Narrative:
CityFlyer Express flight 8106 was hijacked while en route to London's Gatwick Airport from Zurich, Switzerland. The hijacking occurred as the plane, a BAe-146 aircraft, was preparing for descent into Gatwick. The hijacker, armed with a large pair of scissors, grabbed a flight attendant by the hair and placed the scissors blades to her throat. He apparently was distraught over having failed earlier to obtain political asylum in Britain. He claimed to have a bomb concealed in a "Walkman"-type cassette tape player and threatened to detonate it if not granted asylum. During the planes descent, the pilot left the cockpit, convinced the man to release the flight attendant, and calmed him. The plane made an emergency landing at Gatwick and proceeded to a remote area of the airport, where authorities arrested the hijacker. None of the flights 95 passengers or six crew members was injured.
| Status: | |
| Date: | Monday 17 July 2000 |
| Type: |  Avro RJ100 |
| Operator: | CityFlyer Express |
| Registration: | registration unknown |
| MSN: | |
| First flight: | |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 6 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 95 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 101 |
| Aircraft damage: | None |
| Location: | London-Gatwick Airport (LGW) ( United Kingdom)
|
| Phase: | Unknown (UNK) |
| Nature: | International Scheduled Passenger |
| Departure airport: | Zürich-Kloten Airport (ZRH/LSZH), Switzerland |
| London-Gatwick Airport (LGW/EGKK), United Kingdom | |
| Flightnumber: | CJ8106 |
CityFlyer Express flight 8106 was hijacked while en route to London's Gatwick Airport from Zurich, Switzerland. The hijacking occurred as the plane, a BAe-146 aircraft, was preparing for descent into Gatwick. The hijacker, armed with a large pair of scissors, grabbed a flight attendant by the hair and placed the scissors blades to her throat. He apparently was distraught over having failed earlier to obtain political asylum in Britain. He claimed to have a bomb concealed in a "Walkman"-type cassette tape player and threatened to detonate it if not granted asylum. During the planes descent, the pilot left the cockpit, convinced the man to release the flight attendant, and calmed him. The plane made an emergency landing at Gatwick and proceeded to a remote area of the airport, where authorities arrested the hijacker. None of the flights 95 passengers or six crew members was injured.
Classification:
HijackSources:
» Criminal Acts Against Civil Aviation 2000 / FAA, Office of Civil Aviation SecurityPhotos
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 Zürich-Kloten Airport to London-Gatwick Airport as the crow flies is 748 km (468 miles).
Distance from Zürich-Kloten Airport to London-Gatwick Airport as the crow flies is 748 km (468 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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