Flight Halted After Passengers Receive Images Of Crash On Their Phones Moments Before Takeoff
A terrifying situation
Twitter A flight from Israel to Turkey was halted on Tuesday after all the passengers received concerning pictures on their phones.
The flight was set to take off from Ben Gurion Airport in Central District, Israel, but the pilot made the decision to cancel it due to the unsettling images.
Passengers received an AirDrop photo request shortly after the plane started moving on the runway, with some accepting and others declining.
Passengers received images of a plane crash to their phones.
One photo showed the aftermath of the 2013 Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crash in San Francisco, which resulted in the death of three passengers. Another depicted the 2009 Turkish Airlines Flight 1451 crash in Amsterdam, which killed nine people.
The photos sent the passengers into a panic as they quickly told flight attendants what was happening.
“One woman fainted, another had a panic attack,” a passenger who identified herself as “Diana” told Channel 12 News.
Passengers say that the plane stopped before takeoff and police arrived soon after. Police escorted the passengers off the plane and conducted an investigation. The pilot also returned the plane to security for investigation.
"The plane stopped and the flight attendants asked who got the pictures,” another passenger told Israeli news outlet Kan News. "The airport manager told us there was a security incident. They took all our luggage out of the plane for a second check."
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Galei Zahal, an Israeli radio broadcaster, reported 166 passengers in total received the pictures.
Airports Authority spokesman Olef Lefler said authorities have determined that the pictures came from within the aircraft, rather than from an outside threat.
"This is not a cyberattack,” Lefler said. “The source of the videos is inside the plane. All passengers and luggage are being further examined, and the police and other security officials have opened an investigation.”
9 suspects have been arrested for sending the plane crash images.
Police have identified nine potential suspects among the passengers. The suspects could face charges for disseminating false information, which carries up to a three-year prison sentence in Israel.
“I am sure the police and the security authorities will find out why they did it,” Lefler told Channel 12.
The flight took off hours later once police and airport security concluded their investigations.
Jonathan Alfano is a writer who focuses on news and entertainment topics. Follow him on Twitter to keep up with his content.