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CNN Live At Daybreak
Pilots Getting Order to Shoot Down Commercial Airliner
Aired January 14, 2004 - 05:22 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: It's something few could imagine before the 9/11 attacks -- pilots getting the order to shoot down a commercial airliner.
CNN's Kyra Phillips went along for the ride on a military training exercise that envisions that horrible scenario.
Here's her exclusive report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Aircraft diverted.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Content veiled.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Secret Service has been informed.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They call it the air war against terrorists and this is the battlefield. The potential enemy? A civilian aircraft under terrorist control.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now things are getting serious.
PHILLIPS: The strategy? To end every incident without firing a shot.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my god!
PHILLIPS: But 9/11 spawned a new kind of war, with chilling new rules of engagement. In this war, the military is forced to think the unthinkable.
LT. COL. T.G. KYRAZIS, USAF: I don't think the public would have stood for anything, us firing on commercial airliners in the past. But it's been proven that, yes, something worse might happen. So we're just kind of an extension of the public will.
PHILLIPS: Lieutenant Colonel T.G. Kyrazis and Major John Black of the 125th Fighter Wing are getting ready for a routine patrol in southeast U.S. air space. These Florida Air National Guard F15 fighter pilots are battle ready.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Check the back end of the gun. Make sure it's all hot and the bullets are loaded in the chambers. Make our heat seeker, make sure that all looks good.
PHILLIPS: We're going along on a mission that shows what might happen if a commercial airliner is hijacked.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rapid one copies type and tail.
PHILLIPS: It doesn't take long before this mission is diverted.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All attempts to contact this aircraft have failed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: FAA, can you give me a mode three on that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 5012, Jamie.
PHILLIPS: Something is not right with a passenger plane over the Atlantic Ocean.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Red Quick, this is the Conar (ph) battle commander. We have a nordo (ph) airliner.
PHILLIPS: Nordo -- no radio contact.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your nordo aircraft is Falcon Airlines 401, Miami to Wilmington.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's like Metroliner.
PHILLIPS: Military intelligence and the FAA want to know everything about this airliner.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get the range, how far they think it could fly on 3,400 pounds of gas.
PHILLIPS: Could this aircraft reach critical infrastructure?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is deviating from his flight path.
PHILLIPS: These commanders take no chances.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At this time we have committed Rattler 0-1 Flight 2 out of the Jaguar cap.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your mission, intercept shadow, commit bull's eye 100-158, 21,500 track west.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, we're tasked now.
PHILLIPS: Fighters now monitor Falcon Flight 401's every move. Then...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The aircraft is now squawking at 7500 squawk.
PHILLIPS: 7500 is the code for hijack.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Attempt mission for (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to be an intercept.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: See if they can give us any introduction of who's in control of the aircraft.
PHILLIPS: Pilots attempt hand signals. No response. Pilots rock their wings. Still, no response.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He should have acknowledged with a ring arc, which he's not doing.
PHILLIPS: Two generals are brought in and briefed, one from the Canadian Air Force, one from the United States.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So who's on board?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sixteen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sixteen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fourteen passengers, two crew, one Pakistani, one Saudi, one French, the others are presumed to be of United States descent.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fighters are on it now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My concern is we could have something else in this country, so we're going to keep our focus on this thing, but we're also going to keep a focus on the rest of the country.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The JPAC has authorized the use of flares to get the pilot's attention.
PHILLIPS: Now is the final attempt to get this pilot to respond. If he doesn't, the order could come to shoot this aircraft down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do we have an engagement authority?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir, we have an engagement authority online.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rattler 1, copy. These flares are authorized.
PHILLIPS: Flares are released.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now the guy realizes he's serious. Now he's coming along, following the eagle.
PHILLIPS: The pilot finally responds.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think we should ever relax. We are going to have to continue to prosecute this enemy until they no longer present a threat.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Active air scramble. Active air scramble.
PHILLIPS: A new kind of war, a new way of fighting, a battle in which a commander's best choice may be the lesser of two evils. And the battle cry is never again. Kyra Phillips, CNN, Tindall Air Force Base.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired January 14, 2004 - 05:22 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: It's something few could imagine before the 9/11 attacks -- pilots getting the order to shoot down a commercial airliner.
