Incident Overview
Date: Thursday 25 December 1986
Aircraft Type: Boeing 737-270C
Owner/operator: Iraqi Airways
Registration Number: YI-AGJ
Location: near Arar –
ÿ Saudi Arabia
Phase of Flight: En route
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 63 / Occupants: 106
Component Affected: Aircraft cockpit and flight control systems.Aircraft cockpit and flight control systems.
Category: Unlawful Interference
An Iraqi Airways Boeing 737-200 aircraft experienced a catastrophic crash-landing following a hijack attempt and a grenade explosion during a scheduled flight from Baghdad to Amman. Four hijackers attempted to enter the cockpit, resulting in a hand grenade being thrown, leading to an emergency descent and subsequent crash.An Iraqi Airways Boeing 737-200 aircraft experienced a catastrophic crash-landing following a hijack attempt and a grenade explosion during a scheduled flight from Baghdad to Amman. Four hijackers attempted to enter the cockpit, resulting in a hand grenade being thrown, leading to an emergency descent and subsequent crash.
Description
Iraqi Airways Flight 163, a Boeing 737-200 with 91 passengers and 15 crewmembers and security officers, was on a scheduled flight from Baghdad, Iraq, to Amman, Jordan. About 55 minutes into the flight, while entering Saudi Arabian airspace at FL260 (8000 m), four hijackers tried to enter the cockpit. When Iraqi Airways security personnel tried to intervene, a hand grenade was thrown into the passenger cabin. An emergency descent was initiated immediately. As the aircraft was descending through FL160, a hand grenade exploded in the cockpit. Approaching Arar, control was lost and the aircraft crash-landed, broke in two and caught fire.
Primary Cause
Hijack attempt and grenade throw by four hijackers.Hijack attempt and grenade throw by four hijackers.Share on:
