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m KlientNo.1 moved page Korean Air Flight 85 to Korean Air Flight 085: Korean air consistently has had zeroes in their flight numbers. two sources below too mention it as flight 085. also per WP:TITLECON
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{{Short description|Suspected hijacked flight on September 11, 2001}}
{{Short description|Hijack false alarm on September 11, 2001}}
{{Infobox Airliner accident
{{Infobox Airliner accident
|name = Korean Air Flight 85
| name = Korean Air Flight 085
|image = HL7404 (15788968220).jpg
| image = Korean_Air_Boeing_747-4B5_HL7404_(25127667839).jpg
|caption = HL7404 ([[Boeing 747-400]])
| caption = HL7404, the [[Boeing 747-400]] involved, seen in 2005
|date = {{Start date|2001|09|11}}
| date = {{Start date|[[September 11, 2001]]}}
|site = [[Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport]], [[Whitehorse, Yukon|Whitehorse]], [[Yukon]], [[Canada]]
| site = [[Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport]], [[Whitehorse, Yukon|Whitehorse]], [[Yukon]], [[Canada]]
|coords =
| coords =
|type = [[Suspect]]ed [[Aircraft hijacking|hijack]], [[false alarm]]
| type = Suspected [[Aircraft hijacking|hijacking]], [[false alarm]]
|origin = [[Incheon International Airport]], [[Incheon]], [[South Korea]]
| origin = [[Incheon International Airport]], [[Incheon]], South Korea
|destination = [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]], [[New York City]], [[New York (state)|New York]], [[United States]]<ref name="koreanair">{{cite web |date=2002-08-12|url = https://www.usatoday.com/news/sept11/2002-08-12-koreanair_x.htm|title = Korean Air jet may have narrowly missed disaster|publisher = [[USA TODAY]]| access-date = 2009-03-19 | last=Alan Levin }}</ref>
| destination = [[John F. Kennedy International Airport]], [[New York City]], [[New York (state)|New York]], United States<ref name="koreanair">{{cite web |date=2002-08-12|url = https://www.proquest.com/docview/408885622|title = Korean Air jet may have narrowly missed disaster|publisher = [[USA TODAY]]| access-date = 2009-03-19 | last=Alan Levin | id={{ProQuest|408885622}} }}</ref>
⚫
| stopover = [[Ted Stevens International Airport|Anchorage International Airport]], [[Anchorage, Alaska|Anchorage]], [[Alaska]], United States
|last_stopover =
⚫
| passengers = 215
⚫
|stopover = [[Ted Stevens International Airport|Anchorage International Airport]], [[Anchorage, Alaska|Anchorage]], [[Alaska]], [[United States]]
|stopover0 =
| crew =
⚫
| aircraft_type = [[Boeing 747-400|Boeing 747-4B5]]
⚫
|passengers = 215
|crew =
| operator = [[Korean Air]]
⚫
| tail_number = HL7404
⚫
|aircraft_type = [[Boeing 747-400|Boeing 747-4B5]]
|operator = [[Korean Air]]
⚫
|tail_number = HL7404
}}
}}


On [[September 11, 2001]], '''Korean Air Flight 85''' was on route to [[Ted Stevens International Airport]] in [[Anchorage, Alaska|Anchorage]], [[Alaska]], when information about the [[September 11 attacks]] was relayed to the crew. The pilot in command's [[ACARS]] message reply included the letters "HJK", a prompt interpreted as a distress signal indicating that the [[Aircraft hijacking|flight had been hijacked]]. When ordered to [[Squawk code|squawk]] 7500 (a "hijack" code), the pilot complied, despite miscommunication that implied he would disregard the instruction.<ref name=alaskapublic>{{cite web |url=http://www.alaskapublic.org/2011/09/12/second-controller-speaks-about-korean-airliner-incident-on-911/ |title=Second Controller Speaks About Korean Airliner Incident on 9/11 |date=2011-09-12 |access-date=2015-11-07 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=http://conversationswithbillkristol.org/video/dick-cheney/ |title = Dick Cheney: Personal Reflections on his Public Life}}</ref>
On September 11, 2001, '''Korean Air Flight 085''' (originating from Incheon International Airport in Seoul, South Korea) was en-route to [[Ted Stevens International Airport]] in [[Anchorage, Alaska|Anchorage]], [[Alaska]], when information about the [[September 11 attacks]] was relayed to the crew. The pilot in command's [[ACARS]] message reply included the letters "HJK", a prompt interpreted as a distress signal indicating that the [[Aircraft hijacking|flight had been hijacked]]. When ordered to [[Squawk code|squawk]] 7500 (a "hijack" code), the pilot complied, despite miscommunication that implied he would disregard the instruction.<ref name=alaskapublic>{{cite web |url=http://www.alaskapublic.org/2011/09/12/second-controller-speaks-about-korean-airliner-incident-on-911/ |title=Second Controller Speaks About Korean Airliner Incident on 9/11 |date=2011-09-12 |access-date=2015-11-07 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web | url=http://conversationswithbillkristol.org/video/dick-cheney/ |title = Dick Cheney: Personal Reflections on his Public Life}}</ref>


