Incident Overview

Date: Saturday 20 December 1980
Aircraft Type: Tupolev Tu-134
Owner/operator: Interflug
Registration Number: DM-SCB
Location: Poprad/Tatry Airport (TAT) – ÿ Slovakia
Phase of Flight: En route
Casualties: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 77
Component Affected: Cargo holdCargo hold
Category: Unlawful Interference
On January 4, 1981, an anonymous note was delivered to a flight attendant during a flight between Berlin and Budapest, warning of a bomb placed in a red bag pack in the cargo hold. The bomb was set to detonate at an altitude of 120 meters, requiring ground personnel at Berlin-Tempelhof Airport to deactivate it. The flight attendant entered the cargo hold through a hatch and failed to locate the red bag pack. As a precautionary measure, the crew diverted to Poprad Airport, which was at an elevation of 718 meters, and subsequently found no explosive device.On January 4, 1981, an anonymous note was delivered to a flight attendant during a flight between Berlin and Budapest, warning of a bomb placed in a red bag pack in the cargo hold. The bomb was set to detonate at an altitude of 120 meters, requiring ground personnel at Berlin-Tempelhof Airport to deactivate it. The flight attendant entered the cargo hold through a hatch and failed to locate the red bag pack. As a precautionary measure, the crew diverted to Poprad Airport, which was at an elevation of 718 meters, and subsequently found no explosive device.

Description

An anonymous note with a bomb threat was passed on to a flight attendant during a flight between Berlin and Budapest. The note stated that an explosive device had been placed in a red bag pack in the cargo hold. The bomb was set to go off below an altitude of 120 meters and could only be deactivated by persons on the ground at Berlin-Tempelhof Airport, on the Western side of Berlin. A crew member was able to enter the cargo hold through a hatch in the cabin and failed to locate the red bag pack. For safety reasons the crew elected to divert to Poprad Airport, which was at an elevation of 718 meters. After landing no explosive device was found. All passengers were interrogated and on January 4, 1981, the hijacker finally confessed. He was sentenced to eight years imprisonment.

Source of Information

https://www.ddr-im-blick.de/jahrgaenge/jahrgang-1981/report/ermittlung-des-taeters-einer-angedrohten-flugzeugentfuehrung/, http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-13509051.htmlhttps://www.ddr-im-blick.de/jahrgaenge/jahrgang-1981/report/ermittlung-des-taeters-einer-angedrohten-flugzeugentfuehrung/, http://www.spiegel.de/spiegel/print/d-13509051.html

Primary Cause

Anonymous note containing a bomb threat.Anonymous note containing a bomb threat.

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