Interview of stewardess aboard NWA Flight 305 (Philadelphia 164-133)

FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION

Date December 3, 1971

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[REDACTED] residing at the home of [REDACTED] b6 [REDACTED], provided the following b7C information:

On November 24, 1971, while employed as a stewardess for Northwest Airlines, she flew on Flight 305 which originated in Washington, D. C., arrived at Minneapolis, Minn., about 10 a.m., and she boarded shortly thereafter. She said the crew for her flight were Pilot WILLIAM SCOTT, [REDACTED] Second Officer, [REDACTED] Senior Stewardess b6 , B Stewardess [REDACTED] and C Stewardess b7C

[REDACTED] advised that her flight departed Minnea- b6 polis, Minn., at 10:35 Central Standard Time, with a light load, b7C less than half, and flew to Great Falls, Montana, then to Missoula, Montana, then to Spokane, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. She said that the aircraft departed Portland, Oregon at 2:53 Pacific Time, and arrived two hours and fifty-three minutes later at Seattle which is normally a 36 minute flight.

Just before the [REDACTED] gave the word for b6 take off from Portland, [REDACTED] took a beverage form to b7C the aft jump seat. There was a man in seat 18 E, middle right aft passenger seat, and as she, [REDACTED] faced the barrier strip, she observed [REDACTED] dropping a note, stand up, and unfasten the barrier strip and sit down next to the man in seat 18 E. [REDACTED] appeared emotional in that she was trying to speak to her, was moving her lips, but other than [REDACTED] no other words came out.

[REDACTED] picked up the note lying at her feet and read it b6 which, to the best of her recollection, is as follows: b7C

"Miss, I am hijacking this plane. I have a bomb. Sit next to me."

The aircraft lifted off the ru[n]way at 2:58 and [REDACTED] b6 used the interphone to advise the pilot the ship was being b7C

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On 12/1-2/71 at Trevose, Pa. File # Philadelphia 164-133 b6 SA PATRICK JOSEPH KELLY [REDACTED] b7C by SA [REDACTED] JWC/lss Date dictated 12/23/71

This document contains neither recommendations nor conclusions of the FBI. It is the property of the FBI and it and its contents are not to be distributed outside your agency.

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hijacked. She said, "We're being hijacked, he's got a bomb and this is no joke." She replaced the phone and leaned down in the isle near [REDACTED] and saw her writing something on an en- velope. After [REDACTED] finished writing, she said to the man next to her that she would take the note to the cockpit. [REDACTED] asked [REDACTED] if she wanted her to take the note and she said no. [REDACTED] said, "Do you want me to stay here?" and the man replied, "yes." [REDACTED] took the note and entered the cockpit.

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[REDACTED] sat next to the man and shortly thereafter he opened a black cheap appearing imitation leather attache case and showed her a device with eight red cylinders and a wire running from the cylinders towards a large 6" x 8" x 2" in diameter battery. The wire had a red plastic coating around it, all with the exception of the last inch which was bare and which the man held in between his fingers. He told her it was an electronic device and suggested the aircraft radio be used as little as possible. He said he didn't think radio transmissions would bother it, but wanted to let the crew know.

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She then called the pilot over the interphone and ad- vised him of the device and from that point on she acted as a communications media between the hijacker and the pilot through the interphone. During one message to the pilot, he specified that all of the previous requested items be at the airport when they landed. She later learned that the note which [REDACTED] had carried to the pilot contained a list of demands. He later told [REDACTED] that he wanted $200,000 in circulated U. S. currency, two back and two front parachutes, and fuel trucks to meet the plane when it landed at Seattle. One of the specific demands that he made was that the fuel truck is to come first and start fueling the plane immediately. Everyone in the plane was to remain in their seat and he indicated that [REDACTED] was to be a liaison and the one to get the money. After fueling is completed and the money is aboard, he indicated that the passengers would be re- leased, and the last item to be brought aboard the aircraft would be the chutes, and at that time only the crew members were to be aboard and they must stay out of the isle and remain in their seats.

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During the flight from Portland to Seattle, she had light conversation with the hijacker. For example, she asked him where he was from and he became upset and said he didn't want to answer that. She somehow brought up that they would be going to Cuba and mentioned that personnel were advised to warn passengers against buying any Cuban rum or cigars because U. S. Customs would confiscate them when they returned to the United States.

