A Strange Encounter with Flight VH-ATL
February 18th 2011 01:46
Category: Cosmic Objects
It was the summer of 1971 it started out as a pleasant evening as I recall, I was about to begin my midnight shift at the local airport control tower.
Little did I know that this particular evening was far from being uneventful.
I took over from my colleague and began monitoring aircraft that were about to land.
I was also responsible for aircraft that were about to taxi from the runway as well as allocating airspace for commercial aircraft.
The evening shift was much like any other except this particular evening was going to be an exception.
As the evening progressed a series of thunderstorms were forming just off the coast this was pretty much the norm for this time of year. From my vantage point I could see somewhat dim streaks of lightning .
VH-ATL : requesting permission to taxi runway 23.
Tower: proceed on runway 23 please hold on outer marker.
VH-ATL: Roger….
Sydney Tower : VH-ATL you are clear for takeoff on runway23.
The aircraft taxied to the end of the runway and was cleared for takeoff. The small twin-engine aircraft was bound for Norfolk Island a distance of just over 1600 km with an estimate of flying time of around two hours.
Sydney control "VH-ATL maintain altitude 9000 feet."
VH-ATL : Roger climbing to 9000
The small twin engine plane is piloted by a young air force pilot Jared Waleski.
With the visual check completed the aircraft made a successful takeoff and was being monitored on radar. I requested the pilot to change his transponder beacon frequency.
Most aircraft carry a transponder, an aircraft transponder is a device that radios back its position and altitude to other aircraft , It also serves as a radar tracking beacon to other aircraft and ground control.
The radio call comes via the speaker it’s a commercial aircraft the pilot request a higher altitude the aircraft is experiencing some turbulence from an approaching storm front.
The transponder form VH-ATL piloted by Jared Waleski stopped transmitting.
Communication with flight VH-ATL established Jared informs me that the aircraft is being buffeted by a severe thunderstorm……
VH-ATL” I am at 10000 feet and I can not seem to fly over it…..
The commercial flight pilot radios in again “ we are at 32000 and we are almost above the storm.
I called VH-ATL “are you having problem with your transponder beacon? “…
VH-ATL : “I am having electrical problems I have been struck by lightning”……
it’s 55 minutes into the flight the aircraft is almost out of my airspace and just about out of radio range.
Sydney control : “This is Sydney tower do you request a turnaround?”
VH-ATL : “Negative ….. contacting Brisbane tower…”.
Sydney control: “roger handing you over to Brisbane control airspace”.
I continue to attend to other aircraft on my flight list, I recall thinking situation normal so I thought.
It is now just after 1 a.m. My phone rings “ This is Brisbane control we are not able to communicate with flight VH-ATL “
It’s not the sort of news one likes to hear. The last reported radio transmission for VH-ATL puts the aircraft at approximately 600 nautical miles west form Norfolk Island.
At 1;27am my radar screen shows the re-emergence of the transponder signal form VH-ATL…. I switch to the last allocated frequency to try and contact flight VH-ATL……
Now this is a strange occurrence I should not be getting a transponder signal from this flight given the distance form Sydney to the last known position of flight VH-ATL…..
There are exceptions it might be that the aircraft made a turnaround and decided to return to Sydney.
Yet the radar showed the aircraft to be at least 1500 km from Sydney this was not making any sense.
There are certain weather phenomenon that can cause radio anomalies to occur, one such phenomenon is what’s called tropospheric induction where by the radio signal is tunneled through a corridor.
Tropospheric induction occurs when warm air is trapped by a layer of cold air high in the troposphere forming a tunnel stretching for hundreds of kilometers.
The ionosphere also plays a part in the formation of this phenomenon.
I pick up the microphone “ VH-ATL this is Sydney control are you receiving me?...
I can hear the pilot’s voice on the speaker
“VH-ATL yes I am receiving you I have lost may navigation instruments and the radio compass is malfunctioning”
Sydney control: “ can you lock on to my frequency bearing?”
VH-ATL: “Negative instruments not responding not sure of my position cannot see the sky ..over”…
Sydney control: Can you see any lights you should be approaching Norfolk.
VH-ATL: “Negative Sydney control cannot see any lights…. I can see a bright greenish light just up ahead looks like I am flying in some sort of electrical plasma I can……”
The transmission ends abruptly, I try and contact the aircraft many times to no avail.
The aircraft was presumed lost at sea.
The subsequent enquiry was not able to find a cause for the disappearance.
A series of circumstances occurred that can not be fully explained. Was it, fate or just an unlucky coincidence?
I guess you could call it the “GOD” connection because the signal travelled along a specific path and was not picked up by other radio operators in the area at the time except for me.
What’s the Moral of the Story?
Sometimes science does not have all the answers , as long as the human spirit is alive we have a chance in this uncertain world.
This story is mostly fiction although portions of the story are based on real events that have transpired. The actual name , dates and locations and other relevant details were changed.
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Comment by S.L.
The Political Brief
I also had a strange encounter many years ago. When leaving the home of a friend, I was about to get into my car when I looked up for some reason. In the sky above me was a strange looking, silent, black shape that I had never seen before! It flew over too fast for me to get my friends attention, so I was the only one I knew who saw it.
Nobody believed me! My husband, my friend, my mother... they all thought I was kidding! I drew a picture of it for them and they all laughed, saying a shape like that wouldn't even leave the ground. Annoyed with their disbelief, I folded the drawing and put it into a drawer (after writing the date on it).
About 6 months later, on the TV news, was a picture of the new "stealth" bomber. While they were talking about it on TV, I went to the drawer, grabbed the drawing and showed it to my family. It was the same plane!
Guess it could get off the ground, huh?
Comment by CarlCan
Astroearth
Camera Sense
Hi S.L.
Thestory has an element of science fiction in it.
It is amazing to see what’s out there, many “UFO” are actually new generation secret aircraft.
I am glad to see you were vindicated.