Flight attendant Uli Derrickson was a true hero during this - she saved lives by hiding passports of Jewish & American passengers from the hijackers, she was the only one aboard who could translate, even used her own credit card to pay for fuel to prevent another passenger from being shot.
@@donnafromnyc No doubt about it. Until this video, I was not aware of this hijacking. I'm hoping a book has been written about it as I would love to discover all the details.
When one of the main terrorists (Mohammed Ali Hammadi) was later captured by West Germany, Uli Derrickson testified against him which helped assure a conviction. Hammadi served 19 years in prison before Germany paroled him in 2006. He rejoined Hezbollah and resumed terrorist activities. Pakistani intelligence believes Hammadi was killed by a CIA drone strike within Pakistan back in 2010, but this was never confirmed. He remains on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list and his whereabouts (and life status) are unknown. The United States government still has an outstanding reward/bounty open for his capture.
@@donnafromnyc Or alternatively, now that Allec has provided the awareness/reminder of the event, those that want to learn more can go off and do their own research with the ample amount of information available. I don't think Allec's 10-15 minute videos are meant to be comprehensive documentaries on an event of this length and complexity.
@@K-Riz314 There have been at least 2 books written, including one by the captain. You can find them online. Also, 1988 movie was made about this & Lindsay Wagner played Uli Derrickson.
I was stationed aboard USS KIDD at that time. We were at a port stop in Haifa, Israel, when this happened. Ours was one of several ships dispatched to the scene to provide a floating base and support for a group of Navy SEALS that came aboard while en route. By the time all the political wrangling to get permission to attempt a rescue was complete, the hostages had been removed from the aircraft. RIP, CUCM Robert Stethem. We have the watch, shipmate.
"Yeah, nah bro. This grenade in my face, my pistol whipped crew, and a plane load of passengers means I'm landing at Beirut regardless of permission. You can suspend my license for 90 days if we survive."
I remember being glued to my TV (or radio when not home) when this was happening. The picture of Capt Testrake being held with a gun on him by one of the hijackers I'll never forget. If there was ever a stress test for what a human could withstand, this was it. Testrake died relatively young of cancer less than 11 years later. He had already lost his first wife and two children also had died some years earlier. No doubt all those stresses including this ordeal had a bearing on that. Sadly hero flight attendant Uli Derrickson also passed away prematurely at 60 in 2005.
Excellent as always, Allec. A personal POV. I was at New York Air and we were all concerned for our airline family members at TWA. Honestly we were pessimistic about the outcome but the crew, including the F/As led by Uli, avoided a massacre. We were also concerned that it would set off a wave of hijackings in the US... we carried quite a few politicos out of DCA and IAD and could have been a target. Little known fact--that same summer Frank Lorenzo and Carl Icahn made runs at buying TWA, with Icahn winning. One wonders if Lorenzo would have been a more successful owner, as Icahn surely wrecked it. Stunned to see that the aircraft survived and was used asTWA's last revenue flight.
New York Times (July 4, 1985): The killing of Petty Officer Stethem took place out of view of the crew, on the other side of the partition separating the cockpit from the first-class compartment. It was after the killing, the crew members said, that members of the Amal militia joined the original hijackers, with all of them identifying themselves with a series of aliases. The remainder of the trip, the crew members added, was less tense, which they attributed to the presense of the Amal militia and the increasing exhaustion of their captors. At various junctures on the trip, the crew members considered attempting to overpower their captors but decided such an approach could endanger the passengers or jeopardize negotiations for their release. ''Half the time they had the pins pulled,'' Mr. Testrake said, ''and if you jumped one, the other one would let go of the grenade and there would go the airplane.'' The pilot said that the gunmen reiterated that they ''would not fail'' even if it meant ''making it a suicide mission.'' At one point in Algiers, when one of the gunmen hung out the cockpit window talking to someone on the ground, Mr. Testrake said the crew saw ''an opportunity to pitch him out,'' but noticed his partner in the aisle alertly watching, gun and grenade in hand. Mr. Zimmermann described their stay aboard the Boeing 727 as ''a camping trip in a big red-and-white camper,'' with each man ''developing his own hovel'' in the coach section of the plane where three-abreast seats offered roomier berths than the two-abreast seats in first-class. The men described their routine as a tedious succession of meals and naps. Occasionally, between 10 P.M. and midnight, they were permitted to stretch their legs on the tarmac, but usually exercise was limited to walks up and down the aisle, which Mr. Testrake measured as a precise 33 strides. Mr. Testrake praised Miss Derickson for her ''courage, quick thinking and resourcefulness,'' characteristics that the passengers have cited in their accounts of how she saved their lives. The pilot also commended the five women for their ''fresh, well-groomed appearance'' throughout the ordeal, ''their easy grace and solicitude with the passengers'' and the way they attended to the cleanliness of the cabin. The condition of their airplane seemed a point of considerable pride to the three crew members, who said they had volunteered to return to Beirut to reclaim it and fly it home. ''Why not?'' asked Mr. Maresca, when a ballroom full of journalists buzzed their surprise. ''We put lots of effort into maintaining it in an air-worthy condition. We spent two weeks baby-sitting that thing.''
@@LMDProductionsOfficial I don't know but I don't think so. The U.S. Air Force flew most, if not all of the American hostages to Germany for medical treatment and debriefing before bringing them home. In any case, TWA did get the plane back eventually and it was returned to service.
@@Capecodham And nobody here gives the slightest of craps what you think. You're a bored, self hating 76 year old retired teacher whose students regularly started on-line chats about how much they disliked you. You come here week after week just to hassle people who have made the most innocuous comments because bringing darkness into the lives of others for no reason seems to give you life. Seek help.
@@Kevin_747 He may have owned a farm there, that would be in the area. He lived in Richmond for most of his life as far as I know and I believe that's where he's buried. I live across the river.
That plane ended up in Milwaukee for a long while. There was a plaque for Mr. Stethem on the wall in the lower baggage hold, and we used to talk about where they just patched over the bullet holes in the fuselage by the door. Nobody knew the history of that plane when it was stationed in Milwaukee except the few that worked on or around it.
On the wall in the lower baggage hold?? Why bother putting up a plaque, where almost no1 will ever know, its there. It shouldve been up top, where he died!
The real tragedy is... most of the innocent passengers and crew on all these hijacked planes during this particular time in history survived relatively unscathed. And yet it wasn’t until 2,996 souls were lost of September 11th 2001 to get governments and the FAA to actually crack down on the safety of airliners.
