Ethiopian Hijack?
Ethiopian Hijack?
Don't know about the flame out but apparently the fuel situation was fairly critical at landing. Basically the guy went into negotiating his asylum while circling the airport and pretty much landed at the last minute...
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Mansfield, UK
Age: 43
Posts: 60
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
In the AMA thread one person claimed one of the engines flamed out before landing due to fuel exhaustion. Any truth to this?
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: FUBAR
Posts: 3,348
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Assuming they departed with a "normal" fuel load I would guess the extra flt time FCO-GVA & time spent in the hold "negotiating" probably left him without too much.
Although some question his sanity I would doubt if he was mad enough to play "Russian Roulette" by holding out until an engine flame out .
Unless he had a big fuel imbalance the 2nd one wouldn't be far away if that really happened . . . Shirley he wasn't THAT loopy ?
Although some question his sanity I would doubt if he was mad enough to play "Russian Roulette" by holding out until an engine flame out .
Unless he had a big fuel imbalance the 2nd one wouldn't be far away if that really happened . . . Shirley he wasn't THAT loopy ?
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: UK Manchester
Age: 40
Posts: 29
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I'd be reluctant to call it a 'hijack' in the traditional sense. Anyway, couldn't he have gone on holiday to said country and claimed asylum, surely it would have saved embarrassment to everybody involved.
Surely, but the interesting flight phase where the Captain went for a leak probably is no longer on the CVR tape: the typically 30 minutes of recording time are a bit less than the flight time needed from KRT to GVA.
Swiss jets not scrambled over hijacked plane because 'airbases closed at night'
Swiss jets not scrambled over hijacked plane because 'airbases closed at night'
An incident with a highjacked Ethiopian passenger jet has exposed the Swiss Air Force’s inability to deal with threats in ‘off-duty’ hours. An emergency escort to the aircraft in distress was carried out by vigilant colleagues from Italy and France.
Early on Monday morning, an Ethiopian Airlines co-pilot told ground control he had highjacked flight ET-702 from Addis Ababa to Rome and was going to land in Geneva. The Swiss Air Force was caught off guard and missed a rare opportunity to go on a real mission. It turned out that they were unable to scramble any jets because they only work during office hours!
“Switzerland cannot intervene because its airbases are closed at night and on the weekend,” Swiss Air Force spokesman, Laurent Savary, commented to AFP later on, adding that it is “a question of budget and staffing.”
According to Laurent Savary, the Swiss Air Force operates during office hours only, specifically from 8am until a lunch break at noon. A return to cockpits happens at 1:30 pm and they watch over Switzerland’s skies until 5pm.
When the Boeing 767-300 with 202 passengers, highjacked by 31-year-old co-pilot Hailemedehin Abera Tagegn got to Europe, it was still too early for the Swiss pilots to gear up for the urgent mission.
So the job was done by Italian and French military pilots. Italian Air Force Colonel, Girolamo Ladiciccio, said, the order to intercept the Boeing from the Ethiopian capital came from NATO command. Two Italian, and later a couple of French fighters ensured the Ethiopian aircraft did not stray from its route and harm national security.
And the fears were justified, as more details about the hijacking drama continued to emerge.
In an audio recording published on Italian media websites, a voice said to be the captain could be heard threatening to “crash the plane.”
“We thought the co-pilot had gone mad,” said Francesco Cuomo, a 25-year-old development economist who was among the ET-702 passengers, as reported by Switzerland’s, The Local.
The story proved that Swiss business wakes up earlier than its national military. Geneva airport opens for business flights at 06:00 am, whereas the Air Force remains inoperable until 08:00 am.
The Ethiopian aircraft had to circle the region for some time until the green light to land in Geneva was given around 5:30 am (04:30 GMT).
When the plane safely landed in Geneva at 6:02 am (05:02 GMT), Swiss military technicians had not even started to warm up the engines of the country’s F-18s and F-5 Tigers fighter jets.
Early on Monday morning, an Ethiopian Airlines co-pilot told ground control he had highjacked flight ET-702 from Addis Ababa to Rome and was going to land in Geneva. The Swiss Air Force was caught off guard and missed a rare opportunity to go on a real mission. It turned out that they were unable to scramble any jets because they only work during office hours!
“Switzerland cannot intervene because its airbases are closed at night and on the weekend,” Swiss Air Force spokesman, Laurent Savary, commented to AFP later on, adding that it is “a question of budget and staffing.”
According to Laurent Savary, the Swiss Air Force operates during office hours only, specifically from 8am until a lunch break at noon. A return to cockpits happens at 1:30 pm and they watch over Switzerland’s skies until 5pm.
When the Boeing 767-300 with 202 passengers, highjacked by 31-year-old co-pilot Hailemedehin Abera Tagegn got to Europe, it was still too early for the Swiss pilots to gear up for the urgent mission.