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The hijacker laughed and said that they weren't going to Cuba, but that she would like where they were going. He asked her where she was from and she told him that she was from Pennsylvania, but was living in Minneapolis, Minn. He indicated that Minneapolis, Minn., was very nice country.

She asked him why he picked Northwest Airlines to hijack and he laughed and said, "It's not because I have a grudge against your airlines, it's just because I have a grudge." He paused and said that the flight suited his time, place, and plans. Other conversation centered around personal habits such as smoking and he asked her if she did and she said she used to but had quit and he offered her a cigarette which she took and smoked. She asked if he wanted any food or drink and he refused everything.

During the flight from Portland to Seattle, a male customer started aft down the isle and she met him at ap- proximately Row 14 where she asked him what he wanted and he indicated he was looking for a sports magazine. They went to the aft section of the plane immediately behind the hijacker where they looked and finally he accepted a New Yorker Magazine and returned to his seat. After he was seated and [ ] returned to seat 18 D, next to the hijacker, he said, "If that is a Sky Marshal I don't want any more of that," and she reassured him that it wasn't and further, that there were no sky marshals on that flight.

A short while after that, the pilot called her and asked her to determine from the hijacker if he wanted the pilot to inform the passengers of the situation, and the hijacker said, "no." The pilot said that he would make up another excuse to cover the extension of the flight way beyond the normal 36 minutes. It was at this point the hijacker instructed her to tell the pilot that he wanted the note and envelope back that he had given to the other stewardess. He also wanted the empty matchbook cover from which he had been lighting his cigarettes and had thrown into the back pouch of the seat in front as she said she would normally do with trash. She indicated that he had another book of matches the cover of which was blue and said,"Sky Chef," from which she had pulled matches to light his cigarettes. He retained this book of matches.

The hijacker made a comment while the aircraft was in a holding pattern north of the airport that it is 5:15 and he is still waiting, and this is something that he had wanted by 5 p.m. She called the pilot on the phone and he said that they were waiting for the front pack chutes to arrive at the

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b6 b7C

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She then told him it would be a few minutes longer while they filed a flight plan and he said, "Never mind, they can do that over the radio once we get up. Let's get the show on the road."

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The cockpit called and told her to use the escape rope to secure herself when they found out that she was going to lower the ladder once the aircraft is airborne. She related this to the hijacker and he said, "no," he didn't want her to go up front or them to come back. She asked if the second of- ficer could shut the front door and he said yes. She opened the aft door and locked it open and the pilot started the en- gines and taxied towards the runway. During the taxi, she said, "You know we have oxygen, and he said, "Yes, I know where it is,if I need it I will get it." She asked him to cut some nylon cord from the parachute for her to use as a safety line when she opened the rear ladder and the hijacker said, "Never mind," that he would do it. She showed him where the panel was and the controls and how to do it, and reminded him to be sure to put the ladder up before they land or the aircraft would be so damaged in landing that it could not take off again. She returned to seat 18 C, he to 18 E, the money was in 18 D, and the bomb in 18 F. The plane took off and she held' her ears because the noise was so loud from the engines. Approximately four minutes after take off, he stood up, told her to go to the cockpit and close the first class curtains, and for no one to come out from behind the curtains. The lights were out in the rear compartment and she went forward, faced the curtain, and the last time she saw him he had a nylon cord tied around his waist and was standing in the isle. Before she finished securing the curtain, she pleaded with him to take the bomb with him and he said he would take it with him or disarm it before he leaves.

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After securing the curtain, she entered the cockpit and approximately ten minutes after that, one of the officers re- ceived an interphone call from the hijacker advising that he could not get the rear stairs down. The pilot informed him that he would level the craft off and reduce the air speed. She recalls that a short time after that, she observed the red indicator light go on the second officer's panel indicating that the stairs had been lowered and approximately five minutes after the first call, one of the officers received another call from the hijacker which was the last communication that anyone in the plane had with the hijacker.

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Before descending at Reno, Nev., she called re- peatedly over the intercom system to the hijacker to cooperate, that the aircraft must land. The last message was, "Sir, we are going to land now, please put up the stairs. We are going to land anyway, but the aircraft may be structurally damaged and

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