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Ethiopian Hijack?

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Ethiopian Hijack?

Old 17th Feb 2014, 20:29
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Originally Posted by daikilo
If only the French scrambled
Nope, Italian scrambled too.

Originally Posted by daikilo
and only one aircraft
That's SOP. How many fighters do you think is needed for escorting a liner? Or even to shoot it down, if it comes to that (hopefully never)?
One intercepted, and was joined by another one in the finale phase of the Boeing flight.

And that's more than what the Swiss scrambled


Re: squawk:
FR24 picked ETH702 @ 22:50 on the 16th, squawking 2442. Immediatly after, @ 22:51, the squawk bacame 7500. It stayed so 'til landing.
Now, this are FR24 data, which only cover Khartoum's surroundings (then it's Italy), i.e. not Ethiopia nor Egypt (except airound Cairo) nor Libya.
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Old 17th Feb 2014, 20:39
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Funny way to hand your notice in....
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Old 17th Feb 2014, 20:58
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Any idea what the Italians scrambled from where and what they did on station and once they had finished monitoring.

Are you sure the French can attack in non-agression conditions with just one on target?
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Old 17th Feb 2014, 20:59
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those psychometric tests really weed out the nutters

take note airlines!! they are total waste of time, proven here...
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Old 17th Feb 2014, 22:14
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Italian Eurofighters

Answer: two Italian Eurofighters were scrambled from Gioia del Colle, South of Italy very early morning. Aircraft intercepted just when entering Italian airspace from Africa, just below Sicily. Pilot was calmly collaborating with Italian Air Force and Italian fighters were following from behind not to alert passengers. Italian Eurofighters never moved to the side of aircraft. No risks according to Italian Air Force as pilot immediately explained his intention to land in Geneva so fighters only followed as precaution to make sure he would not divert or change his plans. Fighters were both fully armed but Italian Air Force confirmed pilot was very calm and fully collaborative: he clearly and calmly explained his intention to seek asylum in GVA and nothing else.
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Old 17th Feb 2014, 23:20
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Stupid contributors.

Put a cabin crew member into the flight deck each time one of the pilots needs to visit the toilet....brilliant!

What exactly would the hostie do if the naughty pilot decides to divert? Take over control? Overpower the pilot and force him/her to behave? Threaten the pilot with the fire axe? Open the door to allow access to the other pilot?

Anyone who flies will know that they can do what they wish with regard to single-pilot operation. Thanks to the locked door policy, this is easy.

And what if the pilot decides to commit suicide and promptly shuts down the engines and stuffs the nose down? Just what would our heroic flight attendant do? This has been done with both one and with two pilots present.

Grow up, panic-stricken spotters.
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Old 18th Feb 2014, 03:57
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It is indeed the case that Switzerland does not have 24/7 air coverage.

That being said the whole incident occurred over Italian and French territory. I really don't see Swiss air-force intervening into those respective countries !

Any quite honestly there is very little place over Switzerland to shot down an airliner without major risks to the people on the ground...
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Old 18th Feb 2014, 05:24
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Stupid contributors.

What exactly would the hostie do if the naughty pilot decides to divert? Take over control? Overpower the pilot and force him/her to behave? Threaten the pilot with the fire axe? Open the door to allow access to the other pilot?
AP is quoting the witnesses:

"The pilot was threatening (the hijacker) to open the cockpit door and tried to knock it down without succeeding,".
"At this point, a message was transmitted by the loudspeakers in poor English, but the threat to crash the airplane was clearly understood," .
Oxygen masks then came down, making everyone on the plane very tense.
"We got scared because we saw these (oxygen masks) come down and the voice of the pilot, that usually is friendly and mellow, was cracking and worried, saying, `Breathe with the oxygen masks! Sit down!'...


The co-pilot later threatened to take away passengers' oxygen if they tried to leave their seats.
"`If you're not sitting down and belted, I'll take away your oxygen,'"
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Old 18th Feb 2014, 06:15
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Apparently he believed he could demand and be granted asylum while diverting/hijacking...expecting miracles from ATC?

Seems highly irrational.
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Old 18th Feb 2014, 08:20
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Put a cabin crew member into the flight deck each time one of the pilots needs to visit the toilet....brilliant!

What exactly would the hostie do if the naughty pilot decides to divert? Take over control? Overpower the pilot and force him/her to behave? Threaten the pilot with the fire axe? Open the door to allow access to the other pilot?

Anyone who flies will know that they can do what they wish with regard to single-pilot operation. Thanks to the locked door policy, this is easy.

And what if the pilot decides to commit suicide and promptly shuts down the engines and stuffs the nose down? Just what would our heroic flight attendant do? This has been done with both one and with two pilots present.

Grow up, panic-stricken spotters.
Well said RoyHudd! Unfortunately the 'nanny-state' mentality is alive and kicking, also (or should I say, especially) among pilots, who subsequently start complaining that they have to take their shoes/belt off at security or complain about all the little micro-management rules from the CP's office.

I'm bracing to see what kind of stupid knee-jerk reaction the politicians and 'regulators' will come up with next...

p.s. perhaps they will introduce the flight engineer again, so that there will always be at least 2 people in the flight deck!
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Old 18th Feb 2014, 08:43
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"What exactly would the hostie do if the naughty pilot decides to divert? Take over control? Overpower the pilot and force him/her to behave? Threaten the pilot with the fire axe? Open the door to allow access to the other pilot?"

