Flight 85

I recently encountered the tale of Korean Air Flight 85. The story is an example of a letter-of-the-law misunderstanding. I can see myself making the same mistake: I think that's why I'm so taken with it. 

On September 11, 2001, ground control used a Telex-type system to alert U.S. bound planes that there were highjackings in progress. 

One alerted plane was Korean Flight 85, flying from Korea to Alaska. The pilot typed a reply and abbreviated "highjack", because highjack is a long word, and is it spelled hi-jack or high-jack or highjack? So, he typed HJK instead. Regrettably, HJK is pilot code for "Help, I'm being highjacked."

So then the ground alerted NORAD. And then the Air Force scrambled fighter jets to intercept this flight.

Then someone thought, we should double-check that they really are being highjacked. In a highjacking the plane is supposed to quietly set its transponder to 7500, the universal transponder code for "Help I'm being highjacked." 

So this is probably how the whole exchange seemed to the pilots.

Ground: "Watch out you might get highjacked."

Pilots: "HJK? Wow."

Ground: '"Change your transponder to 7500."

Pilots. "Okay." Changes codes, wonders why, because who memorizes codes, awaits further instructions.

I would do every single one of those things. Every mistake on all sides. I would type HJK, I would scramble the jets, I would give cryptic transponder instructions, I would obediently change the transponder to 7500, and I would raise my hands when the armed Mounties welcomed me to Canada.

I get the feeling that in 2101 this will be a hilarious comedy of errors movie. 

Comments

[KC]

Oh nooooo. Oh no. Oh good heavens. I am glad that did not go worse (can you imagine if it had gone near to the Canadian equivalents to the Pentagon and/or Twin Towers) but also, yes, I can 100% see that happening and... sigh. Communication is hard, y'all, and even more so when Secret Information is maybe or maybe not being communicated.

[TheQueen]

KC - Who knows how often miscommunication like that happens? Near misses and the like.