From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Aircraft hijacking
incidents between the United States and
Cuba
were at their height between 1968 and 1972. These incidents have variously been attributed to
terrorism
, extortion, flight for political asylum, mental illness, and transportation between the two countries as a result of the ongoing antagonistic
Cuba-United States relations
and the Communist government restrictions against Cubans attempting to leave Cuba.
[1]
Subsequent measures by both governments contributed to a gradual reduction of reported incidents towards the mid-1970s. Governmental measures included an amendment to
Cuban law
which made hijacking a crime in 1970, the introduction of metal detectors in U.S. airports in 1973, and a joint agreement between the U.S. and Cuba signed in Sweden to return or prosecute hijackers.
[1]
Below is a non-comprehensive list of hijacking incidents of aircraft between Cuba and the United States.
1950s
[
edit
]
Before the Cuban Revolution:
- April 9, 1958
A Douglas DC-3, (CU-T266) piloted by Capt. Armando Piedra, co-piloted by Ramon J. Vazquez (el Nino)
Cubana de Aviacion
is hijacked en route from
Jose Marti International Airport
,
Havana
to
Santa Clara Airport
. The aircraft landed at
Merida-Rejon Airport
,
Mexico
where the hijack ended. This is considered first hijacking to take place in the Western Hemisphere.
[2]
- April 12, 1958
The crew of a
Cuban Airlines
DC-3
with 12 passengers on board, diverted their flight from
Havana
to
Santa Clara
in Central Cuba, and flew, instead, to
Miami, Florida
. One of the passengers,
United Press
reporter Harold Lidin, said that the decision to defect was apparently made after takeoff.
[3]
- April 13, 1958
A
Cuban Airlines
DC-3 is hijacked by three crew members, forcing it to fly to Miami.
[4]
- October 22, 1958
Cuban Airlines
Flight 266 is hijacked by 3 rebels who diverted the plane to a rebel airfield in the
Sierra Maestra
mountains.
[5]
- November 1, 1958
A
Cubana de Aviacion
Flight 495, a
Vickers Viscount
, en route from Miami to
Varadero
to
Havana
is hijacked by Cuban militants. The hijackers were trying to land at Sierra Cristal in Eastern Cuba to deliver weapons to
Fidel Castro
's rebels. As night approached, the plane ran out of fuel and tried an emergency landing at the Preston sugar mill. It did not make it and instead landed in the ocean and broke apart, killing most passengers and crew. There were six survivors.
[6]
- November 6, 1958
Cubana de Aviacion Flight 482, a DC-3, is hijacked by rebels and flown to a rebel airfield.
[7]
After the Cuban Revolution:
- April 10, 1959
A COHATA DC-3 is hijacked by six rebels. They fatally shot the pilot and forced the co-pilot to fly to Cuba.
[8]
- April 15, 1959
A plane is hijacked from Cuba to Miami. The hijackers were four members of Batista's Army (three were from the SIM?the Military Intelligence?and one was an aviation mechanic). The airplane is returned by the U.S.
[9]
- April 16, 1959
An Aerovias Cubanas Internacionales
C-46
is forced to land in the United States by four men with guns.
[10]
- April 25, 1959
A Cubana de Aviacion Vickers Viscount is taken by four hijackers and diverted to
Key West
, Florida.
[11]
- October 2, 1959
a Viscount of Cubana de Aviacion is hijacked on a flight from Havana to
Antonio Maceo Airport
,
Santiago
. The aircraft landed at
Miami International Airport
.
[12]
1960s
[
edit
]
- April 12, 1960
A Cubana Vickers Viscount is hijacked by three crew members and a passenger and diverted to Miami. After landing, the hijackers demanded political asylum in the United States.
[13]
- July 5, 1960
A Cubana
Bristol Britannia
138 is seized by two co-pilots and diverted to Miami.
[14]
- July 17, 1960
A Cubana Vickers Viscount is hijacked by the pilot at gunpoint and diverted to Kingston, Jamaica where the pilot claimed political asylum.
[15]
- July 28, 1960
The captain of a Cubana DC-3 and two passengers forced the copilot out of the cockpit. The captain diverted the plane to Miami and requested political asylum.
[16]
- October 29, 1960
Cubana Flight 905, a DC-3, is hijacked by the co-pilot who took an air marshal hostage and forced the plane to fly to Key West. A shooting killed the marshal. The co-pilot and eight passengers involved in the hijack request asylum in the United States; two other passengers also request asylum.
[17]
- December 8, 1960
A Cubana aircraft crashed near Cienfuegos after five Cubans attempted to hijack the plane to the United States. A gun battle killed one person before the flight crashed.
[18]
- January 1, 1961
A Cubana Bristol Britannia 318 is hijacked by two people and diverted to New York City.
