ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 747-206B PH-BUA Dubai Airport (DXB)
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Status:
Date:Sunday 25 November 1973
Type:Silhouette image of generic B742 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Boeing 747-206B
Operator:KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
Registration: PH-BUA
MSN: 19922/96
First flight: 1970-12-13 (3 years)
Crew:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 17
Passengers:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 247
Total:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 264
Aircraft damage: None
Location:Dubai Airport (DXB) (   United Arab Emirates)
Phase: En route (ENR)
Nature:International Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport:Beirut International Airport (BEY/OLBA), Lebanon
Destination airport:Delhi-Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL/VIDP), India
Flightnumber:KL861
Narrative:
KLM Flight 861 was a scheduled flight from Amsterdam (AMS) to Tokyo-Haneda (HND) with en route stops at Athens (ATH), Beirut (BEY) and Delhi (DEL). The airplane was en route over Iraq when it was hijacked by three passengers, claiming to be members of the Arab Youth Organization for the Liberation of Palestine. They forced the plane to land at Damascus (DAM) and an hour later demanded to be flow to Nicosia, Cyprus. At Nicosia they demanded the release of seven Palestine prisoners. When their demands were not met, the hijackers forced the crew to fly to Tripoli, Libya, where they wanted to surrender on the condition that they would be free to leave the country. This was not accepted by Libyan authorities. The main runway at Tripoli was blocked but the KLM crew managed to takeoff from the shorter runway and headed for Malta. After failed negotiations at Malta, the hijackers demanded to be flown to Baghdad.
Iraq refused to accept the plane, just like Kuwait and Qatar. Because the plane ran out of fuel, they were allowed to land in Dubai. After failed negotiations at Dubai, the hijackers wanted to be flown to Aden, Yemen. Authorities in Yemen refused the plane to land. After circling over Aden for an hour, the flight returned to Dubai. The hijackers finally surrendered when they were told that they could leave the country

Classification:
Hijack


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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 Beirut International Airport to Delhi-Indira Gandhi International Airport as the crow flies is 3948 km (2468 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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