The number is higher. Don't believe the US government or any government for that matter. Also note it was an inside job. How else would they e start the campaign, the war against terrorism, when most wars have been initiated by the US. So who is the big terrorist?
@@jacktheIV44 Well they have no problem blowing everybody else up. While in 1999 everyone was looking for the stain on Monika Lewinsky 's dress, the government was bombing 💣 Yugoslavia,with Biden giving orders to destroy bridges. With so much sensorship its hard to get the facts. After 9/11 how else could they have invaded Afghanistan and the Iraq for no apparent reason. Don't forget that Osama bin laden was trained by the CIA.
Robert Stethem had a US Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer named after him....wow 😢His name joins the Sullivan Brothers, Admiral Kidd etc of Navy personel whom perished in the line of duty. Robert Stethem's Mother Christened the ship and its fleet nickname is "The Steel Worker" o7
My Uncle Jerome (ret Naval Officer) was on this flight. His Athens to NYC was cancelled. Only flight to get him to NYC was this fateful flight. The plane had already taxied. They put him in a car and drove him to it. Took off and bam, hijacked. Chewed his Military ID into pieces. Was one of the many men removed and taken to a house. He also said the second group of hijackers were more "relaxed"
Another great video Allec! I look forward to all of your videos, but these hijacking videos are really good viewing. Keep up the good work. The movie "Delta Force" with Chuck Norris is based after this hijacking.
I chuckled a little when Beirut control asked them to advise the hijackers to hold on for a few minutes lmfao. I’m just picturing the pilot trying to calmly ask this maniac with an unpinned grenade to “hold on”
I remember this, it was awful. They beat and shot the Seabee and threw his body out on the tarmac. He was just a young kid, so terrible. Why is there so much hate in this world?
Lisa, perplexing question. I believe its because we are all Sinners at odds with God Almighty - we are drawn to do our fallible will rather than God's Infallible will. The CREATOR is always right. We sometimes are. The question is really, will we admit our fallen state, our inborn rebellion against God & His Law, receiving New Life & Hearts in Jesus name (regeneration) OR Continue to act willfully against Gods Truth ? All of mankind faces this dilemma. Praise God He has bridged the gap in Jesus Christ the LORD. "But to as many as received Him, to them he gave the power to become the Sons of God" is a Scripture promise we can rely upon !
@@cgrf45 Actually the idea of Materialistic Atheism is the 'Fairy Tale'. You believe, in the end, two things that are literally impossible: - Everything came from nothing - Matter created itself Those are 2 manifest absurdities - all science & human observation prove the opposite - yet ultimately all who posit an Evolutionary Materialism / Atheism - must believe those two positions, logically. Nice Fairy Tale you have there !
I was 2 years old when this happened. My heart sinks every time for Robert’s family 😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😥😥😥😥😥😥😢😢😢😢😥😥😥😥😥😥😥 this is the last thing every parent should ever have to hear when expecting their loved one/ones to return home safely. The poor boy what he went through makes me wanna cry every time I hear this. But at least the terrorist that actually shot and killed Robert Stethem instantly was killed by a CIA drone strike in Pakistan in 2010. I’m relieved and thrilled for Robert’s family that the healing process got easier at that time and Robert can smile looking down from heaven knowing his killer is rotting away in hell where he belongs.
I remember this well ! I was still a teenager, just married and started training Crash and rescue for airport as f/f EMT!! It became like live training for our classroom, we just turned on the TV and watched this unbelievable circumstance unfold! Thanks for covering such an important time in aviation! I know ” memes ” didn't exactly exist as we know them today, but back then there were so many hi- jacks going on it was kinda an ongoing joke about where your flight would end up! 😰 Just a crazy time in Aviation! Good job Allec!
How harrowing for the crew & passengers, and resulting in the murder of Naval crewman. I remember watching a newsreel of Demis Roussos looking understandably very tired after his release. Excellently put together, Allec.
Beirut ATC with some middle-management bullshit--"I'm not authorized to do that" Homeboy, ol buddy in the cockpit just authorized a grenade we landing now
Allec, keep posting, your recordings are excellent this was the best so far. FOR ALL YOU SAILORS OUT THERE: BRAVO ZULU TO OUR SHIPMATE ROBERT STETHEM. GOD will wipe away the tears.
"Land quietly"?? 😨 What did that guy think the pilot was gonna do, beep the horn?? Is that on the landing checklist? 🤔 I feel for the seaman's family. 😢 There were so many hi-jacks back then. And did the airlines & government learn their lesson?? Absolutely not. 🤬
I was on vacation in Belgrade Yugoslavia when this was going on. I can distinctly remember reading a Newsweek magazine article about the ongoing hijack.
My thoughts exactly! It should have ended up in the Smithsonian or, at least, at Wright Patterson in Ohio. Can't believe they actually put it back into passenger service. Seems rather disrespectful to everyone who who went through the ordeal. Sort of like blaring a Boom Box in a cemetery.
I remember vividly as this incident happened, especially when one of the terrorists waved his gun hand over the Captain's mouth as he was taking questions from the Press. The B movie Delta Force was based on this incident. Captain Testrake and his Crew did a fantastic job keeping the chaotic situation under a semblance of control.
The only thing missing is Chuck Norris and Lee Marvin. For those wondering what happened to the hijackers, watch the action packed documentary: The Delta Force.
I the pleasure of flying wth Captain Testrake's son, who became a pilot for TWA/AA. I thought I recognized the name and he confirmed it for me. I can't imagine what he/they went through, don't know how he held it together, a real rock under severe pressure" for sure.
No clue, but one terrorist who had guarded the hostages while they were in Beirut, one Fawaz Younis (he himself and another few other Hezbollah punks hijacked a Royal Jordanian Air 727 3 days before the TWA 847 hijacking) was eventually busted in 1987 and got prison time until 2005 when he got his ass sent back to Lebanon… Web checks revealed that of the 4 hijackers for the TWA 847 case, 3 are at large while 1 of them, an Imad Mughniyeh, got his ass blown up in a car bombing in 2008…
I was at Andrews when those hostages returned and saw Reagan welcome them home. Shortly thereafter I left the US for assignment to U S Embassy Algiers. I remember this event very well.
One thing puzzles me about this: Rome to Boston (6,581 km) is well outside of the range for the 727-200 (4,720 km). There had to have been another stop between Rome and Boston but I can't find it in any of the reports.