[19]
- May 1, 1961
Antulio Ramirez Ortiz hijacks
National Airlines
Flight 337, a Convair 440, from
Miami International Airport
to Cuba.
[20]
- July 3, 1961
A Cubana DC-3 is hijacked by 14 people and diverted to Miami.
[21]
- July 24, 1961
Eastern Air Lines
Flight 202, a
Lockheed L-188 Electra
, is hijacked to Cuba.
[22]
- July 31, 1961
Pacific Air Lines Flight 327
, a DC-3, is hijacked by Bruce Britt Sr., demanding to be taken to Cuba. The pilot and a ticket agent were both shot by the hijacker, who was overpowered by the copilot and three passengers while the plane was on the ground.
[23]
- August 3, 1961
Continental Air Lines
Flight 54, a Boeing 707, is unsuccessfully hijacked to Cuba. President John F. Kennedy orders that the tires be shot out while the plane is on the ground in El Paso.
[24]
The plane is later
destroyed
in a suicide bombing the next year.
[25]
- August 9, 1961
Pan Am
Flight 501, a DC-8, is hijacked to Cuba.
[26]
On the same day, a Cubana C-46 experienced an attempted hijacking by 5 Cubans. Two guards on the plane tried to stop the hijacking. A gun battle killed the captain, a hijacker and one guard. The plane made an emergency landing in a sugar cane field. The remaining four hijackers fled the scene.
[27]
- October 26, 1965
National Airlines
Flight 209, a Lockheed L-188 Electra, is hijacked by a Cuban with a pellet gun. Wanting to rescue his family in Havana, he is taken down by the crew with a fire axe.
[28]
- November 17, 1965
National Airlines
Flight 30, a DC-8, experiences an attempted hijack by a 16-year-old boy armed with a gun demanding to be taken to Cuba. He fired six shots through the floor before being overpowered by a passenger.
[29]
[30]
- March 27, 1966
Angel Maria Betancourt Cueto, armed with a pistol, tries to hijack a Cubana Ilyushin Il-18 (CU-T831) from
Santiago de Cuba
to Havana, with 97 persons, in an attempt to reach the U.S. The pilot, Fernando Alvarez Perez, opposed the hijacking and landed in Havana. The hijacker then killed Alvarez and armed guard Edor Reyes, seriously wounding the copilot Evans Rosales. The event had a large effect on Cubans. The hijacker later was caught and executed.
[9]
- August 6, 1967
An
Aerocondor
C-54
(HK-757) is hijacked to Cuba by five Colombians.
[31]
- September 9, 1967
An
Avianca
C-47 (HK-101) was hijacked by three passengers shortly after takeoff and diverted to Cuba.
[32]
- November 20, 1967
Louis Gabor Babler, born in Hungary, successfully hijacks a Crescent Airline
Piper Apache
from
Hollywood, Florida
to Cuba; the plane was scheduled to go to the
Bahamas
.
[33]
1968
[
edit
]
- February 17
Thomas J. Boynton hijacks a private charter Piper Apache from
Marathon, Florida
to Cuba. He returned to the United States via Canada on November 1, 1969, and was sentenced to 20 years for kidnapping.
[33]
- February 21
Lawrence Rhodes hijacked
Delta Air Lines
Flight 843, a
DC-8
, from
Tampa
, Florida to Cuba with 108 other crew and passengers aboard, including golfer
Barbara Romack
. Cuban authorities provided the passengers with lemonade, coffee, cigarettes, and pictures of
Che Guevara
and the plane was released after three hours. Rhodes surrendered in Spain on February 10, 1970. A January 4, 1971 hijacking charge against him is dismissed; he was committed to a mental institution; on July 8, 1971, he returns to prison; he is sentenced to 25 years for robbery on July 17, 1972.
[33]
- March 5
Three people hijacked an
Avianca
C-54 (HK-136) and diverted to Santiago, Cuba.
[34]
- March 12
Three Cubans hijack
National Airlines Flight 28
, a DC-8 from Tampa, Florida to Cuba; all are fugitives.
[33]
- March 21
An
AVENSA
Convair 440
is hijacked to Cuba by three passengers.
[35]
- June 19
A
VIASA
DC-9 from Miami is hijacked 15 minutes after takeoff from Santo Domingo and diverted to Santiago, Cuba.
[36]
- June 29
Southeast Airlines
Flight 101 is hijacked by one person and diverted to Cuba.
[37]
- July 1
Velasquez Fonseca, born in Cuba, hijacks
Northwest Orient Airlines
Flight 714, a
Boeing 727
, from Chicago to Cuba.