Flight 85 was ordered to divert to [[Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport|Whitehorse International Airport]] in [[Canada]]'s [[Yukon]] territory. U.S. officials and [[Prime Minister of Canada|Canadian Prime Minister]] [[Jean Chrétien]] authorized the aircraft to be shot down if it did not cooperate.<ref name="mccarthy01">{{cite web|date=September 12, 2002 |url=http://www.ctv.ca/special/sept11/hubs/canadian/mccarthy01.html |title=PM says U.S. attitude helped fuel Sept. 11 |publisher=Bell Globemedia Interactive Inc |access-date=2009-03-19 |last=SHAWN MCCARTHY OTTAWA BUREAU CHIEF |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030203055534/http://www.ctv.ca/special/sept11/hubs/canadian/mccarthy01.html |archive-date=February 3, 2003 }}</ref> The airliner pilots complied and the 747 landed safely in Whitehorse, with U.S. [[F-15 Eagle|F-15 military jets]] escorting it.
Flight 085 was ordered to divert to [[Erik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport|Whitehorse International Airport]] in [[Canada]]'s [[Yukon]] territory. U.S. officials and [[Prime Minister of Canada|Canadian Prime Minister]] [[Jean Chrétien]] authorized the aircraft to be shot down if it did not cooperate.<ref name="mccarthy01">{{cite web|date=September 12, 2002 |url=http://www.ctv.ca/special/sept11/hubs/canadian/mccarthy01.html |title=PM says U.S. attitude helped fuel Sept. 11 |publisher=Bell Globemedia Interactive Inc |access-date=2009-03-19 |last=SHAWN MCCARTHY OTTAWA BUREAU CHIEF |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030203055534/http://www.ctv.ca/special/sept11/hubs/canadian/mccarthy01.html |archive-date=February 3, 2003 }}</ref> The airliner pilots complied and the 747 landed safely in Whitehorse, with U.S. [[F-15 Eagle|F-15 military jets]] escorting it. The suspected hijacking turned out to be a [[false alarm]].


==Incident==
==Incident==
After the [[September 11 attacks]], a call went out for all international planes to return to their airports of origin (or if they did not have enough fuel, to land in Canadian territory). While discussing the day's events with the Korean Air office, the pilot of Flight 85 included the letters "HJK" (the code for "hijacked") in an airline message.<ref name="koreanair"/> When the pilot sent his message, the text messaging service company, [[ARINC|Aeronautical Radio, Incorporated (ARINC)]] noticed the "HJK" code.<ref name="koreanair"/> ARINC officials, worried that the South Korean pilots might be sending a coded message for help, notified [[North American Aerospace Defense Command|North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD)]]. Taking no chances, NORAD [[Scrambling (military)|scrambled]] F-15 jets from [[Elmendorf Air Force Base]] in Anchorage to intercept the 747, with Alaska [[Air traffic control|Air Traffic Control (ATC)]] asking the pilots coded questions.
After the [[September 11 attacks]], a call went out for all international planes to return to their airports of origin (or if they did not have enough fuel, to land in Canadian territory). While discussing the day's events with the Korean Air office, the pilot of Flight 085 included the letters "HJK" (the code for "hijacked") in an airline message.<ref name="koreanair">{{cite web |date=2002-08-12|url = https://www.proquest.com/docview/408885622|title = Korean Air jet may have narrowly missed disaster|publisher = [[USA TODAY]]| access-date = 2009-03-19 | last=Alan Levin | id={{ProQuest|408885622}} }}</ref> When the pilot sent his message, the text messaging service company, [[ARINC|Aeronautical Radio, Incorporated (ARINC)]] noticed the "HJK" code.<ref name="koreanair"/> ARINC officials, worried that the South Korean pilots might be sending a coded message for help, notified [[North American Aerospace Defense Command|North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD)]]. NORAD [[Scrambling (military)|scrambled]] F-15 jets from [[Elmendorf Air Force Base]] in Anchorage to intercept the 747, with Alaska [[Air traffic control|Air Traffic Control (ATC)]] asking the pilots coded questions.


