 An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 720 similar to the incident aircraft | |
| Incident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 8 December 1972 |
| Summary | Attempted hijacking |
| Site | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 720-060B |
| Operator | Ethiopian Airlines |
| Flight origin | Haile Selassie I International Airport |
| 1st stopover | Asmara International Airport |
| 2nd stopover | Ellinikon International Airport |
| 3rd stopover | Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport |
| Destination | Charles de Gaulle Airport |
| Fatalities | 7 hijackers |
| Survivors | 87 |
Ethiopian Airlines Flight 708 was a Boeing 720-060B, due to operate an international scheduled Addis Ababa– Asmara– Athens– Rome– Paris passenger service, that experienced a hijacking attempt on 8 December 1972. [1] [2]
Summary
Minutes after departing from Haile Selassie I International Airport bound for Paris, when the aircraft was flying at some 29,000 feet (8,800 m), [2] seven members [nb 1] of the Eritrean Liberation Front stood up and tried to gain control of the plane. [1] Onboard security guards opened fire on the hijackers, killing six. During the firefight a hand grenade that was armed by one of the hijackers was rolled down the aisle by a passenger. [3] The grenade exploded in the rear part of the fuselage, some 6 inches (150 mm) off the plane's centreline, blowing a hole in the cabin floor and damaging or severing several controls of the aircraft, including those of throttle of two engines, of the rudder, and of the horizontal stabiliser. [2] [3] Despite this, the crew turned back the airplane to the airport of origin and managed to land it safely; [2] it sustained minor damages that were repaired later. The seventh hijacker died in hospital of their injuries [1]
See also
Footnotes
Notes
References
- ^ a b c d Hijacking description at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 30 July 2012.
- ^ a b c d "No decompression". Flight International: 754. 13 June 1974. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
- ^ a b c "Mid-air shooting". Flight International: 854. 14 December 1972. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
 | This article about an aviation accident is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 | This article relating to an African airline is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- Ethiopian Airlines accidents and incidents
- Terrorist incidents in Africa in 1972
- War crimes in the Ethiopian Civil War
- Aviation accidents and incidents in Ethiopia
- 1972 in Ethiopia
- December 1972 events in Africa
- Terrorist incidents in Ethiopia in the 1970s
- Aircraft hijackings in Africa
- Accidents and incidents involving the Boeing 707
- Eritrean War of Independence
- 1972 disasters in Ethiopia
- Eritrean war crimes
- 1970s in Addis Ababa
- Crime in Addis Ababa
- Aviation accident stubs
- African airline stubs
|
An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 720 similar to the incident aircraft | |
| Incident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 8 December 1972 |
| Summary | Attempted hijacking |
| Site | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 720-060B |
| Operator | Ethiopian Airlines |
| Flight origin | Haile Selassie I International Airport |
| 1st stopover | Asmara International Airport |
| 2nd stopover | Ellinikon International Airport |
| 3rd stopover | Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport |
| Destination | Charles de Gaulle Airport |
| Fatalities | 7 hijackers |
| Survivors | 87 |
Ethiopian Airlines Flight 708 was a Boeing 720-060B, due to operate an international scheduled Addis Ababa– Asmara– Athens– Rome– Paris passenger service, that experienced a hijacking attempt on 8 December 1972. [1] [2]
Summary
Minutes after departing from Haile Selassie I International Airport bound for Paris, when the aircraft was flying at some 29,000 feet (8,800 m), [2] seven members [nb 1] of the Eritrean Liberation Front stood up and tried to gain control of the plane. [1] Onboard security guards opened fire on the hijackers, killing six. During the firefight a hand grenade that was armed by one of the hijackers was rolled down the aisle by a passenger. [3] The grenade exploded in the rear part of the fuselage, some 6 inches (150 mm) off the plane's centreline, blowing a hole in the cabin floor and damaging or severing several controls of the aircraft, including those of throttle of two engines, of the rudder, and of the horizontal stabiliser. [2] [3] Despite this, the crew turned back the airplane to the airport of origin and managed to land it safely; [2] it sustained minor damages that were repaired later. The seventh hijacker died in hospital of their injuries [1]
See also
Footnotes
Notes
References
- ^ a b c d Hijacking description at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 30 July 2012.
- ^ a b c d "No decompression". Flight International: 754. 13 June 1974. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
- ^ a b c "Mid-air shooting". Flight International: 854. 14 December 1972. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
|
| This article about an aviation accident is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
|
| This article relating to an African airline is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- Ethiopian Airlines accidents and incidents
- Terrorist incidents in Africa in 1972
- War crimes in the Ethiopian Civil War
- Aviation accidents and incidents in Ethiopia
- 1972 in Ethiopia
- December 1972 events in Africa
- Terrorist incidents in Ethiopia in the 1970s
- Aircraft hijackings in Africa
- Accidents and incidents involving the Boeing 707
- Eritrean War of Independence
- 1972 disasters in Ethiopia
- Eritrean war crimes
- 1970s in Addis Ababa
- Crime in Addis Ababa
- Aviation accident stubs
- African airline stubs