[33]
- July 12
Leonard Bendicks hijacks a
Cessna 210
from
Key West
, Florida, to Cuba. He is deported to the U.S. in September 1968. On March 4, 1971, he is sentenced to 10 years for kidnapping.
[33]
- July 17
Hernandez Leyva, a Cuban, hijacks
National Airlines
Flight 1064, a DC-8, from Los Angeles to Cuba.
[33]
- August 4
Jessie Willis hijacks a
Cessna 182
from
Naples, Florida
to Cuba; he returns voluntarily via Mexico on January 10, 1969; he is sentenced to 10 years for kidnapping; he is paroled on July 28, 1971.
[33]
- August 22
Bill McBride hijacks a
Cessna 336
from
Nassau
to Cuba.
[33]
- September 20
Eastern Air Lines
Flight 950, a
Boeing 720
, is hijacked to Cuba.
[38]
- September 22
Avianca
Flight 101, a
Boeing 727
is hijacked after takeoff from
Barranquilla
,
Colombia
and diverted to Cuba.
[39]
- September 22
On the same day, an
Avianca
Flight 654, a C-54 from the same Colombian airport is hijacked to Cuba.
[40]
- October 6
A Mexican-owned
Hawker Siddeley HS 748
is hijacked by three passengers to Cuba.
[41]
- October 23
Alben Truitt
, the grandson of former U.S. Vice President
Alben Barkley
, hijacks a
Cessna 177
from Key West to Cuba; he returns via Canada in February 1969; he is sentenced to 20 years for aircraft piracy and 20 years for kidnapping (to run consecutively).
[33]
[42]
- November 4
Raymond Johnson hijacks
National Airlines
Flight 186, a Boeing 727, from
New Orleans
to Cuba.
[33]
[43]
- November 18
A
Mexicana de Aviacion
DC-6
from Mexico is hijacked to Cuba.
[44]
- November 23
Five Cubans hijack a Boeing 727 from Chicago to Cuba.
[33]
- November 24
Three Cubans hijack a
Boeing 707
from New York to Cuba.
[33]
- November 30
Montesino Sanchez, a Cuban, hijacks a
Boeing 720
from Miami to Cuba.
[33]
- December 5
Eduardo Castera hijacks a Boeing 727 from Tampa to Cuba.
[33]
- December 11
Two men hijack a DC-8 from
St. Louis
to Cuba.
[33]
1969
[
edit
]
- January 2, 1969
Two Americans, a man and woman, hijack a DC-8 from New York to Cuba. The hijackers, Tyrone Ellington Austin and Linda Joyce Austin, eventually returned to the US. Tyrone Ellington was killed during an altercation with police in 1971, and Linda Joyce was arrested in 1988 and spent 6 months in prison after it was discovered that she participated in the hijacking.
[33]
- January 9
Ronald Bohle, a 21-year-old
Purdue University
student, hijacks a Boeing 727 from Miami to Cuba; he returns via Canada on November 1, 1969, and is sentenced to 20 years for air piracy on July 6, 1972.
[33]
- January 11
A man hijacks a 727 from
Jacksonville, Florida
to Cuba; he returns via Canada on May 5, 1969; he is acquitted of air piracy and kidnapping on grounds of temporary insanity.
[33]
- January 13
A man unsuccessfully attempts to hijack a Convair 880 from
Detroit
to Cuba; he is sentenced on July 31, 1969, to 15 years for interference with a flight crew; he had a history of mental illness.
[33]
- January 17
A man from the
Dominican Republic
hijacks a DC-8 from New York to Cuba.
[33]
- January 24, 1969
A man hijacks a Boeing 727 from Key West to Cuba; he was a 19-year-old
Navy
deserter who "didn't want to
go to Vietnam
".
[33]
- January 28
Two men successfully hijack a DC-8 from Los Angeles to Cuba; they are prison escapees.
[33]
- January 31
Allan Sheffield hijacks a DC-8 from San Francisco to Cuba; he says he is "tired of TV dinners and tired of seeing people starve in the world".
[33]
- February 3
A 21-year-old student and his girlfriend attempt to hijack a plane from New York City to Cuba; when the pilot refuels in Miami, the hijackers allow the passengers to deplane; the police capture the hijackers.
[33]
- February 3
Two Cubans hijack a 727 from
Newark, New Jersey
, to Cuba.
Candid Camera
creator
Allen Funt
was a passenger on the flight, and because other passengers recognized him, they assumed and believed that the hijacking was a stunt for the show, despite his protestations.
[33]
Funt and others were later released after 11 hours of being held captive.
[45]
- February 10
A man born in Cuba hijacks a DC-8 from
Atlanta
to Cuba.