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 effect. Instead, they simply complied with the instruction, which ATC took as confirmation that the flight had indeed been hijacked.<ref name=alaskapublic /><ref name="CNNalaska.sept11">{{cite web |date=August 14, 2002|url = http://edition.cnn.com/2002/US/08/14/alaska.sept11/|title =Korean jet in 9/11 'hijack' scare |publisher = [[CNN News]]| access-date = 2009-03-19 | last=Patty Davis }}</ref> Worried that a possible hijacked plane might strike a target in Alaska, Governor [[Tony Knowles (politician)|Tony Knowles]] ordered the evacuation of large hotels and government buildings in Anchorage. At nearby [[Valdez, Alaska|Valdez]], [[Alaska]], the [[U.S. Coast Guard]] ordered all tankers filling up with oil to head out to sea. Lt. Gen. [[Norton Schwartz]], who was in charge of the NORAD planes that scrambled to shadow Flight 85, told reporters in 2001 that he was prepared to order the South Korean airplane to be shot down before it could attack a target in Alaska.<ref name="koreanair"/>
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.<ref name=alaskapublic /><ref name="CNNalaska.sept11">{{cite web |date=August 14, 2002|url = http://edition.cnn.com/2002/US/08/14/alaska.sept11/|title =Korean jet in 9/11 'hijack' scare |publisher = [[CNN News]]| access-date = 2009-03-19 | last=Patty Davis }}</ref> Worried that a possible hijacked plane might strike a target in Alaska, Governor [[Tony Knowles (politician)|Tony Knowles]] ordered the evacuation of large hotels and government buildings in Anchorage. At nearby [[Valdez, Alaska|Valdez]], [[Alaska]], the [[U.S. Coast Guard]] ordered all tankers filling up with oil to head out to sea. Lt. Gen. [[Norton Schwartz]], who was in charge of the NORAD planes that scrambled to shadow Flight 085, told reporters in 2001 that he was prepared to order the South Korean airplane to be shot down before it could attack a target in Alaska.<ref name="koreanair"/>


With NORAD telling [[Anchorage Air Route Traffic Control Center|Anchorage Air Route Traffic Control Center (AKA: Anchorage ATC)]] that it would shoot down the airliner if it came near any potential targets, these controllers informed Flight 85 to avoid all population centers and head out of the U.S. to [[Whitehorse, Yukon|Whitehorse]], [[Yukon]], [[Canada]]. NORAD promptly called Canadian authorities seeking the go-ahead to shoot the plane down over Canada:
With NORAD telling [[Anchorage Air Route Traffic Control Center]] that it would shoot down the airliner if it came near any potential targets, these controllers informed Flight 085 to avoid all population centers and head out of the U.S. to [[Whitehorse, Yukon|Whitehorse]], [[Yukon]], [[Canada]]. NORAD promptly called Canadian authorities seeking the go-ahead to shoot the plane down over Canada:


{{quote|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]]<ref name="mccarthy01"/>}}
{{quote|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]]<ref name="mccarthy01"/>}}


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.<ref name="Documentary"/> On the tarmac, Flight 85 was met by armed [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] officers, who, after interrogating the pilots, learned the whole ordeal was caused by a translation error.<ref name="Documentary">{{cite web |year=2002 |url = https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0373693|title = Attack on the U.S.A.: Canadian Service of Remembrance|format = Documentary |publisher = [[CBC News]]| access-date = 2009-03-19 }}</ref> 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.<ref name=alaskapublic /> A second Korean Air 747, a cargo plane, was also diverted to Whitehorse that day.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Hopper|first1=Tristin|title=The other side of Come From Away: How a Canadian city utterly flipped out on 9/11|url=https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/the-other-side-of-come-from-away-how-a-canadian-city-utterly-flipped-out-on-911|access-date=29 August 2017|work=[[National Post]]|date=29 August 2017}}</ref> The incident coincided with [[Operation Yellow Ribbon]], the operation that [[Transport Canada]] created to handle the diversion of civilian airline flights following the attacks.
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.<ref name="Documentary"/> 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.<ref name="Documentary">{{cite web |year=2002 |url = https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0373693|title = Attack on the U.S.A.: Canadian Service of Remembrance|format = Documentary |publisher = [[CBC News]]| access-date = 2009-03-19 }}</ref> 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.<ref name=alaskapublic /> A second Korean Air 747, a cargo plane, was also diverted to Whitehorse that day.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Hopper|first1=Tristin|title=The other side of Come From Away: How a Canadian city utterly flipped out on 9/11|url=https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/the-other-side-of-come-from-away-how-a-canadian-city-utterly-flipped-out-on-911|access-date=29 August 2017|work=[[National Post]]|date=29 August 2017}}</ref> The incident coincided with [[Operation Yellow Ribbon]], the operation that [[Transport Canada]] created to handle the diversion of civilian airline flights following the attacks.

Korean Air still uses Flight 85 on its Seoul-Incheon to New York-JFK route. However, the flight no longer stops in Anchorage and its normal equipment is now the [[Boeing 747-8#747-8 Intercontinental|Boeing 747-8I]], [[Boeing 777#777-300ER|Boeing 777-300ER]], or [[Boeing 787#787-9|Boeing 787-9]].


