Southern Airways Flight 49
Encyclopedia
The hijacking of Southern Airways Flight 49 occurred on November 10, 1972. Melvin Cale, Louis Moore and Henry D. Jackson, Jr. successfully hijacked a Southern Airways
Douglas DC-9 that was scheduled to fly from Birmingham, Alabama
to Montgomery, Alabama
. The three were each facing criminal charges for unrelated incidents. Thirty-one people were aboard the airplane when it was hijacked. Shortly after takeoff the three hijackers brandished handguns and hand grenades and took over the aircraft, demanding a ransom of $10 million. The hijackers had the plane flown to multiple locations in the United States and to Toronto, Canada before finally flying to Cuba. Contrary to the hijackers' expectations, Cuban president Fidel Castro
did not accept them into that country, and the hijackers next had the airplane flown to Orlando, Florida
, and talked about flying to Switzerland
(which was not possible due to the airplane's small size). At one point, the hijackers threatened to fly the plane into a nuclear research reactor, the High Flux Isotope Reactor, at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory
, if their demands for $10 million in cash were not met; one hijacker announced "I'm not playing. If you do not get that money together, I'm gonna crash this plane in Oak Ridge." While stopped for refueling at McCoy Air Force Base
, Orlando
, the FBI
shot out two the airplane's four main tires, prompting the hijackers to shoot and injure the co-pilot and force pilot William Haas to take off. The hijacking came to an end when the plane landed on a partially foam-covered runway in Havana
, Cuba. The hijackers were removed from the airplane at gunpoint by Cuban authorities and captured after attempting to escape. Jackson and Louis Moore were each sentenced to 20 years in Cuban prison, and Melvin Cale was sentenced to 15 years. Cuba returned the airplane, crew, passengers and ransom money to the United States. After serving their sentences in Cuba the hijackers were returned to the United States to face further charges. The incident led to a brief treaty between the U.S. and Cuba to extradite hijackers, which has not been renewed. The hijacking lasted a total of 30 hours and covered 4,000 miles.
Southern Airways
Southern Airways was a regional airline operating in the United States from its founding by Frank Hulse in 1949 until 1979 when it merged with North Central Airlines to become Republic Airlines, which on October 1, 1986, became part of Northwest Airlines, which in 2008 became a part of Delta Air...
Douglas DC-9 that was scheduled to fly from Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
to Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery, Alabama
Montgomery is the capital of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is the county seat of Montgomery County. It is located on the Alabama River southeast of the center of the state, in the Gulf Coastal Plain. As of the 2010 census, Montgomery had a population of 205,764 making it the second-largest city...
. The three were each facing criminal charges for unrelated incidents. Thirty-one people were aboard the airplane when it was hijacked. Shortly after takeoff the three hijackers brandished handguns and hand grenades and took over the aircraft, demanding a ransom of $10 million. The hijackers had the plane flown to multiple locations in the United States and to Toronto, Canada before finally flying to Cuba. Contrary to the hijackers' expectations, Cuban president Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
did not accept them into that country, and the hijackers next had the airplane flown to Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, and talked about flying to Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
(which was not possible due to the airplane's small size). At one point, the hijackers threatened to fly the plane into a nuclear research reactor, the High Flux Isotope Reactor, at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a multiprogram science and technology national laboratory managed for the United States Department of Energy by UT-Battelle. ORNL is the DOE's largest science and energy laboratory. ORNL is located in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, near Knoxville...
, if their demands for $10 million in cash were not met; one hijacker announced "I'm not playing. If you do not get that money together, I'm gonna crash this plane in Oak Ridge." While stopped for refueling at McCoy Air Force Base
McCoy Air Force Base
With McCoy's closure as an active air force installation in 1975, the site was redeveloped and is known today as Orlando International Airport, which carries the airport code MCO .- History :...
, Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, the FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
shot out two the airplane's four main tires, prompting the hijackers to shoot and injure the co-pilot and force pilot William Haas to take off. The hijacking came to an end when the plane landed on a partially foam-covered runway in Havana
Havana
Havana is the capital city, province, major port, and leading commercial centre of Cuba. The city proper has a population of 2.1 million inhabitants, and it spans a total of — making it the largest city in the Caribbean region, and the most populous...
, Cuba. The hijackers were removed from the airplane at gunpoint by Cuban authorities and captured after attempting to escape. Jackson and Louis Moore were each sentenced to 20 years in Cuban prison, and Melvin Cale was sentenced to 15 years. Cuba returned the airplane, crew, passengers and ransom money to the United States. After serving their sentences in Cuba the hijackers were returned to the United States to face further charges. The incident led to a brief treaty between the U.S. and Cuba to extradite hijackers, which has not been renewed. The hijacking lasted a total of 30 hours and covered 4,000 miles.