[33]
- February 25
A man hijacks a DC-8 from Atlanta to Cuba; he surrenders to U.S. authorities in
Prague
,
CSR
, in September 1969; he is sentenced to life imprisonment on July 7, 1970.
[33]
- March 6
Black Panther
Tony Bryant (d. 1999 at 60) hijacks a National Airlines plane en route from New York to Miami and directed it to Cuba. He was arrested in Cuba and spent 10 years in a Cuban prison after being suspected of being a CIA agent. The US Government pardoned Bryant after his return in 1980. His 1984 book "Hijack" described his experience in Cuban prisons.
[46]
- March 17
A man hijacks an airliner from Atlanta to Cuba; he returns via Canada on November 1, 1969; he is committed to a mental institution on February 1, 1972; he is released on second 18-month furlough on December 5, 1973.
[33]
- March 19
A man tries to hijack a CV-880 from
Dallas
to Cuba; he ends up in New Orleans; charges are dismissed due to insanity.
[33]
- March 26
A man hijacked a
Delta Air Lines Flight 821
(DC-8) from Dallas, Tex. bringing all 114 passengers to Havana, Cuba, many of which were active duty military.
- May 5
Jean-Pierre Charette and Alain Alard (members of the Front de Liberation du Quebec) successfully hijack a Boeing 727 from New York to Cuba.
[33]
- May 23
Three men born in Cuba successfully hijack a 727 from Miami to Cuba.
[33]
- June 17
A man hijacks a 707 from
Oakland
to Cuba.
[33]
- June 22
A man born in Cuba hijacks a DC-8 from Newark, N.J., to Cuba.
[33]
- June 25
A man successfully hijacks a DC-8 from Los Angeles to Cuba.
[33]
- June 28
A man successfully hijacks a 727 from
Baltimore
to Cuba. He returns via Canada in November 1969; he is sentenced to 15 years for interference with a flight crew on October 6, 1970.
[33]
- July 26
A man hijacks a DC-8 from
El Paso, Texas
, to Cuba. He returns via Canada on November 1, 1969; he is sentenced to 50 years for aircraft piracy on September 14, 1970.
[33]
- July 31
A man successfully hijacks a 727 from
Pittsburgh
to Cuba.
[33]
- August 5
A man unsuccessfully tries to hijack a DC-9 from
Philadelphia
to Cuba; charges are dismissed on January 12, 1970; he is committed to a mental institution; he is discharged on September 15, 1971.
[33]
- August 14
Two Cubans hijack a 727 from
Boston
to Cuba.
[33]
- August 29
A Cuban hijacks a 727 from Miami to Cuba.
[33]
- September 7
A man hijacks a DC-8 from New York to Cuba.
[33]
- September 10
A
Puerto Rican
unsuccessfully tries to hijack a DC-8 (scheduled for
San Juan
) to Cuba; he is committed to mental institution on January 30, 1970; he is released in December 1971.
[33]
- September 24
A Cuban hijacks a DC-8 from
Charleston, South Carolina
to Cuba.
[33]
- October 9
A man hijacks a DC-8 from Los Angeles to Cuba.
[33]
- October 21
A man hijacks a Boeing 720 from Mexico City to Cuba. He committed suicide in Cuba on September 28, 1970.
[33]
- November 4
Two armed men seize a
Nicaraguan
airliner en route from Miami to Mexico; they divert it to Cuba.
[33]
- December 26
M. Martinez (alias) hijacks a 727 from New York to Cuba.
[33]
1970s
[
edit
]
1970
[
edit
]
- February 16
A man who was born in Cuba, with wife and two children, successfully hijacks a 727 from Newark to Cuba.
[33]
- March 11
A man hijacks a 727 from
Cleveland
to Cuba; he is imprisoned in Cuba for attempting to escape; he is fatally shot escaping from prison on March 26, 1973.
[33]
- April 22
In 1966 Ira David Meeks was diagnosed with
paranoid schizophrenia
. April 1970 he hijacked a plane on a sightseeing tour with his wife pulling a gun at the pilot demanding to be flown to Cuba. Meeks told Cuban authorities "he felt persecuted as a black man in America and had heard that things would be better in Cuba." Cuba suspected him of being a spy and deported him 1976. On arrival he was arrested for the hijacking by the FBI. He was freed in 1981 after spending years in jail and a mental hospital.
[47]
- May 25
A man successfully hijacks a 727 from Chicago to Cuba.
[33]
- July 1
George Lopez hijacks a DC-8 from
Las Vegas
to Cuba.
[33]
- August 2
A man armed with a pistol and nitroglycerin hijacks
Pan Am
Flight 229,
Clipper Victor
, bound for San Juan from New York to Cuba. This was the first hijacking of the newly introduced
Boeing 747
to Cuba and Premiere
Fidel Castro
came out to Havana's
Jose Marti Airport
to see the new airliner for himself. Castro reportedly met in person with the Pan Am pilot Captain Augustus Watkins and expressed concerns over the ability of the big plane to take off safely from the small airport but was reassured by the Pan Am captain.