==Timeline of events==
==Timeline of events==


===September 11, 2001===
===September 11, 2001===
*Flight 85 takes off from [[Incheon International Airport]] in [[Seoul]], [[South Korea]].
*Flight 085 takes off from [[Incheon International Airport]] in [[Seoul]], [[South Korea]].
*8:46:40&nbsp;a.m. ([[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern Time Zone (ET)]]) – [[American Airlines Flight 11]] is flown into the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]]'s North Tower
*8:46:40&nbsp;a.m. ([[Eastern Time Zone|Eastern Time Zone (ET)]]) – [[American Airlines Flight 11]] is flown into the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]]'s North Tower
*9:02:59&nbsp;a.m. (ET) – [[United Airlines Flight 175]] hits the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]]'s South Tower<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/info/Flight_%20Path_%20Study_AA11.pdf |title=Flight Path Study – American Airlines Flight 11 |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board |date=2002-02-19 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/info/Flight_%20Path%20_Study_UA175.pdf |title=Flight Path Study – United Airlines Flight 175 |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board |date=2002-02-19 }}</ref>
*9:02:59&nbsp;a.m. (ET) – [[United Airlines Flight 175]] hits the [[World Trade Center (1973–2001)|World Trade Center]]'s South Tower<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/info/Flight_%20Path_%20Study_AA11.pdf |title=Flight Path Study – American Airlines Flight 11 |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board |date=2002-02-19 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.ntsb.gov/info/Flight_%20Path%20_Study_UA175.pdf |title=Flight Path Study – United Airlines Flight 175 |publisher=National Transportation Safety Board |date=2002-02-19 }}</ref>
*9:37:46&nbsp;a.m. (ET) – [[American Airlines Flight 77]] crashes into [[The Pentagon]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ntsb.gov/about/Documents/Flight_Path_Study_AA77.pdf|title=Flight Path Study – American Airlines Flight 77|date=2002-02-19|publisher=National Transportation Safety Board|access-date=2017-09-21}}</ref>
*9:37:46&nbsp;a.m. (ET) – [[American Airlines Flight 77]] crashes into [[The Pentagon]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ntsb.gov/about/Documents/Flight_Path_Study_AA77.pdf|title=Flight Path Study – American Airlines Flight 77|date=2002-02-19|publisher=National Transportation Safety Board|access-date=2017-09-21}}</ref>
*9:58:59&nbsp;a.m. (ET) – The South Tower collapses.
*9:58:59&nbsp;a.m. (ET) – The South Tower collapses.
*10:03:14&nbsp;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|Shanksville]], [[Pennsylvania]]<ref name="Chap7">{{cite book |chapter=The Attack Looms |chapter-url=http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report_Ch7.htm |year=2004 |title=9/11 Commission Report |publisher=National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States |access-date=2008-07-02}}</ref>
*10:03:14&nbsp;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|Shanksville]], [[Pennsylvania]]<ref name="Chap7">{{cite book |chapter=The Attack Looms |chapter-url=http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/911/report/911Report_Ch7.htm |year=2004 |title=9/11 Commission Report |publisher=National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States |access-date=2008-07-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ntsb.gov/about/Documents/Flight_Path_Study_UA93.pdf|title=Flight Path Study – United Airlines Flight 93|date=2002-02-19|publisher=National Transportation Safety Board|access-date=2017-09-21}}</ref>
*10:10&nbsp;a.m. (ET) – The portion of The Pentagon wall hit by American Airlines Flight 77 collapses.
*10:10&nbsp;a.m. (ET) – The portion of The Pentagon wall hit by American Airlines Flight 77 collapses.
*10:28:23&nbsp;a.m. (ET) – The North Tower collapses.
*10:28:23&nbsp;a.m. (ET) – The North Tower collapses.
*11:08&nbsp;a.m. (ET) The pilot of Flight 85 includes the letters "HJK", a code for hijacked, in an airline message
*11:08&nbsp;a.m. (ET) The pilot of Flight 085 includes the letters "HJK", a code for hijacked, in an airline message
*12:00&nbsp;p.m. (ET) – ARINC officials notify [[North American Aerospace Defense Command|NORAD]] about the use of the hijack code
*12:00&nbsp;p.m. (ET) – ARINC officials notify [[North American Aerospace Defense Command|NORAD]] about the use of the hijack code
*1:00&nbsp;p.m. (ET) – Jets are scrambled from [[Elmendorf Air Force Base]] to shadow the plane
*1:00&nbsp;p.m. (ET) – Jets are scrambled from [[Elmendorf Air Force Base]] to shadow the plane
*1:24&nbsp;p.m. (ET) – Upon request from ATC, the Korean pilots change their transponder signal to the four-digit universal code for hijacked — 7500<ref name="CNNalaska.sept11"/>
*1:24&nbsp;p.m. (ET) – Upon request from ATC, the Korean pilots change their transponder signal to the four-digit universal code for hijacked — 7500<ref name="CNNalaska.sept11"/>
*1–2:45&nbsp;p.m. (ET) – Alerted that a possible hijacked plane might strike a target in Alaska, Governor [[Tony Knowles (politician)|Tony Knowles]] orders the evacuation of potential targets
*1–2:45&nbsp;p.m. (ET) – Alerted that a possible hijacked plane might strike a target in Alaska, Governor [[Tony Knowles (politician)|Tony Knowles]] orders the evacuation of potential targets
*2:54&nbsp;p.m. (ET) – Flight 85 lands safely in [[Whitehorse, Yukon|Whitehorse]] and is met by armed [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] officers who determine that the plane was not hijacked
*2:54&nbsp;p.m. (ET) – Flight 085 lands safely in [[Whitehorse, Yukon|Whitehorse]] and is met by armed [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] officers who determine that the plane was not hijacked

==See also==
*[[Delta Air Lines Flight 1989]]


==References==
==References==
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{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}
{{Aviation accidents and incidents in 2001}}
{{Aviation accidents and incidents in 2001}}
{{Aviation accidents and incidents in Canada}}
{{9/11}}
{{9/11}}
{{Korean Air}}
{{Korean Air}}
Line 79: Line 79:
[[Category:2001 in South Korea]]
[[Category:2001 in South Korea]]
[[Category:2001 in Alaska]]
[[Category:2001 in Alaska]]
[[Category:September 2001 events in Canada]]
[[Category:Canada–United States relations]]
[[Category:Canada–United States relations]]
[[Category:Reactions to the September 11 attacks]]
[[Category:Reactions to the September 11 attacks]]

