Narrative:
The El Al Boeing 707 was on a flight from Tel Aviv to New York via Amsterdam. After takeoff from Schiphol, as the plane approached the English coast, two Palestinias, Leila Khaled and her accomplice attempted to hijack the plane. Brandishing gun, they moved towards the flight deck. The pilot then put the plane in a nose dive, throwing the two off their feet. In the scuffle that followed, the male hijacker threw a hand grenade down the aisle of the plane and was shot dead by an El Al sky marshal. Fortunately the grenade failed to explode. Khaled was overpowered and the pilot carried out an emergency landing at Heathrow.
| Status: | |
| Date: | Sunday 6 September 1970 |
| Type: |  Boeing 707-458 |
| Operator: | El Al Israel Airlines |
| Registration: | 4X-ATB |
| MSN: | 18071/216 |
| First flight: | 1961-06-03 (9 years 3 months) |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 10 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 138 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 148 |
| Aircraft damage: | None |
| Location: | London-Heathrow Airport (LHR) ( United Kingdom)
|
| Phase: | En route (ENR) |
| Nature: | International Scheduled Passenger |
| Departure airport: | Amsterdam-Schiphol International Airport (AMS/EHAM), Netherlands |
| New York-John F. Kennedy International Airport, NY (JFK/KJFK), United States of America | |
| Flightnumber: | LY219 |
The El Al Boeing 707 was on a flight from Tel Aviv to New York via Amsterdam. After takeoff from Schiphol, as the plane approached the English coast, two Palestinias, Leila Khaled and her accomplice attempted to hijack the plane. Brandishing gun, they moved towards the flight deck. The pilot then put the plane in a nose dive, throwing the two off their feet. In the scuffle that followed, the male hijacker threw a hand grenade down the aisle of the plane and was shot dead by an El Al sky marshal. Fortunately the grenade failed to explode. Khaled was overpowered and the pilot carried out an emergency landing at Heathrow.
Classification:
HijackSources:
» Aviation Week & Space Technology 14 Sept. 1970Photos
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Amsterdam-Schiphol International Airport to New York-John F. Kennedy International Airport, NY as the crow flies is 5805 km (3628 miles).
Distance from Amsterdam-Schiphol International Airport to New York-John F. Kennedy International Airport, NY as the crow flies is 5805 km (3628 miles).
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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