At 12:15 you see the open cabin door. It has graffiti written In Arabic. In the book Triumph over Terror, written by Captain Testrake, he said the hijackers , among other things, tagged the cabin with graffiti
New York Times (June 16, 1985): "It was only earlier this year that Capt. John L. Testrake decided - after more than 30 years of co-piloting and piloting domestic flights for Trans World Airlines - that he would bid for international flights and then retire in two years. . . Captain Testrake's career decision took a frightening turn early Friday when gunmen hijacked the Boeing 727 that he had piloted from Cairo to Athens and was scheduled to take to Rome. Since then it has been Captain Testrake's words and voice, occasionally insistent and frantic and at other times calm and controlled as he talked by radio with Beirut airport controllers, that have provided some sense of the volatility of the hijackers and the tenseness of the scene on T.W.A. Flight 847 as it has hopscotched between Beirut to Algiers."
I recall all the radio conversations were handled by the F/O. Phil had a very distinctive voice. He was a former Army F/W pilot and I knew him from the NYARNG 1968-59.
New York Times (Dec. 20, 2005): "A Lebanese man who was serving a life sentence in Germany for the 1985 hijacking of a TWA jetliner and the killing of a U.S. Navy diver has returned to Lebanon after German authorities paroled him, a Lebanese security official and the Hezbollah guerrilla group said Tuesday. . . Hamadi was arrested at the Frankfurt airport on Jan. 13, 1987 for involvement in the hijacking, after customs officials discovered liquid explosives in his luggage. TWA flight 847 from Athens to Rome was hijacked to Beirut, where the hijackers shot U.S. Navy diver Robert Dean Stethem, 23, of Waldorf, Maryland, and dumped his body on the tarmac. At the time, the U.S. authorities requested Hamadi's extradition so he could stand trial in the United States, but the Germans, who have no death penalty, insisted on prosecuting Hamadi."
You failed to mention Uli Derickson's bravery and how she used her own Shell credit card to pay for the fuel on one of the flights. Also how she calmed the hijackers preventing further deaths to the passenger. She is right up there with the Indian flight attendant Neeja Bhanot from Pan Am who took the bullet saving 2 children in the Karachi hijacking on Pan Am flight 73 .
Nice recap of the events Allec! I wonder if the TWA passengers all got their extra Frequent Flyer Miles for those back and forth trips between Beirut and Algiers?
On a lighter note, had Demis Roussos started singing, it would have made the brains of the hijackers explode in their skulls (a wry reference to the movie "Mars Attacks."
Wow, what a story of the times. (I am 67). I think it went as well as it could, at the time. Thanks for the details and I wish terrorists learned this was not the way. Maybe they did, as they flew into the NYC twin towers in 2001. On my birthday! Thanks
can anybody tell me what happaned to TWA flight 847 (June 14th 1985) on the leg from Rome to Boston and Los Angeles? Was this leg of the flight canceled? Did this leg of the flight depart Rome for Boston and Los Angeles?
The overseas flight segments weren’t always assigned in Rome to a 747 meaning any passengers traveling to the US had to get off the 727 and get on the 747 operating as the continuation of flight 847. This is sometimes referred to as an “enroute change in gauge”.
@@kcindc5539 I understand about enroute change of aircraft. But what I want to know is, did the hijacking of flight 847 from Athens to Rome effect the Rome to Boston leg? Was flight 847 Rome to Boston delayed or canceled?
@@f9mike though I don’t know for sure, most likely it was not cancelled. This is for a few reasons. 1) The 747 aircraft and crew were on an entirely different schedule and would not have been impacted logistically by the interrupted 727 inbound feeder flight 2) The number of passengers coming in on the feeder 727 flight and continuing on the 747 would have been a small portion of the total passenger count. The reason is because that 747 in Rome would be mostly full of passengers locally boarding there in Rome or connecting inbound from other TWA European cities since Rome operated as a mini-hub for TWA’s European and Middle Eastern route system, and finally 3) cancelling the 747 transatlantic leg would have royally screwed up every segment that 747 was to fly that duty day (Rome to Boston to Los Angeles to who knows where etc) to the tune of about 300 displaced passengers per segment. Unless there was a specific threat made to that particular aircraft in Rome, TWA would have most likely operated that 747 as usual.
The Capt of this flight considered these thugs no more than animals, and that really is being generous. I remembered when this happened and he was interviewed, and made these remarks. He said they left garage strewn all over the aircraft.
Wonder if the programmers ever thought of some sort of code to be entered into the flight computer to fake an engine problem and ground the aircraft after a certain amount of time so it wouldn't be obvious.
That's not the problem. No doubt the pilots could have done many things that would make the engines seem to fail. The problem was that they were not really dealing with rational men.
Vous savez ce jour-là, j'étais à l'aéroport d'Alger, c'était la première fois où j'avais assisté à un détournement d'avion, j'avais l'âge de 14 ans ! C'est toute une histoire. You know that day, I was at Algiers airport, it was the first time I had witnessed a hijacking, I was 14 years old! It’s a long rigmarole. Translate le french English Thank you !
Nope. At the last stop before crossing the Atlantic they do a “change in gauge” where the 727 passengers transition to a larger aircraft which is then designated the continuation of flight 847. I’n addition to the existing pax off the 727, local passengers bound for Boston and beyond are added to the flight. That aircraft takes off as 847, and the 727 changes flight number and stays in the regional European market.
A Boeing 727-200 can fly across the atlantic ocean. YES it can! Has 3 engines and a range between 2,000 and 2,500 miles.. depending on the jetstream in the north atlantic if it has a strong tail wind it can go a bit further or even faster..from NYC to Spain (piasco int.airport, port of spain) there are around 1,950 NM..so you can do the math..it will cover that distance in around 4 hrs 30 minutes.this other comment saying "nope" it can't and talking about flight numbers is totally wrong..I have flown myself in a 727 from the US mainland to the caribbean.i loved those 727..great solid work horse.
The only way to make USA-Europe with standard 727 fuel (51K) is by fueling in Gander and stopping in Keflavik. I ferried a 727 to EU via this route with eventual destination Madrid. I miss the 727's, flew 'em 14 years.
The TWA 727 only flew on sectors between European cities. That said i know Federal Express had a international pilot base in EWR for 727s that flew Newark-Brussels-Newark prior to their purchase of Flying Tiger Line in August1989. They also had been using the 727 serving Honolulu from Oakland..
From what I recall, Middle East Airlines did what it could for the plane during each of the stops in Beirut. When the hijackers announced they were going to Tehran, the pilots decided enough was enough. They faked an engine problem on their last landing and once on the ground told their captors there would be no more flights. They were removed from the plane shortly thereafter and held hostage on the ground.
