security officer Garry Knickle, all of Halifax, along with First officer Glenn Johnson, of Montreal, and flight attendants Anu Goswami; Tony Bettencourt, Carolina Santizo Arriola, all from the Toronto region were on board CanJet flight 918 when a lone gunman hijacked the plane in Jamaica on Sunday night.
The Boeing 737-800 was carrying 174 Canadian passengers and was destined for Halifax, after a stopover in Santa Clara, Cuba, to drop off vacationers.
The passengers and two crew members were released early this morning, but six crew members remained on board with the gunman until he was arrested by Jamaican authorities this morning.
The crew are getting medical attention as a precaution, but they were all unharmed, Mr. Woodside said.
"We are extremely concerned for the well-being of everyone involved in this incident and our priority now is to provide comfort and support to the passengers and crew who were involved in this ordeal," Mr. Woodside said at the 10 a.m. news conference.
Another CanJet plane had just left Montreal for Toronto, he said, to pick up additional crew to fly to Montego Bay this afternoon.
That plane will pick up the affected passengers, continue to Cuba and drop off those who want to begin their vacations and bring the remainder home to Halifax. When exactly they will return has not yet been determined.
Mr. Woodside said CanJet is working with Jamaican authorities to uncover the security breach.
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Jamaican police storm airliner to capture gunman
Jamaican police storm airliner to capture gunman
KINGSTON, Jamaica A gunman forced his way though airport security onto a Canadian jet near Montego Bay, holding six crew members hostage for eight hours before police and soldiers stormed the aircraft on Monday and captured him.
Nobody was killed or injured in the ordeal, which ended with a raid after talks broke down with a 20-year-old Jamaican gunman described as "mentally challenged."
KINGSTON, Jamaica A gunman forced his way though airport security onto a Canadian jet near Montego Bay, holding six crew members hostage for eight hours before police and soldiers stormed the aircraft on Monday and captured him.
Nobody was killed or injured in the ordeal, which ended with a raid after talks broke down with a 20-year-old Jamaican gunman described as "mentally challenged."
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Just heard an interview with a pax on CBC radio. He said the guy actually shot at the captain and missed. It also sounded like the cabin crew were instrumental in achieving a good outcome.
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Latearrival,
If you're referring to the pax interviewed on CBC Radio's The Current, I got the distinct impression that he was a bit of a nutcase himself. He claimed the captain's face was blackened by gunpowder from the shot fired at him.
According to another source, the hijacker fired the shot out of the aircraft's open door at no one in particular and the pilots were on the flight deck behind a locked door.
I think it'll be a while before all the facts are in.
Rockhound
If you're referring to the pax interviewed on CBC Radio's The Current, I got the distinct impression that he was a bit of a nutcase himself. He claimed the captain's face was blackened by gunpowder from the shot fired at him.
According to another source, the hijacker fired the shot out of the aircraft's open door at no one in particular and the pilots were on the flight deck behind a locked door.
I think it'll be a while before all the facts are in.
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I know it's hard to say what you'd do, since we're not in that position, but I find it odd that the captain departed the plane with the pax, leaving his FO and cabin crew in danger.
As the Captain, I would feel an obligation to stay with my crew until the situation was resolved.
As the Captain, I would feel an obligation to stay with my crew until the situation was resolved.
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CTV.ca news report: (Sheds light on why the Captain left the airplane)
Officers entered hijacked plane through cockpit
The armed gunman who hijacked a CanJet plane in Jamaica was captured after tactical officers used a cockpit window to board the aircraft, CTV News has learned.
The first officer was the only one in the locked cockpit when members of the Jamaican Defence Force moved in to capture the gunman.
"They were able to open the window, get him (the pilot) out and put themselves in," CTV's Rosemary Thompson reported Tuesday from Jamaica.
"They were able to do this without the knowledge of the hijacker."
Thompson said sources confirmed that the officers were able to lure the hijacker to the cockpit, which he thought still contained members of the flight crew.
"Based on his behaviour, we assumed that he thought that there were members of the flight crew inside the cockpit, because he continued to knock on the door, demanding that the door be opened so that the aircraft would take off," said Jamaican National Security Minister Dwight Nelson....
Officers entered hijacked plane through cockpit
The armed gunman who hijacked a CanJet plane in Jamaica was captured after tactical officers used a cockpit window to board the aircraft, CTV News has learned.
The first officer was the only one in the locked cockpit when members of the Jamaican Defence Force moved in to capture the gunman.
"They were able to open the window, get him (the pilot) out and put themselves in," CTV's Rosemary Thompson reported Tuesday from Jamaica.
"They were able to do this without the knowledge of the hijacker."
