Narrative:Shortly before the scheduled departure of Aeronica Flight 726 from Sandino Airport in Managua to San Salvador, El Salvador, and on to Mexico City, Mexico, a male youth with a pistol seized control of the aircraft. The youth who was described as a juvenile delinquent in the press, reportedly jumped from the airport terminal observation platform onto the air operations area and ran to the aircraft. The hijacker also claimed to have a hand grenade, which was never substantiated, and threatened to kill some of the passengers unless he was flown to El Salvador and then, allegedly, on to the United States. Approximately three hours after the seizure, the hijacker was overpowered by security officers who were aboard the aircraft. The hijacker was believed to have been arrested.
Classification:
Hijack
Sources:
» Criminal Acts Against Civil Aviation 1986 / U.S. Department of Transport, FAA, Office of Civil Aviation Security
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 Managua-Augusto C. Sandino Airport to San Salvador/Ilopango International Airport as the crow flies is 362 km (226 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.