On November 23, 1996, three men storm the cockpit of Ethiopian Airlines flight 961. The men shout that they are hijacking the plane and have a bomb. Armed with an axe and a fire extinguisher, they beat the copilot, and then demand that the pilot chart a course for Australia. The pilot tries to explain that the plane doesnt have enough fuel to travel that far, but when he cant convince them of the truth, he decides to trick them instead. Rather than flying east across the Indian Ocean, he flies south along the African coast, hoping to stay close to land and any airport along the way. But soon, the fuel supply dwindles, both engines lose power,...