Jetblue squawks Hijack instead of comms loss, massive response at JFK

[jedgar]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2018/06/27/jetblue-radio-failure-triggers-scare-jfk-airport/737325002/

https://twitter.com/Alexa_Curtis/status/1011776910064541702

Didn't even get airborne 😂

I looked up the squawk codes, weird that radio failure and hijacking are so close, 7600 for comms loss and 7500 for hijacking.

[Robert Larson]

Every pilot learns the mnemonic:

75 - I've been taken alive.
76 - I need a fix.
77 - I'm going to heaven.

or variations on this theme.

7500 = Hijack in progress
7600 = Loss of comms
7700 = Mayday/Emergency

[VASAviation]

My mnemonics

Seven five, man with a knife.
Seven six, radio to fix.
Seven seven, going to heaven.

I found this really interesting. A number difference made an even bigger problem...

[penguin44]

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/flights/todayinthesky/2018/06/27/jetblue-radio-failure-triggers-scare-jfk-airport/737325002/

https://twitter.com/Alexa_Curtis/status/1011776910064541702

Didn't even get airborne 😂

I looked up the squawk codes, weird that radio failure and hijacking are so close, 7600 for comms loss and 7500 for hijacking.

I remember in my training days in an extremely old cessna with the old hand dialer transponder. I was setting it up to squawk 1700 or something close, it was set at like 2700. I started the dial and as I got to 6700 my instructor swatted my hand. From that day on, I enter my squawk codes starting on the last digit first.