Let L-410 – – Air Crash Data

Incident Overview

Date: Saturday 31 January 1998

Aircraft Type: Let L-410

Owner/operator: Atlantic Airlines (Nicaragua)

Location: Puerto Lim¢n Airport (LIO) – ÿ Costa Rica

Phase of Flight: En route

Casualties: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 21

Component Affected: Aircraft interior (including passenger and interior components).Aircraft interior (including passenger and interior components).

Category: Unlawful Interference

Description

A Nicaraguan hijacked an Atlantic Airlines twin-engine aircraft with 21 persons on board shortly after takeoff from Bluefields Airport (BEF), Nicaragua. The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight to Corn Island Airport (RNI). Shortly after takeoff, the hijacker doused a passenger and a portion of the aircrafts interior with gasoline and threatened to ignite it if the plane did not divert to San Andres Island, Colombia. The pilots told the hijacker they did not have sufficient fuel to reach San Andres and convinced him to go to Puerto Lim¢n Airport (LIO), Costa Rica. According to local press reports, the hijacker was arrested without incident by Costa Rican authorities upon his arrival. There were no injuries to passengers or crew members during this incident. The hijacker reportedly is mentally unstable and is an unemployed drug addict.