Korean Air Flight 085
Destination | John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York City, New York, United States[1] |
---|---|
Passengers | 215 |
On September 11, 2001, Korean Air Flight 085 (originating from Incheon International Airport in Seoul, South Korea) was en-route to
Flight 085 was ordered to divert to
Incident
After the
ATC instructed the flight to change its transponder code to 7500, the universal signal for hijack, expecting that, if they had not been hijacked, the pilots would respond to that same effect. Instead, they simply complied with the instruction, which ATC took as confirmation that the flight had indeed been hijacked.
With NORAD telling
. NORAD promptly called Canadian authorities seeking the go-ahead to shoot the plane down over Canada: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 plane with hundreds of people and you have to call a decision like that. ... But you prepare yourself for that. I thought about it – you know that you will have to make decisions at times that will [be] upsetting you for the rest of your life.
— 2001 Prime Minister Jean Chrétien[4]
Ninety minutes after the South Korean pilots changed their transponder signal to the 7500 hijacked code, the plane landed safely in Whitehorse. Canadian officials evacuated all schools and large buildings before the plane landed.[6] On the tarmac, Flight 085 was met by armed Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers, who, after interrogating the pilots, learned the whole ordeal was caused by a translation error.[6] The South Korean pilot stated that he had been ordered by Air Traffic Control to change the transponder signal and Air Traffic Control confirmed having done so.[2] A second Korean Air 747, a cargo plane, was also diverted to Whitehorse that day.[7] The incident coincided with Operation Yellow Ribbon, the operation that Transport Canada created to handle the diversion of civilian airline flights following the attacks.
Timeline of events
September 11, 2001
- Flight 085 takes off from Incheon International Airport in Seoul, South Korea.
- 8:46:40 a.m. (Eastern Time Zone (ET)) – American Airlines Flight 11 is flown into the World Trade Center's North Tower
- 9:02:59 a.m. (ET) – United Airlines Flight 175 hits the World Trade Center's South Tower[8][9]
- 9:37:46 a.m. (ET) – American Airlines Flight 77 crashes into The Pentagon[10]
- 9:58:59 a.m. (ET) – The South Tower collapses.
- 10:03:14 a.m. (ET) – United Airlines Flight 93, whose ultimate target was thought to be either the United States Capitol or the White House, crashes near Shanksville, Pennsylvania[11][12]
- 10:10 a.m. (ET) – The portion of The Pentagon wall hit by American Airlines Flight 77 collapses.
- 10:28:23 a.m. (ET) – The North Tower collapses.
- 11:08 a.m. (ET) The pilot of Flight 085 includes the letters "HJK", a code for hijacked, in an airline message
- 12:00 p.m. (ET) – ARINC officials notify NORADabout the use of the hijack code
- 1:00 p.m. (ET) – Jets are scrambled from Elmendorf Air Force Base to shadow the plane
- 1:24 p.m. (ET) – Upon request from ATC, the Korean pilots change their transponder signal to the four-digit universal code for hijacked — 7500[5]
- 1–2:45 p.m. (ET) – Alerted that a possible hijacked plane might strike a target in Alaska, Governor Tony Knowles orders the evacuation of potential targets
- 2:54 p.m. (ET) – Flight 085 lands safely in Whitehorse and is met by armed Royal Canadian Mounted Policeofficers who determine that the plane was not hijacked
See also
References
- ^ ProQuest 408885622. Retrieved 2009-03-19.
- ^ a b c "Second Controller Speaks About Korean Airliner Incident on 9/11". 2011-09-12. Retrieved 2015-11-07.
- ^ "Dick Cheney: Personal Reflections on his Public Life".
- ^ a b SHAWN MCCARTHY OTTAWA BUREAU CHIEF (September 12, 2002). "PM says U.S. attitude helped fuel Sept. 11". Bell Globemedia Interactive Inc. Archived from the original on February 3, 2003. Retrieved 2009-03-19.
- ^ CNN News. Retrieved 2009-03-19.
- ^ a b "Attack on the U.S.A.: Canadian Service of Remembrance" (Documentary). CBC News. 2002. Retrieved 2009-03-19.
- ^ Hopper, Tristin (29 August 2017). "The other side of Come From Away: How a Canadian city utterly flipped out on 9/11". National Post. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
- ^ "Flight Path Study – American Airlines Flight 11" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. 2002-02-19.
- ^ "Flight Path Study – United Airlines Flight 175" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. 2002-02-19.
- ^ "Flight Path Study – American Airlines Flight 77" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. 2002-02-19. Retrieved 2017-09-21.
- ^ "The Attack Looms". 9/11 Commission Report. National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. 2004. Retrieved 2008-07-02.
- ^ "Flight Path Study – United Airlines Flight 93" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. 2002-02-19. Retrieved 2017-09-21.