TWA Flight 840 (1969)

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**TWA Flight 840**
Summary
Date	August 29, 1969
Type	Hijacking
Site	Greek airspace
Passengers	120
Crew	7
Injuries	0
Survivors	127
Aircraft type	Boeing 707-300
Operator	Trans World Airlines
Tail number	N776TW
Flight origin	Leonardo Da Vinci International Airport
Stopover	Athens (Ellinikon) International Airport
Destination	Ben Gurion International Airport

In August 1969, leaders in the Palestinian left-wing organization PFLP learned that Yitzak Rabin, the Israeli Ambassador to the United States was scheduled to be aboard the Rome -Athens-Tel Aviv flight. Two operatives, Leila Khaled and Salim Issawi hijacked the plane. The operation was successful, although Rabin was not aboard. The hijackers demanded that the pilot land in Damascus. The hostages were released and no one was injured, although the nose section of the plane, a Boeing 707, was blown up. Boeing fitted the nose section from 707-465 G-ARWE to the aircraft.^[1] This aircraft had been destroyed by fire in an accident at Heathrow on 8 April 1968, but the nose section was salvagable. The aircraft was reregistered N28714 and returned to service. It was sold to Pan Am and reregistered N706PA, and flew for several years afterwards.^[2]

[edit] Nationalities

Nationality	Passengers	Crew	Total
Greece	25	0	25
Israel	50	0	50
Italy	75	0	75
United Kingdom	2	0	2
United States	113	7	120
Total	120	7	127

[edit] References

^ O'Brien, Tim (June 2008). "The Last Flight of Whiskey Echo". Aeroplane Vol 36, No 6 (422): p30-35. ISSN 0143-7240.
^ TRANS WORLD AIRLINES. Aeromoe. Retrieved on 2008-05-15.