Narrative:A hijacker went to the front of the aircraft, said he wanted to see the captain, that he wanted to be flown to Cuba, and that a bomb would go off in 2 hours. He kicked the cockpit door and the crew opened it thinking it was a stewardess bringing food.
He grabbed and pushed the flight engineer with one hand, keeping the other in his pocket as though he had a weapon. During the
flight to Cuba, he indicated he was a pilot and that he had a gun in his pocket. After landing at Havana, Cuba, the Cubans found a
pocketknife in the hijacker's jacket. No bomb or other weapon was found. He was taken into custody by Cuban authorities.
Classification:
Hijack
Sources:
»
Youngstown Vindicator - Jun 12, 1979
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 New York-John F. Kennedy International Airport, NY to Fort Lauderdale International Airport, FL as the crow flies is 1711 km (1070 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.