This instills confidence, asleep at the Yoke.

Ultralights · June 20, 2006

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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