Narrative:About 15 minutes before the scheduled landing at Düsseldorf, a passenger walked up to the front of the plane and asked whether the plane was in German air space. Claiming to have a gun and a trigger mechanism for an explosive device, the man then demanded to be taken to the United Kingdom. Because the flight did not have enough fuel, the hijacker agreed on a landing at Düsseldorf. The passengers deplaned normally as they were probably not aware of the incident. The hijacker deplaned after all the other passengers and was apprehended by police.
Classification:
Hijack
Sources:
» Criminal Acts Against Civil Aviation 1999 / FAA, Office of Civil Aviation Security
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 Praha-Ruzyne International Airport to Düsseldorf Airport as the crow flies is 540 km (337 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.