[33]
- August 19
Three men (two born in Cuba, one born in Spain) hijack a
DC-3
from Newark to Cuba (the plane's destination was San Juan).
[33]
- August 20
A man successfully hijacks a
DC-9
from Atlanta to Cuba.
[33]
- August 25
TWA Flight 134 bound for Philadelphia from Las Vegas was hijacked to Cuba following a stopover in Chicago. The hijacker was a Vietnam Vet, Robert Labadie and was the first hijacker returned to the US the month following the incident. The Boeing 727, with 80 passengers and a 6-person crew, landed in a field in Pittsburgh to refuel, then proceeded on to Havana's Jose Marti Airport, landing at 10:21 p.m.
- September 19
A man successfully hijacks an
Allegheny Airlines
727 from
Pittsburgh
to Cuba with a pistol and home made bomb.
[1]
[33]
- October 30
L. Rosas hijacks a DC-8 from Miami to Cuba.
[33]
- November 1
A man born in Mexico successfully hijacks a 727 from San Diego to Cuba; he has two children with him.
[33]
- November 13
A man hijacks an airliner from
Raleigh
to Cuba.
[33]
- December 19
A man attempts to hijack a DC-9 from
Albuquerque
to Cuba. He is taken into custody at
Tulsa
; he is sentenced to 5 years subject to a medical
mental examination
for conveying false information about an attempt to commit air piracy.
[33]
1971
[
edit
]
- January 22, 1971
A man successfully hijacks a 727 from
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
, to Cuba; he would have gone to
Algeria
, if possible.
[48]
- February 4
A man successfully hijacks a DC-9 from Chicago to Cuba.
[48]
- February 25
A man successfully hijacks a 727 from San Francisco to Cuba or Canada; he ends up in Canada; he is deported on March 8, 1971; he is sentenced to 10 years for interference with a flight crew.
[48]
- March 31
A man born in
Venezuela
successfully hijacks a DC-8 from New York to Cuba; he returns to the United States via
Bermuda
on October 8, 1974.
[48]
- April 5
A former Cuban hijacks a
Cessna 402
from Key West to Cuba.
[48]
- July 11
A Cubana de Aviacion aircraft is hijacked at
Cienfuegos
, Cuba (
Cienfuegos Airport
) resulting in one fatality. The two hijackers were taken down and the hijacking lasted less than one day.
[48]
- July 24
A man born in Cuba successfully hijacks a DC-8 from Miami to Cuba, a stewardess and a passenger are wounded.
[33]
- September 3
A man born in Cuba, attempts to hijack a plane from Chicago to Cuba; he is sentenced to 20 years for interference with a flight crew on March 6, 1972.
[48]
- October 9
Richard Frederick Dixon
forces his way aboard Eastern Airlines Flight 953 in Detroit and hijacks it to Cuba. No passengers or crew were injured though Dixon shot and killed a police officer in 1976 and was later convicted of air piracy, kidnapping, and murder.
[48]
- October 18
A man born in Canada, unsuccessfully attempts to hijack a
Boeing 737
from
Anchorage
to Cuba; the attempt ends in
Vancouver
; he is deported to the United States on October 19, 1971, and is sentenced to 20 years for air piracy on May 12, 1972.
[48]
- October 25
A man born in Puerto Rico successfully hijacks an
American Airlines
Boeing 747
from New York to Cuba; the plane was bound for San Juan.
[48]
- October 29
A man, his two sons, and a third youth hijack an
Eastern Air Lines
jet from
Houston
to Havana. They kill a ticket agent during seizure of plane.
[48]
- November 27
Three members of the group
Republic of New Afrika
who had murdered a New Mexico State Policeman on November 8 hijacked
TWA Flight 106
, a Boeing 727, from
Albuquerque
to Havana. Passengers were released in Tampa.
[49]
[50]
1972
[
edit
]
- January 7, 1972
A man and a woman hijack a 727 from San Francisco to Cuba.
[48]
- March 7
Two men force their way aboard a Chalk's Flying Service Grumman 73 (G/A) in Miami, Florida, wounding the pilot, a mechanic, and a bystander. They hijack the plane to Cuba.
[48]
- March 19
A man and a woman successfully hijack a
Cessna 206
from Key West to Cuba.
[48]
- May 4?6
Michael Hansen hijacks a Boeing 737 flight from
Salt Lake City
to Los Angeles; he wants to go to
Hanoi
or Cuba; he goes to Cuba.