These things are hard for us who have morality of some kind to understand. But, we need to realize that there are, and prepare for, people who care nothing for right and wrong.
I still can’t believe TWA used to fly 727s across the Atlantic. Either way, after reading the Wikipedia article for this, yes, this did indeed seem like 2 weeks of hell.
Kinda reminds me of how United still flies 757s across the Atlantic on routes that would usually have the 777 or 787.. Man I'm gonna miss the pencil jet when it's retired..
@@C-Midori true. Yeah you didn't see them do this route back then. I guess it was surprising! What a beautiful airplane though! My all time favorite! Flew on them twice! My nephew is a Southwest pilot. Proud of that kid!! Retired Coast Guard officer.
CUCM ROBERT STETHEM Anchors aweigh, my boys, anchors aweigh Farewell to foreign shores, we sail at break of day, of day Through our last night ashore, drink to the foam Until we meet again, here's wishing you a happy voyage home.
@@WolfPilot I remember watching news of the incident on TV and also going to the theater to see *Delta Force.* The movie was quite a decent action-packed "what if?" story based on the incident. Some of the events that occurred were eerily close to what was depicted in the film... despite the over-the-top nature of it.
"The Boeing 727 continued to fly for TWA and was the aircraft used to conduct TWA's last Boeing 727 revenue flight in SEPTEMBER, 2000" September of 2000...
I still can’t fathom how 2 guys with one pistol (& 2 hand grenades) can take over a plane with 147 people. Had to be the times of 1985, as I feel people would fight back today, especially after 9/11 and United Airlines Flight 93.
This has to be the first video with majority survival where I thought a nice, swift, instantaneous death from CFIT would be a tempting alternative were I being regularly beaten as a hostage. I remember this happening, but I was not very old and so the gravity of it only became important much later.
This is quite a long haul for a 727.. wouldn't want to do a transatlantic on it...give me a 747 or DC10 or L1011 all were certainly around in this time.
I wonder, when there was the initial hijacking, if they could have put the seatbelt sign on, so the passengers were strapped in and then did some aerobatics so the hijackers could flung around the aircraft and injured?
SOP at that time was go along with the hijackers. We didn't get hardened cockpits till after 9/11, decades later. Unfortunately the lack of access also enables a lone pilot to put an aircraft into a mountain (Germanwings) which is why 2 people should always be on the flight deck.
Flight attendant Uli Derrickson was a true hero during this - she saved lives by hiding passports of Jewish & American passengers from the hijackers, she was the only one aboard who could translate, even used her own credit card to pay for fuel to prevent another passenger from being shot.
Thank you for remembering Uli and what she did. Allec, there is so much more to this story...perhaps it warrants a revised version.
@@donnafromnyc No doubt about it. Until this video, I was not aware of this hijacking. I'm hoping a book has been written about it as I would love to discover all the details.
When one of the main terrorists (Mohammed Ali Hammadi) was later captured by West Germany, Uli Derrickson testified against him which helped assure a conviction. Hammadi served 19 years in prison before Germany paroled him in 2006. He rejoined Hezbollah and resumed terrorist activities. Pakistani intelligence believes Hammadi was killed by a CIA drone strike within Pakistan back in 2010, but this was never confirmed. He remains on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list and his whereabouts (and life status) are unknown. The United States government still has an outstanding reward/bounty open for his capture.
@@donnafromnyc Or alternatively, now that Allec has provided the awareness/reminder of the event, those that want to learn more can go off and do their own research with the ample amount of information available. I don't think Allec's 10-15 minute videos are meant to be comprehensive documentaries on an event of this length and complexity.
@@K-Riz314 There have been at least 2 books written, including one by the captain. You can find them online. Also, 1988 movie was made about this & Lindsay Wagner played Uli Derrickson.
I was stationed aboard USS KIDD at that time. We were at a port stop in Haifa, Israel, when this happened.
Ours was one of several ships dispatched to the scene to provide a floating base and support for a group of Navy SEALS that came aboard while en route.
By the time all the political wrangling to get permission to attempt a rescue was complete, the hostages had been removed from the aircraft.
RIP, CUCM Robert Stethem. We have the watch, shipmate.
I was in a P-3 squadron in Keflavik at the time. They had us exchange our official passports for regular passports after this incident.
💜
"Yeah, nah bro. This grenade in my face, my pistol whipped crew, and a plane load of passengers means I'm landing at Beirut regardless of permission. You can suspend my license for 90 days if we survive."
I remember being glued to my TV (or radio when not home) when this was happening. The picture of Capt Testrake being held with a gun on him by one of the hijackers I'll never forget. If there was ever a stress test for what a human could withstand, this was it.
Testrake died relatively young of cancer less than 11 years later. He had already lost his first wife and two children also had died some years earlier. No doubt all those stresses including this ordeal had a bearing on that. Sadly hero flight attendant Uli Derrickson also passed away prematurely at 60 in 2005.
😥
Excellent as always, Allec. A personal POV. I was at New York Air and we were all concerned for our airline family members at TWA. Honestly we were pessimistic about the outcome but the crew, including the F/As led by Uli, avoided a massacre. We were also concerned that it would set off a wave of hijackings in the US... we carried quite a few politicos out of DCA and IAD and could have been a target.
Little known fact--that same summer Frank Lorenzo and Carl Icahn made runs at buying TWA, with Icahn winning. One wonders if Lorenzo would have been a more successful owner, as Icahn surely wrecked it.
Stunned to see that the aircraft survived and was used asTWA's last revenue flight.
POV?
@@Capecodham Point Of View
@@donnafromnyc What did you do with the time you saved not typing oint O iew?
@@Capecodham It's just an abbreviation lol you never heard of an abbreviation before?
@@dannicolmatthew lol? lots of love? See how abbreviations don't work?
New York Times (July 4, 1985): The killing of Petty Officer Stethem took place out of view of the crew, on the other side of the partition separating the cockpit from the first-class compartment. It was after the killing, the crew members said, that members of the Amal militia joined the original hijackers, with all of them identifying themselves with a series of aliases. The remainder of the trip, the crew members added, was less tense, which they attributed to the presense of the Amal militia and the increasing exhaustion of their captors.
At various junctures on the trip, the crew members considered attempting to overpower their captors but decided such an approach could endanger the passengers or jeopardize negotiations for their release.
''Half the time they had the pins pulled,'' Mr. Testrake said, ''and if you jumped one, the other one would let go of the grenade and there would go the airplane.'' The pilot said that the gunmen reiterated that they ''would not fail'' even if it meant ''making it a suicide mission.''
