A hole in a Daallo Airlines plane forced it to make an emergency landing at Mogadishu's international airport late Tuesday. (AP Photo)
MOGADISHU, Somalia:
The pilot of a passenger plane that was damaged in an explosion and fire over Somalia described on Wednesday how the crew jumped into action to fly the plane back to Mogadishu airport and keep the passengers calm as wind rushed through a hole blown through the fuselage.
In a telephone interview with The Associated Press, Serbian captain Vlatko Vodopivec said he and others were told the explosion was caused by a bomb, though civil aviation authority officials said Wednesday they had found no evidence so far of a criminal act in Tuesday's blast aboard the Airbus 321 jetliner.
"It happened at about 11,000 feet," Vodopivec said. "It was my first bomb; I hope it will be the last."
"When we heard a loud bang, the co-pilot went back to the cabin to inspect the damage and I took over the commands as the procedure demands," he said, adding that the engines and hydraulics functioned normally so he had no problem flying the aircraft back to Mogadishu. "The stewardesses did a great job calming down the passengers and following the emergency procedure."
"We were told one person was sucked out of the plane, but that is still not confirmed," he added.
Cellphone video taken aboard the plane pans from passengers, some wearing oxygen masks, in seats toward the back of the airliner in flight, and then swivels to the empty front area with a hole in the side of the cabin. There is a loud sound of rushing air.
The passengers bunched in the back appear calm. A child wearing an oxygen mask attached to the overhead compartment sits quietly, a blanket covering the legs. Near the hole, oxygen masks dangle and sway from overhead compartments.
Investigators moved the plane from the runway to a private hangar. Foreign technical experts were involved in the inquiry, said Ali Mohamoud, an aviation official at the Mogadishu airport.
In a telephone interview with The Associated Press, Serbian captain Vlatko Vodopivec said he and others were told the explosion was caused by a bomb, though civil aviation authority officials said Wednesday they had found no evidence so far of a criminal act in Tuesday's blast aboard the Airbus 321 jetliner.
"It happened at about 11,000 feet," Vodopivec said. "It was my first bomb; I hope it will be the last."
"When we heard a loud bang, the co-pilot went back to the cabin to inspect the damage and I took over the commands as the procedure demands," he said, adding that the engines and hydraulics functioned normally so he had no problem flying the aircraft back to Mogadishu. "The stewardesses did a great job calming down the passengers and following the emergency procedure."
"We were told one person was sucked out of the plane, but that is still not confirmed," he added.
Cellphone video taken aboard the plane pans from passengers, some wearing oxygen masks, in seats toward the back of the airliner in flight, and then swivels to the empty front area with a hole in the side of the cabin. There is a loud sound of rushing air.
The passengers bunched in the back appear calm. A child wearing an oxygen mask attached to the overhead compartment sits quietly, a blanket covering the legs. Near the hole, oxygen masks dangle and sway from overhead compartments.
Investigators moved the plane from the runway to a private hangar. Foreign technical experts were involved in the inquiry, said Ali Mohamoud, an aviation official at the Mogadishu airport.
Frightening footage of Daallo flightFrightening footage inside a Daallo Airlines plane flying with a hole in its side after it caught fire thousands of feet in the air. Somali authorities have confirmed one passenger was sucked out of the hole created by the explosion. Video uploaded by Amb Awale Kullane. The Daallo Airlines flight from Mogadishu to Djibouti was still able to land safely in Somalia.
Posted by Chris Lynch on Wednesday, February 3, 2016
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