In 2018 when an earthquake and tsunami struck Indonesia the Mutiara Sis Al Jufri Airport in Palu was in the path of destruction.
On 28 September just moments before the airport was struck by a 7.5 magnitude earthquake a plane with 148 people on board was still a few minutes away from take-off.
The pilot, Ricosetta Mafella, couldn’t see what was happening as he was sitting in the cockpit of the grounded plane but he decided to take off earlier than scheduled, which saved his life and the lives of the other 147 people on board the plane.
One man stayed in the air traffic control tower to make sure the plane took off (ADEK BERRY/AFP via Getty Images)
Speaking to the BBC in the aftermath of the natural disaster, he said: “I was rushing to leave. There was a voice in my head that told me, just get out of here immediately.
“I told my crew and the ground crew to speed up.”
Beyond the voice in his head, there was also the voice of someone the pilot described as his ‘guardian angel’, 21-year-old Anthonius Gunawan Agung who was in the airport’s control tower and stayed there to make sure the plane took off before the earthquake hit.
Tragically, the earthquake which struck the airport less than a minute after the plane took off blocked Agung’s attempts to get to safety himself.
The heroic 21-year-old was forced to jump from the crumbling tower and suffered a broken leg along with internal injuries from the four-storey drop.
His colleagues rushed him to hospital before it was decided that he would need to be transferred by helicopter, but he died of his injuries.
Agung’s last recorded words were his final instruction to the pilot to take off and escape the oncoming destruction, saying: “Batik 6321 clear for take off.”
Anthonius Gunawan Agung stayed at his post until he could see the plane had left, and tragically died from injuries suffered while trying to leave (Indonesia Airnav)
Mafella said that the 21-year-old was a ‘national hero’ and once he’d got the plane in the air he could see huge waves from the incoming tsunami.
The pilot tried calling the air traffic controller, who had remained at his post even as his tower had started swaying and cracking, but now received no response.
He was later told that Agung had been urged to leave the tower by his colleagues but told them ‘wait, wait, Batik is still here’ and he would be staying until the plane took off, with the pilot saying he was left ‘speechless’ when he learned exactly what had happened.
The earthquake caused significant damage to the tower and cracked the runway at the airport.
Featured Image Credit: Ricoseta Mafella
Topics: World News
Joe Harker
Tyres of Etihad plane ‘explode’ during take-off with almost 300 passengers on board
Flight EY461 was planned to leave Melbourne Airport for Abu Dhabi on 5 January
An Etihad plane was forced to make an emergency landing after its tyres ‘exploded’ upon takeoff.
According to reports, the Etihad Airways plane flight, carrying nearly 300 passengers, was preparing to embark on its planned path to Abu Dhabi from Melbourne Airport in Australia on Sunday (5 December).
However, it is reported that smoke began to emerge from the landing gear before flames engulfed the wheels, as per Metro.
A passenger who was on board spoke to 3AW and claimed to TV host Jacqui Felgate, who also caught some footage of the incident (via The Daily Mail), that the plane ‘had to slam on the emergency brakes’ during take-off as the landing gear ‘apparently caught fire’.
Thankfully, all those onboard were unharmed, with there being no reports of any injuries.
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Fire engines were at the scene (Instagram/@jacquifelgate)
An Etihad Airways spokesperson said to LADbible in a statement: “Etihad Airways flight EY461 from Melbourne (MEL) to Abu Dhabi (AUH) experienced a rejected take-off on 05 January 2025.
“The flight crew decided to halt the take-off for technical reasons, the aircraft was safely brought to a stop on the runway and emergency services attended as a precaution.
“Guests have been disembarked safely and our teams are working to enable them to continue their onward journeys as quickly as possible.
“Etihad Airways sincerely regrets any inconvenience caused. The safety and comfort of our guests and crew remain our highest priority.
“The fire service applied foam to the tyres on the aircraft’s landing gear, which is a routine precaution following a high-speed rejected take-off.”
Unfortunately, due to the incident, Melbourne Airport has been experiencing delays to its flight schedule as the craft remained on the runway due to the tyres’ damage.
Thankfully, no injuries were reported (Instagram/@jacquifelgate)
A Melbourne Airport spokesperson also told Metro: “The Aviation Rescue and Firefighting Service responded to a request from the aircraft and deployed fire fighting foam as a precaution.
“Repairs are currently underway. All passengers disembarked the aircraft and have been bussed to the terminal.
“We continue to have one runway available for operations, which will be used for all arrivals and departures.”
In similar news, Jeju Air flight 7C2216 crashed when making an emergency landing at Muan International Airport, in South Korea on 29 December.