At one point in Algiers, when one of the gunmen hung out the cockpit window talking to someone on the ground, Mr. Testrake said the crew saw ''an opportunity to pitch him out,'' but noticed his partner in the aisle alertly watching, gun and grenade in hand.
Mr. Zimmermann described their stay aboard the Boeing 727 as ''a camping trip in a big red-and-white camper,'' with each man ''developing his own hovel'' in the coach section of the plane where three-abreast seats offered roomier berths than the two-abreast seats in first-class. The men described their routine as a tedious succession of meals and naps. Occasionally, between 10 P.M. and midnight, they were permitted to stretch their legs on the tarmac, but usually exercise was limited to walks up and down the aisle, which Mr. Testrake measured as a precise 33 strides.
Mr. Testrake praised Miss Derickson for her ''courage, quick thinking and resourcefulness,'' characteristics that the passengers have cited in their accounts of how she saved their lives. The pilot also commended the five women for their ''fresh, well-groomed appearance'' throughout the ordeal, ''their easy grace and solicitude with the passengers'' and the way they attended to the cleanliness of the cabin.
The condition of their airplane seemed a point of considerable pride to the three crew members, who said they had volunteered to return to Beirut to reclaim it and fly it home. ''Why not?'' asked Mr. Maresca, when a ballroom full of journalists buzzed their surprise. ''We put lots of effort into maintaining it in an air-worthy condition. We spent two weeks baby-sitting that thing.''
Do you know if they ever did actually fly it back?
@@LMDProductionsOfficial I don't know but I don't think so. The U.S. Air Force flew most, if not all of the American hostages to Germany for medical treatment and debriefing before bringing them home. In any case, TWA did get the plane back eventually and it was returned to service.
Remember this well. Captain John Testrake lived in a small town about 8 miles from where I live.
this video is not about you.
@@Capecodham And nobody here gives the slightest of craps what you think. You're a bored, self hating 76 year old retired teacher whose students regularly started on-line chats about how much they disliked you. You come here week after week just to hassle people who have made the most innocuous comments because bringing darkness into the lives of others for no reason seems to give you life. Seek help.
John Testrake had a farm in Cameron if I remember right. I lived nearby in Plattsburg. Lots of TWA pilots and Mx people in the area.
@@Kevin_747 He may have owned a farm there, that would be in the area. He lived in Richmond for most of his life as far as I know and I believe that's where he's buried. I live across the river.
@@catfish307 I never met John but know a lot of TWA people that knew him. I was based at MCI flying for a cargo company.
That plane ended up in Milwaukee for a long while. There was a plaque for Mr. Stethem on the wall in the lower baggage hold, and we used to talk about where they just patched over the bullet holes in the fuselage by the door. Nobody knew the history of that plane when it was stationed in Milwaukee except the few that worked on or around it.
On the wall in the lower baggage hold?? Why bother putting up a plaque, where almost no1 will ever know, its there. It shouldve been up top, where he died!
Another excellent video, Allec! Thank you for covering what could have been a very tragic event with great detail. Scary stuff. . .
It was tragic enough.
@@christosvoskresye my thoughts too.
The real tragedy is... most of the innocent passengers and crew on all these hijacked planes during this particular time in history survived relatively unscathed. And yet it wasn’t until 2,996 souls were lost of September 11th 2001 to get governments and the FAA to actually crack down on the safety of airliners.
The number is higher. Don't believe the US government or any government for that matter. Also note it was an inside job. How else would they e start the campaign, the war against terrorism, when most wars have been initiated by the US. So who is the big terrorist?
@@dimitrageorgiadi5087 911 was not an inside job.
@@jacktheIV44 I beg to differ. I do challenge you to research it ,with an open mind.
@@dimitrageorgiadi5087 I have. And I’m delighted to say that there is no solid evidence suggesting the government blew up the World Trade Center.
@@jacktheIV44 Well they have no problem blowing everybody else up. While in 1999 everyone was looking for the stain on Monika Lewinsky 's dress, the government was bombing 💣 Yugoslavia,with Biden giving orders to destroy bridges. With so much sensorship its hard to get the facts. After 9/11 how else could they have invaded Afghanistan and the Iraq for no apparent reason. Don't forget that Osama bin laden was trained by the CIA.
Robert Stethem had a US Arleigh Burke Class Destroyer named after him....wow 😢His name joins the Sullivan Brothers, Admiral Kidd etc of Navy personel whom perished in the line of duty. Robert Stethem's Mother Christened the ship and its fleet nickname is "The Steel Worker" o7
🙈🙉🙊
My Uncle Jerome (ret Naval Officer) was on this flight. His Athens to NYC was cancelled. Only flight to get him to NYC was this fateful flight. The plane had already taxied. They put him in a car and drove him to it. Took off and bam, hijacked. Chewed his Military ID into pieces. Was one of the many men removed and taken to a house. He also said the second group of hijackers were more "relaxed"
Another great video Allec! I look forward to all of your videos, but these hijacking videos are really good viewing. Keep up the good work. The movie "Delta Force" with Chuck Norris is based after this hijacking.
I chuckled a little when Beirut control asked them to advise the hijackers to hold on for a few minutes lmfao. I’m just picturing the pilot trying to calmly ask this maniac with an unpinned grenade to “hold on”
I remember this, it was awful. They beat and shot the Seabee and threw his body out on the tarmac. He was just a young kid, so terrible. Why is there so much hate in this world?
Why? Politics and Religion unfortunately.
@@Kevin_747 Not always religion, though
Lisa, perplexing question.
I believe its because we are all Sinners at odds with God Almighty - we are drawn to do our fallible will rather than God's Infallible will. The CREATOR is always right.
We sometimes are.
The question is really, will we admit our fallen state, our inborn rebellion against God & His Law, receiving New Life & Hearts in Jesus name (regeneration)
OR
Continue to act willfully against Gods Truth ?
All of mankind faces this dilemma.
Praise God He has bridged the gap in Jesus Christ the LORD.
"But to as many as received Him, to them he gave the power to become the Sons of God"
is a Scripture promise we can rely upon !
Mainly because people believe in those made up fairy tales called religion.
@@cgrf45
Actually the idea of Materialistic Atheism is the 'Fairy Tale'.
You believe, in the end, two things that are literally impossible:
- Everything came from nothing
- Matter created itself
Those are 2 manifest absurdities - all science & human observation prove the opposite - yet ultimately all who posit an Evolutionary Materialism / Atheism - must believe those two positions, logically.
Nice Fairy Tale you have there !
John Testrake is a hero! God bless that American Hero!
