American Airlines Flight 444
Encyclopedia
American Airlines Flight 444 was a Boeing 727
flying from Chicago
to Washington DC, which on November 15, 1979 was attacked by the Unabomber
. The bomb planted in the cargo hold failed to detonate
, but gave off large quantities of smoke, and twelve passengers had to be treated afterwards for smoke inhalation
. It was later determined that the bomb was powerful enough to have destroyed the aircraft had it worked correctly.
This was not the first Unabomber attack, but it was the attack which led to the FBI investigation into the Unabomber, as airliner bombing is a federal crime
.
American still uses the Flight Number
444 despite the incident. The number may operate several different routings over time as American routinely reassigns flight numbers that are not flagship routes to different sectors; as of October 2011, flight number 444 is used on a San Antonio-Chicago O'Hare routing, and uses a McDonnell Douglas MD-88 (McDonnell Douglas MD-80) instead of a Boeing 727.
Boeing 727
The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner, manufactured by Boeing. The Boeing 727 first flew in 1963, and for over a decade more were built per year than any other jet airliner. When production ended in 1984 a total of 1,832 aircraft had been produced...
flying from Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
to Washington DC, which on November 15, 1979 was attacked by the Unabomber
Theodore Kaczynski
Theodore John "Ted" Kaczynski , also known as the "Unabomber" , is an American mathematician, social critic, anarcho-primitivist, and Neo-Luddite who engaged in a mail bombing campaign that spanned nearly 20 years, killing three people and injuring 23 others.Kaczynski was born in Chicago, Illinois,...
. The bomb planted in the cargo hold failed to detonate
Detonation
Detonation involves a supersonic exothermic front accelerating through a medium that eventually drives a shock front propagating directly in front of it. Detonations are observed in both conventional solid and liquid explosives, as well as in reactive gases...
, but gave off large quantities of smoke, and twelve passengers had to be treated afterwards for smoke inhalation
Smoke inhalation
Smoke inhalation is the primary cause of death in victims of indoor fires.Smoke inhalation injury refers to injury due to inhalation or exposure to hot gaseous products of combustion. This can cause serious respiratory complications....
. It was later determined that the bomb was powerful enough to have destroyed the aircraft had it worked correctly.
This was not the first Unabomber attack, but it was the attack which led to the FBI investigation into the Unabomber, as airliner bombing is a federal crime
Federal crime
In the United States, a federal crime or federal offense is a crime that is made illegal by U.S. federal legislation. In the United States, criminal law and prosecution happen at both the federal and the state levels; thus a “federal crime” is one that is prosecuted under federal criminal law, and...
.
American still uses the Flight Number
Flight number
A flight number, when combined with the name of the airline and the date, identifies a particular flight. This callsign should not be confused with the tail number of the aircraft, although both can be used as a call-sign as used in general aviation...
444 despite the incident. The number may operate several different routings over time as American routinely reassigns flight numbers that are not flagship routes to different sectors; as of October 2011, flight number 444 is used on a San Antonio-Chicago O'Hare routing, and uses a McDonnell Douglas MD-88 (McDonnell Douglas MD-80) instead of a Boeing 727.