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An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 767 is seen just before it crashes into the sea off the Comoro Islands in 1996.

Ethiopia's own Superhero Pilots Leul Abate and Yonas Mekuria

In the past couple of days, much of the world has been talking about super hero pilot Captain Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger, whose heroic action is credited in saving the lives of 155 passengers aboard the ill-fated US airways flight 1549 by crash landing on the Hudson river. We thought, it is time to reflect on our own heroic captain and the co-pilot of Ethiopian airlines flight 961. The following is a profile of Captain Leul Abate on wikipedia.

Captain Leul Abate (ልኡል አባተ) (born 1954) was the pilot of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961, which was hijacked on November 23, 1996, fifteen minutes out from Addis Ababa to Nairobi, by three Ethiopians seeking political asylum. The plane crashed in the Indian Ocean near Comoros after running out of fuel, killing 125 of the 175 passengers and crew on board.

Abate observed that, "[The hijackers] knew they wouldn't make it to Australia - they just wanted us to crash. They should be dead. The way they were talking they didn't want to live."[1]

Four hours later, the plane was nearly out of fuel as it approached the Comoros islands. Abate's co-pilot, Yonas Mekuria, had been attacked with an axe. The communications system in the airplane had been disabled. The hijackers ignored his plea to land at the Comoros's Prince Said Ibrahim International Airport, and instead, one of them, drinking a bottle of whiskey, decided to fly the plane himself.

When the plane ran out of fuel, both engines failed. Abate and Mekuria, bleeding and bruised, fought with the hijackers. Abate used a ram air turbine to preserve the aircraft's most essential functions, but in this mode some hydraulic systems—such as the flaps—were inoperative. This forced Abate to land at more than 175 knots (about 200 miles per hour or 320 kilometers per hour).

Still fighting with the hijackers, Abate tried to ditch the aircraft in shallow waters 500 metres off Le Galawa Beach Hotel near Mitsamiouli at the northern end of Grand Comoro island. The left engine and wingtip struck the water first, causing the aircraft to break up. Island residents and tourists, including a group of scuba divers and some French doctors on vacation, came to the aid of crash survivors.

125 of the 175 passengers and crew members were killed, as well as all three hijackers. Both pilots survived the crash and Abate continues to fly for Ethiopian Airlines.

Abate considers Mekuria, the co-pilot, the real hero. Mekuria fought the hijackers while he himself was bruised and bleeding, giving time for Abate to land the airplane. "He was a life-saver," Abate said.[1]

Flight 961 was not the first time Abate had experienced a hijacking. On two previous occasions, Abate had been hijacked.[1] On both occasions, he managed to talk the hijackers into stopping their attempt.

Ethiopian Airlines crash 1996