Korean Air Flight 085

After the September 11 attacks, a call went out for all international planes to return to their airports of origin (or if they did not have enough fuel, to land in Canadian territory). While discussing the day's events with the Korean Air office, the pilot of Flight 085 included the letters "HJK" (the code for "hijacked") in an airline message. Worried that a possible hijacked plane might strike a target in Alaska, Governor Tony Knowles ordered the evacuation of large hotels and government buildings in Anchorage. At nearby Valdez, Alaska, the U.S. Coast Guard ordered all tankers filling up with oil to head out to sea. Lt. Gen. Norton A. Schwartz, who was in charge of the NORAD planes that scrambled to shadow Flight 085, told reporters in 2001 that he was prepared to order the South Korean airplane to be shot down before it could attack a target in Alaska. The South Korean pilot stated that he had been ordered by Air Traffic Control to change the transponder signal and Air Traffic Control confirmed having done so. The incident coincided with Operation Yellow Ribbon, the operation that Transport Canada created to handle the diversion of civilian airline flights following the attacks. ==Timeline of events==

September 11, 2001 • Flight 085 takes off from Incheon International Airport in Seoul, South Korea • 8:46:40 a.m. (Eastern Time Zone (ET)) – American Airlines Flight 11 is flown into the World Trade Center's North Tower • 9:02:59 a.m. (ET) – United Airlines Flight 175 hits the World Trade Center's South Tower • 9:37:46 a.m. (ET) – American Airlines Flight 77 crashes into The Pentagon • 9:58:59 a.m. (ET) – The South Tower collapses. • 10:03:14 a.m. (ET) – United Airlines Flight 93, whose ultimate target was thought to be either the United States Capitol or the White House, crashes near Shanksville, Pennsylvania • 10:10 a.m. (ET) – The portion of The Pentagon wall hit by American Airlines Flight 77 collapses. • 10:28:23 a.m. (ET) – The North Tower collapses. • 11:08 a.m. (ET) The pilot of Flight 085 includes the letters "HJK", a code for hijacked, in an airline message • 12:00 p.m. (ET) – ARINC officials notify NORAD about the use of the hijack code • 1:00 p.m. (ET) – Jets are scrambled from Elmendorf Air Force Base to shadow the plane • 1:24 p.m. (ET) – Upon request from ATC, the Korean pilots change their transponder signal to the four-digit universal code for hijacked — 7500 • 1–2:45 p.m. (ET) – Alerted that a possible hijacked plane might strike a target in Alaska, Governor Tony Knowles orders the evacuation of potential targets • 2:54 p.m. (ET) – Flight 085 lands safely in Whitehorse and is met by armed Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers who determine that the plane was not hijacked ==See also==