Narrative:
A Kuwait Airways Boeing 707 was parked at Beirut Airport, Lebanon when 12 hijackers rode up to the aircraft in an automobile. They were firing their submachine guns and boarded the airplane. They demanded the release of Musa al-Sadr, a Lebanese-Iranian philosopher and Shi'a religious leader, who disappeared while on a trip to Libya in August, 1978. They also made other demands related to the return of their leader, and called attention to his disappearance.
They demanded fuel so the aircraft could be flown to Iran but Iran officials made it known that they would not allow the aircraft to land in Iran. Or at least two occasions, they fired their weapons at the control tower. Negotiations continued for about nine hours. After they reportedly were told that an international delegation would press for a United Nations Inquiry into the disappearance, they came off the plane, with eight passengers as hostages, and they surrendered. The hostages were released later.
| Status: | |
| Date: | Wednesday 24 February 1982 |
| Type: |  Boeing 707-300 |
| Operator: | Kuwait Airways |
| Registration: | registration unknown |
| MSN: | |
| First flight: | |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: |
| Total: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 105 |
| Aircraft damage: | None |
| Location: | Beirut International Airport (BEY) ( Lebanon)
|
| Phase: | Standing (STD) |
| Nature: | International Scheduled Passenger |
| Departure airport: | Beirut International Airport (BEY/OLBA), Lebanon |
| Kuwait International Airport (KWI/OKBK), Kuwait |
A Kuwait Airways Boeing 707 was parked at Beirut Airport, Lebanon when 12 hijackers rode up to the aircraft in an automobile. They were firing their submachine guns and boarded the airplane. They demanded the release of Musa al-Sadr, a Lebanese-Iranian philosopher and Shi'a religious leader, who disappeared while on a trip to Libya in August, 1978. They also made other demands related to the return of their leader, and called attention to his disappearance.
They demanded fuel so the aircraft could be flown to Iran but Iran officials made it known that they would not allow the aircraft to land in Iran. Or at least two occasions, they fired their weapons at the control tower. Negotiations continued for about nine hours. After they reportedly were told that an international delegation would press for a United Nations Inquiry into the disappearance, they came off the plane, with eight passengers as hostages, and they surrendered. The hostages were released later.
Classification:
HijackPhotos
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 Kuwait International Airport as the crow flies is 1279 km (799 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.
Distance from Beirut International Airport to Kuwait International Airport as the crow flies is 1279 km (799 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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