Thompson said sources confirmed that the officers were able to lure the hijacker to the cockpit, which he thought still contained members of the flight crew.
"Based on his behaviour, we assumed that he thought that there were members of the flight crew inside the cockpit, because he continued to knock on the door, demanding that the door be opened so that the aircraft would take off," said Jamaican National Security Minister Dwight Nelson....
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If there was a chance to lock the cockpit door then going out the copilots window would be the best way to disable the aircraft. Leaving the FO must have been done for a reason but a locked cockpit door leaves the hijacker unable to procede with his plan. It would be easy to disable the APU so if he was a pilot he would not be able to start it. I have a feeling the FO was in back when the captain locked the cockpit door as he should have. Leaving the airplane with the cockpit door locked removed any possibility of flight. The FO couldn't have been forced to start it with no APU. They did a great job.
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According to the latest reports on the CBC, eventually both pilots were replaced on the flight deck by security personnel. When the hijacker was finally admitted to the cockpit, he was overpowered. Trebles all round!!
Rockhound
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Beginning with post #28 it seems the assumption is that ...."the captain departed the plane with the pax, leaving his FO and cabin crew in danger."
Could he simply have been off the aircraft (walk-around perhaps) when this whole thing started? F/O left in cockpit loading FMC.
Not making sense that hijacker would release the person he NEEDED to fly him to his destination. Nor am I accepting that the COMMANDER would bail on his crew at earliest opportunity.
Could he simply have been off the aircraft (walk-around perhaps) when this whole thing started? F/O left in cockpit loading FMC.
Not making sense that hijacker would release the person he NEEDED to fly him to his destination. Nor am I accepting that the COMMANDER would bail on his crew at earliest opportunity.
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Locking the bullet proof cockpit door and if able go out the windows makes the aircraft unflyable. Now the police can deal with it like a building hostage situation. Since 9-11 we don't do things like we did that day. I didn't agree with what we did then but had to do it because it was, then, procedure. This mentally challenged person got through Jamaican security on a plane with a gun. We shouldn't even be thinking of judging the crew on what they did. How did he get on the aircraft with a gun forcing them to fly to their scheduled destination? Next time just buy a ticket.
Not the first crew to vacate in a hijack
It was decades ago, but as I recall a PanAm crew vacated the cockpit in Pakistan.
It was stated at the time that this is a quick way of disabling the a/c.
But these days there's all sorts of MSFS experts who might fancy giving it a go
I don't know about disabling the APU. Don't you have to leave it on to keep the cockpit door locked?
It was stated at the time that this is a quick way of disabling the a/c.
But these days there's all sorts of MSFS experts who might fancy giving it a go
I don't know about disabling the APU. Don't you have to leave it on to keep the cockpit door locked?
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This gives me a chance to bring up a personal hero: Captain Bacos of the Entebbe hijacking. From Wikipedia:
The hijackers deliberately sorted the hostages into Jew and Gentiles.[3] As they did so a Holocaust survivor showed Böse a camp registration number tattooed on his arm, Böse protested "I'm no Nazi! ... I am an idealist."[3] The hijackers held the passengers hostage for a week in the transit hall of Entebbe Airport (now the old terminal). Some hostages were released, but 105 Israelis and French Jews remained captive.[4] The hijackers threatened to kill them if Israel did not comply with their demands.
Upon the announcement by the hijackers that the airline crew and non-Jewish passengers would be released and put on another Air France plane that had been brought to Entebbe for that purpose, the flight captain Michel Bacos told the hijackers that all passengers, including the remaining ones, were his responsibility, and that he would not leave them behind. Bacos' entire crew followed suit. A French nun also refused to leave, insisting that one of the remaining hostages take her place, but she was forced into the awaiting Air France plane by Ugandan soldiers.[5] A total of 83 Israeli and/or Jewish hostages remained, as well as 20 others, most of whom included the crew of the Air France plane.
Upon the announcement by the hijackers that the airline crew and non-Jewish passengers would be released and put on another Air France plane that had been brought to Entebbe for that purpose, the flight captain Michel Bacos told the hijackers that all passengers, including the remaining ones, were his responsibility, and that he would not leave them behind. Bacos' entire crew followed suit. A French nun also refused to leave, insisting that one of the remaining hostages take her place, but she was forced into the awaiting Air France plane by Ugandan soldiers.[5] A total of 83 Israeli and/or Jewish hostages remained, as well as 20 others, most of whom included the crew of the Air France plane.
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RBF:
Yes, the cockpit door lock will disengage but they can't start the jet. The APU is the only way to start without external pneumatics. This procedure can be done from the ground.
Yes, the cockpit door lock will disengage but they can't start the jet. The APU is the only way to start without external pneumatics. This procedure can be done from the ground.