5 landings and 0 crashes - this is unusual for you, Alec.
I was 2 years old when this happened. My heart sinks every time for Robert’s family 😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😢😥😥😥😥😥😥😢😢😢😢😥😥😥😥😥😥😥 this is the last thing every parent should ever have to hear when expecting their loved one/ones to return home safely. The poor boy what he went through makes me wanna cry every time I hear this. But at least the terrorist that actually shot and killed Robert Stethem instantly was killed by a CIA drone strike in Pakistan in 2010. I’m relieved and thrilled for Robert’s family that the healing process got easier at that time and Robert can smile looking down from heaven knowing his killer is rotting away in hell where he belongs.
I met Testrake at MCI as a kid. My dad flew for TWA.
this video is not about you.
@@Capecodham this video is not about your opinion, gramps.
@@Capecodham Someone seriously needs to take you aside... and just leave you there...
@@Capecodham go away, thank you.
I remember this well ! I was still a teenager, just married and started training Crash and rescue for airport as f/f EMT!! It became like live training for our classroom, we just turned on the TV and watched this unbelievable circumstance unfold!
Thanks for covering such an important time in aviation! I know ” memes ” didn't exactly exist as we know them today, but back then there were so many hi- jacks going on it was kinda an ongoing joke about where your flight would end up! 😰 Just a crazy time in Aviation!
Good job Allec!
How harrowing for the crew & passengers, and resulting in the murder of Naval crewman. I remember watching a newsreel of Demis Roussos looking understandably very tired after his release. Excellently put together, Allec.
My night just got better. You posted a new one. Love you brother.
RIP
Robert Stethem
(1961-1985)
Beirut ATC with some middle-management bullshit--"I'm not authorized to do that" Homeboy, ol buddy in the cockpit just authorized a grenade we landing now
May God comfort the Stetham family. My condolences. Thank you for this story!
Solution: One of those landings could have been an "accidental" gear-up landing. "Ah it broke, GTFO." Plan thwarted.
Good job again Allec.
They had grenades and had planned to make this a suicide mission if demands weren't met.
Who here had the Delta Force theme music playing in their head while watching this?
Talk about fatigue in the cockpit.
I think more than a few FAA regs were broken.
Allec, keep posting, your recordings are excellent this was the best so far. FOR ALL YOU SAILORS OUT THERE: BRAVO ZULU TO OUR SHIPMATE ROBERT STETHEM. GOD will wipe away the tears.
"Land quietly"?? 😨 What did that guy think the pilot was gonna do, beep the horn?? Is that on the landing checklist? 🤔 I feel for the seaman's family. 😢 There were so many hi-jacks back then. And did the airlines & government learn their lesson?? Absolutely not. 🤬
Maybe he just meant that the libanese would not put obstacles on the runway to prevent any landing
The Lebanese were in the middle of a horrendous civil war, but they were craven from start to finish.
The German learnt the lesson, the last hijacking ended up with the GSG 9 intervention and the hikackers ended up being shot at night.
Jokes aside, the 727 isn't exactly a quiet plane either....
Fast forward to 2022 and imagine the President taking charge of this situation… checking his watch as the coffins roll off the Dover tarmac….
You Genius.
I was on vacation in Belgrade Yugoslavia when this was going on. I can distinctly remember reading a Newsweek magazine article about the ongoing hijack.
I remember this well, was 19 years old and this incident dominated the news for weeks.
this video is not about you.
@@Capecodham this video is not about your opinion, gramps
@@Capecodham Not about you either Mr. Burt.
Great video as always ! But what happened to the hijackers and how it came to an end ?
Well done Allec. Thank you for this in-depth dive into the world of terrorism aboard aircraft.
Good work, Alec 👍
I remeber well, the body being thrown out of the plane. Chilling stuff!
My mother watched this on TV as it was unfolding live, May the guy who was shot Rest In Peace. at least everyone else could walk freely.
It's also sad that they scrapped that beautiful airplane
My thoughts exactly! It should have ended up in the Smithsonian or, at least, at Wright Patterson in Ohio. Can't believe they actually put it back into passenger service. Seems rather disrespectful to everyone who who went through the ordeal. Sort of like blaring a Boom Box in a cemetery.
I remember vividly as this incident happened, especially when one of the terrorists waved his gun hand over the Captain's mouth as he was taking questions from the Press. The B movie Delta Force was based on this incident. Captain Testrake and his Crew did a fantastic job keeping the chaotic situation under a semblance of control.
The only thing missing is Chuck Norris and Lee Marvin. For those wondering what happened to the hijackers, watch the action packed documentary: The Delta Force.
The hijackers got away in real life, The Delta Force is fiction.
Typical American movie heroes
@@capeko44 The good guys have to win in Hollywood and the bad guys have to lose, they're also ugly. It's the rules.
I didn’t know this story. Shocking. What humans can do to other humans. Unbelievable
I the pleasure of flying wth Captain Testrake's son, who became a pilot for TWA/AA. I thought I recognized the name and he confirmed it for me. I can't imagine what he/they went through, don't know how he held it together, a real rock under severe pressure" for sure.
So what happened to the hijackers?
Great question.
No clue, but one terrorist who had guarded the hostages while they were in Beirut, one Fawaz Younis (he himself and another few other Hezbollah punks hijacked a Royal Jordanian Air 727 3 days before the TWA 847 hijacking) was eventually busted in 1987 and got prison time until 2005 when he got his ass sent back to Lebanon…
Web checks revealed that of the 4 hijackers for the TWA 847 case, 3 are at large while 1 of them, an Imad Mughniyeh, got his ass blown up in a car bombing in 2008…
@@jimmyehlschlaeger3624 That's awful.
Why would Allec give you useful information, but he did tell you the names of the crew.
@@Capecodham why would we trust a stranger like you? With no reputation of anything.
R.I.P ULI DERRICKSON 1944-2005
R.I.P ULI DERRICKSON 1944-2005
@@anandguruji83
She was a young gal.
🙏🙏🙏🙏💗
I was at Andrews when those hostages returned and saw Reagan welcome them home. Shortly thereafter I left the US for assignment to U S Embassy Algiers. I remember this event very well.
And I'm sure you have more than a few stories to tell about that!
@@donnafromnyc Yes indeed. Almost 6 years total on Africa. Some great experiences, both positive and negative.
One thing puzzles me about this: Rome to Boston (6,581 km) is well outside of the range for the 727-200 (4,720 km). There had to have been another stop between Rome and Boston but I can't find it in any of the reports.
