QatarA340 From Qatar, joined May 2006, 1602 posts, RR: 7 Posted (1 year 6 months 4 weeks 1 day 21 hours ago) and read 18619 times:
Quote: A Qatar Airways Airbus A330-200, registration A7-ACF performing flight QR-18 from London Heathrow,EN (UK) to Doha (Qatar), was enroute at FL390 enroute from Czech into Slovakian air space when the crew failed to establish contact with Slovakia's Air Traffic Control. Two Mig-29s were dispatched to intercept and visually identify the A330, radio communication was re-established thereafter and the flight continued to Doha for a safe landing about 4.5 hours later.
Slovakia's Air Force confirmed two MIG-29s intercepted a Qatar Airways Airbus A330 from London to Doha on Saturday (Oct 22nd).
May seem like a regular incident, nothing important. Just see those pics. Honestly, if you were a window passenger, what would your reaction be?!?!?
sw733 From United States of America, joined Feb 2004, 6072 posts, RR: 10 Reply 1, posted (1 year 6 months 4 weeks 1 day 21 hours ago) and read 18531 times:
Awesome pictures and good move by the Slovaks to be "better safe than sorry". You never know these days...
Quoting QatarA340 (Thread starter): Honestly, if you were a window passenger, what would your reaction be?!?!?
LGWflyer From United Kingdom, joined Mar 2011, 2348 posts, RR: 1 Reply 3, posted (1 year 6 months 4 weeks 1 day 21 hours ago) and read 18481 times:
Quoting QatarA340 (Thread starter): May seem like a regular incident, nothing important. Just see those pics. Honestly, if you were a window passenger, what would your reaction be?!?!?
To be honest I would be so happy, I would love to see an F16 up close in flight.
metjetCEO From United States of America, joined Jun 2007, 383 posts, RR: 1 Reply 4, posted (1 year 6 months 4 weeks 1 day 21 hours ago) and read 18481 times:
474218 From United States of America, joined Oct 2005, 6340 posts, RR: 10 Reply 6, posted (1 year 6 months 4 weeks 1 day 21 hours ago) and read 18449 times:
metjetCEO From United States of America, joined Jun 2007, 383 posts, RR: 1 Reply 10, posted (1 year 6 months 4 weeks 1 day 21 hours ago) and read 18308 times:
If they think that is a Mig-29, maybe that is why Qatar didnt answer. They could have been calling the wrong aircraft on the radio all together
LGWflyer From United Kingdom, joined Mar 2011, 2348 posts, RR: 1 Reply 11, posted (1 year 6 months 4 weeks 1 day 20 hours ago) and read 18244 times:
Quoting QatarA340 (Reply 9):
THE PICS WERE FROM QR'S FIRST FLIGHT TO BELGIUM WHERE 2 F-16'S WERE ESCORTING THE QR PLANE ON ITS MAIDEN FLIGHT TO BELGIUM AS A WELCOME GESTURE!
Haha well that answers why F16's where there and not MIG-29's.
rolfen From Germany, joined Jan 2006, 1764 posts, RR: 2 Reply 12, posted (1 year 6 months 4 weeks 1 day 20 hours ago) and read 18244 times:
Quoting QatarA340 (Thread starter): Honestly, if you were a window passenger, what would your reaction be?!?!?
Honestly I think my heart would beat faster, adrenaline would rush and I would be on "high alert" (tense and restless) until we land or at least until I know what is happening with certainty. A fighter escort can mean many bad things, including a hijacker in the cockpit.
Surely not a nice feeling, but I might enjoy some of it. Once it's over, I will have a story to tell - whether it'll be worth the stress... I'm not sure at all...
QatarA340 From Qatar, joined May 2006, 1602 posts, RR: 7 Reply 13, posted (1 year 6 months 4 weeks 1 day 20 hours ago) and read 18244 times:
Quoting LGWflyer (Reply 11): Haha well that answers why F16's where there and not MIG-29's.
