Ethiopian Airlines has a long history of operating Boeing 767 aircraft. These planes have served on various routes, but have also been involved in serious incidents, including hijackings.
One of the most notable events in the airline's history is the hijacking and subsequent crash of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961. Let's delve into the details of this tragic event and another significant incident involving an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 767.
Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961: A Tragic Hijacking
Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 was a scheduled international flight serving the route Addis Ababa-Nairobi-Brazzaville-Lagos-Abidjan. On 23 November 1996, the aircraft serving the flight, a Boeing 767-200ER, was hijacked en route from Addis Ababa to Nairobi by three Ethiopians seeking asylum in Australia.
Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 767-260ER ET-AIZ, the aircraft involved in the Flight 961 hijacking.
Aircraft and Crew
The aircraft involved was a Boeing 767-260ER, registered ET-AIZ, c/n 23916, that first flew on 17 September 1987. Powered by two Pratt & Whitney JT9D-7R4E engines, it was delivered new to Ethiopian Airlines on 22 October 1987. Except for a short period between May 1991 and February 1992 when it was leased to Air Tanzania, the airplane spent its life in the Ethiopian Airlines fleet.
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Captain Leul Abate (42), an experienced pilot with over 11,500 total flight hours (including 4,067 hours in the Boeing 757/767), was the pilot-in-command. The first officer on the flight was Yonas Mekuria (34). Prior to the crash, Leul had experienced two previous hijackings.
- The first occurred 12 April 1992 on Flight ETH574, a Boeing 727-260.
- The second occurred on 17 March 1995, flying a Boeing 737-260.
The Hijacking and Crash
The men threatened to blow up the plane in flight if the pilots did not obey their demands. The hijackers claimed that there were 11 of them when in fact there were only three. After assaulting and forcing first officer Yonas Mekuria into the cabin, they made an announcement.
Instead of flying east towards Australia, the captain followed the African coastline southward. The hijackers noticed that land was still visible and forced the pilot to steer east. Leul secretly headed for the Comoro Islands, which lie midway between Madagascar and the African mainland. The plane was nearly out of fuel as it approached the island group, but the hijackers continued to ignore the captain's warnings.
Out of options, Leul began to circle the area, hoping to land the plane at the Comoros' main airport. At 11:41 UTC, the right engine flamed out. Shortly after this, the left engine flamed out, forcing the 767 to glide. Leul tried to make an emergency landing at Prince Said Ibrahim International Airport on Grande Comore, but a fight with the hijackers at the last minute caused him to lose his visual point of reference, leaving him unable to locate the airport.
While still fighting with the hijackers, he tried to ditch the aircraft in shallow waters 500 yards (460 m; 1,500 ft) off Le Galawa Beach Hotel, near Mitsamiouli at the northern end of Grande Comore island. Seconds prior to contacting the water, the aircraft was banked left some ten degrees; the left engine and wingtip struck the water first. The engine acted as a scoop and struck a coral reef, slowing that side of the aircraft quickly and causing the Boeing 767 to suddenly tilt left. The rest of the aircraft then entered the water unevenly, causing it to cartwheel and break apart.
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Island residents and tourists, including a group of scuba divers and some French and Indian doctors on vacation, came to the aid of crash survivors. A tourist recorded a video of ET-AIZ crashing.
Wreckage of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961.
Ethiopian Airlines flight ET961 ditching in Comoros Islands
Casualties
Of the 175 passengers and crew members, 125 were killed, including the three hijackers. Many of the passengers survived the initial crash, but they had disregarded, did not understand, or did not hear Leul's warning not to inflate their life jackets inside the aircraft, causing them to be pushed against the ceiling of the fuselage by the inflated life jackets when water flooded in. Unable to escape, they drowned. Leul and Yonas both survived.
Both the captain and first officer of the flight received aviation awards, and both continued to fly for Ethiopian Airlines, although Leul considers Yonas, the first officer, the real hero. Yonas fought the hijackers while he himself was bruised and bleeding, giving time for Leul to land the airplane.
2014 Hijacking Incident
In another incident involving an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 767, the aircraft involved was a Boeing 767-3BGER, MSN 30563, registered as ET-AMF, that was built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in 2000. The flight was escorted by Italian Eurofighter and French Mirage fighter jets while traversing their respective airspaces.
Read also: The Hijacking of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 508
The Swiss Air Force did not respond because the incident occurred outside normal office hours; a Swiss Air Force spokesman stated: "Switzerland cannot intervene because its airbases are closed at night and on the weekend. The limitations of Switzerland's air defences were made apparent by this incident.
Although a proposal to improve coverage was already in motion, the hijacking led to the implementation of a 24-hour readiness organization. From 4 January 2016, a pair of Swiss F/A-18 Hornets were kept at 15 minute QRA readiness between 8.00am and 6.00pm on weekdays.
Swiss Air Force F/A-18 Hornets.
The co-pilot was sentenced to 19 years in jail for the hijacking.
