Transponder hitch causes hijack alarm aboard SIA plane to US

cavsg SG

SINGAPORE: A hijack scare on a SIA plane heading for Los Angeles on Tuesday turned out to be a false alarm.

Nevertheless, US authorities scrambled an F-16 to fly alongside the plane and armed police stormed the aircraft when it landed.

During the 16-hour non-stop flight, the brand new Airbus A345 jetliner began transmitting a hijack alert.

The alert was picked up by air traffic controllers and US authorities responded immediately.

An American F-16 fighter jet was scrambled to escort the ultra long-haul jet carrying 126 passengers and 14 crew.

The SIA flight was then ordered to land in a remote section of LA International Airport.

Reports from Los Angeles say that as soon as the SIA plane landed, armed police officers stormed the aircraft and hostage negotiation teams rushed to the scene.

But within minutes, it was confirmed that the emergency hijack signal was a false alarm.

The alarm code must be manually entered by the pilot.

A US Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said the pilot of Flight SQ20 assured US authorities that the transponder had malfunctioned.

Singapore Airlines says the incident is under investigation. - CNA

cavsg SG

after 911, if 7500 is key in on the transponder, even if its set back to normal, ATC will ignore it. even if the pilot clarify over the radio cause they assume that the pilots may be forced to say they key in wrong.

cavsg SG

Did airport police alert response jeopardize passengers?
LOS ANGELES (AP) The FBI and Police Department said a decision by Los Angeles International Airport police to storm a Singapore Airlines jetliner after it transmitted a hijack alert may have violated protocol and jeopardized the safety of passengers.

Airport police overstepped their authority by sending SWAT officers onto the plane after it landed Monday afternoon, law enforcement sources speaking on condition of anonymity told the Los Angeles Times.

The computerized hijack alert turned out to be a false alarm.

Airport officials said immediate SWAT intervention was necessary because they weren't certain whether a hijacking was under way.

The incident underscored the jurisdictional complexities involving airport security. At least six agencies are charged with security at the airport, including the FBI, Transportation Security Administration, LAPD and the independent airport Police Department.

"Every addition to the alphabet soup of agencies at the airport potentially adds to confusion in times of crisis," Councilman Jack Weiss said.

It was disclosed Tuesday that several federal agencies knew the flight's transponder was malfunctioning for at least four hours but had failed to notify airport officials and local law enforcement about the problem.

The result was local law enforcement agencies scrambling to deal with the plane minutes before touchdown.

The Federal Aviation Administration's Oakland center received the hijack alert about 12:30 p.m., but officials from the airport, FBI, the local TSA and LAPD weren't notified until 4:48 p.m.

The transportation security agency, which provides security at the nation's airports, said Wednesday that it didn't notify agency officials in Los Angeles about Flight 20 because Washington officials had been told by the FAA that the jet's transponder was malfunctioning, agency spokesman Nico Melendez said.

As a result, the TSA was not required to call the L.A. office, he said.

In response to Monday's incident, the agency has changed that policy and will notify its local offices when such an event occurs, Melendez said.

Airport officials said the lack of information about the flight's status led an armed airport police SWAT team to board the jet, a move that LAPD and federal officials called an overreaction.

"It was a very dangerous move," said one official versed in counterterrorism, who spoke to the Times on condition of anonymity. "What was the urgency? I can understand taking action if there's an immediate threat but the fact is, the plane was on the ground."

The FBI's on-scene commander said protocol was violated.

"It was evident to me along with LAPD personnel that protocols were violated," said Herb Brown, assistant special agent in charge of the FBI's crisis management. "Our ultimate concern was the boarding of the plane, and I will leave it at that.

"But we are going to take a careful look at the (procedures) that were not followed and make sure it does not happen again."

Federal officials and the LAPD said airport police should have waited for more FBI personnel before storming the aircraft. Under federal law, the FBI is charged with taking control of aviation incidents on the ground that may involve terrorism.