Narrative:An Airbus A330-323X passenger jet, registered N820NW, was involved in a failed attempt to blow-up the aircraft. Northwest Airlines flight NW253 from Amsterdam-Schiphol International Airport (AMS/EHAM) was approaching the destination Detroit-Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, MI (DTW/KDTW) when a passenger attempted to ignite some kind of incendiary device. The man, a 23 year old Nigerian national, had explosive powder taped to his leg and used a syringe of chemicals to mix with the powder that was to cause an explosion. A small fire erupted, but this was put out using a fire extinguisher.
The passenger was immediately subdued. He was arrested by authorities after safely landing at Detroit.
Classification:
Sabotage
Sources:
» Detroit airliner incident 'was failed bomb attack' (BBC News, 26-12-2009)
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 Amsterdam-Schiphol International Airport to Detroit-Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, MI as the crow flies is 6277 km (3923 miles).
Accident location: Global; accuracy within tens or hundreds of 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.