CNN's Kyra Phillips went along for the ride on a military training exercise that envisions that horrible scenario.
Here's her exclusive report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Aircraft diverted.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Content veiled.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Secret Service has been informed.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They call it the air war against terrorists and this is the battlefield. The potential enemy? A civilian aircraft under terrorist control.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now things are getting serious.
PHILLIPS: The strategy? To end every incident without firing a shot.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh my god!
PHILLIPS: But 9/11 spawned a new kind of war, with chilling new rules of engagement. In this war, the military is forced to think the unthinkable.
LT. COL. T.G. KYRAZIS, USAF: I don't think the public would have stood for anything, us firing on commercial airliners in the past. But it's been proven that, yes, something worse might happen. So we're just kind of an extension of the public will.
PHILLIPS: Lieutenant Colonel T.G. Kyrazis and Major John Black of the 125th Fighter Wing are getting ready for a routine patrol in southeast U.S. air space. These Florida Air National Guard F15 fighter pilots are battle ready.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Check the back end of the gun. Make sure it's all hot and the bullets are loaded in the chambers. Make our heat seeker, make sure that all looks good.
PHILLIPS: We're going along on a mission that shows what might happen if a commercial airliner is hijacked.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rapid one copies type and tail.
PHILLIPS: It doesn't take long before this mission is diverted.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: All attempts to contact this aircraft have failed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: FAA, can you give me a mode three on that?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: 5012, Jamie.
PHILLIPS: Something is not right with a passenger plane over the Atlantic Ocean.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Red Quick, this is the Conar (ph) battle commander. We have a nordo (ph) airliner.
PHILLIPS: Nordo -- no radio contact.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your nordo aircraft is Falcon Airlines 401, Miami to Wilmington.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's like Metroliner.
PHILLIPS: Military intelligence and the FAA want to know everything about this airliner.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Get the range, how far they think it could fly on 3,400 pounds of gas.
PHILLIPS: Could this aircraft reach critical infrastructure?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He is deviating from his flight path.
PHILLIPS: These commanders take no chances.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: At this time we have committed Rattler 0-1 Flight 2 out of the Jaguar cap.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Your mission, intercept shadow, commit bull's eye 100-158, 21,500 track west.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, we're tasked now.
PHILLIPS: Fighters now monitor Falcon Flight 401's every move. Then...
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The aircraft is now squawking at 7500 squawk.
PHILLIPS: 7500 is the code for hijack.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Attempt mission for (UNINTELLIGIBLE) to be an intercept.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: See if they can give us any introduction of who's in control of the aircraft.
PHILLIPS: Pilots attempt hand signals. No response. Pilots rock their wings. Still, no response.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He should have acknowledged with a ring arc, which he's not doing.
PHILLIPS: Two generals are brought in and briefed, one from the Canadian Air Force, one from the United States.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So who's on board?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sixteen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Sixteen.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fourteen passengers, two crew, one Pakistani, one Saudi, one French, the others are presumed to be of United States descent.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fighters are on it now.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: My concern is we could have something else in this country, so we're going to keep our focus on this thing, but we're also going to keep a focus on the rest of the country.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The JPAC has authorized the use of flares to get the pilot's attention.
PHILLIPS: Now is the final attempt to get this pilot to respond. If he doesn't, the order could come to shoot this aircraft down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do we have an engagement authority?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, sir, we have an engagement authority online.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Rattler 1, copy. These flares are authorized.
PHILLIPS: Flares are released.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Now the guy realizes he's serious. Now he's coming along, following the eagle.
PHILLIPS: The pilot finally responds.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't think we should ever relax. We are going to have to continue to prosecute this enemy until they no longer present a threat.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Active air scramble. Active air scramble.
PHILLIPS: A new kind of war, a new way of fighting, a battle in which a commander's best choice may be the lesser of two evils. And the battle cry is never again. Kyra Phillips, CNN, Tindall Air Force Base.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
