Aircraft hijacking is the unlawful seizure of an aircraft by an individual or a group. Dating from the earliest of hijackings,most cases involve the pilot being forced to fly according to the hijacker's demands. There have also been incidents where the hijackers have overpowered the flight crew,made unauthorized entry into the cockpit and flown them into buildings –most notably in the September 11 attacks –and in some cases,planes have been hijacked by the official pilot or co-pilot,such as with Ethiopian Airlines Flight 702.
Trans World Airlines (TWA) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1930 until it was acquired by American Airlines in 2001. It was formed as Transcontinental &Western Air to operate a route from New York City to Los Angeles via St. Louis,Kansas City,and other stops,with Ford Trimotors. With American,United,and Eastern,it was one of the "Big Four" domestic airlines in the United States formed by the Spoils Conference of 1930.
This is a list of aviation-related events from 1985.
Boise Airport is a joint civil-military airport in the western United States in Idaho,three miles (5 km) south of downtown Boise in Ada County. The airport is operated by the city of Boise Department of Aviation,overseen by an airport commission. The busiest airport in the state,it serves more passengers than all other Idaho airports combined and roughly ten times as many passengers as the next busiest airport at Idaho Falls.
Robert Dean Stethem was a United States Navy Seabee diver who was murdered by Hezbollah members during the hijacking of the commercial airliner he was aboard,TWA Flight 847. At the time of his death,his Navy rating was Steelworker Second Class (SW2). He was posthumously promoted to Master Chief Constructionman (CUCM).
TWA Flight 847 was a regularly scheduled Trans World Airlines flight from Cairo to San Diego with en route stops in Athens,Rome,Boston,and Los Angeles. On the morning of June 14,1985,Flight 847 was hijacked soon after take off from Athens. The hijackers demanded the release of 700 Shia Muslims from Israeli custody and took the plane repeatedly to Beirut and Algiers. Later Western analysis considered them members of the Hezbollah group,an allegation Hezbollah rejects.
Ali Atwa was a Lebanese national and member of the Islamist organization Hezbollah. Atwa was also known as Ammar Mansour Bouslim and Hassan Rostom Salim.
Uli Derickson was a German American flight attendant best known for her role in helping protect 152 passengers and crew members during the June 14,1985,hijacking of TWA Flight 847 by militants with alleged links to Hezbollah.
The Delta Force is a 1986 American action film starring Chuck Norris and Lee Marvin as leaders of an elite group of Special Operations Forces personnel based on the real life U.S. Army Delta Force unit. Directed,co-written and co-produced by Menahem Golan,the film features Martin Balsam,Joey Bishop,Robert Vaughn,Steve James,Robert Forster,Shelley Winters and George Kennedy. It is the first installment in The Delta Force film series. Two sequels were produced,entitled Delta Force 2:The Colombian Connection and the direct-to-video Delta Force 3:The Killing Game. The Delta Force was "inspired" by the hijacking of TWA Flight 847.
Abraham Paul Wendkos was an American television and film director.
Mohammed Ali Hamadei,also known as Mohammed Ali Hamadi is a Lebanese terrorist who is on the FBI's Most Wanted Terrorists list,being most notable for being the lead hijacker in the TWA Flight 847 hijacking. An alleged member of Hezbollah,he was convicted in a West German court of law of air piracy,murder,and possession of explosives for his part in the 14 June 1985 hijacking of TWA Flight 847.
TWA Flight 840 was a Trans World Airlines flight from Leonardo da Vinci International Airport in Rome,Italy,to Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv,Israel,that was hijacked on 29 August 1969. There were no fatalities although at least two passengers were lightly wounded and the aircraft was significantly damaged. Two hostages were held for two months.
The Taking of Flight 847:The Uli Derickson Story is a 1988 American made-for-television drama film based on the actual hijacking of TWA Flight 847 as seen through the eyes of flight purser Uli Derickson,the chief flight attendant. Derickson herself acted as a consultant for the film. The film was directed by Paul Wendkos and showcases the first 48 hours of the hijacking until Derickson's liberation. The film premiered on NBC on May 2,1988.
The 1983–1988 Kuwait terror attacks were various pro-Iran terror attacks during the Iran–Iraq War. 25 people were killed and more than 175 people were wounded. Following the attacks,Kuwait's economy significantly suffered.
Garrett Brock Trapnell was a con man,bank robber,and aircraft hijacker of the 1960s and early 1970s. Trapnell robbed a string of banks in Canada,frequently posed as an agent of the Central Intelligence Agency,masterminded a $100,000 jewelry store heist in Freeport,Bahamas,and simultaneously maintained marriages with at least six women. When arrested for his crimes,he frequently feigned madness and successfully used the insanity defense to be committed to mental institutions,from which he would later escape or be released on the grounds that he was no longer dangerous. While serving life imprisonment for the hijacking of a passenger airliner in 1972,he was the subject of a book,The Fox Is Crazy Too,written by journalist Eliot Asinof.
Kuwait Airways Flight 422 was a Boeing 747 jumbo jet hijacked en route from Bangkok,Thailand,to Kuwait City,Kuwait on 5 April 1988,leading to a hostage crisis that lasted 16 days and encompassed three continents. The hijacking was carried out by several Lebanese guerillas who demanded the release of 17 Shi'ite Muslim prisoners being held by Kuwait for their role in the 1983 Kuwait bombings. During the incident the flight,initially forced to land in Iran,traveled 3,200 mi (5,100 km) from Mashhad in northeastern Iran to Larnaca,Cyprus,and finally to Algiers.
TWA Flight 541 was a domestic passenger flight hijacked in the United States by Robin Oswald in an attempt to free Garrett Brock Trapnell,who was a prisoner at the United States Penitentiary,Marion. The hijacking was successfully resolved when a Federal Bureau of Investigation (F.B.I.) negotiating team had her release the passengers and then surrender.
Saeed Abedini is an Iranian American Christian pastor who was imprisoned in Iran in 2012 based on allegations that he compromised national security. During his imprisonment,Abedini became internationally known as a victim of religious persecution. Following international pressure,along with other American prisoners,Abedini was released from prison on 16 January 2016.
United States 
United States Air Force