The aircraft involved in the hijacking, while operating for Northwest Airlines in 2009 | |
Hijack | |
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Date | March 17, 1970 |
Summary | Aircraft hijacking |
Site | Boston-Logan International Airport, MA, USA |
Aircraft | |
Aircraft type | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 |
Operator | Eastern Air Lines |
Registration | N8925E |
Flight origin | Newark Liberty International Airport, Newark NJ |
Destination | Logan International Airport, Boston, MA |
Passengers | 68 |
Crew | 5 |
Fatalities | 1 |
Injuries | 2 |
Survivors | 72 |
Eastern Air Lines Shuttle Flight 1320, carrying passengers from Newark to Boston, was hijacked around 7:30 p.m. on March 17, 1970, by John J. Divivo who was armed with a .38 caliber revolver. Captain Robert Wilbur Jr., 35, a former United States Air Force pilot who had been promoted to captain six months prior was confronted by Divio, who ordered him to fly east and alert him when the plane was going to run out of fuel. But something startled the suicidal hijacker, who shot Wilbur in the arms. Despite his wounds and his copilot being shot and unconscious, Wilbur safely landed his aircraft while talking to air traffic control, telling them his copilot was shot and needed emergency services.
Wilbur: We're on 3100 and you better get the police at the airport. The copilot is shot. Get us in a hurry BOS.
Boston ATC: 1320, I gotcha, continue right inbound to the airport. You're 13 miles east, indent on code 04.
Wilbur: Ok, get-get an ambulance to the airport also. My copilot is discombobulated. He can't talk or anything. He's passed out. We've been shot.
His copilot, James Hartley, 30, was shot and collapsed. Despite being mortally wounded, Hartley was able to force the gun from Divivo's hand and shoot the would-be hijacker three times before lapsing into unconsciousness, and eventual death. Despite his injuries, Divivo arose and began clawing at Captain Wilbur, attempting to force a crash. Wilbur hit Divivo over the head with the gun he had retrieved from the center console. The pilot was able to land the plane safely at Logan International Airport, and the hijacker was arrested. On October 31, 1970, Divivo hanged himself in Charles Street Jail while awaiting trial.
The incident was the first aircraft hijacking in the United States to end with a fatality.
See also
- Federal Express Flight 705 – 1994 incident involving a suicidal hijacker who was overpowered by an airline flight crew
- List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft
- List of aircraft hijackings
References
- Hijacking description at the Aviation Safety Network
- "'You don't understand, Captain. He has a gun': The hijacking of Flight 1320". BostonGlobe.com. March 20, 2020. Retrieved 2020-03-20.
- Tristani, J.P. (March 30, 2009). "One heck of an in-air gunfight on a civilian jet". Boston.com. Retrieved 2009-03-30.
- Walker, Adrian (March 20, 2009). "Friends in high places". Boston.com. Retrieved 2009-03-30.
- "Eastern Airlines Hijacking, 1970". CelebrateBoston.com.
- "Man Accused in Sky Murder Is Found Hanged in Boston". Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Corpus Christi, Texas. AP. November 1, 1970. p. 15. Retrieved March 21, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
- Swidey
Further reading
- Swidey, Neil (March 20, 2020). "'You don't understand, Captain. He has a gun': The hijacking of Flight 1320". The Boston Globe. Retrieved March 21, 2020.
- Wilbur III, Robert M. (2019). Reluctant Hero: The Story of Eastern Airlines Flight 1320. Amazon Digital Services LLC - Kdp. ISBN 978-1090674814.
Aviation accidents and incidents in 1970 (1970) | |
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Jan 5 Spantax Convair crashJan 28 Batagay An-24 crashJan 29 Aeroflot Flight 145Feb 2 Cornfield Bomber crash landingFeb 4 Aerolineas Argentinas Flight 707Feb 4 TAROM Flight 35Feb 6 Aeroflot Flight U-45Feb 15 Dominicana DC-9 disasterFeb 21 Swissair Flight 330Mar 14 Paraense Transportes Aéreos Flight 903Mar 17 Eastern Air Lines Shuttle Flight 1320Mar 31 Japan Airlines Flight 351Apr 1 Aeroflot Flight 1661Apr 1 Berrechid crashApr 21 Philippine Airlines Flight 215May 2 ALM Flight 980May 15 Dymshits–Kuznetsov hijacking affairJul 3 Dan-Air Flight 1903Jul 5 Air Canada Flight 621Jul 18 Soviet Air Force Antonov An-22Jul 22 Olympic Airways Flight 255 hijackingJul 27 Flying Tiger Line Flight 45Aug 9 LANSA Flight 502Aug 12 China Airlines Flight 206Sep 2 Aeroflot Flight 3630Sep 6 Dawson's Field hijackingsSep 8 Trans International Airlines Flight 863Sep 26 Flugfélag Íslands Flight 704Oct 2 Wichita State Univ football teamOct 15 Aeroflot Flight 244Nov 14 Southern Airways Flight 932Nov 27 Capitol International Airways Flight C2C3/26 | |
1969 ◄ ► 1971 |
Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States and U.S. territories in the 1970s | |
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1970 |
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1971 |
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1972 |
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1973 |
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1974 |
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1975 |
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1976 |
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1977 |
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1978 |
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1979 |
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This list is incomplete. An asterisk (*) denotes an incident that took place in a U.S. territory, or in adjacent waters thereof. Flying Tiger Line Flight 45 (July 1970) occurred in the United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands. 1960–1969 ◄ 1970–1979 ► 1980–1989 |
- 1970 in Boston
- 1970 murders in the United States
- Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in 1970
- Terrorist incidents in the United States in 1970
- March 1970 events in the United States
- Aircraft hijackings in the United States
- Eastern Air Lines accidents and incidents
- Accidents and incidents involving the McDonnell Douglas DC-9
- Crimes in Massachusetts
- Aviation accidents and incidents in Massachusetts
- Logan International Airport
- Hijackings in 1970