Yes, that

"Anyone who flies will know that they can do what they wish with regard to single-pilot operation. Thanks to the locked door policy, this is easy."

You seem confused
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Old 18th Feb 2014, 08:52
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And quite honestly there is very little place over Switzerland to shot down an airliner without major risks to the people on the ground...
And in particular that bit of Switzerland where the distance between two borders with France is about 5km. Mind you all the UN organisations and NGOs are in that 5km stretch (except for the black helicopters, which are kept in New York)
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Old 18th Feb 2014, 08:59
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LLuCCiFeR & Roy Hudd,

"Panic Stricken Spotter". . . well 18500hr including 14500 in Command of 737, I think you are missing a trick there Roy.

I don't think having the flight deck floosie visit whilst my colleague takes a wass is in any ways indicative of a "nanny state".

I have on occasions being tucking into a sandwich whilst my colleague is gone, & happened upon the idea, what if you bloody choked on some of this lovely jamon serrano as you try to swallow a whole chunk as it is too tough to break, what if " simply" I passed out & slumped over the controls. The delay involved in opening the door with the code is fairly lengthy.

In most cases, the only simple action required of a CC is to open the door & let the other pilot in. In the crash of the Embraer the sound of knocking on the door could be heard on the CVR, if he had got in, he "may" have had time to save the day. In this case (ET) I doubt any CC would have sat there dumbly from Khartoum to GVA whilst the Capt was demanding via intercom & door thumping to be let back in.

I am all against nannying & yet more rules (for example I think it is farcical that I cannot have an off duty colleague , that I may have flown with on the previous sector, sitting on the jump seat , in uniform , whilst in UK airspace) but I think a policy involving accompaniment would be more positive than negative. . .except on those unfortunate days when all 4 CC are of the male gender
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Old 18th Feb 2014, 09:47
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I have on occasions being tucking into a sandwich whilst my colleague is gone, & happened upon the idea, what if you bloody choked on some of this lovely jamon serrano as you try to swallow a whole chunk as it is too tough to break, what if " simply" I passed out & slumped over the controls. The delay involved in opening the door with the code is fairly lengthy.
Jeeeesus! that's exactly what I mean! NO COMMON SENSE! What if this, and what if that! Come on! What if a meteorite strikes an aircraft!?

So captplaystation, did you file an ASR for the 'potentially catastrophic safety threat about choking on a sandwich' and/or run to the CP so he/she can make a brand new rule again: FORBIDDING EATING A SANDWICHES WHILST THE OTHER PILOT IS OUTSIDE THE FLIGHT DECK?

Some people have to have rules and rules and even more rules for...EVERYTHING because they either can't use their brains, or because they are completely paranoid about just about everything.

Anyone with a beard is a potential terrorist and every sandwich is a potential deathtrap!
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Old 18th Feb 2014, 10:51
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Was this in fact a hijack.? The definition I've found is taking control of an aircraft by force. While this chap is clearly very naughty, this offence seems to escape that legal definition on two counts.
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Old 18th Feb 2014, 10:59
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What is so difficult or inconvenient with that?
Two of the biggest airlines of this world are flying nothing but freighters, and in the vast majority of cases there's only the skipper and the FO on board. No FE, no hosties, no loadies, no nothing. So, yes, for anyone who's operating freighters this is a major inconvenience.
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Old 18th Feb 2014, 11:05
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It wasn't a Hijack, it was an unlawful interference with an aircraft. The Swiss are talking about charging him with 200+ counts of kidnapping.


These are acts or attempted acts such as to jeopardize the safety of civil aviation, including but not limited to:
• unlawful seizure of aircraft,
• destruction of an aircraft in service,
• hostage-taking on board aircraft or on aerodromes,
• forcible intrusion on board an aircraft, at an airport or on the premises of an aeronautical facility,
• introduction on board an aircraft or at an airport of a weapon or hazardous device or material intended for criminal purposes,
• use of an aircraft in service for the purpose of causing death, serious bodily injury, or serious damage to property or the environment,
• communication of false information such as to jeopardize the safety of an aircraft in flight or on the ground, of passengers, crew, ground personnel or the general public, at an airport or on the premises of a civil aviation facility.
Definition Source
ICAO (2011), Official definition, Annex 17 (Security)
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Old 18th Feb 2014, 11:09
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Most of them are not professional pilots but merely unpromising hysterics.
From what I understand, the FO had been employed with the airline for five years. And only now wanting to leave the country and seek asylum? Or maybe he had an argument with the captain on that flight and went nuts?
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Old 18th Feb 2014, 11:14
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Personally I'm waiting to see what it was in Ethiopia that was so bad that it drove a fully qualified (therefore at least reasonably intelligent) pilot to pursue such drastic measures as to illegally divert his own flight for his own ends.


I'm sure he researched the legal ramifications (if not, not so clever) therefore before passing judgement I would wait and see what caused the whole thing.


Must be pretty horrific to force that sort of move.


IMHO of course!
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Old 18th Feb 2014, 12:53
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Exxb, thanks for clearing up what he is being charged with. Glad to see he landed safely, and nobody got hurt. Sorry to see he put the pax and aircraft at risk over all this. Those folks did not sign up for that.
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