Korean Air Flight 85
The affected aircraft at Narita airport (about 2005)
The flight 85 of Korean Air, which was on 11 September 2001 by Seoul -Incheon to Anchorage on the road, was asked to land in Whitehorse, Canada, as the Aviation Safety Authority had the suspicion that the plane had been hijacked. This was accepted because the airline has received a message, stood in the " HJK ", and the pilots have not notified that they were not 7500/entführt, as indicated by the transponder.
Through a series of various factors has been accepted by the authorities that the plane had been hijacked and possibly it was fair game by American officials and the Prime Minister of Canada, Jean Chrétien. The pilots of civil aircraft cooperated, however, and were forced by American F -15 fighter planes to land in Whitehorse.
Possible hijacking
After the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, all aircraft were prompted to fly back to their origin airport, or if the kerosene would not be enough to land at a Canadian airport. During a meeting on the day's events with the airline, the pilot sent a message, which included the letters " HJK " (code for hijacking ) to the airline. This message was picked up by the operator of the communication devices, ARINC. Local employees were worried that the pilot wants to send an encrypted message and contacted the North American Aerospace Defense Command ( NORAD ). Due to a lack of other options, ordered the NORAD two on the Elmendorf Air Force Base located ligand F-15 to intercept the Boeing during which the Alaska Air Operations Center ( ATC), the pilots coded questions were asked which they would have to answer as encrypted to.
The South Korean pilots followed the instructions of the ATC and agreed to by the changing of the transponder signal on 7500 as kidnapped. Fearing that the kidnappers had taken a destination in Alaska targeted, let the governor of Alaska, Tony Knowles, hotels and authorities state in Anchorage. In nearby Valdez ordered the United States Coast Guard all located in the port ends Öltankerns leaking immediately. Lt.. Gene. Norton Schwartz, who was the officer in charge of NORAD, later testified that he would have been willing to give the command to shoot down before it could attack a target in Alaska.
As the NORAD ATC in Anchorage told that the plane would shot down if it came to the vicinity of possible targets, this pointed to the pilots, densely populated area to avoid and fly towards Whitehorse. The NORAD asked the Canadian authorities for permission to shoot down the aircraft in Canadian airspace:
" I said, 'Yes, if you think They Are terrorists, you call me again but be ready to shoot them down. ' So I authorized it in principle, It's kind of scary that ... [ there is] this planesin dog reds of people and you have to call a decision like that .... But you prepare yourself for did I thought about it. - - you know that you will have to make Decisions at times thatwill [be] upsetting you for the rest of your life ".
" I said, ' Yes, if you think they are terrorists, calling me again but to be ready to shoot it. ' Basically I have so it authorized, it's kinda scary ... [ there is ] this aircraft with hundreds of people and you have to take such a decision ... But you prepare yourself for that. I thought about that -. You know that you have to make from time to time decisions which [will] follow you for the rest of your life "
90 minutes after the transponder signal was converted to 7500, the plane landed safely in Whitehorse. The Canadian authorities evacuated all schools and larger buildings before landing. On the tarmac Flight 85 was taken by armed units of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in reception. After an initial examination of the pilots, it became clear that the whole mess happened because of a translation error. The South Korean pilot testified that he had been asked by ATC to change the transponder signal, during which this was denied by ATC.
The Korean Air uses the flight number 85 today for flights between Seoul -Incheon and New York - JFK; However, the distinction between landed in Anchorage.
Chronology Flight 85
September 11, 2001
- Korean Air flight 85 takes off from Seoul -Incheon
- 08:46:40 (ET ) - American Airlines Flight 11 flies into the North Tower of the World Trade Center
- 09:03:11 (ET ) - United Airlines Flight 175 into the South Tower proposes a
- 09:37 (ET ) - American Airlines Flight 77 hit the Pentagon
- 09:59:04 (ET ) - The South Tower collapses
- 10:03:11 (ET ) - United Airlines Flight 93, as its target either the Capitol or the White House took into account crashes near Shanksville
- 10:10 (ET ) - The decision taken by an aircraft part of the Pentagon collapses
- 10:28 (ET ) - The North Tower collapses
- 11:08 (ET ) - The pilot of Korean Air flight 85 used the letters " HJK " ( stands for hijacking ) in a message to the airline
- 12:00 (ET ) - The ARINC informs NORAD about the use of the abbreviation
- 13:00 (ET ) - F -15 combat aircraft rise from the Elmendorf Air Force Base on to intercept Korean Air flight 85
- 13:24 (ET ) - Change The Korean pilots the transponder signal at 7500 ( stands for hijacking )
- 13-14:45 (ET ) - The governor of Alaska orders the evacuation of possible destinations
- The received plane lands safely in Whitehorse and is used by officials of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police - 14:54 (ET )
Operation Yellow Ribbon
Operation Yellow Ribbon was the operation in which Transport Canada on 11 September 2001 a number of civilian flights had to divert. It began after the Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA) all aircraft giving the order to land and arriving international flights diverted to Canadian airports. During surgery, all departing flights, painted with the exception of police, military and medical flights. This was the first time that Canada locked its airspace. The result of the operation Yellow Ribbon 255 were diverted to 17 different airports aircraft.