So the job was done by Italian and French military pilots. Italian Air Force Colonel, Girolamo Ladiciccio, said, the order to intercept the Boeing from the Ethiopian capital came from NATO command. Two Italian, and later a couple of French fighters ensured the Ethiopian aircraft did not stray from its route and harm national security.
And the fears were justified, as more details about the hijacking drama continued to emerge.
In an audio recording published on Italian media websites, a voice said to be the captain could be heard threatening to “crash the plane.”
“We thought the co-pilot had gone mad,” said Francesco Cuomo, a 25-year-old development economist who was among the ET-702 passengers, as reported by Switzerland’s, The Local.
The story proved that Swiss business wakes up earlier than its national military. Geneva airport opens for business flights at 06:00 am, whereas the Air Force remains inoperable until 08:00 am.
The Ethiopian aircraft had to circle the region for some time until the green light to land in Geneva was given around 5:30 am (04:30 GMT).
When the plane safely landed in Geneva at 6:02 am (05:02 GMT), Swiss military technicians had not even started to warm up the engines of the country’s F-18s and F-5 Tigers fighter jets.
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: FR
Posts: 477
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Italy has no reason to do so: they intercepted above italian land (or water), then handed over to the French at ~ the italo-french border.
Now the French were the only in the air for the final phase, with the aircraft circling above both France and Switzerland around Geneva.
Now the French were the only in the air for the final phase, with the aircraft circling above both France and Switzerland around Geneva.
Ethiopian Hijack?
There is an existing cooperation agreement between France and Switzerland for the former to provide some sort of air cover to the latter, against, obviously, an undisclosed amount of money. From my limited knowledge of the matter the sort of incident that occurred with the Ethiopian jet fells pretty much within this collaboration framework. As such yes the Swiss are paying for this service.
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Canada
Age: 49
Posts: 23
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
eureka!
Insert a microchip in the palm? of pilots, you can then swap it at the door to open them...or a palm reader, iris scan etc. No need for codes anymore, no one being locked out anymore...
and when the pilot is alone on the flight deck, every 15 seconds he needs to press a button to show the cabin crew he is still alive ... or awake... then again, this should even be mandatory these days with both of them on the flight deck
Insert a microchip in the palm? of pilots, you can then swap it at the door to open them...or a palm reader, iris scan etc. No need for codes anymore, no one being locked out anymore...
and when the pilot is alone on the flight deck, every 15 seconds he needs to press a button to show the cabin crew he is still alive ... or awake... then again, this should even be mandatory these days with both of them on the flight deck
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: All over Africa
Posts: 39
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Surely, but the interesting flight phase where the Captain went for a leak probably is no longer on the CVR tape: the typically 30 minutes of recording time are a bit less than the flight time needed from KRT to GVA.
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Motel 6, or the Super 8
Posts: 45
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
thanks
I never trust reporters to get the facts correct. If true, and not just a ploy by the co-pilot/hijacker - well it makes my skin crawl.
This guy should get life in prison for placing the passengers in danger.
This guy should get life in prison for placing the passengers in danger.
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Confoederatio Helvetica
Age: 68
Posts: 2,847
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I don't see how you can have it both ways. And given the frequency of these events I don't see it necessary to change anything.
I seriously doubt anyone will try and divert their aircraft to Switzerland again. No asylum for law breakers (Interference with an aircraft). Switzerland has an obligation to try him, or deport him to a country that will try him.
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Canada
Age: 49
Posts: 23
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I tend...to disagree...
seeing it more and more these days, maybe it's the increased pressure, economical situation, more relationships braking up, and...more and more people tending to desperate measures just to improve their lives an inch
If it only happens once, and this is NOT a citation or a light TP, this was a 767, it gives more than enough reason to make improvements...
If they can hold you for hours just because you failed to take the lipbalm outta your pocket, then they can certainly make improvements considering preventing these suicidal circumstances, ... and yes, I do believe he would have gone to drastical measures if the swiss would have refused landing.
Besides, tell that to the passengers outside the cabin, I certainly can't and wouldn't like to either!
seeing it more and more these days, maybe it's the increased pressure, economical situation, more relationships braking up, and...more and more people tending to desperate measures just to improve their lives an inch
If it only happens once, and this is NOT a citation or a light TP, this was a 767, it gives more than enough reason to make improvements...
If they can hold you for hours just because you failed to take the lipbalm outta your pocket, then they can certainly make improvements considering preventing these suicidal circumstances, ... and yes, I do believe he would have gone to drastical measures if the swiss would have refused landing.
Besides, tell that to the passengers outside the cabin, I certainly can't and wouldn't like to either!
Last edited by b263354; 20th Feb 2014 at 13:06. Reason: spelling
