Incident Overview
Date: Saturday 22 October 1988
Aircraft Type: Boeing 747
Owner/operator: Iran Air
Location: London-Heathrow Airport (LHR) –
ÿ United Kingdom
Phase of Flight: En route
Casualties: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants:
Component Affected: AircraftAircraft
Category: Unlawful Interference
An Iranian Air Force flight, IR723, was hijacked by two passengers armed with a knife and hand gun. The aircraft was diverted to London due to unconfirmed weather conditions, and a security detail subsequently overpowered the hijackers. The flight then continued to Frankfurt, eventually landing at London-Heathrow.An Iranian Air Force flight, IR723, was hijacked by two passengers armed with a knife and hand gun. The aircraft was diverted to London due to unconfirmed weather conditions, and a security detail subsequently overpowered the hijackers. The flight then continued to Frankfurt, eventually landing at London-Heathrow.
Description
Iran Air flight IR723 from Tehran to Vienna, Austria and Frankfurt, Germany, was hijacked by two passengers, armed with a knife and hand gun. The aircraft was hijacked about half an hour before it was due to land at Vienna at 07:10 UTC. The flight crew then reported to the Vienna ATC that they were diverting to London because of (unconfirmed) bad weather at Vienna and Frankfurt. Meanwhile a security guards came down from the upper deck and overpowered the hijackers. The flight continued to Frankfurt after 45 minutes on the ground at London-Heathrow.
Primary Cause
Unconfirmed weather conditions at Vienna and Frankfurt led to a diversion.Unconfirmed weather conditions at Vienna and Frankfurt led to a diversion.Share on:
