Share it now! When her dead body arrived in Mumbai, she looked fresh and beautiful because all her wounds were on her back.Had there been a VIP or a minister on our plane; all the lives would have been saved. The other four defendants convicted in connection with the hijacking remain in jail in Pakistan. Herhold: The heritage of a 24-year-old hijacking, Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Los Gatos: Hundreds still without power as Black Road repair project finishes early. Crash, 41 Celebrities Who Have Shared Their Miscarriage Stories, in the Hopes of Helping Others, See PEOPLE's Incredible 20-Year Journey Documenting the Children Whose Dads Died on 9/11, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Eventful Decade: From Their Royal Exit to Baby No. Nupoor and Madhvi slipped off the edge of the wing, fracturing bones as they hit the tarmac around 20 feet (6 metres) below. My friend was drenched in blood. Our tickets got confirmed at the last moment in Pan-Am Flight-73, which was headed to New York via Karachi and Frankfurt from . He made me wear a burkha and we stepped out as the security wasnt allowing me to step out. Those who were sitting straight got shot in the legs while others who had ducked got shot in the heads as their guns were pointed downwards. Students who switched tickets escaped the Pan Am Flight 103 bombing. T. M. George, 45, an auto parts store manager, was wounded in the back when he tried to shield his family from gunfire. The powerful emotions that stick in Gargi Davs heart and mind from the hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73 nearly a quarter-century ago mix the horrific with the unexpectedly kind, the blessing of survival with the resolve not to be victimized again. We were put up in a hotel. ", See a copy of the Sentencing Response Form, See a copy of the Victim Impact Statement Form, Read a copy of the handbook "Coping After Terrorism: Information for Victims and Survivors of Pan Am Flight #73 Hijacking, May 12-13, 2004 - A sentencing proceeding was held before Judge Sullivan, attended by more than 50 victims and family members, many of whom provided powerful and emotional statements during the two-day proceeding. Neerja may still be alive if she'd been cared for right away," says Sunshine. Sixteen-month-old Melissa Trahan, on stretcher, is rushed from the scene of the crash of Pan Am Flight 759 in Kenner, La. Her sister could get as much. The Abu Nidal Organisation (ANO) is a Palestinian militant group, now considered largely inactive. December 30, 2002 - Attorneys for defendant Safarini file a reply brief in support of their motion seeking to bar the death penalty against the defendant. "On occasion he would hold my hair, force my face to the window and ask what I could see on the tarmac. Grubbs was not among the survivors. Well, kind of, Video shows Memphis jailers beating Black inmate before his death, Skin lesion removed from President Bidens chest last month was cancerous, doctor says, Desperate mountain residents trapped by snow beg for help; We are coming, sheriff says, Newsom, IRS give Californians until October to file tax returns, Before and after photos from space show storms effect on California reservoirs, Latinx Files: In praise of Jenna Ortega, Aubrey Plaza and moody, deadpan Latinas. We were helpless, said Mary George, 37, of Norwalk. Under the U.S. federal claims settlement rules, lawyers are only able to retain 10 percent of any settlements. Elliott: Kings use their heads over hearts in trading Jonathan Quick, A $150,000 executive protection dog? But if they accede to the demands of the law firm, Crowell & Moring, to share the money with the 137 non-Americans in the case, the Davs estimate they would lose 90 percent of the money negotiated for them. He spoke to Witness about that terrible disaster. We landed on the wing. I realised I had survived. Today, the California sisters, along with several other passengers from Flight 73, are locked in a legal struggle with the law firm that represented them in the battle to win damages from the government of Libya, which funded the hijackers. And Davs attorney, Lee Boyd, says the law firm erred by not expressly including the possibility of a treaty in its Joint Prosecuting Agreement. May 9, 2003 - The government filed a motion for the court to reconsider its ruling barring the United States from Seeking the Death Penalty in this case. She was killed while helping passengers to escape through emergency exits when hijackers opened fire and set off explosives during the 16-hour ordeal. Pan Am Flight 73 was a Pan American World Airways flight from Bombay, India, to New York, United States with scheduled stops in Karachi, Pakistan and Frankfurt, West Germany.. On September 5, 1986, the Boeing 747-121 serving the flight was hijacked while on the ground at Karachi by four armed Palestinian men of the Abu Nidal Organization.The aircraft, with 360 passengers on board, had just . On that night, Dec. 8, 1963, Flight 214, a Pan American Airways Boeing 707, was returning to the U.S. from from San Juan, Puerto Rico. She hopes that, in speaking out, "we can all connect through our survival stories and form a fabric of power and strength going forward". Sherene, and another colleague Ranee Vaswani, were the last two hostages to leave the plane. The other was identified by the State Department on Monday as Surendra Manubhal Patel, 50, of Fullerton, a computer programmer who was returning home from a vacation with his two daughters. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! SARP, Aytel, Arlington. The letter also contained a handbook entitled "Coping After Terrorism: Information for Victims and Survivors of the Pan Am Flight #73 Hijacking. The Abu Nidal Organisation (ANO), which they were members of, was opposed to US and Israeli policy in the Middle East. Pity that she was shot at.". The flight attendants were supportive, smart and composed throughout. Though nearly everyone was paralyzed with fear, Neerja Bhanot wasted no time in trying to diffuse the situation. 2023 BBC. Her actions led to 359 of the 380 people on-board the plane managing to live through the ordeal. The motion will be argued on July 21, 2003. The pilot picked up on her second attempt and she relayed the hijack code. The $5 million reward is offered through the State Departments Rewards for Justice Program. Interim status hearing dates were set for February 18, 2004, and April 14, 2004. March 31, 2003 - Defense counsel filed reply briefs concerning motions filed on Feb 10, 2003. [17], One of the four, Jamal Saeed Abdul Rahim, was allegedly killed in a dr They were on Pan Am Flight 1736. Witness is a programme of the . The men entered the Boeing 747, firing shots into the air. Its always been an active case of ours, saidthe leadFBI agenton the case. Courtesy Gargi Dave -- A ten-year-old Gargi Dave, left, is kissed and comforted by her mother, Niru in the Aga Khan Hospital in Karachi, Pakistan. I was wondering if the Pan Am pilots are still living, or even the cabin crew. Maybe, it was a sign from God to avoid flying but somehow we managed to take the flight. In the past several weeks, the Indian and Indian-American victims of the Pan Am 73 flight have renewed their efforts in both Washington and New Delhi, pushing the two governments to get them the . Her husband, Sadanand Singh, said she was killed when she threw herself in front of her son and daughter. The report of the Lockerbie Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI), which was held at Dumfries in Scotland from October 1990 to February 1991, explained how Pan Am Flight 103 was sabotaged. The great eye opener though was the compassion shown by Pakistanis. On March 27, 1977, the most shocking and deadliest air disaster happened, changing the aviation world forever. An airhostess, who felt unwell, too lay down next to Trupti. n the afternoon of Dec. 21, 1988, Syracuse University student Matthew Trento walked into New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, ready to make what he thought would be a routine connection between a Pan Am flight and a Piedmont plane bound for Syracuse. It was a strange feeling. Now, a tangle of lawsuits over $150 million in compensation from Libya is pitting them against one another. I knew non-Americans could go to their own governments. See a copy of the superseding indictment. Towards the end, they were frustrated because they were looking for pilots and there were none.After a point when it was dark, this leader, I remember him being addressed as Mustafa, said his prayers in a high pitch. Then I was pushed gently from an exit and I landed on the tarmac. The case is being investigated by the Bureaus Washington Field Office. We were aware they took hold of Rajesh, a US national. 25th 1977, two 747's crashed into each other in. But I opted to carry a young lady, who was severely injured and sadly died in my arms. Although the hijackers had closed the doors and lowered the shutters earlier, the air conditioning and lights had been on. The pact the Bush administration signed with the Libyan government, which dismissed all other existing lawsuits, applied only to the American passengers on Flight 73, who were in a distinct minority. "The flight attendant smiled throughout the incident despite the fear surrounding her," Mitra said. Neerja Bhanot was working as a senior flight attendant for Pan American World Airways when tragedy struck on the morning of Sept. 5, 1986. Suresh GopalkrishnanProfession: Businessman, ChennaiAge: 55I was a carefree and free-spirited 23 year old boy, working with a German company, on my way to Paris. Pan Am flight 73 hijacking, takeover of a Pan American World Airways jet on September 5, 1986, by hijackers linked to the Ab Nil Organization. I knew we couldnt jump down from the high wing. Safarini was still on board when Pakistan's security forces entered the plane. "I may be biased but I feel that day proved that the flight attendants on board were some of the best in the industry.". Sunshine and Dilip were also on the wing, but in the darkness couldn't gauge the distance of the drop. Thirty-five students studying abroad with Syracuse University were struck down from the sky on Pan Am Flight 103 on December 21, 1988, along with 224 other passengers