Narrative:A lone male hijacked Eastern Airlines Flight 403 en route from Newark (EWR) to Miami (MIA) with 123 passengers and 9 crew members aboard. The hijacker emerged from the rear lavatory shouting in Spanish that he wanted to go to Cuba. The hijacker, holding a "Bic" type lighter in one hand and a bag in the other, told passengers and crew that he had poured gasoline on himself and the floor of the aircraft. He also claimed to have explosives inside the bag that he held in
his hand. The aircraft was diverted to Orlando, Florida and landed at approximately 01:14 a.m. The hijacker, believing he had landed in Cuba, dropped his bag and lighter, enabling the crew to overpower him. A subsequent investigation revealed that the hijacker's bag contained a folded newspaper and no evidence of any flammable liquid was found in the aircraft or on the hijacker's person. The hijacker reportedly wanted to return to Cuba to see his family.
Classification:
Hijack
Photos
Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does
not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Newark International Airport, NJ to Miami International Airport, FL as the crow flies is 1739 km (1087 miles).
This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.