After the September 11 attacks , a call went out for all international planes to return to their airports of origin ( or if they did not have enough fuel , to land in Canadian territory ) . While discussing the day 's events with the Korean Air office , the pilot of Flight 85 included the letters " HJK " ( the code for " hijacked " ) in an airline message . When the pilot sent his message , the text messaging service company , Aeronautical Radio , Incorporated ( ARINC ) noticed the " HJK " code . ARINC officials , worried that the South Korean pilots might be sending a coded message for help , notified North American Aerospace Defense Command ( NORAD ) . Taking no chances , NORAD scrambled F-15 jets from Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage to intercept the 747 , with Alaska air traffic control ( ATC ) asking the pilots coded questions
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Korean Air Flight 85