| Date: | Friday 7 April 1972 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Boeing 727-22C |
| Owner/operator: | United Airlines |
| Registration: | N7426U |
| MSN: | 19201/421 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 91 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | None |
| Category: | Unlawful Interference |
| Location: | San Francisco International Airport, CA (SFO) -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Denver-Stapleton International Airport, CO (DEN/KDEN) |
| Los Angeles International Airport, CA (LAX/KLAX) | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
United Airlines flight 885 was hijacked over Colorado, USA and forced to land at San Francisco, California. The hijacker carried two guns, a grenade and plastic explosives. He allowed the passengers to leave after the airline paid a ransom of $500,000.
The aircraft then took off again. While over Provo, Utah, the hijacker bailed out with a parachute.
Several days later the FBI recovered most of the ransom from the hijacker's house. The hijacker was captured and sentenced to 45 years in prison for air piracy. He escaped in October 1974, but was killed when resisting capture.
Sources:
Desert Sun, 10 April 1972
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_McCoy_Jr.
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 30-Nov-2024 07:43 | ASN | Updated [Aircraft type, Registration, Cn, Source, ] |
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