Incident Overview
Date: Sunday 6 September 1970
Aircraft Type: Boeing 707-458
Owner/operator: El Al Israel Airlines
Registration Number: 4X-ATB
Location: London-Heathrow Airport (LHR) –
ÿ United Kingdom
Phase of Flight: En route
Casualties: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 148
Component Affected: Boeing 707 aircraftBoeing 707 aircraft
Category: Unlawful Interference
On El Al Boeing 707 flight from Tel Aviv to New York, two Palestinian hijackers attempted to seize control of the aircraft while approaching the English coast. They engaged the pilot, resulting in the plane being thrown into a nose dive and the pilot being shot by an El Al sky marshal. A hand grenade was thrown down the aisle, which failed to explode.On El Al Boeing 707 flight from Tel Aviv to New York, two Palestinian hijackers attempted to seize control of the aircraft while approaching the English coast. They engaged the pilot, resulting in the plane being thrown into a nose dive and the pilot being shot by an El Al sky marshal. A hand grenade was thrown down the aisle, which failed to explode.
Description
The El Al Boeing 707 was on a flight from Tel Aviv to New York via Amsterdam. After takeoff from Schiphol, as the plane approached the English coast, two Palestinias, Leila Khaled and her accomplice attempted to hijack the plane. Brandishing gun, they moved towards the flight deck. The pilot then put the plane in a nose dive, throwing the two off their feet. In the scuffle that followed, the male hijacker threw a hand grenade down the aisle of the plane and was shot dead by an El Al sky marshal. Fortunately the grenade failed to explode. Khaled was overpowered and the pilot carried out an emergency landing at Heathrow.
Primary Cause
Hijacking attempt by Palestinian hijackers.Hijacking attempt by Palestinian hijackers.Share on:
