Narrative:Malev Flight 640 was being prepared for departure from Prague, Czechoslovakia for a flight to Amsterdam, the Netherlands, when two Czechoslovak teenagers entered the airplane. The youths were armed with a sawed-off carbine, a sawed-off shotgun and a box of ammunition.
The Hungarian Consul in Prague negotiated the release of 100 passengers and in exchange, remained on board the aircraft as a hostage with the remaining passengers and crew. The hijackers initially demanded to be flown to the United States. They surrendered after the aircraft landed at Frankfurt International Airport, Germany.
Classification:
Hijack
Sources:
» E-mail Ivan Rado, 12-2-2007
» De Telegraaf 30-03-1989
» Criminal Acts against Civil Aviation: 1989 / FAA
Photos
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 Praha-Ruzyne International Airport to Amsterdam-Schiphol International Airport as the crow flies is 700 km (437 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.