1977 Aeroflot Tupolev Tu-134 hijacking

Hijacking of a Soviet airliner in 1977 February 2018 Aeroflot Flight 8710 Hijacking Tupolev Tu-134A, Aeroflot AN0723960.jpg 1.15 A Tu-134 similar to the aircraft involved 1977 07 10 y Hijacking Helsinki, Finland Tupolev Tu-134 Aeroflot CCCP-65639 Petrozavodsk Airport Helsinki Airport Pulkovo Airport 75 0 75 On 10 July 1977, two Soviet hijackers took over an Aeroflot Tupolev Tu-134 flight in the hope of diverting it to Stockholm, Sweden. Lacking the fuel to do this, the aircraft landed at Helsinki Airport, Finland, where the hijackers kept hostages to demand that the Finnish authorities refuel the aircraft and provide it with a new crew. However, the hostages escaped after the hijackers fell asleep. Without bargaining power, the hijackers surrendered and were extradited back to the Soviet Union, where they were sentenced to lengthy prison terms. Incident The Tu-134 departed Petrozavodsk Airport on 10 July 1977 with a passenger complement of approximately seventy and an intended destination of Leningrad-Pulkovo Airport.2 Hijack Soviet Jet, Force It to Finland https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1977/07/11/75092295.html 30 January 2018 The New York Times Reuters 11 July 1977 1, 5Soviet Jet Carrying 70 Is Hijacked to Helsinki https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1977/07/11/soviet-jet-carrying-70-is-hijacked-to-helsinki/1c59541e-96fb-467b-8deb-42fd12e86dd1/ 30 January 2018 The Washington Post 11 July 1977 live https://web.archive.org/web/20180130145456/https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1977/07/11/soviet-jet-carrying-70-is-hijacked-to-helsinki/1c59541e-96fb-467b-8deb-42fd12e86dd1/ 30 January 2018Ranter Harro ASN Aircraft accident Tupolev 134 CCCP-65639 Helsinki https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19770710-0 aviation-safety.net live https://web.archive.org/web/20170211075754/https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19770710-0 11 February 2017Reports in the American press put the total at 70 (The New York Times) or 72 (The Washington Post). Partway through the flight, the aircraft was commandeered by 19-year-old Alexandr Zagirnjak and 22-year-old Gennadi Sheludko. The two had smuggled guns and what appeared to be a grenade on board, though it was later revealed to be a non-explosive training grenade, and demanded that the crew fly the plane to Stockholm.Fellman Ida Kapat sovjetiskt plan i Finland https://svenska.yle.fi/artikel/2009/03/23/kapat-sovjetiskt-plan-i-finland 30 January 2018 YLE 23 March 2009 live https://web.archive.org/web/20180131023342/https://svenska.yle.fi/artikel/2009/03/23/kapat-sovjetiskt-plan-i-finland 31 January 2018 As the aircraft did not have the fuel to travel over the Baltic Sea to the Swedish capital, the crew were forced to divert to Helsinki Airport, Finland. Upon landing, the hijackers released all of the crew and a significant number of its passengers. The remainder, which reportedly included at least seven children, were held back as hostages. Zagirnjak and Sheludko hoped to use them as leverage to get Finnish authorities to refuel the aircraft, replace the Soviet crew, and allow them to fly to their original destination. This plan was foiled when Zagirnjak and Sheludko fell asleep, which allowed the remaining hostages to escape.The number of escapees varies. The Associated Press reported at the time that three had escaped, while YLE—Finland's national public broadcaster—reported in a 2009 retrospective that there were four. Lacking bargaining power, the hijackers surrendered at 5 a.m. on 12 July.Hijackers of Soviet Jetliner Surrender After Last Hostages Escape https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1977/07/12/75092824.html?pageNumber=3 14 July 2023 Associated Press The New York Times 12 July 1977 4 4 October 2023 https://web.archive.org/web/20231004131143/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1977/07/12/75092824.html?pageNumber=3 live The Finnish government returned them to the Soviet Union three days later, complying with a unique anti-hijacking treaty they had signed with the Soviets in 1974.Finland to Return Hijackers https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=DS19770712.2.5 30 January 2018 The Desert Sun Associated Press live https://web.archive.org/web/20180130204250/https://cdnc.ucr.edu/cgi-bin/cdnc?a=d&d=DS19770712.2.5 30 January 2018 Sheludko, who had a previous criminal record for theft, was sentenced to fifteen years; Zagirnjak received eight. The incident came as part of a recent increase in airliner hijacking. The Washington Post reported that it was the third such crime in a week, with the others occurring in the Middle East and South America, and that the last successful hijacking of a Soviet aircraft had been only two months earlier. Footnotes right External image Associated Press photo of the hijacked airplane (subscription required) References 30em Further reading Tiilikainen Heikki Kylmän sodan kujanjuoksu 2003 Ajatus Kirjat Helsingissä 951-20-6452-9 Category:1977 in Finland Category:1977 in the Soviet Union Aeroflot Category:Aircraft hijackings in Europe Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in Finland Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in the Soviet Union Category:Aviation accidents and incidents in 1977 Category:Terrorist incidents in Finland Category:Aviation accidents and incidents involving the Tupolev Tu-134 Category:July 1977 in Europe Category:Finland–Soviet Union relations Category:1977 crimes in Finland Category:Terrorist incidents in the Soviet Union Category:Terrorist incidents in the Soviet Union in the 1970s Category:Terrorist incidents in Europe in 1977 Category:Terrorist incidents in Asia in 1977 Category:1977 crimes in the Soviet Union Category:Hijackings in 1977