TW published the flight as 847 for the entire trip but in Rome, it became a B747 for the Rome-BOS-LAX-SAN portion.
@@tpajay equipment change! thanks for clarifying.
At 12:15 you see the open cabin door. It has graffiti written In Arabic.
In the book Triumph over Terror, written by Captain Testrake, he said the hijackers , among other things, tagged the cabin with graffiti
New York Times (June 16, 1985): "It was only earlier this year that Capt. John L. Testrake decided - after more than 30 years of co-piloting and piloting domestic flights for Trans World Airlines - that he would bid for international flights and then retire in two years. . . Captain Testrake's career decision took a frightening turn early Friday when gunmen hijacked the Boeing 727 that he had piloted from Cairo to Athens and was scheduled to take to Rome. Since then it has been Captain Testrake's words and voice, occasionally insistent and frantic and at other times calm and controlled as he talked by radio with Beirut airport controllers, that have provided some sense of the volatility of the hijackers and the tenseness of the scene on T.W.A. Flight 847 as it has hopscotched between Beirut to Algiers."
I recall all the radio conversations were handled by the F/O. Phil had a very distinctive voice. He was a former Army F/W pilot and I knew him from the NYARNG 1968-59.
New York Times (Dec. 20, 2005): "A Lebanese man who was serving a life sentence in Germany for the 1985 hijacking of a TWA jetliner and the killing of a U.S. Navy diver has returned to Lebanon after German authorities paroled him, a Lebanese security official and the Hezbollah guerrilla group said Tuesday. . . Hamadi was arrested at the Frankfurt airport on Jan. 13, 1987 for involvement in the hijacking, after customs officials discovered liquid explosives in his luggage. TWA flight 847 from Athens to Rome was hijacked to Beirut, where the hijackers shot U.S. Navy diver Robert Dean Stethem, 23, of Waldorf, Maryland, and dumped his body on the tarmac. At the time, the U.S. authorities requested Hamadi's extradition so he could stand trial in the United States, but the Germans, who have no death penalty, insisted on prosecuting Hamadi."
So after killing and hijacking a plane that asshole was ready to blow up another?
Man .
My favorite thing about your channel is that you’ve never switched to a newer flight sim lol.
You failed to mention Uli Derickson's bravery and how she used her own Shell credit card to pay for the fuel on one of the flights. Also how she calmed the hijackers preventing further deaths to the passenger. She is right up there with the Indian flight attendant Neeja Bhanot from Pan Am who took the bullet saving 2 children in the Karachi hijacking on Pan Am flight 73 .
Nice recap of the events Allec! I wonder if the TWA passengers all got their extra Frequent Flyer Miles for those back and forth trips between Beirut and Algiers?
On a lighter note, had Demis Roussos started singing, it would have made the brains of the hijackers explode in their skulls (a wry reference to the movie "Mars Attacks."
Wow, what a story of the times. (I am 67).
I think it went as well as it could, at the time.
Thanks for the details and I wish terrorists learned this was not the way.
Maybe they did, as they flew into the NYC twin towers in 2001. On my birthday! Thanks
What happened to the monsters that did the highjacking?
can anybody tell me what happaned to TWA flight 847 (June 14th 1985) on the leg from Rome to Boston and Los Angeles? Was this leg of the flight canceled? Did this leg of the flight depart Rome for Boston and Los Angeles?
The overseas flight segments weren’t always assigned in Rome to a 747 meaning any passengers traveling to the US had to get off the 727 and get on the 747 operating as the continuation of flight 847. This is sometimes referred to as an “enroute change in gauge”.
@@kcindc5539 I understand about enroute change of aircraft. But what I want to know is, did the hijacking of flight 847 from Athens to Rome effect the Rome to Boston leg? Was flight 847 Rome to Boston delayed or canceled?
@@f9mike though I don’t know for sure, most likely it was not cancelled. This is for a few reasons. 1) The 747 aircraft and crew were on an entirely different schedule and would not have been impacted logistically by the interrupted 727 inbound feeder flight 2) The number of passengers coming in on the feeder 727 flight and continuing on the 747 would have been a small portion of the total passenger count. The reason is because that 747 in Rome would be mostly full of passengers locally boarding there in Rome or connecting inbound from other TWA European cities since Rome operated as a mini-hub for TWA’s European and Middle Eastern route system, and finally 3) cancelling the 747 transatlantic leg would have royally screwed up every segment that 747 was to fly that duty day (Rome to Boston to Los Angeles to who knows where etc) to the tune of about 300 displaced passengers per segment. Unless there was a specific threat made to that particular aircraft in Rome, TWA would have most likely operated that 747 as usual.
Thanks for making this video, Allec. I never knew about this until watching your video. It is informative :)
The Capt of this flight considered these thugs no more than animals, and that really is being generous. I remembered when this happened and he was interviewed, and made these remarks. He said they left garage strewn all over the aircraft.
Wonder if the programmers ever thought of some sort of code to be entered into the flight computer to fake an engine problem and ground the aircraft after a certain amount of time so it wouldn't be obvious.
That's not the problem. No doubt the pilots could have done many things that would make the engines seem to fail. The problem was that they were not really dealing with rational men.
The squawk they entered in the computer was likely to be 7700.
Wasn’t that the same route as twa flight 800 to Rome
Why did it take so long to install secure doors to cockpits?!?
Vous savez ce jour-là, j'étais à l'aéroport d'Alger, c'était la première fois où j'avais assisté à un détournement d'avion, j'avais l'âge de 14 ans ! C'est toute une histoire.
You know that day, I was at Algiers airport, it was the first time I had witnessed a hijacking, I was 14 years old! It’s a long rigmarole. Translate le french English Thank you !
Can boeing 727 fly across the atlantic ocean non-stop?
Nope. At the last stop before crossing the Atlantic they do a “change in gauge” where the 727 passengers transition to a larger aircraft which is then designated the continuation of flight 847. I’n addition to the existing pax off the 727, local passengers bound for Boston and beyond are added to the flight. That aircraft takes off as 847, and the 727 changes flight number and stays in the regional European market.
A Boeing 727-200 can fly across the atlantic ocean. YES it can! Has 3 engines and a range between 2,000 and 2,500 miles.. depending on the jetstream in the north atlantic if it has a strong tail wind it can go a bit further or even faster..from NYC to Spain (piasco int.airport, port of spain) there are around 1,950 NM..so you can do the math..it will cover that distance in around 4 hrs 30 minutes.this other comment saying "nope" it can't and talking about flight numbers is totally wrong..I have flown myself in a 727 from the US mainland to the caribbean.i loved those 727..great solid work horse.
