Home>>Life
Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Thursday, March 18, 2004

Alarm over false air traffic instructions

Authorities in Guangzhou were investigating false radio signals that instructed airliners to change codes or alter course, the Guangzhou Daily said on March 17.


PRINT DISCUSSION CHINESE SEND TO FRIEND


Authorities in Guangzhou were investigating false radio signals that instructed airliners to change codes or alter course, the Guangzhou Daily said on March 17.

Crew members of several flights have reported receiving false instructions when flying over Guangzhou. The civil aviation authority has confirmed these radio signals were illegal and warned those transmitting the signals not to jeopardize civilian flights.

At 10 a.m., March 12, an Air China aircraft received "instructions" directing the crew to change answering codes when it was passing over Guangzhou. When the pilot of the Hangzhou-Shenzhen flight asked for the code number to be repeated, there was no reply.

Later contact with air traffic control proved it to be false.

At 10:20 a.m. the same day, a China Eastern Airlines flight was instructed to divert to another destination when it was over Guangzhou, en route from Shanghai to Singapore. The signal was also later proved to be false.

Experts suspect the "instructions" were sent by radio hams who might just want to have fun. The civil aviation authority has asked all flights passing over Guangzhou to double check incoming signals.

Experts say false signals could cause an air disaster. Air traffic control errors have led to air crashes in the past. In 1996, the crew of an airliner above New Delhi airport did not correctly follow air traffic control instructions, causing a midair collision killing 349 people, the Guangzhou Daily said.

Source: Shenzhen Daily


Questions?Comments? Click here
    Advanced






HK, Britain agree on air traffic rights expansion

China signs new air traffic agreements with 12 nations



 


Indian navy to have two aircraft carriers by 2011 ( 4 Messages)

What's the meaning of Bush & Blair nominated as candidates for Nobel Peace Prize? ( 31 Messages)

Study: Americans eating themselves to death ( 7 Messages)

Japanese PM's remark on shrine visit leads to long-term cold relations with China: Kyodo ( 10 Messages)

French Presidents' China complex ( 4 Messages)



Copyright by People's Daily Online, all rights reserved