AustralAir Cargo Services Flight 2571

Aircraft Type Operator Tail Number Aircraft Name Flight Origin First Stopover Second Stopover Destination Boeing 747-221F AustralAir Cargo Services Darwin, Northern Territory Federal Republic of Australia VH-UZA Cape York Kingsford Smith International Airport (YSSY) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia Darwin International Airport (YPDN) Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (VABB) Mumbai, Maharashtra, India Ndjili Airport (FZAA) Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo

Diversionary destination Place of refuge Home Return

Gbadolite Airport (FZFD) Gbadolite, Democratic Republic of Congo Ben Gurion International Airport (LLBG) Tel Aviv, State of Israel Darwin International Airport (YPDN) Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia

Crew

Passengers

Captain Andrew Orgaz First Officer Tenille Anne Hubbard Flight Engineer Michael Hubbard Rhys Horner Krystal Dagorne Jade Amanda Ward Jacqueline Talei Van Husen Tammy Martins 75 tons of food and medicine aid 6 October 2019 (initial flight) 9 April 2021 (escape) 551 days

Cargo Date

AustralAir Cargo Services Flight 2571 was a cargo flight operating from Kingsford Smith International Airport, Sydney to Ndjili Airport in Kinshasa, making stopovers at Darwin International Airport and Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai, India. The flight, comprising three crew and five passengers, were flying to the Democratic Republic of Congo delivering 75 tons of food and medical supplies. Captain Andrew Orgaz, his wife First Officer Tenille Anne Hubbard and his brother-in-law Flight Engineer Michael Hubbard were the pilots. The aircraft was a 40 year old Boeing 747-221F, previously operated under Pan American World Airways, registered as N788PA, from 30 October 1979 until the iconic airlines collapse in late 1991. UPS Airlines operated the aircraft with the tail number N498UP from 1991 until 2004, when it was purchased by AustralAir Cargo Services, now bearing the tail number VH-UZA. On 6 October 2019, 42000 feet about DRC airspace, at 1608 hours WAT (UTC+1), a MiG-23UB flown by Congolese CNDP rebel pilots forced Flight 2571 to divert to Gbadolite Airport in Gbadolite, Nord-Ubangi Province in the northern part of the DRC instead of their destination at Kinshasa.

The event generated an international incident between the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Federal Republic of Australia, where negotiations for the release of the Flight 2571 crew commenced but eventually failed. An unnamed South African diplomat decided to intervene and provide mediation between the two conflicting parties. The CNDP would only release the crew on the condition of non-foreign interference in Congolese affairs. He was able to secure approval to the rebels for the Australian crew to maintain their Boeing 747 aircraft regularly, and this request ultimately paved the way for their dramatic escape 18 months later. The eight Australians had been secretly and meticulously planning their escape during their 18 months in captivity. Thanks to the unnamed South African diplomat, they all not only performed routine maintenance but also made it fully prepared for flight, under Captain Orgazs instructions. Upon every visit to their aircraft, eight CNDP guards kept a watchful eye on the Flight 2571 crew, but on 9 April 2021, four of the guards somehow left for an impromptu lunch break, leaving the other four aboard the aircraft, distracted by the five passengers with a card game. Seizing the moment, the Australian crew subdued and killed the four guards and the pilots managed to start engine 2 with a power generator. With an engine running, the remaining engines 1, 3 and 4 were eventually started. The Cape York, with all eight of the Flight 2571 crew aboard, taxied to the main runway, which the CNDP rebels tried to stop the 747 from taking off, to no avail. The Australians made their way out of DRC airspace and climbed to altitude, with First Officer Hubbard plotting a course for Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel. A direct flight to Australia was not immediately possible due to insufficient fuel and the threat of CNDP fighter aircraft searching for them. The escape of the crew of Flight 2571 from captivity quickly graced the prime time news in Israel and Australia. They spent a week in Israel touring the major cities, holiday resorts and iconic monuments before returning to Darwin International Airport in Australia. After their return, the Flight 2571 crew was invited to Canberra to meet President John Bruce Wilding and First Lady Grizelle Louise Wilding to congratulate them on surviving their 18 month ordeal of captivity and eventual escape. Captain Orgaz and First Officer Hubbard even met Captain Daniel Frederick McGrath and First Officer Jessica Janine Wilding, son-in-law and youngest daughter respectively of President Wilding, who were also AustralAir Cargo Services 747 pilots.

By late June, Captain Orgaz, First Officer Hubbard and Flight Engineer Hubbard were back in the cockpits flying 747-200s. By October, Hubbard was on maternity leave from the cargo airline, pregnant with her first child. On 9 April 2022, one year to the day of their dramatic escape, Andrew Orgaz and Tenille Anne Hubbard welcomed their son, Andrew Orgaz Junior, into their family. Hubbard became a morale booster to AustralAirs women pilots, reinforcing a highly positive image.

AustralAir Cargo Services CEO and President Patrick George Lambert-Hale announced to Orgaz and Hubbard that two of their new Boeing 747-8KSF freighter aircraft on order were to be named after them in their honour, which was received with great praise as it was a righteous dedication to the crew of AustralAir Flight 2571.

Aircraft type Boeing 7478KSF Boeing 7478KSF Boeing 7478KSF Boeing 7478KSF Boeing 7478KSF Boeing 7478KSF

Aircraft name Whitsundays Andrew Orgaz Tenille Anne Hubbard Surfers Paradise Hamilton Rottnest

Foreign registration N4617H N4517R N4528W N4947G N5877K N5296M

Australian registration VH-ZCA VH-ZCB VH-ZCC* VH-ZCD* VH-ZCE* VH-ZCF*

Date delivered 24/3/2022 14/6/2022 5/9/2022 10/1/2023 16/5/2023 30/08/2023

* Aircraft that have not yet switched to Australian registrations because AustralAir Cargo Services has not fully paid for them KS = fictional Boeing customer code for AustralAir Cargo Services