كعادته شهما شجاعا وفي لحظاته الاخيرة محمد علي يبعد الطائرة عن المناطق الماهولة

Quote: Pilot of ill-fated plane had accepted request to fill in for original captain In a bizarre twist to the tragedy, the son of Captain Mohammad Ali Al Halthawi told Gulf News that his father was not supposed to be flying the ill-fated plane on that particular day. • By Maey El Shoush, Special to Gulf News • Published: 00:00 October 24, 2009 • Rescue personnel at the scene of the crash in Sharjah. The son of the ill-fated plane's pilot said knowing his father was a hero has helped him cope with the loss. • Image Credit: Ahmed Ramzan, Gulf News Khartoum, Sudan/Sharjah: Mystery surrounds the doomed Sudanese military-funded Azza Airways Boeing 707 flight that crashed on Wednesday soon after take-off from Sharjah Airport. In a bizarre twist to the tragedy, the son of Captain Mohammad Ali Al Halthawi told Gulf News that his father was not supposed to be flying the ill-fated plane on that particular day. "The original captain who was scheduled to fly the plane said he couldn't make the flight, so they asked my father to fill in and he accepted, being the good man that he was," said Ahmad Mohammad Ali, just before his planned flight from Khartoum to Sharjah International Airport. Holding back tears, Ali said that although the military provides the funding for Azza Airways, it has little control over day-to-day operations of the carrier, and that the plane was being used only for cargo transport services. The airliner, which is rented by Sudan Airways, crashed just two minutes after take-off, but due to Captain Al Halthawi's presence of mind, there were no fatalities on the ground. "When I heard that my father deliberately turned the plane so that it did not crash over a populated area, I felt so proud of him because it takes strength to sacrifice one‘s life. Knowing this has helped me deal with the immense pain the whole family is suffering with," said Ali, who has seven siblings. If the number of people who attended the funeral is any indication, Captain Al Halthawi was indeed a hero, not only to those whose lives he saved, but to his family, friends and colleagues who he has truly inspired. Born in 1948, he started his career in the airline industry early (from 1969). Although most Azza Airways staff are ex-military, Captain Al Halthawi was a pioneer in that he was a civilian who had earned his wings. "We still haven't received all the details of the crash, however, yes I did hear some eyewitnesses had seen something fall out of the plane, but I don't know anything more than that," said Ali. "My father has experienced technical problems before but because of his experience, he always knew what to do." Captain Al Halthawi was known as a man who could be counted on to resolve difficult situations at work or of a personal nature. "We were close to my father but because of this reason, I didn't get to see him much as he was always travelling or visiting family and friends on every occasion to represent our family positively while letting people know they can rely on him," said Ali. The 30-year-old was due to travel to the UAE on Friday night with his older brother, who flew directly from Canada upon hearing the bad news. Mohammad Kambal Al Zubair, the pilot's cousin who lives in Sharjah, said Captain Al Halthawi went to high school in a town called Atbara and later attended university in Khartoum before studying aviation. (Maey El Shoush is a Khartoum-based Journalist.) — With inputs from Mariam M. Al Serkal, Staff Reporter