All the occupants are safe after an Etihad Airways Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner plane (A6-BLN) with 289 passengers on board aborted take-off on Runway 34 after malfunction of the plane’s landing gear led to smoke and damage to two of the wheels this afternoon at Melbourne Airport…
Of its 181 passengers, 179 have been confirmed dead after it skid on its belly when its landing gear appeared to having issues before crashing into a wall.
Two crew members survived the incident and were taken to hospital, where one of them spoke for the first time.
While an official investigation into the cause of the crash is still ongoing, it was revealed that air traffic control sent a ‘bird strike’ warning to the plane prior to the accident.
Featured Image Credit: X/jacquifelgate/Instagram
Topics: Travel, World News, Australia, News
Britt Jones
How most dangerous object on Earth that can kill just by being in a room with it for five minutes was made
The most dangerous object on Earth remains just as lethal today
The world’s most dangerous object on Earth could kill a fully grown man by being in the same room as it for just five minutes… but how exactly was it made?
There are many things on this planet that pose grave danger to mankind, but none perhaps as much as radiation.
While used nowadays for purposeful things such as generating electricity, radiation has also been used in wars as a weapon of mass destruction – and when unleashed, the consequences are devastating.
But arguably the most notable radiation disaster is that of Chernobyl, a catastrophic power plant explosion in Pripyat, Ukraine.
Chernobyl remains to be the deadliest radioactive disaster of humankind. (SHONE/GAMMA/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
The Chernobyl Disaster
On 26 April, 1986, reactor No. 4 exploded during a failed steam test, resulting in the instant deaths of 30 people.
The radiation released was detected as far away as Sweden.
Many civilians and workers would later go on to die from severe radiation poisoning, as well as hundreds of others in the coming years suffering from extreme pain and terminal illnesses caused by the sheer volume of radiation blasted into the air and atmosphere.
The Chernobyl disaster continues to be the worst nuclear disaster in human history, as well as the costliest.
Pripyat remains abandoned, with it still being deemed uninhabitable due to the volume of radiation that remains in the area.
Pripyat remains uninhabitable decades on from the explosion. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)
The most dangerous object on Earth
It won’t come as a surprise to learn that the most dangerous object on our planet comes from the Chernobyl disaster.
Dubbed the ‘Elephant’s Foot’, the large hunk of what appeared to be metal was formed as a result of the deadly explosion in reactor No. 4.
The uranium fuel inside the reactor’s core became molton when it overheated. When the steam blew the reactor apart, heat, steam, and molten nuclear fuel combined to form a 100-ton flow of searing-hot chemicals that poured out of the reactor and through the concrete floor to the basement of the facility, where it eventually solidified – thus creating the Elephant’s Foot.
Due to the shape the uranium formed, the name the ‘Elephant’s Foot’ was given due to its large, wrinkled appearance – resembling slightly the large mammal’s foot.
The Elephant’s Foot, the most dangerous object on Earth. (Photo 12/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Discovering the Elephant’s Foot
When the deadly structure – which is estimated to weigh a staggering 2.2 tons – was discovered by brave crews entering the destroyed reactor months after the explosion, it was soon realised that it wasn’t to be approached.
The highly radioactive lump was reportedly still searing hot months on, and when it was first measured, the Elephant’s Foot released nearly 10,000 roentgens per hour.
That meant that an hour’s exposure was comparable to that of four and a half million chest X-rays.
Science magazine Nautilus reports that just 30 seconds of exposure would have your cells haemorrhaging, and after four minutes, vomiting and diarrhea would follow.
If you managed to last five minutes in the vicinity of the Elephant’s Foot though, you’d have roughly just two days to live.
Standing in the vicinity of the Elephant’s Foot for an hour would be the equivalent of four and a half million chest X-rays. (Francois LOCHON/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)
Studies on the Elephant’s Foot
Despite this incredibly high risk, however, over the years investigators have somehow managed to document and study the Elephant’s Foot for very short periods of time.
And while today in 2024 it is gradually cooling down, the Elephant’s Foot is still extremely dangerous to be around and scientists have only ever been able to take tiny samples to conduct studies on in labs.
The Elephant’s Foot remains entombed in the New Safe Confinement (NSC) that was slid over Chernobyl to prevent any more radiation leaks from the nuclear power plant.
Featured Image Credit: US Department of Energy
Topics: Chernobyl, World News, Health
Emily Puckering
Chilling audio of moment off-duty pilot who ‘tried to crash plane’ with 80 passengers on board is detained
Off-duty pilot Joseph David Emerson has been charged with 83 counts of attempted murder
Chilling audio reveals the moment air traffic control is warned that an off-duty pilot allegedly tried to shut down plane engines with more than 80 passengers on board.