and eleven Lockerbie residents, victims of a terrorist bombing. (Karen T. Borchers/Mercury News). They made 300 passengers move to the front of the economy cabin. Maul, Hawaii. Hassan Abd Latif Safarini appeared in court Wednesday to begin the sentencing phase for his role as lead hijacker of Pan Am Flight 73. January 2008 - Pakistan reportedly released from jail the remaining four hijackers who had been convicted in 1988. In the chaos and darkness, at least three doors had been opened, though it is not clear by whom. When our flight landed in Karachi, the hijackers entered the aircraft wearing security guard uniforms. BY xms3200 - Sun Oct 30, 2005 9:04 am. New Delhi, UPDATED: Sep 5, 2017 17:13 IST. Tenerife killing approx. Joani and Jack sat in first . November 12, 2003 - A status conference was held before Judge Sullivan at which the parties announced that a plea agreement has been reached in the case. They climbed back in through the door they had come through, and along with Sherene and another colleague, assisted and redirected passengers to the inflated slide. She slid out the exit upside down. The answer: "We are Pan Am Flight 914 en route from New York to Miami, Florida, with a crew of 4 and 57 passengers on board." At this point, the control tower personnel were stunned in silence. Some of us, passengers and crew alike, are still struggling with the skeletons of the past, trying to fix the puzzle of incidents, sequences, people who were involved in the chains of events," says Nupoor. Trahan, dubbed the Miracle Baby of Pan Am Flight 759, was the sole survivor of the crash, sustaining no serious injuries. The crash killed all 146 other people aboard the plane, as well as eight Kenner residents, including Trahans mother and 4-year-old sister. When the survivors recall the deadly memory, their hearts start racing and their spines become chilled. A family from Karachi later got me clothes and shoes. On September 5, 1986, Pan Am flight 73, a Boeing 747, departed Mumbai for New York with scheduled stops in Karchi and Frankfurt. But a New York law firm is trying to wrest 90 percent of the settlement away from Dave and nine other survivors. It was his birthday and he was taking revenge. Khanjan Dalal, who survived the hijack of Pan Am Flight 73 in September 1986, has lauded Sonam Kapoor starrer "Neerja". The Sentencing Response Form should be submitted by February 12, 2004. Print. Another person who was on the wings jumped down and broke his legs. Like I say, there are many shades of gray here. On Pan Am 1736, seven of the 16-member flight crew, along with two company employees and 61 passengers, survived, although nine later died of their injuries. The two girls narrowly escaped a deadly fusillade. Meherjee Kharas, a 28-year-old Pan Am mechanic on board, was forced to make radio contact with negotiators outside. She went back to save the kids who were stuck inside and got shot from behind. Working hard and making money was on my mind until I went through this incident. Survivors that later died. Gargi Dave was among the survivors of a shootout aboard a jetliners hijacked by Pakistani terrorists. Pan Am Flight 816 was an international flight from Auckland, New Zealand, to San Francisco, California, via Tahiti, French Polynesia and Los Angeles.It was operated by a Pan Am Boeing 707-321B bearing the registration N417PA and named Clipper Winged Racer.On July 22, 1973, at 10:06 P.M. local time, the Boeing 707 took off from Faa'a International Airport in Papeete. On December 21, Pan Am 103 was beginning the second leg of its Frankfurt-London-New York-Detroit route. But, Pan Am Flight 214 . 'Flight 73' is a Non-fiction, based on the true events that had happened on 6th September, 1986 while Pan-Am Clipper 73 was hijacked on the ground in Karachi, Pakistan. The fundamental issue is whether the sisters are showing great courage in standing up to a big law firm for what should be theirs or whether they are, in essence, greedy. They let out a war cry," says Sunshine, "and began firing into the crowd. CORNELIUS, MRS. D., Woodland Hill, Calif. HALLDORSON, Raymond, Laguna Hills, Calif. JOHNSTON, Patricia, Newport Beach, Calif. McCULLOUGH, Gertrude, Santa Barbara, Calif. MITCHELL, Walter, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, MITCHELL, Evonne, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. Earlier Monday, Arun Athavale of Mission Viejo, a computer engineer, arrived here on an American Airlines plane and was met by his wife, Prati, and son, Agay, 4. No one aboard the KLM aircraft survived, and only 71 people escaped from the Pan Am wreckage. They turned and ran back through the plane--and some gunfire--to the other wing, where they were able to slide to safety. Mike Thexton, a passenger on the plane, describes the act in his book What Happened to The Hippy Man? I could see the terrorists walking up and down the aisle, trying to negotiate. List of Dead and Survivors on Pan American Plane, https://www.nytimes.com/1977/03/29/archives/list-of-dead-and-survivors-on-pan-american-plane.html. Neerja Bhanot was the only crew member to be awarded posthumous bravery awards by India and Pakistan, The Pakistani authorities released the leader of the hijackers, Zaid Hassan Abd Latif Safarini, in September 2001, but he was quickly recaptured by the US, Safarini is 12 years into his 160-year sentence in a US prison. