Federal Express Flight 705

FedEx Express Flight 705

N306FE, the aircraft involved in the hijacking attempt, in 2012.
Hijacking summary
Date April 7, 1994 (1994-04-07)
Summary Attempted suicide hijacking for insurance fraud (foiled)
Site Memphis, Tennessee, United States
Passengers 1 (hijacker)
Crew 3
Injuries (non-fatal) 4 (all)
Fatalities 0
Survivors 4 (all)
Aircraft type McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30F
Operator Federal Express
Registration N306FE[1]
Flight origin Memphis International Airport
Memphis, Tennessee
Destination San Jose International Airport
San Jose, California

On April 7, 1994, Federal Express Flight 705, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 cargo jet carrying electronics equipment across the United States from Memphis, Tennessee to San Jose, California, was nearly hijacked by Auburn Calloway who was attempting to commit suicide. Calloway, a Federal Express employee, was facing possible dismissal for lying about his flight hours. He boarded the scheduled flight as a deadhead passenger carrying a guitar case concealing several hammers and a speargun. He intended to disable the aircraft's cockpit voice recorder before take-off and, once airborne, kill the crew with hammers so their injuries would appear consistent with an accident rather than a hijacking.

He intended to use the speargun as a last resort. He planned to crash the aircraft hoping that he would appear to be an employee killed in an accident. He sought to let his family collect on a $2.5 million life insurance policy provided by Federal Express.[2] Calloway's efforts to kill the crew were unsuccessful. Despite severe injuries, the crew fought back, subdued Calloway, and landed the aircraft safely.

Calloway attempted to claim he was mentally ill during his trial but was unsuccessful. He was convicted of multiple charges including attempted murder, attempted air piracy, and interference with flight crew operations. He received two consecutive life sentences. Calloway successfully appealed the conviction for interference, which was ruled to be a lesser offense of attempted air piracy.[3]

Hijacker

The 42-year-old Federal Express flight engineer Auburn Calloway, an alumnus of Stanford University and a former Navy pilot and martial arts expert, faced termination of employment over irregularities in the reporting of flight hours.[3] In order to disguise the hijacking as an accident so his family would benefit from his $2.5 million life insurance policy, Calloway intended to murder the flight crew using blunt force. To accomplish this, he brought aboard two claw hammers, two club hammers and a speargun concealed inside a guitar case.[3] It is unclear how Calloway planned to crash the plane or dispose of his intended murder weapons. Just before the flight, Calloway had transferred over $54,000 in securities and cashier's checks to his ex-wife.[3] He also carried a note aboard, written to her and "describing the author's apparent despair".[3]

Flight details

Initially, Calloway was assigned as the flight engineer, but he and his crew exceeded the maximum flying hours by one minute the previous day. The new three-man flight crew was 49-year-old Captain David Sanders, 42-year-old First Officer James Tucker, and 39-year-old flight engineer Andrew Peterson. At the time of the incident, First Officer James Tucker held the position of Captain at Federal Express on the DC-10 and was also a check airman on the type. Aboard Flight 705, Tucker assumed the role of first officer. FedEx Flight 705 was scheduled to fly to San Jose, California with electronic equipment destined for Silicon Valley.

During the attack by Calloway, all of the crew members were severely hurt. They fought to subdue Calloway and prevent him from further damaging the plane. Sanders and Peterson initially tried to subdue Calloway, and Tucker, a former Navy combat pilot, executed a series of sudden, unpredictable maneuvers. He made a 15° climb and then a 140° turn, which nearly rolled the plane on its back. He then dived steeply, accelerating the plane to its maximum air speed, and followed that with continued aggressive movements.[4]

Tucker was finally able to put the plane in auto-pilot and help subdue Calloway. Sanders then flew the plane to the Memphis airport. He lined up for runway 9, but his approach was too fast and too high. He made a 180° turn and landed on runway 36, perpendicular to runway 9. Sanders landed the DC-10 aircraft, fully loaded with fuel for the cross-country flight, safely and they were met by emergency vehicles.[4]

Aftermath

The crew of Flight 705 sustained serious injuries.[3] The left side of Tucker's skull was severely fractured, causing motor control problems in his right arm and right leg. Calloway had also dislocated Tucker's 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 damages in the amount of $800,000.[3]

Calloway pleaded temporary insanity but was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences on August 15, 1995, for attempted murder and attempted air piracy.[2] Calloway, Federal Bureau of Prisons Inmate #14601-076, is imprisoned in the United States Penitentiary, Victorville, near Adelanto, California.[5]

On May 26, 1994, the Air Line Pilots Association awarded Dave Sanders, James Tucker and Andrew 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.[4]

Although medically unfit to return to commercial aviation, James Tucker returned to recreational flying in his Luscombe 8A by 2002.[6]

As of 2015, the McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 aircraft involved, N306FE, remains in service as an upgraded MD-10 without the flight engineer position,[7] though it is expected to be phased out by 2018.

Popular culture

The attempted hijacking was later featured on Discovery Channel Canada's television show Mayday (otherwise known as Air Crash Investigation or Air Emergency). The episode (season 3, episode 9) was titled "Fight for Your Life" (also known as "Suicide Attack"). In 2015, the Smithsonian Channel devoted episode 3 of season 6 of "Air Disasters" to the same "Fight for your Life" footage.

The book Hijacked: The True Story of the Heroes of Flight 705, written by Dave Hirshman, was published in 1997.[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "FAA Registry". Federal Aviation Administration.
  2. 1 2 National Geographic, Mayday (Air Crash Investigation or Air Emergency). Episode (Season 3, Episode 4), "Fight for Your Life (Suicide Attack)"
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "U.S. v. Calloway". Leagle. Retrieved 2013-12-16.
  4. 1 2 3 "Air Crash Investigation - Season 3 Episode 4 - Fight For Your Life". 2005. Retrieved March 29, 2016.
  5. ↑ "14601-076." Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved March 26, 2015.
  6. 1 2 "" AVWeb. Retrieved Aug 10, 2014.
  7. ↑ "Federal Express (FedEx) Fleet Details and History".

Further reading

External links

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