Incident Overview
Date: Thursday 20 January 1983
Aircraft Type: Boeing 727
Owner/operator: Northwest Orient Airlines
Location: Portland International Airport, OR (PDX) –
ÿ United States of America
Phase of Flight: En route
Casualties: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 41
Component Affected: Aircraft cockpit.Aircraft cockpit.
Category: Unlawful Interference
On Northwest Flight NW608, a male passenger hijacked the aircraft en route between Seattle/Tacoma and Portland, Oregon. The hijacker demanded to be flown to Afghanistan and subsequently agreed to land at Portland to refuel. Federal agents boarded the aircraft and confronted the hijacker, resulting in the hijacker’s death with the box remaining unexploded. Upon examination, the box did not contain explosives.On Northwest Flight NW608, a male passenger hijacked the aircraft en route between Seattle/Tacoma and Portland, Oregon. The hijacker demanded to be flown to Afghanistan and subsequently agreed to land at Portland to refuel. Federal agents boarded the aircraft and confronted the hijacker, resulting in the hijacker’s death with the box remaining unexploded. Upon examination, the box did not contain explosives.
Description
Northwest flight NW608 was en route between Seattle/Tacoma, WA and Portland, OR when it was hijacked by a male passenger. The hijacker Informed a flight attendant he had a bomb in a box he was holding and demanded to be flown to Afghanistan. The hijacker agreed to land at Portland, Oregon to refuel, and shortly after landing, negotiations were initiated. While the hijacker was otherwise engaged, federal agents boarded the aircraft through a cockpit window. When confronted, the hijacker threw the box at the agents and one of the agents fired one shot which killed the hijacker. The box was examined and found to contain no explosives.
Primary Cause
Hijacking of an aircraft by a passenger.Hijacking of an aircraft by a passenger.Share on:
