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Australia's first Hijacking
The Trans
Australia Airlines hijacking was Australia's first Hijacking
and arguably the first reported Skyjacking/Hijacking in the world.
It occurred
on July 19, 1960 over the skies of Brisbane on Flight 408,
the last Sydney to Brisbane flight for the day, in a Trans Australia
Airlines Lockheed Electra (Registration:VH-TLB).
First
Officer, Tom Bennett overpowered the hijacker, Russian Alex
Hildebrandt who was armed with a bomb, and a fully loaded sawn-off
rifle and a spare fully loaded magazine. Forty three passengers and six
crew were on board and at risk.
A
T.A.A. captain, D.R.Lawrence, who was travelling as a
passenger, assisted Tom to subdue and disarm the hijacker.
Tom Bennett
was awarded the George Medal for his actions and Captain
Lawrence was commended.
The crew
consisted of Captain John Denton, First officer Tom R.
Bennett, Flight Engineer Fred McDonald, Hostess Fay Strugnell and
Hostess Janeene Christie. Hildebrandt had a sawn-off .22 calibre rifle
and had suspended over a torch battery a bare wire attached to a
detonator adjoining two sticks of gelignite.
Another wire
was attached from the gelignite to the battery.
Hildebrandt fired a shot, which went through the aircraft ceiling,
narrowly missing First Officer Tom Bennett who punched Hildebrandt and
pulled the wires from his hand and disabled the bomb.
Captain
Dennis Lawrence who was travelling as a passenger assisted in
subduing the Hijacker.
Alex
Hildebrandt who was born in Russia in 1938, faced serious charges
of attempted murder of First Officer Tom Bennett, having an explosive
detonating device with the intention of destroying the aircraft and
having explosives capable of causing injuries to persons on board.
Hildebrandt
was sentenced to three years jail for attempted murder,ten
years for attempting to destroy the aircraft and two years for the
explosives charge.
He
successfully appealed the sentence in the Queensland Criminal Court
as he argued that the aircraft which was thirty five minutes into the
flight, was over New South Wales when he armed the explosives in the
aircraft toilet.
He served a
three year sentence in Brisbane, for attempted murder and
on discharge was arrested by detectives from New South Wales.
He faced
court again and was convicted on the charge of attempted
destruction of an aircraft and he spent seven more years in prison in
New South Wales.
Refrence:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tra
ns_Australia_Airlines_hijacking
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