On September 20, 1986, at 3.40:220 local time, three servicemen arbitrarily left the military part of the city of Ufa, stealing a light machine gun, a Kalashnikov assault rifle, a Dragunov sniper rifle and XNUMX rounds of ammunition for them. On the way to the airport, they opened fire on a patrol car, killing two policemen in the process.
At 4.40 a.m., the criminals broke into a Tu-134A aircraft that was boarding passengers. There are 5 crew members and 76 passengers on board. One passenger dared to stand in the way of the bandits and was shot. The terrorists demanded to fly to Pakistan.
The situation is extreme, deadly for the people on board.
I am writing this article to show that knowledge of psychology is important. Sometimes critical, vital.
The crew of the Tu-134 (USSR-65877), on board which the incident occurred on September 20, 1986. In the middle — flight attendants Elena Zhukovskaya and Susanna Zhabinets among colleagues in flight work
lens
The Alpha group was already in place and was preparing an operation to free the aircraft. In the cockpit of the liner, the fighters of the capture group were waiting, the snipers fell to the eyepieces of optical sights and reported on the movements of the terrorists inside the aircraft. But the chances of «Alpha» were small …
The perpetrators have repeatedly participated in anti-terrorist exercises, including at the Ufa airport, and knew about the typical actions to free the aircraft. In this regard, the destruction of bandits by sniper fire was excluded: one of the deserters was covered by a stewardess, and the other was out of sight.
The Alpha fighters came up with a new, not used before, capture option and practiced it on a plane standing nearby. Taking off their helmets and body armor, without weapons, they rehearsed a high-speed assault on the aircraft. But will it be possible to do without casualties during the assault? Unlikely.
And in such an absolutely critical situation, it was not the fighters of the Alpha group who began to save the plane, it was started by flight attendants, two fragile girls, one of whom was pregnant, both a little over twenty years old: Elena Zhukovskaya and Susanna Zhabinets.
How? What could they do if strong men couldn’t do anything?
First of all, they simply kept calm and the ability to think. Without panic, without hysterics, they monitored the condition of the passengers and the situation in general. The weapon of the flight attendants was the ability to understand the enemy, their feelings and interests, see the situation through their eyes and use every opportunity to achieve their goals.
«Know how to take the position of another person and understand what he needs, and not you. With those who manage to do this, there will be the whole world»(Dale Carnegie)
Their weapons were knowledge of psychology — and, of course, courage.
Understanding the enemy is half the battle
It was pointless to appeal to the conscience or pity of the criminals. Sergei Yagmurdzhi, who was subsequently sentenced to death, only regretted that he had poorly prepared the capture. He did not mention the people who had been killed. There was only one way to influence him — only through personal interests, through benefits for the terrorists themselves.
“If there is any secret to my success, it lies in the ability to understand the other person’s point of view and see things from both his and my own points of view” (Henry Ford)
More than a hundred people in the cabin — when the seizure begins or the criminals lose their nerves — there will be a massacre. It can be avoided and the number of victims can be reduced if some of the passengers can be released from the aircraft. How?..
The aircraft environment is explosive. During the shooting, one passenger was killed and two were injured, the fuselage was damaged. Terrorists hold people at gunpoint, Nikolai Matsnev rushes back and forth around the cabin, spewing obscenities. If the plane doesn’t take off in an hour, it will start killing passengers. Lena approaches him:
— We can fly if we reduce the load.
— In terms of?
— Unload some of the passengers. Does it matter to you whether there are seventy of them or thirty?
The bandit thought for a long time, the tension grew. Unexpectedly agreed.
empathy
Lena walked between the rows, selecting passengers for release. Who to let go? Wounded. Women with children. The most tired. And also the most nervous. A hysterical person who does not control emotions in such a situation is like a spark in a powder warehouse.
If this trembling woman with haunted eyes loses her nerve in ten minutes … She will jump up and, screaming hysterically, run to the exit … and will not be the only one who died. Shooting at her in a crowded plane with machine gun fire, the criminals will kill and injure a dozen people who may live.
If this strong man with his jaws clenched and his fists ready to clench in two hours does not endure passive waiting … In anger from his impotence, he will rush at the bandit and will not remain the only victim.
In a split second, Lena needs to decide who to let go and who to keep.
In practical psychology, there is the concept of «feeling» — when you feel the psychological state of a person through posture, gestures, facial expressions. For those who do not yet have such an intuitive skill, it can and should be learned. Empathy can be learned!
Lena managed to release forty-six hostages when Matsnev stopped her with a shout and a poke from his machine gun.
Negotiations or assault?
For passengers who became hostages in a hijacked plane, time dragged on for an incredibly long time. Night, the criminals are also tired. One of them, Matsnev, began to be tormented by a narcotic “hunger”. When the flight attendants figured this out, Lena approached him and offered to help. On behalf of the bandit, they asked the headquarters for «drugs», alcohol, cotton wool and even a guitar.
Having taken drugs, the criminals relaxed, got drunk and felt drowsy (according to one version, sleeping pills were added to the drugs). Yagurdzhi was the first to doze off, after a while — Matsnev. The girls carefully removed and carried away the machine gun. But then Matsnev woke up. Lena did not let him come to his senses — she grabbed the remaining ampoules, held them out with the words: “Look, he left you!”. He was delighted, took the drug, pulled the girl to him. She was not at a loss: «Kolya, Kolenka, let the passengers out, you promised.» “The devil knows, he promised — he didn’t promise,” he waved him off. — Adjust the ladder and let them go to the vigorous hair dryer, while I’m kind!
They pulled up the ladder. Passengers ran out.
Taking advantage of the insane state of the criminals, the flight attendants also managed to jump out. When the door slammed shut behind them, Matsnev howled with rage. There were only a few minutes left before the attack.
All were saved. For her courage and heroism, flight attendant Elena Zhukovskaya was awarded the Order of the Red Banner, and her friend Susanna Zhabinets received the Order of the Red Banner of Labor.
When negotiating with the terrorists, the flight attendants justified each step with their interests and goals. In practical psychology, the ability to understand and take into account the interests of the interlocutor is called the developed second position of perception. Exercise, it always comes in handy in everyday life.
It is equally important to train the ability to maintain composure in a stressful situation. Not everyone is able to stay calm in an emergency, but fortunately, most of us face simpler stressful situations: an exam, a first date, a family conflict, difficult business negotiations. If you decide to practice this all-important skill, start with the Calm Presence exercise.
I wish you success! And come to the Distance, where, under the guidance of a coach, you will master these and other important life skills.