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Violence/Terrorism in the Aviation Industry
1949 September 9th Canada, Quebec region, near Sault Au Cochon, Quebec: a bomb exploded in a forward baggage compartment of a Quebec Airways (Canidia Pacific) DC-3; 23 people died
1955 November 1st. USA, Colorado,
Denver, United Air Lines Douglas DC-6B was bombed in flight by a relative
of a passenger, all 44 people died 1957 July 25th. USA, California, near Daggett: a bomb exploded in mid-air 17 minutes after take-off in the lavatory of a Western Airlines CV-240; the pilots managed to safely land the plane, only 1 person died
1960 January 6th. USA, North Carolina, near Bolivia: a bomb exploded in passenger compartment of a National Airlines DC-6 at 18,000 feet; 34 people died killed.
1962 May 22nd
USA, Missouri, near Unionville: Continental Airlines Boeing 707 crashed after a
suicidal bomb explosion; all 45 passengers and crew aboard perished. 1964 May 7th.
USA, California, near Oakland, Pacific Air Lines Turboprop Fairchild F-27 crashed,
suicide killer shot the pilots, all 44 people died 1965 July 8th.
Canada, British Columbia, Canadian Pacific Airlines Douglas DC-6B, mid-air collision,
believed to be a sabotage act, all 52 people died 1971 January 23rd.
South Korea, Korean Air Lines Fokker F-27, hijacked and ordered to fly to North Korea.
South Korean military aircraft forced the turboprop to crash-land before the border,
assailant then killed himself with a hand grenade, 2 people died, 58 survived 1974 August 6
USA, California, Los Angeles International Airport: Bomb exploded near the PanAm
ticketing area at Terminal 2; at least 17 people were injured and 2 persons died.
1974 September 8th. Greece, over Ionian Sea: a TWA Boeing 707 crashed into the sea. The NTSB later determined that a high explosive was detonated in the aft cargo compartment.
1976 May 23rd.
Philippines, Mindanao, Zamboanga Airport, Philippine Airline BAC 1-11, hijacker hold
aircraft on the ground hostage, after initial successful negotiation the situation
escalated in gunfire and hand-grenade explosions, 13 people died 1977 December 4th.
Malaysia, Joho Bahrain, Malaysian Airline System Boeing 737, mid-air explosion due to
a hijacking attempt, all 100 people died 1982 August 11th. Pacific Ocean, near Hawaii: a PanAm Boeing 747 was en route from Japan to the U.S. when a bomb exploded under a seat; one passenger died.
1985 June 23rd. Atlantic Ocean, near the Irish coast: Air India Boeing 747 originated in Toronto and was en route to Bombay when a bomb exploded on board near the Irish coast. The aircraft broke up in flight and crashed into the sea. All 329 people aboard died.
1985 December 27th. Italy, Rome, Leonardo da Vinci Airport: 4 terrorists enter the check in area of EL-AL, TWA, and PanAm and start firing with submachine guns and throwing grenades into the crowd; 14 people were killed (including 3 attackers) and 70 injured. 1985 December 27th. Austria, Vienna, Schwechat Airport: 3 terrorists attack waiting passengers at the El-Al lounge with machine guns and handgrenades; 3 persons were killed (including 1 gunman) and 47 were injured. 1986 April 2nd. Greece, near Athens: A bomb exploded in the cabin area of a TWA Boeing 727, blowing a hole in the fuselage and causing 4 passengers to be sucked out of the aircraft to their deaths. The pilots managed to land the aircraft safely.
1986 September 6th.
Pakistan, Karachi Airport, Pan American World Airways Boeing 747, 375 people aboard held
hostage, 21 people died due to gunfire and grenade explosions 1986 December 25th.
Saudi Arabia, Arab Airport, Iraqi Airlines Boeing 737, shooting between hijackers and
security personnel ended in an unsuccessful emergency landing attempt, 71 people died,
36 survived 1987 December 7th.
USA, CA, near Paso Robles, Pacific Southwest BAe 146 jet crashes, after a former airline
employee shot the pilots, all 43 people died 1988 December 21st.
UK over Lockerbie: PanAmerican Boeing 747 exploded in mid-air due to an improvised
explosive device hidden in a radio. All 259 people an board and eleven Lockerbie residents
died. 1989 September 19th.
Niger, Tenere Desert: French UTA DC-10 Airliner, mid-air explosion due to a bomb, all 171
people died 1990 October 2nd.
China, Baiyun Airport: Xiamen Airlines Boeing 737, during emergency landing a hijacker
struggled with the pilot and the aircraft went out-of-control, struck a China Southwest
Airlines Boeing 707 and slammed into a China Southern Airlines Boeing 757, 132 people died,
141 survived (20 in the 737, 71 in the 757) 1993 August 28th.
Siberia, Tajikistan, Khorog: Tajikistan Airlines Yak-40 crashed, hijacker forced the
pilots to take off the overloaded airplane, but it didn't go airborne, overran the
airport runway and fell down in a river bank; no post crash fire, 82 people died
(49 survived?) 1996 March Germany, Munich Airport: a hijacker armed with a bomb and handgun seized a Turkish Cypriot airliner taking off from northern Cyprus for Istanbul, Turkey. He surrendered to German authorities at Munich airport, freeing more than 100 hostages.
1997 June Germany, Cologne Airport: two men hijacked an Air Malta airliner en route for Istanbul, with 90 people on board. The men gave themselves up three hours after the plane landed in Cologne, Germany. No explosives were found on the aircraft.
1998 February Turkey, Adana Airport: a Turkish Airlines plane was hijacked shortly after takeoff from the southern city of Adana in February 1998. The hijacker, claiming to be carrying a bomb inside a teddy bear, said he was on a mission from God. Security forces disguised as caterers boarded the plane and captured the hijacker. Forty-one passengers and five crew members were still on board when he was captured. The bomb turned out to be a dummy.
1998 October Turkey, Ankara Airport: a Turkish airliner taking off from Adana was hijacked and demanded to be flown to Switzerland. The plane landed in Ankara after the crew convinced the hijacker they would need to refuel. There, an elite Turkish anti-terrorist team stormed the plane and killed him. No passengers or crew members were injured.
1999 October Germany, Hamburg Airport: a hijacker armed with a knife seized control of an Egyptian airliner shortly after it took off from Istanbul, Turkey. He ordered the crew to take him to London but was told the plane did not have enough fuel. He surrendered to German authorities after landing in Hamburg. None of the 54 people aboard were hurt.
2001, February 10th.
India, Calcutta International Airport: near an immigration counter just after officials had cleared
passengers for a British Airways flight a policeman shot two of his colleagues to death and injured
two other policemen. The officer later turned the gun on himself and sustained severe head wounds.
2001 March 10th.
U.K., Manchester: after receiving a series of bomb threats, 479 people were evacuated from a
Pakistan International Airlines Boeing 747 traveling from the Pakistani cities of Karachi and Lahore,
destined for New York City, with a scheduled stopover in Manchester.
2001 March 15th-16th Turkey, Istanbul Airport - Saudi Arabia, Medina Airport: a Vnukovo Airlines Tupolew Tu-154 was seized by three Chechnyan hijackers shortly after it took off from Istanbul scheduled to fly to Moscow. The plane, with at least 174 people on board was flown to Medina, were about 60 passengers were released. During the hijack attempt in Istanbul 1 person was injured and taken to a hospital and the plane dropped 10,000 feet in altitude as a passenger fought with hijackers near the entrance to the cockpit.
After 18 hours of unsuccessful negotiations at Medina Airport Saudi Arabian special forces stormed the plane still on the tarmac. 162 passengers and 12 crew on board were freed, but 3 people - a hijacker, a passenger and a flight attendant -- died during the combat operation.
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