• Sweden edition

Swedish pilot wrests gun from hijacker

Published: 15 Feb 10 11:22 CET | Double click on a word to get a translation
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/24994/20100215/

Swedish pilot Mikael Andersson, 32, was the hero of an attempted hijacking of a plane in Portugal on Friday. The drama unfolded shortly after take off from Cascais, west of Lisbon, on Friday.

Andersson managed to overpower and disarm the would-be hijacker after a gun had been pointed at his head. Posing as a photographer, the hijacker - a former soldier - had boarded the plane in an attempt to flee having shot two of his neighbours in a land dispute earlier in the day, according to Portuguese media reports.

Andersson avoided crashing the plane by ascending, allowing the other two passengers, two parachutists, to jump from the aircraft to safety.

But the hijacker managed to wrestle control of the aircraft.

"I was convinced that he was about to fly the plane into a house, because he was aiming for a residential area," Andersson told the Aftonbladet newspaper.

The pilot averted disaster by taking the co-pilot's place, fighting for control of the plane and jettisoning fuel so that it crashed at Tires airport near Lisbon.

On landing, Andersson fled the aircraft and the hijacker committed suicide by shooting himself.

Andersson confirmed that the experience had not given him cause to reconsider his position at the private Portuguese airline.

"I'm presuming that this was a one off," he said of the hijacking drama.

TT/The Local (news@thelocal.se/08 656 6518)

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12:43 February 15, 2010 by jannestig
It was a one off for the highjacker
12:55 February 15, 2010 by Nemesis
Well done that pilot.
12:56 February 15, 2010 by Britswedeguy
If he was an American there would already be parades planned.
13:17 February 15, 2010 by eZee.se
@Britswedeguy,

:))
13:22 February 15, 2010 by glaciator
good for him, brave pilot
13:25 February 15, 2010 by jack sprat
You said it Britswede,....doesn't bear thinking about.

Headline news worldwide,ticker-tape parade and visit to the White House to see Mr President no doubt.
13:53 February 15, 2010 by warriorwithin
Also a hollywood blockbuster based on this incident
13:59 February 15, 2010 by Ugly A
Mmmm.....parades.
14:19 February 15, 2010 by Dogs_Gonads
The two parachutists should have taken him with them.

Pat on the back for the pilot.
16:22 February 15, 2010 by reader in USA
I think I would be taking the two parachutists off my Christmas card list.
16:32 February 15, 2010 by GefleFrequentFlyer
Im sure this small pivate airline runs by different security rules, but damn those americans for making air travel such a headache for everyone else.
16:39 February 15, 2010 by entry
"Andersson avoided crashing the plane by ascending, allowing the other two passengers, two parachutists, to jump from the aircraft to safety."

Holy Crap!

What are the chances of the only two other passengers who are not trying to hijack the plane and are actually able to put on their parachutes, which just happen to be with them in the passenger compartment and not stowed in the cargo bay. I hate, but have been a passenger in small aircraft more times than I like. There is no room, your bags are in the belly of the plane... However I have never flown Portuguese airlines where I guess if you bring your own parachute you can board with it. Darn I would just be happy to bring my laptop bag and bottle of Pepsi into the passenger compartment...

If that is what actually happened, and the Swedish language newspapers seem to confirm it...someone should buy that pilot a beer, a whole lot of beers.
17:14 February 15, 2010 by dahaviland
What wrong with parades? Parades are fun! But seriously, parades... get real. And second, Americans have not screwed up air travel, terrorists have and when someone steps up and does something heroic, they should be acknowledged for their bravery. The simple pathetic nay-saying of everything American is getting real old. Non patriotism from your own country is no fault to anyone but your own and this typical envy that is inherent in so many other cultures is just sad.

Hats off to the pilot!!! Good job!
19:09 February 15, 2010 by ou2chi
@dahaviland

Well said mate. Well said. If your country does not recognise exceptional needs, it's pointless - pathetic even - to take it out on those that do.
19:14 February 15, 2010 by ou2chi
@#15

exceptional deeds.

)
19:48 February 15, 2010 by conboy
Fair play to him I hope the lad gets some proper thanks and managed to land a bit of damage on the head of the assaliant followed up by a throw away the key jail sentence!!!
20:46 February 15, 2010 by scandinavian leather
@entry

What are the chances of the only two other passengers who are not trying to hijack the plane and are actually able to put on their parachutes, which just happen to be with them in the passenger compartment and not stowed in the cargo bay.

Pretty good actually, seeing as the two passengers were skydivers and the plane only held four people.
20:55 February 15, 2010 by GLO
Are they sure the Pilot was Swedish ??? Sounds very old school.. Just where is this gutty guy from ???? Well done my friend..
03:49 February 16, 2010 by iridesce
Anytime the pilot is in my neighborhood, he drinks for free
07:49 February 16, 2010 by johnnyrebel
I think this is a strange story.
17:50 February 16, 2010 by Smoke_and_Mirrors
This story as reported does not make sense. If the Pilot was able to wrestle the gun away from the Would-Be Hijacker, how was the Hijacker able to commit suicide by shooting himself?

Aside from that, bravo to the Pilot. A parade should be named after him, and his picture should be hung in all airports in the country, with big red letters at the bottom saying HERO.
18:41 February 16, 2010 by zeulf
Somehow its always the Yanks Fault, I do feel sorry for the Zenophobes out there,

Hip, Hip Horay for the Pilot
19:51 February 16, 2010 by jumper21
@entry

For the record the plane was a PAC 750XL, seats 16 skydivers. Image of plane in question here http://www.airliners.net/photo/Pacific-Aerospace-750XL/1651665/&sid=663d44f6bbd4c5dc8551a4c70782cae8

Skydivers are already wearing their parachutes before boarding the plane.

The above article is not clear that it was a skydiving plane.
20:27 February 16, 2010 by davidmc
I think Clint Eastwood has already done a similar thing as Dirty Harry.
20:27 February 16, 2010 by entry
Back @jumper21

@entry

For the record the plane was a PAC 750XL, seats 16 skydivers. Image of plane in question here http://www.airliners.net/photo/Pacific-Aer...551a4c70782cae8

Skydivers are already wearing their parachutes before boarding the plane.

The above article is not clear that it was a skydiving plane.


Now that makes perfect sense.

Your link was truncated and failed to load for me, but because you were kind enough to identify the plane I was able to pull the plane up in google.

-http://tinyurl.com/ya3gcvs

-http://tinyurl.com/yeuah7m
23:04 February 16, 2010 by insect
@Dogs_Gonads

If the pilot had gone with the parachutists, the suicidal moron would have crashede the plane in a residential area. So the pilot didnt only save two people and himself, but also the residents of the said residential area. Kudos to him.

But there are a million questions in my mind about this heroic event.

Im wondering why the parachutists agreed to jump out in the first place instead of helping the pilot overpower the gunman. Really weird dudes.

Did they jump out before or after the guy had been disarmed.

While all the activity (with the jumping of the parachutists etc) was taking place, was the gunman just standing there waiting for his turn to be disarmed?
01:46 February 17, 2010 by scandinavian leather
@insect

Im wondering why the parachutists agreed to jump out in the first place instead of helping the pilot overpower the gunman. Really weird dudes.

"Given that the name of the "airline" is "Get High" one can draw their own conclusions.

Half of this story wasn't even translated from either the Swedish or original Portuguese news reports by thelocal which speaks volumes.

But anyway you look at it the pilot's got a brass set
17:51 February 17, 2010 by insect
@scandinavian leather

Definitely agree that there is no question about the guy's set. They are brass and more.
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