FedEx Flight 705
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 Illustration of N306FE banking left |
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| Hijacking summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | April 7, 1994 |
| Type | Attempted hijacking |
| Site | Memphis, Tennessee |
| Passengers | 1 |
| Crew | 3 |
| Injuries | 4 |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Survivors | 4 (All) |
| Aircraft type | McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 |
| Operator | FedEx |
| Tail number | N306FE |
| Flight origin | Memphis International Airport, Memphis, Tennessee |
| Destination | Norman Y. Mineta San José International Airport, San Jose, California |
FedEx Flight 705, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 ferrying electronics to San Jose, experienced an attempted hijacking for the purpose of a suicide attack on April 7, 1994. On that day Auburn Calloway, a FedEx employee facing possible dismissal for lying about his previous flying experience, boarded the scheduled flight with several concealed hammers and a speargun. His plan was to disable the aircraft's cockpit voice recorder before take-off and once airborne he intended to kill the crew using blunt force so their injuries would appear consistent with an accident rather than a hijacking. After taking control he then planned to intentionally crash the aircraft into Federal Express' Memphis headquarters. Ultimately Calloway's goal was to maximize damage to his employer by appearing to be killed in an accident while still an employee, making his family eligible for a $2.5 million life insurance policy paid by Federal Express.[1]
Calloway's plan was unsuccessful, the crew was able to fight back despite severe wounds, subdue him, and safely land the aircraft. An attempt at a mental health defense was unsuccessful and he was subsequently convicted of multiple charges including attempted murder, attempted air piracy, and interference with flight crew members receiving two consecutive life sentences. Calloway's appeal was successful in having his conviction for interference with flight crew members ruled as a lesser included offense of attempted air piracy.[2] The crew was left with permanent, disabling injuries and have not flown professionally since.
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[edit] Crew, cargo and destination
The scheduled three-man flight crew consisted of 49-year-old Captain David Sanders, 42-year-old First Officer James Tucker, and 39-year-old Flight Engineer Andrew Peterson. Flight 705 was to San Jose, California and carried electronic equipment destined for Silicon Valley.
[edit] Hijacker
The then 42 year old FedEx Express Flight Engineer Auburn Calloway, an alumnus of Stanford University and a former military pilot and martial arts expert, faced termination of employment for lying on his résumé about his previous flying experience with the United States Navy. Calloway intended to murder the flight crew using blunt force in order to disguise the hijacking as an accident so that his family would benefit from his $2.5 million life insurance policy. To accomplish this he brought aboard two claw hammers, two sledge hammers and a speargun he concealed inside a guitar case.[2] Once the flight crew was eliminated he planned to use the aircraft for a kamikaze attack on FedEx Headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee. Just prior to the flight Calloway had transferred over $50,000 in securities and cashiers checks to his ex-wife.[2] He also carried a note aboard, written to her "describing the author's apparent despair".[2]
[edit] Hijacking
As part of his plan to disguise the intended attack as an accident, Calloway attempted to disable the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) by tripping its circuit breaker. During standard pre-flight checks, Peterson noticed the tripped breaker and reset it prior to takeoff so the CVR was reactivated.[3] About twenty minutes after takeoff, as the flight crew carried on a casual conversation, Calloway entered the flight deck and commenced his attack. Every member of the crew took multiple hammer blows which fractured both Peterson's and Tucker's skulls, severing the former's temporal artery.[2] A lengthy struggle ensued with the flight engineer and captain as Tucker, also an ex-Navy pilot, performed extreme aerial maneuvers with the aircraft meant to keep the hijacker off balance.[1]
The flight crew eventually succeeded in restraining Calloway, though only after moments of inverted, near-transonic flight beyond the designed capabilities of a DC-10. At this point Sanders took control and Tucker, who had by then lost use of the right side of his body, went back to assist Peterson in restraining Calloway. Sanders communicated with ATC, deactivated the auto pilot, and prepared for an emergency landing. Heavily loaded with fuel and cargo, the plane was also coming in too fast and too high to land on the scheduled runway 9. Sanders requested by radio to land on the longer runway 36. Using a series of sharp turns that tested the DC-10's safety limits, ignoring warning messages from the onboard computer, and being well over the designed landing weight, the jet safely touched down at Memphis International Airport. Emergency personnel gained access to the plane via escape slide and ladder. Blood covered the cockpit interior. [3]
[edit] Aftermath
The crew of Flight 705 sustained serious injuries:[2] Tucker's skull was severely fractured, causing motor control problems in his right arm and right leg. Calloway had also dislocated his jaw, attempted to gouge out one of his eyes, and stabbed his right arm. Sanders suffered several deep gashes in his head and doctors had to sew his right ear back in place. Flight engineer Peterson’s skull was fractured and his temporal artery severed. The aircraft itself incurred damage in the amount of $800,000.[2]
Calloway pleaded temporary insanity but was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences on August 15, 1995, for attempted murder and attempted air piracy. He is imprisoned at United States Penitentiary, Atwater Federal Prison in Atwater, California.
On May 26, 1994, the Air Line Pilots Association awarded Dave Sanders, James Tucker, and Andy Peterson the Gold Medal Award for heroism, the highest award a civilian pilot can receive. Due to the extent and severity of their injuries, none of the crew has, so far, been recertified as medically fit to fly commercially. The attempted hijacking was later featured on National Geographic's television show, Mayday (Air Crash Investigation or Air Emergency). The episode (Season 3, Episode 4) was titled "Fight for Your Life (Suicide Attack)".
As of October 2009, the aircraft involved still flies for FedEx and is registered as N306FE.[4]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b National Geographic, Mayday (Air Crash Investigation or Air Emergency). Episode (Season 3, Episode 4), "Fight for Your Life (Suicide Attack)"
- ^ a b c d e f g Case No. 95-6206 United States v Calloway
- ^ a b http://www.tailstrike.com/070494.htm
- ^ "FAA N-Number Results". http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=306FE. Retrieved 2009-10-31.
[edit] External links
- Cockpit voice recorder transcript and incident summary
- Clips from the air traffic control tape
- Hijacking description at the Aviation Safety Network
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