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This instills confidence, asleep at the Yoke.


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From "Der Spiegel" online edition: (rough translation):

 

A story is just emerging as to how about 200 passengers on a Vietnam

 

Airlines 777 flying from Hanoi to Frankfurt just narrowly escaped being

 

shot down. According to "Viet Nam Net" the 777 was en route during the

 

night of 17/18 April, using air space in Ukraine, Poland and the Czech

 

Republic for over 65 minutes without any radio communications. As the

 

plane deviated from the prescribed flight path, Czech authorities were

 

prepared to shoot it down, according to "Viet Nam Net" online magazine.

 

Jan Pejsek of the Czech Ministry of Defence confirmed these events to

 

Der Spiegel in principle. At 0545 on 18th April 2006, Czech Air Force

 

personnel detected what to them was an unidentifable aircraft which had

 

not communicated with Prague ATC. Considering the possibility that this

 

could be an unfriendly military aircraft, two fighter jets were sent up

 

to intercept the plane. However, the target turned out to be a

 

Vietnamese civilian jet, and a few minutes after visual contact with

 

the fighter jets, radio communications were established.

 

According to Vietnamese media reports, the fighter pilots were

 

astonished to see that both pilots of the Vietnam Airlines plane were

 

asleep. "They were asleep and had the plane flying on autopilot for one

 

hour and five minutes", says "Viet Nam Net". There is neither

 

confirmation or rejection of this from Czech authorities.

 

Whilst Vietnam Airlines have denied the report, the entire crew,

 

including cabin crew has been suspended. (Apparently, there are

 

standing orders for a cabin crew member to visit the cockpit every 15

 

minutes to establish that all is well up front).

 

The report goes on to describe various scandals that have shaken

 

Vietnam Airlines, including the recent arrest of F/O Tran Van Dang at

 

Sydney for trying to take out US$ 500,000 from Australia without

 

declaring this money.

 

 

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