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Column: Did the DOJ just say Donald Trump can be held accountable for Jan. 6? Now eight of them - led by Sunnyvale attorney Gargi Dave, who was 10 years old during the ordeal and is due a $3 million payment -are fighting a New York law firm's efforts to wrest away 90 percent of those settlements. 583 people. March 10, 2003 - Attorneys for both sides filed briefs in response to the motions and notices filed on February 10, 2003. Survivors condemn hijacker in Pan Am massacre . Their guns were on silent, so we didnt realise he was killed and thrown out. Over the next few hours on the upper deck, Safarini let his guard down several times, Sunshine says. Defendant Safarini will be held in prison pending trial. Passengerlist of the PamAm. On Mar. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. The air conditioner stopped, the lights went off. Get Morning Report and other email newsletters, Gargi Dave, at home in Sunnyvale, talks about her case on Tuesday, June 15, 2010. The FAI report concluded that Pan Am 103's 16 crew and 243 named passengers, including Bernt Wilmar Carlsson (born on 21 November 1938 and residing at Apartment 30, 207 West 106th Street, New York, New York 10025 . TORRECH . Gargi woke up three days later. He had grenades on him. Pan Am Flight 73 had just touched down in Karachi after departing from Mumbai, India, and was en route to Germany and then New York when the Palestinian gunmen commandeered it around 6:00 a.m. that fateful September day. When Gala was wheeled off the plane in Los Angeles, clutching her X-rays, her blue polyester slacks and a purple sweater showed the dirt and oil marks of her leap. During their interviews with the BBC, they stressed that there was no single hero that day, that crew members not interviewed played an equally important role, and that they want survivors of terror attacks like 9/11 and Paris to know that life goes on. Mike was made to sit on the floor, and like the other passengers, keep his hands above his head. "See a copy of the Government's Sentencing Memorandum, See a copy of the text of the prosecutors' allocution narrative during the sentencing proceeding, View the PowerPoint presentation shown by the prosecutors during the sentencing proceeding, Read the Government's press release concerning the sentencing, See a copy of the Transcript of Sentencing Proceeding - May 12, 2004, See a copy of the Transcript of Sentencing Proceeding - May 13, 2004, Week of July 5, 2004 - Defendant Safarini was transferred by the Bureau of Prisons to the Administrative Maximum facility in Florence, Colorado, also referred to as "SuperMax.". They were not aggressive as such but panic started after the power supply went off. I started running towards the terminus. Nearly 30 years after the hijack of Pan Am Flight 73 at Karachi airport, six of the plane's crew have spoken to the media for the first time. The shooting began when the hijackers fired in panic as the lights went out in the Boeing 747 on a runway in Karachi, Pakistan, on Friday. Philadelphia, flight attendant. One was naturalized citizen Rajesh Kumar, 29, of Huntington Beach. We had no choice but to follow the terrorists instructions. December 12, 2002 - The government files a notice of its intent to seek the death penalty against defendant Safarini, as well as a legal brief in response to defendant Safarini's motion seeking to bar the availability of the death penalty in this case. Sunshine called Dilip over to help, and the two carried Neerja to the emergency slide. After escaping out an emergency window, Gargi and her sister, Giatri, were badly injured when they fell from wing to ground. We were pushed to another compartment of the aircraft. Can religion save us from Artificial Intelligence? Jenny White's parents Bryan and Margaret were touring the United States, stopping off in New Orleans and preparing to fly to Las Vegas on July 9, 1982. She slid out upside down.". Outside, four gunmen had sped on to the tarmac in a van disguised as airport security. Also meeting the plane was Harshad Shah, 40, a Los Angeles bank employee, who had waited through the days of fear and uncertainty to learn what had happened to his wife, Raksha; his 65-year-old mother, Jasumati; his son, Pratik, 3, and his daughter, Jignisha, 13. We used to give up that position for a bit, or talk and whisper to each other. Please use portrait mode for best experience. The Pan Am 73 terrorist attack killed 20 passengers and crew and severely injured more than 100 of the 380 persons on board. I ran bare feet for almost two kilometres on the tarmac. Once they finally got to the hospital, the chaos continued, Sherene says. See a Message on the 25th Anniversary of the Hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73. Had they not, the terrorists would have taken the flight somewhere and blown up the aircraft. As the result of a 2008 