America Strikes Back

[Carolyn]

"Ooops"
CONFUSION CREATES HIJACK DRAMA

NEW DELHI: After more than four hours of anxious moments, Union Civil Aviation Minister Shahnawaz Hussain said the supposed hijacking of the Alliance Air was a creation of confusion caused by false alarm received at the ATC Ahmedabad.

The message to the ATC, which said the plane had been hijacked, was promptly passed on to the pilots who locked the cockpit.

All the while, passengers thought the hijackers were inside the cockpit while the pilots were under the impression that the hijackers were with the passengers.

The authorities, not taking any chances, sent a team of NSG commandos into the aircraft, said Shahnawaz Hussain.

The pilots also spoke to Home Minister L K Advani. Advani said there will be "a thorough probe into the chain of events."

http://www.timesofindia.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=1331366505