1990s. An Ethiopian Airlines passenger jet takes off from North Africa with enough fuel to reach its next stop, where it will refuel for its next run. It's a common practice to carry no more fuel than is necessary because it improves efficiency. The pilots are experienced. There is nothing wrong with the airplane. The day is bright and sunny.
Three men, recently escaped from prison and of no ideological affiliation, burst into the cabin with the fire ax, clobber the co-pilot, and demand to be flown to Australia. Australia is eleven hours away and the plane has fuel for two hours of flight. The hijackers don't believe it. They produce a little brochure boasting that this jet can fly for eleven hours. True, says the captain, but they aren't carrying a full load of fuel. They insist on Australia or death.
The clever captain fools them for a time but runs out of fuel off the shores of the Commoros Islands, a popular resort. The crash is captured on film. It's skillful enough, given the clunky airframe but most of the passengers panic and drown.
It's not a detective story but rather a dramatic tale of three nuts and one talented pilot. Two of the survivors and the pilot himself provide the details of the event. It happened before the 9/11 attacks so the cabin doors were open. They've since been sealed off from the passenger cabin.
Three men, recently escaped from prison and of no ideological affiliation, burst into the cabin with the fire ax, clobber the co-pilot, and demand to be flown to Australia. Australia is eleven hours away and the plane has fuel for two hours of flight. The hijackers don't believe it. They produce a little brochure boasting that this jet can fly for eleven hours. True, says the captain, but they aren't carrying a full load of fuel. They insist on Australia or death.
The clever captain fools them for a time but runs out of fuel off the shores of the Commoros Islands, a popular resort. The crash is captured on film. It's skillful enough, given the clunky airframe but most of the passengers panic and drown.
It's not a detective story but rather a dramatic tale of three nuts and one talented pilot. Two of the survivors and the pilot himself provide the details of the event. It happened before the 9/11 attacks so the cabin doors were open. They've since been sealed off from the passenger cabin.
