ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727-231 N64339 Beirut International Airport (BEY)
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Status:
Date:Friday 14 June 1985
Type:Silhouette image of generic B722 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Boeing 727-231
Operator:Trans World Airlines - TWA
Registration: N64339
MSN: 20844/1065
First flight: 1974-08-27 (10 years 10 months)
Engines: 3 Pratt & Whitney JT8D-9A
Crew:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 8
Passengers:Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 145
Total:Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 153
Aircraft damage: Unknown
Location:Beirut International Airport (BEY) (   Lebanon)
Phase: En route (ENR)
Nature:International Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport:Athens-Ellinikon International Airport (ATH/LGAT), Greece
Destination airport:Roma-Fiumicino Airport (FCO/LIRF), Italy
Flightnumber:TW847
Narrative:
A Trans World Airlines Boeing 727 with 145 passengers and 8 crew members aboard was hijacked by two Shiite Lebanese men armed with a pistol and two hand grenades. The flight was en route from Athens, Greece to Rome, Italy when the hijackers forced their way into the cockpit, beat the first officer and flight
engineer, and ordered the captain to fly to Algiers, Algeria. When told by the captain that the aircraft did not have sufficient to fly to Algiers, the hijackers then changed their destination to Beirut, Lebanon. They demanded the release of over 700 Shiite prisoners held by Israel and others. From the period of June 14 through June 26 a total of 111 passengers and 5 flight attendants were released at various times during the three landings at Beirut and two landings at Algiers. One U.S. military passenger was shot and killed on the second landing at Beirut. Additional Shiites joined the original two hijackers ordering the captain to fly to Algiers a second time. During this landing, a third member of the original team who failed to get on the aircraft in Athens joined the group. On June 30, 1985 the remaining 36 passengers and 3 crew members were released in Damascus, Syria. The aircraft was held by Lebanese authorities in Beirut until August 16, 1985.

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 Athens-Ellinikon International Airport to Roma-Fiumicino Airport as the crow flies is 1063 km (665 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.

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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