Take a look below:
Suspect Joseph David Emerson – who was in the cockpit of the Alaska Airlines Flight 2059 flight – allegedly tried to crash the jet during a flight on Sunday evening (22 October).
The 44-year-old has since been charged with 83 counts of attempted murder.
Emerson was sat behind the captain and the first-officer as the flight had departed from Everett, Washington and was en route to San Francisco, California when the incident unfolded.
The FBI and the Port of Portland Police Department are now investigating the incident, Alaska Airlines said.
Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Now, in chilling audio recorded by LiveATC.net, the pilot said to Seattle-area air traffic controllers: “We’ve got the guy that tried to shut the engines down out of the cockpit, and he doesn’t sound like he’s causing any issues in the back right now.
“I think he’s subdued. Other than that, we want law enforcement as soon as we get on the ground and are parked.”
A statement from Alaska Airlines reads: “All passengers on board were able to travel on a later flight.
“We are grateful for the professional handling of the situation by the Horizon flight crew and appreciate our guests’ calm and patience throughout this event.”
Elsewhere, the FBI said it ‘can assure the traveling public there is no continuing threat related to this incident’.
Emerson also faces 83 counts of reckless endangerment and one count of endangering an aircraft, according to Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office booking records.
Sky News
“We didn’t know anything was happening until the flight attendant got on the loudspeaker and made an announcement that there was an emergency situation and the plane needed to land immediately,” passenger Aubrey Gavello told ABC News.
“About 15 minutes later, she got back on and said that there was a medical emergency.”
Gavello claimed she heard a flight attendant tell the suspect: “We’re going to be fine, it’s OK, we’ll get you off the plane.”
“So I really thought it was a serious medical emergency,” she added.
Passenger Alex Wood claimed the pilot announced that ‘there was a disturbance in the cockpit’.
“It was very professional, handled very calmly, and we didn’t really know what was going on until we landed,” they said.
Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg also said in a statement: “I am grateful for the professional flight crew and air traffic controllers who stepped up to guide this plane safely to Portland. FAA supports law enforcement in their response and will be focused on any safety considerations for the future that emerge from investigations.”
Featured Image Credit: Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images/Sky News
Anish Vij
Flight Delayed As Passengers Receive Death Threats And Creepy Pictures Before Take-Off
147 travellers on board the flight received the messages
A flight was delayed for two hours after passengers were sent death threats and horrifying images.
Dozens of passengers were on board the Vueling flight from Rome’s Fiumicino airport to Alicante, Spain, when they received the haunting posts on 21 July.
The message began in English, with the words “WAKE UP, WAKE UP, WAKE UP” and then continued in what has since been identified as Ethiopian Amharic.
Handout
An extract of the following text, which has been translated, threatened the passengers’ families, reading: “Your family will bleed for your actions, you will suffer eternally for your actions.”
As well as a skull-like figure, some of the images also depicted a monster and a person in a straight jacket wearing a screaming mask.
The threats were sent to many of the 147 travellers via Airdrop, which allows iPhone users to send pictures and videos to people close by.
After alerting the crew to the messages, the captain took the decision to delay the flight, and informed border police of what had happened.
Handout
Officers rushed to the scene and quickly discovered that the threats had been sent an 18-year-old Spaniard, who later admitted to being responsible.
LADbible has contacted Vueling and Fiumicino airport for a comment.
Earlier this month, a British Airways passenger accused the airline of ‘slowly killing’ those on board the hot aircraft after they were left waiting on the tarmac for 90 minutes without air conditioning.
Passengers boarded the flight in Nice ready for departure at 7.35pm on 10 July, but had to start fanning themselves with leaflets to keep cool when it failed to take off on time.
Cabin crew and pilots apologised to passengers as they remained on the ground for an hour and a half before the pilot finally had passengers disembark and wait in the air bridge to try and cool off, while staff handed out water.
@British_Airways We are stuck on the tarmac at Nice Airport. It’s about 40 degrees on here! No air con. We are 2 hours late and no sign of going! It’s inhumane!
Speaking to the MailOnline about the situation, one passenger commented: “It’s disgraceful. It is hotter than hell on this plane. British Airways is slowly killing us.”
The customer went on to claim passengers were left ‘crying and on the verge of passing out’ as they awaited takeoff, branding it ‘truly disgusting’ that the plane had no air conditioning.
“British Airways is literally a joke,” they added.
Other passengers took to Twitter to complain about the issue, with one person tagging the airline as they wrote: “[British Airways] We are stuck on the tarmac at Nice Airport. It’s about 40 degrees on here! No air con. We are 2 hours late and no sign of going! It’s inhumane!”
LADbible reached out to British Airways for further comment.