[48]
- October 29
Four men force their way aboard an aircraft. They kill a ticket agent, wound a ramp serviceman, and hijack a plane to Cuba.
[48]
- November 10
Melvin C. Cale, Louis Cale, and Henry D. Jackson, Jr. successfully hijack
Southern Airways Flight 49
from
Birmingham
to multiple locations in the United States, including
Cleveland, Ohio
,
Knoxville, Tennessee
, and
Chattanooga, Tennessee
;
Toronto
,
Canada
, and finally to Cuba with $2 million in ransom (actual cash, Presidential "grant" totaled $10 million) and 10 parachutes. Co-pilot Harold is shot and wounded by the hijackers; they threaten to crash the plane into one of the
Oak Ridge
nuclear installations; at
McCoy Air Force Base
, in
Orlando
, the
FBI
shoots out two tires; the hijackers force pilot William Haas to take off; the
DC-9
finally lands on a (partially) foam-covered runway in Havana; Jackson and Louis Cale are sentenced in Cuba to 20 years, Melvin Cale to 15 years,
[48]
then returned to the United States to face further charges.
[51]
This incident leads to a brief treaty between the U.S. and Cuba to extradite hijackers, not renewed. Haas's story commemorated in the Reader's Digest book
People in Peril
[52]
1974
[
edit
]
- December 14, 1974
Robin Harrison charters a plane by phone. On arrival at the airport office in Tampa, he points gun at the pilot of a
Piper Seneca
and demands a flight to Cuba.
[48]
1978
[
edit
]
- March 13, 1978
Hijacker Clay Thomas hijacked
United Flight 696
out of San Francisco. He claimed to have a high explosive filled pipe bomb and wanted to go to Cuba. Flight 696 landed at Oakland and after the passengers and cabin crew disembarked, began fueling for the flight to Cuba. Surrounded by police cars, Thomas panicked, stopped the refueling, and forced the crew to take off.
- En route, Flight 696 landed in Denver to take on more fuel. While waiting for the fuel truck, the crew escaped the cockpit by jumping from the open cockpit windows. Without hostages, Thomas quickly surrendered to the FBI.
- The Seattle-based crew, which included Captain Alan Grout, First Officer Jack Bard, and Second Officer Luke Warfield were all injured during the escape. They subsequently recovered and returned to flight duty during the following months.
1979
[
edit
]
- June 12, 1979
Delta Air Lines Flight 1061
, an L-1011 piloted by Captain Vince Doda, is hijacked by Eduardo Guerra Jimenez, a former Cuban air force pilot who had hijacked a MIG jet to the United States 10 years earlier.
[48]
[53]
1980s
[
edit
]
- January 25, 1980
A
Delta Air Lines
with 65 passengers and crew members is hijacked to Cuba.
[54]
[55]
- September 13, 1980
A
Delta Air Lines
from
New Orleans
, bound for Atlanta, is hijacked. The pilot (William Borchert) flew to Havana, the hijackers were removed from the plane and the flight, with 81 passengers, continued to Atlanta.
[56]
- March 27, 1984
William Potts hijacked a
Piedmont Airlines
flight originally destined to leave from Newark, N.J. and to land in Miami, Florida. Potts identified himself as Lt. Spartacus of the Black Liberation Army and forced the pilot to fly to Havana, Cuba, claiming to have explosives on the airplane. Cuban officials arrested Potts, who then served 13 years in a Cuban prison for air piracy.
[57]
- December 31, 1984
An American Airlines DC-10 from
Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
(STX) bound for New York City (JFK) is hijacked to Havana. The hijacker (Ismail La Beet), a convicted perpetrator of the
Fountain Valley massacre
, was confirmed to be living at large in Cuba following an indeterminate amount of time spent in a Cuban prison. A documentary about him,
The Skyjacker's Tale
, premiered at the
Toronto International Film Festival
in 2016.
- March 11, 1987
A Cubana de Aviacion
Antonov 24RV
(
CU-T1262
) on a scheduled domestic passenger flight from
Nueva Gerona
(
Rafael Cabrera Airport
), Cuba is hijacked. The hijacker was taken down and there was one fatality.
1990s
[
edit
]
- February 4, 1992
Luis Rodriguez hijacks a plane from Cuba with other eight people. The plane ran out of fuel and fell to the sea near the Florida keys. There were no survivors.
[9]
- November 15, 1993
Alvarez Manuel & Alvaro Dominguez flew a Russian-built AN-2 biplane on a four-hour, zig-zag course to confuse Cuban radar. Guided by a U.S. Coast Guard interceptor, he landed just before dawn at Opa-Locka Airport just north of Miami.
