Plane Makes Emergency Landing in Russia

AP | 1/04/03

[kattracks]

The Associated Press

ROSTOV-ON-DON, Russia Jan. 4 — A cargo plane made an emergency landing Sunday at an airport in southern Russia after air traffic controllers received a false signal of an attack against the crew, security officials said. The An-12 plane landed at the airport in Rostov-on-Don around 2 a.m., said Alexander Turinsky, a spokesman for the Federal Security Service office in Rostov. It was en route from Moscow, about 625 miles to the north, to the United Arab Emirates.

Turinsky refused to say who owned the plane, what cargo it was carrying or for whom the flight had been chartered. He said investigators were trying to figure out what had caused the signal of an attack against the crew to be transmitted.

[kattracks]

Something weird here.

If the crew was not being attacked why the "emergency" landing?

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[leadpenny]

There are predetermined transponder codes for various emergencies. I suspect it had something to do with that.

The pilots may have inadvertently hit the wrong button.

[prairiebreeze]

Oopsie!

[Turbo Pig]

I am taking a guess here. The conversation that facilitaed an "emergency" landing could have sounded like this:

Pilot - We are not under attack
Contorller - Are you sure about that?
Pilot- Yes.
Controller - How can I be sure?
Pilot - We are not under attack!
Controller - You could have a gun to your head.
Pilot - That is not the case!
Controller - That is exactly what I would expect, from someone with a gun to their head to say.
Pilot - EVERYTHING IS FINE!
Controller - Yep, definitely under duress. Probably some Islamonut trying to create a russian 9-11.

Had the flight NOT made an immediate landing, the conversation most likely would have ended like this:

Controller to Military Jet - I am declaring this flight a hostile, go ahead and do what you have to.
Jet Fighter Pilot: Roger that. GRRRRRRRR(air to air missle lockon tone)

[dighton]

Pix of An-12s and other Antonovs here.

Click on thumbnails to enlarge.

[Sacajaweau]

btt

[Archangelsk]

Because someone was screwing around on the flight deck and put 7500, the code for hi-jacking, into the transponder.

[peter the great]

I would venture to say that the air traffic controller is the "umpire of the skys" and when they say land you land. By some type of error 7600 was entered into the transponder and the crews choices were to either land or get shot down. If you want to look into suspicious air travel the two plane crashes in Benin and Egypt would be a good place to look

[Dr. Eckleburg]

"The crew was not being attacked" because the armed co-pilot ended the delusions of one or more malcontents.

[arasina]

By some type of error 7600 was entered...

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Because someone was screwing around on the flight deck and put 7500, the code for hi-jacking, into the transponder.

8 posted on 01/04/2004 10:50:06 AM EST by Archangelsk (CPL AMEL ASEL I)

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Okay, which post is the erroneous one? And which one would've entered 7500 or 7600 by mistake? :o)

[leadpenny]

7500 hijack, 7600 radio failure, 7700 emergency.

I believe

[peter the great]

The error would be mine the correct answer is 7500. That is a typo for sure.