Tirana Hijack: Crew Interview
minutes later she called me again and
we gave her permission to come into
the cockpit. As Nazenin came in, she
was suddenly pushed further forward
into the cockpit by a man who then
grabbed her and, in a swift motion,
turned her and pushed her out of the
cockpit. He closed the door behind
him. It was all very quick and in place
of Nazenin all I could see was a man
who was sweating like a bear and had
piercing eyes. He looked very strong.
PB: What did he actually say?
MG: He said some-thing like, “I am
the Leader of the team. There are three
of us and I am the spokesman of the
group. My name is Hakan Ekinci and I
was born in Izmir in 1978 and we are
only asking for one thing. You will go to
Rome as we want to give a message to
Left to right: Captain Mürsel Gökalp (Captain, TK 1476), Buket Bekaroglu (Security
Pope Benedict (in advance of his
Instructor, Turkish Airlines), Philip Baum (Editor, ASI), Nazenin Donder (Chief Flight
intended visit to Turkey) to condemn
Attendant, TK 1476) and Yavuz Yilmaz (First Officer, TK 1476)
him for his offensive speech about our
prophet Mohammed. PB: Meanwhile, Nazenin, you had been hijacked and that we planned to
PB: What type of language did he found yourself forcibly thrown out of go to Rome Fiumicino.
use? the cockpit by a hijacker and the door PB: If Ekinci insisted on Rome, why
MG: He spoke in Turkish and his then locked from the inside. What did did you actually land in Brindisi?
language was abusive at first. Initially you do? MG: I entered “LIRF”, being the code
all orders were made in a threatening ND: I actually kept trying to open the for Fiumicino, into the computer but,
manner but, as the incident door even though I realised we were having conducted a fuel check we
progressed, he calmed down. In fact, being hijacked. I didn’t panic and I realised we had insufficient fuel to
once we had landed he started didn’t shout or call for assistance. I was reach Rome. The calculation was 0.8.
chatting and at the end he even said not afraid. In fact, I didn’t even tell Ekinci was not happy and became
thank you for everything and anybody else to start with. Nobody saw threatening once more saying, “I don’t
apologised for the hijacking. He told us what happened as there were no care; you will go to Rome or we will
that his plan had been to hijack the passengers in Business Class blow up the plane and there will only
flight the day before so we were just passengers. So, it was only when one of be bones, blood and ashes remaining.
unfortunate. the other crew came to the front of the If you obey, you will return home safe
PB: You say he was threatening. aircraft that I told anybody what was and sound and see your family
What threats were made? going on. members again”. As we genuinely did
MG: He said they had C4-based PB: How knowledgeable was he not have enough fuel, I simply told him,
plastic explosives. He was wearing a about the aircraft itself? “I’m leaving my position to you. You
bum bag around his waist and it looked MG: Very. It later emerged that he enter the codes and check for
full. He claimed that’s where the bomb had spent a month researching yourself.” He said he believed me and
was. As a Commander I’m not qualified aviation and the ways in which crew that any Italian airport would serve his
to evaluate that kind of package. He may respond during a hijack. At the cause. I talked to Athens again and told
said that if we didn’t do as he said, he beginning, he warned me, “Don’t make them we were going to Brindisi and
would blow up the aircraft. a fool of me, I will know. You will lose, made the turn.
PB: Do you recall your feelings at not me”. PB: Were you able to tell the
that time? PB: Did you believe him? passengers the reason for the turn?
MG: All the various passenger profiles MG: Yes. He even showed us he knew MG: Ekinci did let me speak to the
came into my mind…and I thought we our procedures. As we are not used to passengers, but not to the cabin crew. I
were in big danger. I had a dry mouth. I responding to hijacks, we actually made an announcement that we had
was in shock. I was thinking about my initially squawked 7700 by mistake. On received a message from Istanbul that
family. But, at the same time I’m retired doing so, Ekinci said, “Hey, that’s not the runway was closed and that we had
Colonel in The Turkish Air Force, so I the hijack code. How come you don’t been asked to divert to Brindisi. Even
forced myself to focus. I took a piece a know that you are supposed to squawk though this was the opposite direction
paper and wrote down what he said. 7500, not 7700”? Then I realised he from Tirana, it would appear that they
When he gave me the names of the other really did know what was going on. I took my word for it.
two hijackers on board, I wrote them switched to 7500 and explained to the PB: How did the cabin crew react to
down too. Greek air traffic control that we had this announcement seeing as they trianglert
Aviationsecurityinternational April 2007 9
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