[9]
- June 7, 1996
Lieutenant Colonel
Jose Fernandez Pupo
hijacks a Cubana
An-2
with 10 passengers, flying from
Bayamo
to Santiago de Cuba, demanding at gunpoint to land in
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
. On May 29, 1997, he was declared not guilty by U.S. courts.
[9]
- July 26, 1996
Iberia Airlines Flight 6621 McDonnell-Douglas DC-10 flying from Madrid to Havana with 286 people aboard is forced to land in Miami by Lebanese National Saado Ibrahim, threatening the use of a bomb, later found to be fake. No one is injured.
[58]
- August 16, 1996
Commercial pilot Adel Given Ulloa and two other workers of Aerotaxi, Leonardo Reyes and Jose Roberto Bello, force pilot Adolfo Perez Pantoja to fly to the United States. The plane ran out of fuel in the
Florida Straits
and fell to the sea 50 km (30 miles) south of
Fort Myers
. They were collected by a Russian ship. The three were declared not guilty of hijacking by a court in Tampa. All remained in the U.S.
[9]
2000s
[
edit
]
- September 19, 2000
? An
Antonov An-2
crashes into the sea west of Cuba. Cuban authorities said the plane was hijacked after take-off from
Pinar del Rio
.
[59]
- July 31, 2001
? John Milo Reese steals a plane from
Florida Keys Marathon Airport
with the reported intention of delivering a pizza to
Fidel Castro
in an attempt to kidnap the Cuban leader. After crash-landing on a Cuban beach, he was returned to the United States, where he was convicted of transporting a stolen aircraft, and was sentenced to six months in jail. In a later interview, he admitted to being slightly intoxicated and having lost his bearings in the air.
[60]
- August 14, 2001
? An elderly couple attempts to hijack a plane and force the pilot to fly to Cuba. In the ensuing scuffle the plane crashed into the sea near Florida and the couple drowned.
[61]
- November 11, 2002
? A Cuban An-2 aircraft, registration No. CU-C1086, is hijacked. The plane landed at the
Pinar del Rio
airport before flying to Key West in Florida.
[62]
- March 19, 2003
? Six men, some armed with knives, take control of a Cuban state airline plane as it heads to Havana from Cuba's
Isle of Youth
.
U.S. Air Force
fighter jets intercepted the DC-3 plane, run by Cuban state airline Aerotaxi, shortly before it reached Florida late on Wednesday evening. The U.S. jets then escorted the plane to Key West's airport, where the suspects surrendered without incident.
[63]
- March 31, 2003
? A Cuban airliner is successfully hijacked to Key West with 32 people on board.
[64]
- April 1, 2003
? A man carrying two grenades hijacks a Cuban domestic airliner demanding that it fly to the United States; it landed in Havana due to insufficient fuel.
[65]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
Testing a rational choice model of airline hijackings
Study of data
Archived
August 22, 2006, at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
"Hijacking description"
. Aviation Safety Network
. Retrieved
September 1,
2009
.
- ^
United Press, "Plane Commandeered, Flown Out of Cuba",
The Washington Post and Times-Herald
, Washington, D.C., Monday April 14, 1958, Volume 81, Number 130, page A5
- ^
Hijacking description
at the
Aviation Safety Network
- ^
Hijacking description
at the
Aviation Safety Network
- ^
newspapers, McClatchy (November 19, 2008).
"Relatives claim passenger in 1958 plane crash off Cuba was a hijacker"
.
The Guardian
.
- ^
Hijacking description
at the
Aviation Safety Network
- ^
Hijacking description
at the
Aviation Safety Network
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
archive.org
. October 27, 2009
https://archive.today/20091027143627/http://www.geocities.com/urrib2000/Civ8-e.html
. Archived from
the original
on October 27, 2009.
- ^
Hijacking description
at the
Aviation Safety Network
- ^
Hijacking description
at the
Aviation Safety Network
- ^
"Accident description"
. Aviation Safety Network
. Retrieved
September 1,
2009
.
- ^
Hijacking description
at the
Aviation Safety Network
- ^
Hijacking description
at the
Aviation Safety Network
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Hijacking description
at the
Aviation Safety Network
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Hijacking description
at the
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Hijacking description
at the
Aviation Safety Network
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Hijacking description
at the
Aviation Safety Network
- ^
Hijacking description
at the
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- ^
Perez, Miguel (November 7, 1975).
"Hijacker: Cuba Suspected Spying"
.
The Miami Herald
. pp. 1B, 2B.
