[ashes@work]

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,158515,00.html

Also could be found on Virgins website...

http://www.virgin-atlantic.com/en/us/index.jsp;jsessionid=Cgqbg1phqQD4R1dQwqvJnnTKHVgbGjHdjG5GDnzBgT16SYGfLy6B!1 946698074

Virgin Atlantic Flight Sends Out Hijack Signal
Friday, June 03, 2005

PHOTOS

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WASHINGTON — A Virgin Atlantic flight that was en route to New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport that was sending out a hijack code has landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in Canada, FOX News has confirmed.

The plane, which took off from London's Heathrow Airport, landed after Canadian fighter jets scrambled to escort the plane after the pilot continued to issue the hijack code, 7500.

Virgin Atlantic spokeswoman Brooke Lawer said the transponder alert was a "false alert," however. Airline officials hope the plane will be able to continue on to New York after everything is checked out but that is yet to be determined.

"We have put it [the plane] in isolation and we are currently investigating right now ... we're really in the very early stages in the investigation," Gina Connell, a spokeswoman for the airport in Halifax where the plane has landed, told FOX News.

Connell said fighter jets escorting a plane to a landing site in such situation is "a standard precautionary procedure."

According to the Virgin Atlantic Web site, Virgin Atlantic Flight 45 departed London at 9:35 a.m. local time and was scheduled to arrive at JFK at 12:12 p.m. EDT. The arrive time was then delayed until at least 2:05 p.m. EDT.


Before landing, contact was made by the pilot, who said everything is fine, U.S. homeland security officials said. The fighter jets were sent out of extreme caution.

The Federal Aviation Administration would not comment on the incident and was directing all inquiries to the Department of Homeland Security.

An aviation source told FOX News that there are no matches from any terrorism watch lists for any individuals on that flight.

The source said the fighter jets had met the flight in the air and the pilots reported not seeing anything unusual on board. The fighter jets fly along side the plane in question and the pilots are able to see both the pilots in the cockpit, as well as the passengers. No one looked particularly alarmed, the aviation source told FOX News.

"All this is good procedure and it shows there's been some good preparation," said Col. David Hunt, a FOX News military analyst who is familiar with Virgin Atlantic's security procedures. "I'll tell you, three years ago, they wouldn't have had these planes scrambled at all."

FOX News' Catherine Herridge contributed to this report.

[Gibble]

From the CBC website, it was a false alert.

http://www.cbc.ca/story/canada/natio...ted050603.html

[ashes@work]

well ive heard it both ways

[josdegr]

Originally Posted by ashes@work

Before landing, contact was made by the pilot, who said everything is fine, U.S. homeland security officials said.

and if everything is fine. the pilot should be fined/disciplined/retrained or even have to pay the expense of the fighter jets sent to give chase.

[ashes@work]

Originally Posted by josdegr

and if everything is fine. the pilot should be fined/disciplined/retrained or even have to pay the expense of the fighter jets sent to give chase.

see i heard even after he said it was fine, he sent it again????

[josdegr]

so did i. also, right now i am watching FOXNewsLive. they have dropped every 'news alert' on the supposed hijacking.

[Gibble]

Did either of you READ the article I posted? It was a malfunction.

Virgin Atlantic is blaming a mechanical error for the false hijacking message. Officials say the plane's crew could not get the transponder signal to stop.

[josdegr]

Originally Posted by Gibble

Did either of you READ the article I posted? It was a malfunction.

YES I DID. and i still stand by what i posted. if indeed it was a malfunction. the pilot needs to retrained in how to cope with an inflight emergency.

including the possible disabling of the malfunctioning device.

[Gibble]

Originally Posted by josdegr

yes, and i still stand by what i posted. if indeed it was a malfunction. the pilot needs to retrained in how to cope with an inflight emergency.

WHAT? He can't fix the plane mid flight. If it won't shut off, it won't shut off. Everybody did the right thing. He informed flight control that there was no hijack despite the warning, which since it wouldn't shut off, was all he could do. The plane was diverted away from it's destination as all hijackings would be. And it was escorted by canadian fighter planes to that new destination.

If you think more could be done, you're crazy.

[josdegr]

thanks for informing me of being crazy. my brother is a pilot and has been for over 35 years. before i posted i talked to him. and there is a way to correct the problem. and one of the ways is to pull the fuse.

[LANMaster]

Plane landed safely in Nova Scotia.

[Gibble]

Originally Posted by josdegr

thanks for informing me of being crazy. my brother is a pilot and has been for over 35 years. before i posted i talked to him. and there is a way to correct the problem. and one of the ways is to pull the fuse.

That would depend on the plane...and in either case, the alarm went off, even if they get it to stop, it'll still be diverted, and still be escorted by fighter jets until it lands.

You think the fire department turns around just because the alarm stops?
You think the police don't check around just because a bank alarm stops ringing?

Because you know, a criminal would NEVER think of making it appear like there is no problem anymore after the alarm has gone off

[josdegr]

Originally Posted by Gibble

You think the fire department turns around just because the alarm stops?
You think the police don't check around just because a bank alarm stops ringing?

so what do .....oh never mind. debate yourself.

[ashes@work]

lol and i was hoping for a good debate

[josdegr]

Originally Posted by ashes@work

lol and i was hoping for a good debate

gibble and debates should not be used together. alot of times, he just plain goes overboard.