Civilian Departure from Kabul - Pilot Story

[Tantalum]

Not sure if anyone here follows Sam Chui, he's a well known aviation photographer, anyway, from his site:

https://samchui.com/2021/08/18/make...ivilian-departures-out-of-kabul/#.YR5je4hKhPb

There's a YouTube as well but it's not translated, excerpt below

"
On 15th August 2021 (Sunday) we landed at Kabul Int'l Airport around 10:00am. The airfield status was normal and Air Traffic Control (ATC) was fully functional.

We were the first PIA flight in that day, followed by a company B777. The ground time was 3 hours at Kabul and then return to Islamabad. Our airplane was an A320, registration AP-BLS.

When we were almost done with boarding, ATC said:

"Due to emergency, we are evacuating the control tower and shifting to a mobile ATC unit from where we will call you back shortly."

At this point, I began to see people running onto and invading the airfield; so I called PIA HQ in Pakistan for an update on the situation.

They called me back with the update that ATC was being shifted, meanwhile civil operations were being halted and troop evacuation operations were now underway.
"

 

[Rushie]

Wow! If I’d been on that plane I’d have been glad he was the Captain. Great decision!

 

[Velocity173]

Waited over an hour. Soon as I heard emergency and civilian ops suspended I’d be outta there.

 

[Rushie]

Waited over an hour. Soon as I heard emergency and civilian ops suspended I’d be outta there.

Then you would have been even better.

 

[bflynn]

Well done. He basically held as long as he could and stayed legal too. Not that legal means much in a situation like that, in that chaos, you have to depend on yourself for your own safety...and he was tasked with the safety of the crew and passengers too.

 

[Ted]

Waited over an hour. Soon as I heard emergency and civilian ops suspended I’d be outta there.

Yeah, that’s my thought as well.

 

[Warlock]

Unauthorized departure from a place like Kabul would get you a shoot down scenario from friendly ADA…cannot imagine the stress trying to make a decision…

 

[Velocity173]

Unauthorized departure from a place like Kabul would get you a shoot down scenario from friendly ADA…cannot imagine the stress trying to make a decision…

If it were the initial stages of OEF / OIF and Desert Storm, I’d be a bit worried with itchy trigger fingers. Back then a bad Mode 4 could ruin your day. Unless it’s changed the ADA (C-RAM) for the most part now is for indirect fire. When I was there, you could drop a fill or forget to update Mode 1 with no worries. Plus, I bet the ADA boys packed up weeks ago.

 

[Rushie]

Unauthorized departure from a place like Kabul would get you a shoot down scenario from friendly ADA…cannot imagine the stress trying to make a decision…

You’re a regular civilian transport pilot used to obtaining permission from ATC for things like clearance to take off. That’s your paradigm you’ve followed your whole career. I imagine it took some pretty big cojones to go against that and take off in that fray with a plane full of souls. I’m sure the shock of what was happening took a bit to sink in. When he finally realized it could come down to being taken hostage and possibly killed, that became a bigger threat than whatever discipline he might have faced for taking off without clearance; he had no way of knowing he wouldn’t get in trouble. The last person I’d want in that left seat would be an inflexible rule-follower.

 

[Palmpilot]

According to the account at the OP's link, ATC declared that the airport was going uncontrolled. Wouldn't a takeoff clearance no longer be legally required at that point?

 

[Rushie]

According to the account at the OP's link, ATC declared that the airport was going uncontrolled. Wouldn't a takeoff clearance no longer be legally required at that point?

Ha! Good question. Actually, wasn’t “Kabul ATC” under the Afghan Civil Aviation Authority which was kind of evaporating with the whole Afghan government at that moment? I guess nobody was in charge and so nothing could be illegal?

 

[Velocity173]

According to the account at the OP's link, ATC declared that the airport was going uncontrolled. Wouldn't a takeoff clearance no longer be legally required at that point?

The place was pretty much uncontrolled even with ATC Basically a zoo going in and out of there. The contract controllers were decent but the locals were horrible.

I remember one time trying to get out of there at night and the weather went below VFR.“Ah, Assault 11, clearance denied. Airfield IFR.” I’m like, well crap what’s the SVFR mins for this joint. Didn’t have any documentation for Kabul allowing SVFR, so I was curious. “Tower, Assault 11, what are your SVFR minimums?” Complete silence. Almost like stump the chump silence in that tower didn’t even know their own mins. After about 10 seconds. “Ah….Assault 11 do you have….ah, night glasses?” After some chuckling on ICS “affirmative tower, we have night glasses.” Immediately followed by “Assault 11, cleared for take off…”

Never did find out what their SVFR mins were. It became the running joke though, if you needed to get out of there in bad weather, day or night, just tell tower you have “night glasses.”

 

[Velocity173]

Ha! Good question. Actually, wasn’t “Kabul ATC” under the Afghan Civil Aviation Authority which was kind of evaporating with the whole Afghan government at that moment? I guess nobody was in charge and so nothing could be illegal?

At some point an AF CCT (that’s Combat Control Team for @luvflyin) took over ATC. It’s unclear if that’s who this pilot was talking to or not. Seriously doubt those guys would care about a departing civilian aircraft without a clearance though.

 

[Palmpilot]

Ha! Good question. Actually, wasn’t “Kabul ATC” under the Afghan Civil Aviation Authority which was kind of evaporating with the whole Afghan government at that moment? I guess nobody was in charge and so nothing could be illegal?

Maybe ICAO rules would apply.

 

[TCABM]

… I bet the ADA boys packed up weeks ago.

Other than C-RAM, I don’t remember there being any ADA on KAIA/OAKB when I was at ISAF/IJC in ‘12-13.

I can’t even recall anything other than SHORAD anywhere in country at that time now that I think about it.


Now Iran, that’s a while different story.

 

[Velocity173]

Other than C-RAM, I don’t remember there being any ADA on KAIA/OAKB when I was at ISAF/IJC in ‘12-13.

I can’t even recall anything other than SHORAD anywhere in country at that time now that I think about it.


Now Iran, that’s a while different story.

Yep. I remember at Bagram we had ADA radar but nothing tied (armament) to it. Basically pinpointed where we got hit from after the fact. I don’t recall any ADA at Kabul either. If they were there, they were pretty well hidden.