- ^
Hijacking description
at the
Aviation Safety Network
- ^
Hijacking description
at the
Aviation Safety Network
- ^
Hijacking description
at the
Aviation Safety Network
- ^
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED073315.pdf
[
bare URL PDF
]
- ^
Hijacking description for N70775
at the
Aviation Safety Network
- ^
Hijacking description
at the
Aviation Safety Network
- ^
Hijacking description
at the
Aviation Safety Network
- ^
Hijacking description
at the
Aviation Safety Network
- ^
Hijacking description
at the
Aviation Safety Network
- ^
Kraft, Chris
(March 2001).
Flight
. New York, NY: Dutton. pp.
238?9
.
ISBN
0525945717
.
- ^
Hijacking description for HK-757
at the
Aviation Safety Network
- ^
Hijacking description for HK-101
at the
Aviation Safety Network
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
j
k
l
m
n
o
p
q
r
s
t
u
v
w
x
y
z
aa
ab
ac
ad
ae
af
ag
ah
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aj
ak
al
am
an
ao
ap
aq
ar
as
at
au
av
aw
ax
ay
az
ba
bb
bc
bd
be
bf
bg
bh
bi
"Chronology of Incidents of Cuban Political Violence in the United States from Jan 1965 to Mar 1976"
.
- ^
Hijacking description for HK-136
at the
Aviation Safety Network
- ^
Hijacking description
at the
Aviation Safety Network
- ^
Hijacking description
at the
Aviation Safety Network
- ^
Hijacking description
at the
Aviation Safety Network
- ^
Hijacking description
at the
Aviation Safety Network
- ^
Hijacking description
at the
Aviation Safety Network
- ^
Hijacking description
at the
Aviation Safety Network
- ^
Hijacking description
at the
Aviation Safety Network
- ^
"Hijacking Conviction -- Aug 13, 1969 -- NBC -- TV news: Vanderbilt Television News Archive"
.
vanderbilt.edu
.
- ^
Hijacking description
at the
Aviation Safety Network
- ^
Hijacking description
at the
Aviation Safety Network
- ^
"You're NOT on 'Candid Camera': Allen Funt was on hijacked flight, passengers took it for a prank"
. October 2013.
- ^
Ratnikas, Algis.
"Timeline Cuba"
.
timelines.ws
.
- ^
N.C. hijacker who forced plane to Cuba dies at 59
The Associated Press
- ^
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b
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f
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k
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Cuban Political Violence in the United States
Disorders and terrorism, National Advisory Committee, on Criminal Justice Standards and Goals Washington: 1976. Report of the Task Force on Disorders and Terrorism Appendix 6: Chronology of incidents of terroristic, quasi-terroristic attacks, and political violence in the United States: January 1965 to March 1976 By Marcia McKnight Trick
- ^
Mahr, Ed; McCrossen, Eric (November 28, 1971).
"Trio sought in slaying seizes jetliner here"
.
Albuquerque Journal
. Retrieved
October 5,
2017
.
- ^
NYTimes (November 28, 1971),
"3 Slaying Suspects Hijack Airliner and Crew to Cuba"
, p. 83,
The New York Times
- ^
Time of Transition: The 70s, Our American Century, Time-Life Books, Alexandria, Virginia, p.134-5
- ^
Reader's Digest (author/publisher). (1983).
People in Peril and How They Survived. We're Taking Over This Plane and We're Not Gonna Have Any Heroes!
573 pages.
- ^
Ranter, Harro.
"ASN Aircraft accident Lockheed L-1011 TriStar registration unknown Havana"
.
aviation-safety.net
.
- ^
"Latest Cuba hijacking raises questions on airport security - CSMonitor.com"
.
The Christian Science Monitor
. January 28, 1980.
- ^
"Friday the Rabbi Got Hijacked"
. December 8, 2017.
- ^
Cuban Man Gets 10 Years for Hijacking
The Associated Press
- ^
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/william-potts-ex-militant-who-hijacked-airliner-returns-to-us-after-30-years-in-cuba/
CBS News
- ^
"Attempted hijackings in Cuba since 1987"
. Archived from
the original
on September 28, 2007
. Retrieved
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.
- ^
Cuban Plane Hijacked Aired September 19, 2000
CNN transcripts
- ^
http://www.keynoter.com/articles/2005/05/02/columns/col02.txt
Florida Keys Keynoter, Tuesday, April 26, 2005
[
dead link
]
- ^
Events Related To Cuba
Harpers Magazine
- ^
PERMANENT MISSION OF THE REPUBLIC OF CUBA TO THE UNITED NATIONS
Archived
August 29, 2005, at the
Wayback Machine
- ^
Cuba's sweep of dissidents intensifies with at least 55 detained
Archived
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Yahoo News
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Schelzig, Erik (April 2003).
"Man Who Hijacked Cuban Plane Surrenders"
.
Midland Daily News
.
- ^
"Cuban plane hijacking suspect held"
.
CNN
.
External links
[
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]
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