Pilots of a Lufthansa flight accidentally triggered an alert that claimed their flight was being hijacked — even as their plane was landing at Frankfurt Airport this week.
According to Travel + Leisure, there had been a technical issue in the cockpit, and the pilots could send out messages to air traffic control but could not receive responses. When they tried to report this issue, they accidentally entered a code that signaled the plane was being hijacked. They realized their mistake about 15 minutes later, but action had already been taken on the ground. German troops and local and federal police were at the ready, security was on high alert in the airport; the country’s Air Force was prepared to send fighters to intercept the plane if necessary. The pilots were able to report their mistake to air traffic control, who alerted those on the ground. The aircraft was carrying 43 passengers from Aberdeen, Scotland, to Frankfurt. It landed safely, and once on the ground, mechanics fixed the communication system.
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