pact between the Bush administration and the Libyan government of Moammar Gadhafi, Dav has received a payment of $3 million. Contact the Webmaster to submit comments. There were huge streaks of light breaking the darkness. Each of the men is on the FBIs Most Wanted Terrorists List. She was allowed to lie down. We had to wait on the tarmac for 45 minutes for a transport vehicle to carry my mothers coffin. When armed terrorists stormed the plane on the tarmac in Karachi, Pakistan, early on Sept. 5, 1986, Dav was 10 years old, flying with her 13-year-old sister from India to the United States. More than three decades after a bomb pierced the evening sky over Lockerbie, Scotland, the Syracuse University community carries on a tradition to honor the 35 study-abroad students killed on Pan Am Flight 103. The Dav sisters scampered over the top of the seats to find the emergency exit as the gunfire and grenades erupted. September 12, 2002 - Defendant Safarini is arraigned on the superseding indictment and pleads not guilty to each of the counts. A total of 112 survivors of Flight 73 had arrived in the United States late Sunday, landing at New York's Kennedy International Airport, where they were met by relatives, friends, reporters and . The victims were recognized for their extraordinary bravery during the September 5, 1986 terrorist hijacking of Pan Am . That didnt make sense to Gargi Dav, who read the law firms demands with a trained lawyers eye. He repeatedly led either Sunshine or Sherene at gunpoint up to the upper deck cockpit, using them as human shields while he peeked round them to have a look outside. He held the gun in one hand and with the other he gave me water. If you wish to contact the FBI case agent assigned to this matter, Special Agent Michael OCallaghan, any of the prosecutors handling this matter, Jennifer Levy, Gregg Maisel or Robert Bowman, or victim-witness advocate Yvonne Bryant you may do so at USADC.PanAm73@usdoj.gov. No matter how much time has passed or the obstacles we encounter,the case agent said, we owe it to the victims and their families to never give up on them.. She informed the pilots about the hijack and thats how the pilots could escape. PAN AM Flight 73 - Another Perspectiveby: Purnima Subhash Hardikar Va., flight attendant, THOMAS, Carol, New York, flight attendant, TORRECH, Miguel, New York, flight attendant. Flight attendant Sherene Pavan, who was out of sight of the militants, heard the commotion, reached for the intercom and pressed the emergency number to the cockpit. The hijacking of Flight 73 was a botched precursor to 9/11. When the airhostess were asked to collect our passports, she was smart enough to not collect the US passports. From there, she went to work as a volunteer lawyer for the Northern California ACLU. He showed so much grace in trouble, barring borders and perceptions. An official website of the United States government. The couple grabbed their daughters and ran to the exit, only to find themselves on a wing, 18 feet above the ground, without an escape chute. The next status hearing in the case is now scheduled for Monday May 19, 2003, at 2:00 p.m. Neerja Bhanot (7 September 1963 - 5 September 1986) was an Indian purser who died while saving passengers on Pan Am Flight 73 which had been hijacked by terrorists from a terrorist organization during a stopover in Karachi, Pakistan, on 5 September 1986, just two days before her 23rd birthday.Posthumously, she became and remains the youngest recipient of India's highest peacetime gallantry . At Tenerife's Los Rodeos Airport, a KLM 747 initiated takeoff without air traffic control clearance and smashed into a Pan Am 747 waiting on the runway, resulting in 583 fatalities. At least 29 other passengers, including 24 American citizens, were being treated at U.S. military hospitals in West Germany. Nupoor saw them shoot near the feet of a colleague, shouting at her to lock the door. On December 21, 1988, their 20-year-old daughter, Theodora, was one of 270 people killed in the terrorist bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. The Boeing 747, known as the Clipper Maid of the Seas, left London Heathrow with 243 passengers and 16 crew members, including 189 Americans. DE BEAULIEU, Francoise Colbert, New York ?? Victim impact statements should be submitted to the prosecution team by March 1, 2004. Safarini, mid-joke, caught her and immediately pointed the gun at her head. Basically, they would be taking away 90 percent of the money, she said. KERSHAW, Dorothea, Borrego Springs, Calif. TANEMURA, Roy, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. Nevertheless, Crowell & Mooring has insisted that the sharing provision applies. On September 5, 1986, Thexton boarded Pan Am Flight 73 in Karachi. Lynne Carol Hartunian , 21, Schenectady, N.Y. (SUNY Oswego) Anthony Lacey Hawkins , 57 . Aside from one sharp kick, he says, he was not physically mistreated and eventually escaped with others in the later chaos. There was gunfire. Calling the fight sad and disheartening, Newberger said the sharing clause was originally put in the agreement to stop infighting among the 178 plaintiffs.