Latest revision as of 12:33, 10 October 2024

Korean Air Flight 085
HL7404, the Boeing 747-400 involved, seen in 2005
Occurrence
DateSeptember 11, 2001 (September 11, 2001)
SummarySuspected hijacking, false alarm
SiteErik Nielsen Whitehorse International Airport, Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada
Aircraft
Aircraft typeBoeing 747-4B5
OperatorKorean Air
RegistrationHL7404
Flight originIncheon International Airport, Incheon, South Korea
StopoverAnchorage International Airport, Anchorage, Alaska, United States
DestinationJohn F. Kennedy International Airport, New York City, New York, United States[1]
Passengers215

On September 11, 2001, Korean Air Flight 085 (originating from Incheon International Airport in Seoul, South Korea) was en-route to Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage, Alaska, when information about the September 11 attacks was relayed to the crew. The pilot in command's ACARS message reply included the letters "HJK", a prompt interpreted as a distress signal indicating that the flight had been hijacked. When ordered to squawk 7500 (a "hijack" code), the pilot complied, despite miscommunication that implied he would disregard the instruction.[2][3]

Flight 085 was ordered to divert to Whitehorse International Airport in Canada's Yukon territory. U.S. officials and Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien authorized the aircraft to be shot down if it did not cooperate.[4] The airliner pilots complied and the 747 landed safely in Whitehorse, with U.S. F-15 military jets escorting it. The suspected hijacking turned out to be a false alarm.

Incident

[edit]

After the September 11 attacks, a call went out for all international planes to return to their airports of origin (or if they did not have enough fuel, to land in Canadian territory). While discussing the day's events with the Korean Air office, the pilot of Flight 085 included the letters "HJK" (the code for "hijacked") in an airline message.[1] When the pilot sent his message, the text messaging service company, Aeronautical Radio, Incorporated (ARINC) noticed the "HJK" code.[1] ARINC officials, worried that the South Korean pilots might be sending a coded message for help, notified North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). NORAD scrambled F-15 jets from Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage to intercept the 747, with Alaska Air Traffic Control (ATC) asking the pilots coded questions.

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.[2][5] Worried that a possible hijacked plane might strike a target in Alaska, Governor Tony Knowles ordered the evacuation of large hotels and government buildings in Anchorage. At nearby Valdez, Alaska, the U.S. Coast Guard ordered all tankers filling up with oil to head out to sea. Lt. Gen. Norton Schwartz, who was in charge of the NORAD planes that scrambled to shadow Flight 085, told reporters in 2001 that he was prepared to order the South Korean airplane to be shot down before it could attack a target in Alaska.[1]

With NORAD telling Anchorage Air Route Traffic Control Center that it would shoot down the airliner if it came near any potential targets, these controllers informed Flight 085 to avoid all population centers and head out of the U.S. to Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada. 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

[edit]

September 11, 2001

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d Alan Levin (2002-08-12). "Korean Air jet may have narrowly missed disaster". USA TODAY. ProQuest 408885622. Retrieved 2009-03-19.
  2. ^ a b c "Second Controller Speaks About Korean Airliner Incident on 9/11". 2011-09-12. Retrieved 2015-11-07.
  3. ^ "Dick Cheney: Personal Reflections on his Public Life".
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ a b Patty Davis (August 14, 2002). "Korean jet in 9/11 'hijack' scare". CNN News. Retrieved 2009-03-19.
  6. ^ a b "Attack on the U.S.A.: Canadian Service of Remembrance" (Documentary). CBC News. 2002. Retrieved 2009-03-19.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "Flight Path Study – American Airlines Flight 11" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. 2002-02-19.
  9. ^ "Flight Path Study – United Airlines Flight 175" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. 2002-02-19.
  10. ^ "Flight Path Study – American Airlines Flight 77" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. 2002-02-19. Retrieved 2017-09-21.
  11. ^ "The Attack Looms". 9/11 Commission Report. National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States. 2004. Retrieved 2008-07-02.
  12. ^ "Flight Path Study – United Airlines Flight 93" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. 2002-02-19. Retrieved 2017-09-21.

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