Quoting metjetCEO (Reply 10): If they think that is a Mig-29, maybe that is why Qatar didnt answer. They could have been calling the wrong aircraft on the radio all together
Hahaha true! That calls for a twitter post #thatawkwardmoment when an a.net member confuses F-16 for MIG-29's!
mffoda From United States of America, joined Apr 2010, 908 posts, RR: 0 Reply 16, posted (1 year 6 months 4 weeks 1 day 20 hours ago) and read 17875 times:
Quoting QatarA340 (Reply 13): Hahaha true! That calls for a twitter post #thatawkwardmoment when an a.net member confuses F-16 for MIG-29's!
Now you know how friendly fire incidents happen...
AirPacific747 From Denmark, joined May 2008, 2091 posts, RR: 23 Reply 19, posted (1 year 6 months 4 weeks 1 day 11 hours ago) and read 14410 times:
Quoting Brenintw (Reply 17): Would it be normal for an F16 to be flying above the clouds with landing gear extended? (Second pic)
In an emergency situation where the fighters are not able to establish radio contact with the aircraft in question, I think it means to land the aircraft as soon as possible.
CXfirst From Norway, joined Jan 2007, 2694 posts, RR: 1 Reply 20, posted (1 year 6 months 4 weeks 1 day 11 hours ago) and read 14366 times:
Quoting metjetCEO (Reply 4): I was thinking they look like F16s, but then again I am a commercial a/c guy....
First thing I did was check wikipedia for Slovak Air Force, and saw that they had no F16's only Mig29's. Knew something must have been wrong!
Quoting QatarA340 (Reply 9): THE PICS WERE FROM QR'S FIRST FLIGHT TO BELGIUM WHERE 2 F-16'S WERE ESCORTING THE QR PLANE ON ITS MAIDEN FLIGHT TO BELGIUM AS A WELCOME GESTURE!
That makes much more sense, not only because of the F-16, but the fact that the QR plane in the second photo is much closer to the layer of cloud (that and the fact the F-16 had its landing gears out), which must mean the plane was descending.
LAX888 From Switzerland, joined Oct 2010, 256 posts, RR: 0 Reply 21, posted (1 year 6 months 4 weeks 1 day 10 hours ago) and read 13443 times:
I am curious, how can this happen, that an aircraft cannot establish contact with ATC? Were they on the wrong frequency? It seems thereafter they could establish contact again, so it does not sound like a breakdown of the system I am a bit baffled to be honest. Does this happen on a regular basis? Also is QR going to pay for the dispatch of those Mig29? I am sure it must have cost a few thousands just to dispatch those fighters.
WildcatYXU From Canada, joined May 2006, 2435 posts, RR: 5 Reply 22, posted (1 year 6 months 4 weeks 1 day 4 hours ago) and read 9346 times:
Quoting sw733 (Reply 1): Slovakia has an Air Force?!?!?!
Sure. 22 Mig-29's, 12 of those upgraded to NATO standards.
Interestingly enough, there was an incident within the incident. When climbing to the QR flight (it was at FL390), the fighters came too close to an Evergreen 742 flying from Kuwait to Ramstein.
Here's the link to the picture of QR flight escorted by the 2 Migs:
Not only does the profile of the fighter give it away as an F16, another clue is that the flight appears to be going westbound based on the position of the sun. That would be the opposite direction to London-Doha
catiii From United States of America, joined Mar 2008, 2277 posts, RR: 3 Reply 24, posted (1 year 6 months 4 weeks 1 day 3 hours ago) and read 7725 times:
Quoting LAX888 (Reply 21): I am curious, how can this happen, that an aircraft cannot establish contact with ATC?
I think it happens more often then we know. Seems like it is an easy mistake to make.
On a related note, it happened a few years back to a DL 767 traveling from IST to JFK. It was intercepted in Dutch airspace. The link below has more info and also has a recording of the intercept and the communications between the fighters, the DL 767, and the ground.
25 Rara: This happens a lot actually. Especially in busy airspace it's easy to miss a handoff, or switch to the wrong frequency... then at a high flight level
26 migair54: I was thinking how can a plane lower the landing gear at .80 or .82!!!!!!
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