AvianAir Flight 193

AvianAir Flight 193 was a domestic scheduled flight that was hijacked by an unknown person as a part of the November 3rd, 2016 attack in western Carolina. The flight was scheduled to fly between Nij Heide International Airport in Nij Heide to Memphis International Airport in Memphis. Flight 193 appears to have been breached south of Siniege, Alabama where the flight made an unplanned turn to the northwest. Upon nearing the Rochefort, Mississippi area the plane began to descend rapidly and made several turns toward downtown Rochefort. F-18 jets from the Carolinian Air Force took action against the flight, creating a formation that forced the hijacker to land at Rochefort-Evers International Airport. The plane taxied to a remote section of the airport, before stopping. As the army prepared to enter the aircraft by force, the hijacker, First Officer Colin Quint, used knives onboard the aircraft to stab and kill 123 people onboard including 4 crew, before he killed himself. Another 29 people were injured in the attack.

Flight
The aircraft involved in the hijacking was a Airbus A320-200, registration CA48711C operated by AvianAir. The plane was delivered to the airline in 2011 from Orbest Orizonia Airlines. The plane had a capacity of 145 passengers, and was at full-capacity at the time of the flight. The plane also had 7 crew members on board. Among the crew members was Captain Micheal Sratford, First Officer Colin Quint, and flight attendants Johnathan Miles, Rebecca Bradshaw, Tiffany Bay, John van der Mel, and Jennifer Loyles.

Flight 193 began boarding at 8:48 AM and stopped the boarding process at 9:03 AM. The flight departed the gate at 9:06 PM and took-off from Nij Heide International at 9:14 AM. The flight turned to the north about 1 minute after leaving the ground and began travelling over the Gulf of Mexico. Approximately 100 miles south of Siniege, the flight made an abrupt, unexpected turn to the northwest. The flight continued on this path towards Golfhaven. Siniege Air Traffic Control tried several times to make contact with the aircraft without any success prompting them to report a suspected hijacking. F-18 fighter jets were scrambled from the CSS Wilmington which was travelling near Golfhaven. These fighter jets continued to follow the aircraft the entire way to Rochefort. They were instructed to only intervene if necessary, and to simply watch the flight. Two pilots reported the Captain was in control of the aircraft but the First Officer was missing.

As the plane neared the Golfhaven area, it descended from 32,000 feet to 26,000 feet. The plane then began a gradual turn toward Rochefort. Near Chaumont, Mississippi the plane made another decent to 18,000 feet. Near Magee the plane once again began a decent, however did not stop after a few thousand feet. The plane entered the Rochefort area at about 4,000 feet flying somewhat above National Route 49. Appearing to be heading toward downtown Rochefort and not the airport, Commander Josiah Culpeper gave the order to get into a formation which would limit the aircraft's movement. They then made the plan turn northeast toward Rochefort-Evers Airport. The airport cleared all inbound and outbound flights, and treated the aircraft's landing as an emergency landing. The plane safely at the airport, and taxied to a remote corner on the northwestern edge of the airport. The plane's engines were then reportedly shut off, and the power of the aircraft was cut off.

Attack
First Officer Colin Quint exited the cockpit of the aircraft upon arrival in Rochefort. He apparently made his way to the rear of the plane, where the Captain attempted to attack and subdue him. Able to fight off the attack, Quint grabbed knives from the galley of the aircraft and stabbed Statford 3 times, before stabbing two other flight attendants in the rear. He then began attacking passengers in the rear of the aircraft creating a panic. Flight attendants tried to calm the passengers onboard and also tried to stop Quint. A passenger in the forefront of the plane opened an emergency exit door, which was not secure since the plane was turned off. Six passengers proceed in jumping off the plane, most breaking several bones. In all 122 people were killed in the attack before Quint killed himself.

Aftermath
Members of the Carolinian Army boarded the aircraft about 4 minutes after Quint killed himself. One solider described the scene as "one of the most bloody massacres the world has ever seen". Many victims had multiple stab wounds to either the chest or the head. 37 were rushed to the hospital, and 8 died in the process of transporting them there. 29 survived and are expected to live. The aircraft is still at Rochefort airport, and investigators are currently looking at the aircraft for signs of an attack motive.