@@carloscortes5570 The 727 was NOT transatlantic and never designed to be so. PERIOD.
The 727 could do Rome to New York? Would it stop to refuel?
No, it couldn't. Back then only 707s, DC-8s and 747s were transatlantic. Also some 757s.
The flight would have started with a 747 and then everyone continuing on would be loaded onto the 727 under the same flight number
TWA 847 kept the same flight number the a scheduled aircraft switch was done in Rome to a B747 for Rome-Boston-Los Angeles portion.
@@julosx Also L1011s, DC10s, & B767. The US majors had already parked their 707s by 1985; TW did it in 1983.
The only way to make USA-Europe with standard 727 fuel (51K) is by fueling in Gander and stopping in Keflavik. I ferried a 727 to EU via this route with eventual destination Madrid. I miss the 727's, flew 'em 14 years.
Please do video on Ethiopian airlines flight 302
Can you do Operation Babylift one day?
What year was this? I remember a few hijackings in the early 80s but I don't remember what year or years! I guess my question was answered! 1985
That was tough to watch on the news.
"Well you don't have permission!" I mean they probably already cleared the runway for the emergency landing...................
The TWA 727 only flew on sectors between European cities. That said i know Federal Express had a international pilot base in EWR for 727s that flew Newark-Brussels-Newark prior to their purchase of Flying Tiger Line in August1989. They also had been using the 727 serving Honolulu from Oakland..
Sooooo.... what happened to all the Hijackers? Thats lame not mentioning that part...
The hand grenade has authority over ATC
Does they cleared any waste tanks? Who brought them food and water? What about normal flight maintenance after each flight?
From what I recall, Middle East Airlines did what it could for the plane during each of the stops in Beirut. When the hijackers announced they were going to Tehran, the pilots decided enough was enough. They faked an engine problem on their last landing and once on the ground told their captors there would be no more flights. They were removed from the plane shortly thereafter and held hostage on the ground.
These things are hard for us who have morality of some kind to understand. But, we need to realize that there are, and prepare for, people who care nothing for right and wrong.
What's this game called
I cannot imagine what does it feel to be in this situation. So horrible.
I still can’t believe TWA used to fly 727s across the Atlantic.
Either way, after reading the Wikipedia article for this, yes, this did indeed seem like 2 weeks of hell.
Why is this surprising?
Kinda reminds me of how United still flies 757s across the Atlantic on routes that would usually have the 777 or 787.. Man I'm gonna miss the pencil jet when it's retired..
@@sandyhanson6082 Normally I saw the 727 as a mid-range aircraft but TWA flew them all the way to the Middle East. Heck.
@@C-Midori true. Yeah you didn't see them do this route back then. I guess it was surprising! What a beautiful airplane though! My all time favorite! Flew on them twice! My nephew is a Southwest pilot. Proud of that kid!! Retired Coast Guard officer.
In 1973, I flew across the Atlantic on a commercial jet so small it had only one aisle. No movie, music. It made me nervous, but all went well.
I’d ask for a backbrace after the second landing.
So sad to see any planes scrapped. Memoirs of the sky they are. The music was poignant too.
Thank you.
That was outstanding!
CUCM ROBERT STETHEM
Anchors aweigh, my boys, anchors aweigh
Farewell to foreign shores, we sail at break of day, of day
Through our last night ashore, drink to the foam
Until we meet again, here's wishing you a happy voyage home.
So what happened to the hijackers because of killing the sailor? We’re the ever found or killed?
Can anyone tell me what happened to the hijackers, did they just walk away?
*Having Delta Force flashbacks*
I am surprised nobody else brought this up...
@@WolfPilot I remember watching news of the incident on TV and also going to the theater to see *Delta Force.* The movie was quite a decent action-packed "what if?" story based on the incident. Some of the events that occurred were eerily close to what was depicted in the film... despite the over-the-top nature of it.
In response to this, all airplane cockpit doors were equipped with locks so that terrorists could never invade a cockpit again.
"The Boeing 727 continued to fly for TWA and was the aircraft used to conduct TWA's last Boeing 727 revenue flight in SEPTEMBER, 2000"
September of 2000...
I still can’t fathom how 2 guys with one pistol (& 2 hand grenades) can take over a plane with 147 people. Had to be the times of 1985, as I feel people would fight back today, especially after 9/11 and United Airlines Flight 93.
Yeah, too bad that story is some straight up bullshit.
The hand grenades had the pins pulled so the terrorists only had to drop it to explode. You would certainly die if you tackled one of them
@@sirbader1 liar.
@@trent3872 You think the passengers narrated the story to someone on the ground before they crashed? You cant be helped, then.
@@sirbader1 yes. They did. Take off your tin foil hat and get some fresh air.
This has to be the first video with majority survival where I thought a nice, swift, instantaneous death from CFIT would be a tempting alternative were I being regularly beaten as a hostage. I remember this happening, but I was not very old and so the gravity of it only became important much later.
11:23 In the Picture of Pilots
I saw the Copilot Holding The Pistol Gun
The Delta Force movie from 1986 inspired the true story of the hijacking of TWA 847.
How on earth did the hijackers conceal a pistol and grenades in their hand luggage without it being detected by the X-ray machines?
There's a movie based on this story. I think it's here on TH-cam.
This is quite a long haul for a 727.. wouldn't want to do a transatlantic on it...give me a 747 or DC10 or L1011 all were certainly around in this time.
Even though TW used the same flight number of 847 for the entire trip, the equipment changed to a B747 in Rome for BOS-LAX-SAN legs.
I wonder, when there was the initial hijacking, if they could have put the seatbelt sign on, so the passengers were strapped in and then did some aerobatics so the hijackers could flung around the aircraft and injured?
Most likely it wouldn't go well and the flight attendants could also get injured and it would result in much more drastic measures by hijackers
SOP at that time was go along with the hijackers. We didn't get hardened cockpits till after 9/11, decades later. Unfortunately the lack of access also enables a lone pilot to put an aircraft into a mountain (Germanwings) which is why 2 people should always be on the flight deck.
Something like that happened in 1970 with an EL AL B707. (Flight 219)
@@donnafromnyc Well said.
You educated folks on two massively important airline incidents, and in only three sentences! 👍
The highjackers were psycho.
I wonder what religion it was that motivated those hijackers to behave in such a violent and hate-filled manner.
Found the Islamophobic. Muhammad warns against these people and Islamophobic brainwashed think ONE verse of the Quran is the whole book.
Way back when every month another plane crashed. Yeah the good ol bad ol days.
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