MANILA – The Manila aviation control tower did not reply when he tried to cancel his distress call, claimed a pilot of a Saudi Arabian Airlines plane involved in a false hijacking alarm Tuesday.

The pilot, one of four on board Saudia Flight SV 872, told investigators of the Philippine National Police Aviation Security Group that he tried to call the tower 17 times after realizing that he had erroneously sent out a distress call. This allegedly prompted him to intentionally send out another squack, or distress call, to try to get the tower’s attention and relay that his call was false.

Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) spokesperson Eric Apolonio declined to comment on the pilot’s claim, and said that all information will be collated and will be part of a final report that they will be submitting to the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, so they can take appropriate action.

The four cockpit and 17 flight crew of the Saudia flight had undergone behavioral and tactical questioning by airport authorities Tuesday night, to determine if there were lapses in basic airline protocol.

The plane, which had come in from Jeddah and landed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) at 3 p.m. Tuesday, had earlier sent out two distress calls, causing Philippine authorities to issue a statement that the control tower was alerted that that the plane was "under threat" as it was 32 kilometers (20 miles) from landing.

Passengers deplaned past 5 p.m. due to security protocols implemented by local authorities.

"Unintentionally pushed, but the problem it was pushed twice," Manila International Airport Authority (MIAA) General Manager Eddie Villaneuva Monreal yesterday told reporters.

According to a senior aviation official who requested anonymity, several years ago, a similar incident involving another Saudia flight and crew occurred, prompting the airline to suspend the pilot in command after an internal investigation found sufficient proof of lapses in the performance of his duties.