That is remarkable considering the severity of the damage.
The aircraft had suffered a major explosive event during flight.
A section of its fuselage had been torn open.
The cabin had rapidly depressurized.
And one person had been ejected from the aircraft.
Yet the airliner remained controllable long enough to return to the airport.
The passengers who walked away from the aircraft that day were extraordinarily fortunate.
Investigators Confirmed It Was a Bomb
In the first hours after the incident, investigators did not immediately know exactly what had happened.
Early reports considered different possibilities, including a technical failure or a sudden decompression event.
Photographs of the damaged fuselage, however, quickly raised suspicions that an explosive device had been involved.
Within days, Somali authorities said that investigations by Somali and international experts had determined that the explosion was caused by a bomb rather than a technical malfunction.
The later investigation provided a much clearer picture.
The official accident investigation, published with the agreement of Somali authorities and referenced by France's Bureau of Enquiry and Analysis for Civil Aviation Safety, classified the event as a fatal accident involving an explosion inside the fuselage, depressurization, and an emergency return to the departure airport.
The evidence established that this was not an ordinary aircraft accident.
It was a deliberate attack.
Why a Laptop Became Central to the Investigation
One of the most disturbing elements of the attack was the apparent use of a laptop to conceal the explosive device.
Security footage and subsequent investigations focused on the device being carried aboard the aircraft.
The method was significant because aviation security is built around preventing dangerous items from reaching an aircraft cabin in the first place.
The incident therefore raised serious questions about how the device had passed through airport security.
It also demonstrated the constantly evolving challenge faced by aviation authorities.
Airport security is not simply about stopping weapons at a checkpoint.
It involves layers of screening, passenger verification, baggage procedures, personnel security, intelligence, airport access control and cooperation between different agencies.
The Flight 159 investigation eventually resulted in safety recommendations aimed at improving security screening for passengers departing Mogadishu.
The attack therefore had consequences beyond the aircraft itself.
It exposed vulnerabilities.
And those vulnerabilities demanded attention.
The Attack Was Later Claimed by Al-Shabaab
The armed group al-Shabaab later claimed responsibility for the bombing.
In February 2016, the group said the aircraft had been targeted as part of an operation aimed at Western intelligence personnel and Turkish military personnel.
The claim came after investigators had already determined that the explosion was deliberate.
Contemporary reporting also indicated that many of the passengers had originally been scheduled to travel on a Turkish Airlines flight that was cancelled because of weather-related problems. Those passengers were subsequently transported by Daallo Airlines toward Djibouti.
This detail added another extraordinary layer to the story.
The intended flight had changed.
The passengers had been moved to another airline.
And the terrorist attack ultimately occurred aboard that replacement flight.
A sequence of ordinary logistical decisions had unexpectedly changed the circumstances under which the attack took place.
A Chain of Small Events With Huge Consequences
The story of Flight 159 illustrates how aviation disasters are often determined not by one factor but by a chain of circumstances.
Consider what happened.
The original travel arrangements changed.
The aircraft experienced a delay.
The plane departed.
The explosive device detonated while the aircraft was still climbing.
The explosion caused a large opening in the fuselage.
The aircraft suffered rapid depressurization.
The bomber was ejected.