Ethiopian Airlines Flight 708 was a Boeing 720-060B, due to operate an international scheduled Addis Ababa–Asmara–Athens–Rome–Paris passenger service, that experienced a hijacking attempt on 8 December 1972.[1][2]
 An Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 720 similar to the incident aircraft | |
| Incident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 8 December 1972 |
| Summary | Attempted hijacking |
| Site | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 720-060B |
| Operator | Ethiopian Airlines |
| Flight origin | Haile Selassie I International Airport |
| 1st stopover | Asmara International Airport |
| 2nd stopover | Ellinikon International Airport |
| 3rd stopover | Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport |
| Destination | Charles de Gaulle Airport |
| Fatalities | 7 hijackers |
| Survivors | 87 |
Summary
editMinutes after departing from Haile Selassie I International Airport bound for Paris, when the aircraft was flying at some 29,000 feet (8,800 m),[2] seven members[nb 1] of the Eritrean Liberation Front stood up and tried to gain control of the plane.[1] Onboard security guards opened fire on the hijackers, killing six. During the firefight a hand grenade that was armed by one of the hijackers was rolled down the aisle by a passenger.[3] The grenade exploded in the rear part of the fuselage, some 6 inches (150 mm) off the plane's centreline, blowing a hole in the cabin floor and damaging or severing several controls of the aircraft, including those of throttle of two engines, of the rudder, and of the horizontal stabiliser.[2][3] Despite this, the crew turned back the airplane to the airport of origin and managed to land it safely;[2] it sustained minor damages that were repaired later. The seventh hijacker died in hospital of their injuries.[1]
See also
editFootnotes
editNotes
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d Hijacking description at the Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved on 30 July 2012.
- ^ a b c d "No decompression". Flight International: 754. 13 June 1974. Archived from the original on 7 April 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
- ^ a b c "Mid-air shooting". Flight International: 854. 14 December 1972. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
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