The Bloody Ordeal of FedEx Flight 705

[Guest]

Author: Patrick WordenFlight Engineer Auburn Calloway knew his career was about to end. His employer, Federal Express, had recently uncovered a series of irregularities and outright falsifications in both his original employment application and in hundreds of hours of flight records. He was ordered to appear at a disciplinary hearing in the second week of April, 1994. He understood that the likeliest outcome of such a hearing would be his termination, and subsequently the loss of his FAA flight certification.His solution was as simple as it was horrifying. He would provide for his family financially, end his own life, and in the process he would punish FedEx in the worst way imaginable.April 7, 1994: FedEx Flight 705 was scheduled to depart the company

[Guest Dominik Mann]

:-eek :-eek :-eek :-eek :-eekMy God...how desperate must he have been...

[Guest]

My opinion of the above post. What exactly has this to do with flight simming ? I have total respect for these guys courage and skill but I don't want to read about it in graphic detail on a simming forum. I don't know if you are the author or not but all this account has done for me is to make me feel a bit sick. In my opinion it seems biased toward the shock value in its description. Almost reveling in the guys act of violence. There is enough tragedy in the world as it is. CheersNick

[Guest]

As a frequent reader of this forum there have been a number of occasions where authors have discussed the details of events in flight that have actually occured, or have asked about ways to make the dynamics of flight simulator more realistic. And those dynamics have included accidents or incidents. True to life stories have been related directly, or links provided to news accounts. In either case feedback by the readership has been encouraged, broadening the knowledge base and insights of all who cared to look beyond the subject line and follow the threaded discussions that ensued.The fact that this story is potentially accurate in its detail, and is being offered here for people to read and reflect on lends itself, in its own way, to providing a better understanding of what the world of flight is like, both good and bad. Certainly people who fly in multi-player environments come to respect and rely on the appropriateness of the actions of the other players on line in order to fly safely. Individually, through a fault in the program we have all had Flight Sim vector us into obstructions, been struck on the ground or in flight by AI traffic, or have watched as AI traffic has collided with itself. Tragic events occur through the softwares own mis-programming, because of errors made by others in multi-player environments, or by intentionally malicious acts which members of this forum have on occasion described.I think a full appreciation for the joys and dangers of flying, both real and virtual, adds to the hobby. As a pilot of a multi-crewed aircraft, I can certainly relate to the dynamics of such an environment, and gained a new appreciation for the challenges and responsibilities bestowed on those who fly by reading the account cited above. The reality of the story may be difficult to bear but it happened, and events should not be altered or the relevant facts omitted in order to make the telling of the story more palatable for us to consume. How would any of us understand or appreciate the final outcome if we didn't know what happened within the event itself? Post-mortems on aviation accidents go into excruciating detail on who did what, when they did it, and why. As a military aviator, when we make a mistake and return from it, we are encouraged to discuss all of the events that occurred so that others can benefit from what we were thinking and why we acted as we did. That insight provides the most important lessons learned. When the importance facts are omitted the event loses its authenticity and importance for others. And that should not be allowed to occur.My thoughts. Rick

[Guest]

Wow! Yes, this is a forum of general aviation topics, not just for flight simulation. It piece was very interesting.Robb

[Guest]

I read the story with interest and yes, some tears. It was a very tragic event indeed. On the other hand, as a flight fan looking in the only forum area that this story was appropriate to post under, I welcome its telling. The only thing that the author might have wanted to do in the title was give a warning as to graphic content. Maybe this is something that the moderators may want to consider for future posts such as this. A way of having a warning for authors to add.This story could not have been told any other way to get the full impact of the heroism of the crew that had to literly fight for their lives to keep themselves and others safe.http://www3.telus.net/dport1/dansig.jpg

[Guest JDH]

Well that's a pretty stupid opinion to have when you are in the forum that is for all topics!!Hanger Chat: "This forum is for the discussion of real world aviation topics and any other topics not covered in other forums. Please make sure that your topic isn't covered in another forum before posting here."Want flight sim topics? Go in a flight sim forum!! Otherwise, learn to read properly and have a clue what you are doing.

[Guest]

hi JDH my apologies but i did post this forum in the general flightsim forum and Cloud_Tiger is correct i should have posted it here, the avsim moderator moved this thread here after Tiger repliedcheers!Clayton

[Guest JDH]

Ooh, that makes me looks silly!!Ignore my last post!!

[Guest]

Thank you Clayton an excellent and informative post.Cookie

[Guest]

Now the $1000 question: did you have permission to post word for word a story that has appeared in other places a lot of times.It is indeed a true story, later rendered into a novel and I believe a motion picture.It shows that the danger of hijacking does not always have to come from outside forces...

[John_Cillis 2,406]

"It shows that the danger of hijacking does not always have to come from outside forces..."Very true.... Aside from Egypt Air, I remember this crash, which hit close to home for Californians.... http://www.airsafetyonline.com/indepth/murder.shtml

[Guest]

jwenting as you can see the authors name is the first thing that is stated in that message

[Guest]

I hate to bring up another hypothetical yet graphic scenario, but I for one am pleased to see this story revived for the following reason: With beefed-up security at our international airports and the extra scrutiny involved, it is my fear that a Cargo Jet will be used in the next 9/11 type attack. I am sure the security at Boeing Field in Seattle (near where I live) is negligable compared to that of Seattle-Tacoma International, yet Boeing Field handles Cargo Jets among other craft. The scary thing is that this Airport is much closer to Downtown Seattle (Space Needle and 75-story Columbia Tower) than SeaTac. Furthermore, along with lesser security and closer proximity there is the issue that the Fed-Ex pilots had to face, i.e. no brave passengers to intervene. And you can forget about scrambling fighters. In just over a minute that fully fuelled 747 (that probably just took-off on the taxiway after it's pilots were disabled) originally bound for Hong Kong will be impacting the Columbia Tower. Don't worry, I have reported this what I percieve to be a likely scenario to the authorities. I can only hope they will have thought of this vulnerability as well. A Nightclub in Bali ?! -These people specialize in striking where and how you would least expect. I like others was troubled reading the accounts of that flight, as seeing a re-creation of the events on a 'Dateline' show a few years ago was enough for me. However I applaud the person for posting this account, as I believe less time needs to be spent hassling 80 year old WWII veterans with pacemakers boarding their flights, and more time needs to be spent securing our Cargo Ports; to say nothing of this evening's news headline on securing airport perimeters from terrorists with shoulder-launched missiles ! John m.

[Guest]

I have to disagree with you on the security issue. The heightened security we see at airports only serves one real purpose: to make us feel safer. It doesn't actually make us safer. It's a show of force for our benefit. There isn't a security system that cannot be beaten by someone with the will and the wit to beat it. The authorities have to act though, and they have to be seen to act. No amount of security, intelligence, or bombing will remove the threat of terrorism. It's a war that will not end until either one side is beaten or the reasons for fighting it are eliminated.A truly shocking story - I'm surprised that I hadn't heard about this before. Flying is an amazing thing - we witness incredible beauty and a sense of freedom when we take to the skies. Stories like this are a sobering reminder that there is an ugly side - and the ugliest side is a reflection of the darkest aspect of human nature (if you can have a reflection of a dark side - you know what I mean).