Mysterious crash photos sent to cellphones by frightened passengers as plane aborts takeoff

Created: 05/10/2022, 16:59

Anadolu Jet (archive photo) with 160 passengers on board aborts takeoff.

© Nicolas Economou/imago

A plane was already on its way to the take-off position at Tel Aviv airport when the captain aborted the take-off.

Passengers had received photos of a plane crash on their cellphones.

Tel Aviv - The Anadolu Jet Boeing 737 with 160 passengers on board was taxiing at Ben Gurion Airport when the incident happened.

The plane of a subsidiary of Turkish Airlines was on its way to the take-off position, then the captain aborted take-off and returned to the terminal.

This was announced by Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv (Israel) on Tuesday.

Just before launch – crash photos sent via “Air Drop”.

Previously, passengers on board are said to have received photos of a plane crash on their cell phones and informed the crew about it.

As the Israeli news

writes, the photos were sent by a passenger using Apple's "Air Drop" function.

Accordingly, only iPhone users would have received the photos.

Via "Air Drop" it is possible to send files over a short distance to other Apple devices.

The images should have shown the crash of a Turkish plane in the Netherlands in 2009 and a crash in San Francisco in 2013.

A spokesman for Turkish Airlines confirmed the incident to the German news agency dpa.

The plane should therefore fly to Istanbul.

Israeli radio, citing the airport, reported that the source of the photos sent was on the plane.

It is not a cyber attack.

The police have started investigations.

The airport initially did not comment on this when asked.

The airport also said the passengers and their luggage were being checked again at the moment.

If it turns out that there is no danger, the departure will be approved.

Several young Israelis are said to have been identified and interrogated as suspects, according to the BBC.

The plane took off five hours late after being cleared for departure.