Narrative:
A Lufthansa Boeing 737 aircraft was hijacked while on a flight from Hamburg, West Germany to London, England. The aircraft, with 108 passengers and 6 crew members aboard, was commandeered by a lone male claiming to have a gun. Approximately 15 minutes before landing at Heathrow Airport in London, the hijacker demanded that the aircraft land in London am that a jumbo jet be made available to fly him to Hawaii.
After the aircraft landed, the hijacker reportedly discussed his plans with the crew and police. One hour later, he surrendered peacefully to authorities. A subsequent investigation revealed that the hijacker was unarmed and possibly mentally disturbed.
| Status: | |
| Date: | Friday 29 March 1985 |
| Type: |  Boeing 737-230 |
| Operator: | Lufthansa |
| Registration: | registration unknown |
| MSN: | |
| First flight: | |
| Crew: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 6 |
| Passengers: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 108 |
| Total: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 114 |
| Aircraft damage: | None |
| Location: | London-Heathrow Airport (LHR) ( United Kingdom)
|
| Phase: | En route (ENR) |
| Nature: | International Scheduled Passenger |
| Departure airport: | Hamburg-Fuhlsbüttel Airport (HAM/EDDH), Germany |
| London-Heathrow Airport (LHR/EGLL), United Kingdom | |
| Flightnumber: | LH040 |
A Lufthansa Boeing 737 aircraft was hijacked while on a flight from Hamburg, West Germany to London, England. The aircraft, with 108 passengers and 6 crew members aboard, was commandeered by a lone male claiming to have a gun. Approximately 15 minutes before landing at Heathrow Airport in London, the hijacker demanded that the aircraft land in London am that a jumbo jet be made available to fly him to Hawaii.
After the aircraft landed, the hijacker reportedly discussed his plans with the crew and police. One hour later, he surrendered peacefully to authorities. A subsequent investigation revealed that the hijacker was unarmed and possibly mentally disturbed.
Classification:
HijackPhotos
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 Hamburg-Fuhlsbüttel Airport to London-Heathrow Airport as the crow flies is 740 km (462 miles).
Distance from Hamburg-Fuhlsbüttel Airport to London-Heathrow Airport as the crow flies is 740 km (462 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.
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