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CNN Live Today
Officials Believed Hijacking Was Under Way on Plane
Aired August 27, 2002 - 10:25 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
LEON HARRIS, CNN ANCHOR: Right now, generating talk around the Baltimore-Washington International Airport, BWI as its known, is an incident that we're just now learning some information about folks. From what we understand there, a plane has been diverted and is now on the ground there. We don't know if this was another case of some airspace being violated along that corridor or not, but they're trying to get some information about it. We understand there are a number of people still onboard the plane. We may even be able to get a hold of one of the persons on that plane.
In fact, Carol, I think you actually have someone there.
LIN: Leon, we have got Jim Jinjozian, who is on the plane right now. Jim, can you hear me? This is Carol Lin at the CNN Center.
JIM JINJOZIAN, PASSENGER: Yes, I can.
LIN: What is happening on board that plane?
JINJOZIAN: We have FBI coming on board to check everybody out.
LIN: And who is it that they're checking out? What happened?
JINJOZIAN: What happened is 9:30, we landed. We were diverted with military escort in the air to a non-used part of the airport. Pilot came on and told us right away that there had been a misunderstanding from the tower, that they thought there was something possibly wrong with the aircraft. They brought us in here. We were surrounded by a honeycomb of county, airport and state police, and we have been sitting on the ground for about an hour while the FBI was called in, and now they decided to board the plane.
LIN: They are boarding the plane. Are they going for a specific passenger right now?
JINJOZIAN: Not yet. They are talking to the pilot. I'm about half way down the cabin, and they are talking to the pilot right now.
LIN: Can you hear what they are saying?
JINJOZIAN: No, I cannot.
LIN: When did you realize something was amiss?
JINJOZIAN: When I saw the tail of an f-16 come up beside us.
LIN: That would be a good clue. JINJOZIAN: Yes, and the flashing lights.
LIN: Did the passengers talk among themselves?
JINJOZIAN: Yes, we're talking. The attitude is pretty good. Everyone is pretty much taking this in stride.
LIN: What's the speculation on board what this might be?
JINJOZIAN: We don't know. We don't know if we're being told everything they know, in fact maybe there was something else on the plane. I believe this flight originates from Las Vegas. I was on it last week, and I know they today give a special security check at BWI before they let it go.
LIN: You said saw the tail of f-16. How many F-16s were in this escort, do you know?
JINJOZIAN: I don't know. At least one. I went to the air shows with my son, but never part of an operation like this.
LIN: And here you thought you were just going to visit Baltimore.
JINJOZIAN: That's right.
LIN: Is everybody OK on board?
JINJOZIAN: Yes, everybody's fine.
LIN: Sounds like everybody stayed calm?
JINJOZIAN: Yes, everybody's been calm. Everybody's been good. LIN:
All right, Jim Jinjozian, thank you very much. I hope things stay well on board. And we're trying to figure out what it is that these FBI agents are -- and all these officials are talking to the pilots about on the plane.
HARRIS: Let's check in with our Kathleen Koch. I understand that she's been snooping around. She may have some information for us now.
Kathleen, are you there?
KATHLEEN KOCH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, I am, Leon and Carol. We have been checking in with authorities at the Federal Aviation Administration and what they've told us happened sometime this morning, as this flight left Charlotte, North Carolina, headed to Baltimore, apparently there were some form of miscommunication between the pilot and ground controllers, and also between the pilot and his own airlines operation center now.
Apparently something in those communications -- this is our own assumption -- led them to believe that a hijacking may have been under way. And at that point, that's why these jets were scrambled. They apparently intercepted the plane around the Raleigh-Durham area. Now, again, we are only hearing that it's miscommunication. We didn't hear that there was any concern about any sort of mechanical malfunction.
But again, this is a case -- there have been so many since 09-11 -- of authorities taking every precaution possible, even when it is a false alarm.
HARRIS: That's interesting.
Well, Kathleen, thank you very much. I don't know what else to ask about that one.
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