+Gepard 11,303 Posted February 7, 2014 http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/sochi-2014-attempted-hijack-forces-3122725 A flight from Ukraine has been forced to make an emergency landing in Turkey after a hijacking attempt, officials said. The plane carrying 110 passengers had departed from Kharkiv airport when a passenger reportedly yelled "Bomb!", according to CNN Turkey. The man, a Ukrainian national, is believed to have attempted to hijack the aircraft and divert it to Sochi, where the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics is currently underway. The crew on board the Pegasus Airlines flight reportedly sent an emergency signal to Sabiha Gökçen Airport in Istanbul warning officials the hijack attempt. The passenger is believed to have drunk alcohol and tried, unsuccessfully, to gain access to the cockpit. An F-16 Turkish military fighter jet was scrambled and forced the Boeing 737-800 to land in Istanbul at 6.02pm local time, Dogan news agency reported. After landing, the plane was towed away to a safe distance where is has been sealed off with passengers still on board. Security agents are now searching for the suspected bomb which may be on the plane, Russia Today reported. An official at Istanbul airport said: "People are still inside but the pilot called security and gave them a signal that they can enter the plane. There is a translator - a Turkish man near the Ukrainian to calm him down." Ukraine's ministry of foreign affairs told Russian language wire service Interfax: "A scheduled flight from Kharkiv to Istanbul today completed an emergency landing at Istanbul airport due to an incident which took place on board. "According to early information from the Turkish authorities a Ukrainian citizen was attempting to force the crew to direct the plane to Sochi." Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nesher 628 Posted February 8, 2014 glad to hear it ended well! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stratos 3,192 Posted February 9, 2014 Only ONE Viper? Always tought military jets operate in pairs at least. As Nesher says, good it ended well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nesher 628 Posted February 9, 2014 maybe it was the only one available at that time.. better than non at all Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
