'Unprecedented': 13 aircraft mysteriously disappear from radars in heart
of Europe
A total of 13 aircraft suddenly vanished off radars for about 25
minutes on two occasions over Austria and neighboring countries, Austria's
flight safety monitor said, calling for an EU probe into the "unprecedented"
incidents.
The flights vanished from air traffic controllers' screens in
Austria on June 5 and June 10 for 25 minutes each time, Marcus Pohanka of Austro
Control - Austria's flight safety organization - said Thursday.
Air
traffic control in neighboring regions of Germany and the Czech Republic also
reported similar problems.
Pohanka said the location, height, and
identity of the 13 aircraft vanished over Austria both times, in what he called
"unprecedented" incidents, AP reported.
He added that some neighboring
countries had experienced similar problems. The daily Kurier, based in Vienna,
elaborated that similar problems were experienced by flight controllers in
Munich and Karlsruhe in Germany and in Prague, Czech Republic.
Poahanka
declined to say which airlines and planes were involved, but suggested that some
may have been passenger jets, which fly at high altitudes. The EU's Eurocontrol
and European Aviation Safety Agency will investigate the incidents.
Poahanka stressed that at no time were any of the planes in danger, as
extra air traffic controllers were immediately called to their posts and
emergency measures were brought in, which included immediately establishing
voice contact with the pilots and the widening of flight corridors.
The
Kurier cited an unnamed expert as saying that the problem was most likely to do
with interference between the aircraft transponders and the ground.
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