Part 53, page 2

Transcript

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Hijacker was relaxed, say passengers NOV 25 1971

By MIKE WYNE

A portrait of an unimpressive, cool and relaxed hijacker was sketched by passengers last evening at the Seattle-Tacoma Airport as they tried to recall the seatmate who held them more than three hours for $200,000 ransom.

As a Northwest Orient Airlines stewardess handled the complicated instructions of the hijacker, only other flight-crew members knew he was threatening to dynamite their 727 from the sky.

A FEW PASSENGERS worried. Most said they believed the flight captain's announcement that Flight 305 was experiencing mechanical difficulties and had to "burn" fuel by circling over Seattle.

Actually Capt. Bill Scott was burning time while ground personnel complied with the hijacker's orders.

Questioned after they left a questioning session conducted by Federal Bureau of Investigation agents, passengers recalled their abductor: "A quiet guy." "He had dark glasses." "... kind of relaxed in his seat." "Sort of slouched."

Passengers talked, read, napped and stared out the window as the busy drama unfolded of collecting the ransom, cordoning the airport, locating parachutes and preparing to secure a runway area for refueling and exchanging cash for passengers.

Two of the debarking passengers, however, were eager to professionally deal with their abductor. They were Larry Finegold, assistant United States attorney for Western Washington, and Richard Simmons, head of Job Therapy, a prisoner-rehabilitation program.

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Robert B. Gregory Larry Finegold

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"Never said anything." "Didn't notice him until we were getting off." "Middle-aged and well-dressed."

Passengers talked, read, napped and stared out the window as the busy drama unfolded of collecting the ransom, cordoning the airport, locating parachutes and preparing to secure a runway area for refueling and exchanging cash for passengers.

"I hope we'll have a quick prosecution of this case," said Finegold, who was returning from Vancouver, Wash., where he has been representing federal government personnel in the $2.1 million civil lawsuit against San Francisco Mayor Joseph Alioto.

"I'll take care of him when he get put away," Simmons said. "We've never had one (a hijacker) before, but we've helped every other type of criminal."

"It wasn't until the money was being handed over that I thought of being hijacked," Finegold said.

"When they brought the money and parachutes aboard, we realized what had happened," said Bill MacPherson, Seattle real-estate executive.

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SIMMONS DEFENDED the crew's decision to lie to the passengers as necessary to keep the passengers from getting alarmed and upsetting their abductor.

"I slept most of the time we were up there," Simmons said.

Simmons' wife, Barbara, also active in prisoner-rehabilitation, said she first thought they had gotten on the wrong flight.

"First we went right past Seattle, then Everett," Mrs. Simmons said. "All I could think of was the plane was going to Vancouver and we were on the wrong flight."

"Our concern now is for the people (crew) who stayed aboard," Mrs. Simmons said.

William Mitchell, 20, Redmond, said he sat across the aisle from the hijacker and didn't realize what was happening as the man issued his demands to the stewardess.

"He didn't move when we left the plane," Mitchell said.

Robert B. Gregor, Sumner, said he paid no attention to the man during the flight, but took a look at him as the passengers left the plane.

"He was quite relaxed," Gregory said. "He was sitting on the back seat, starboard side."

Passengers said that shortly after the take-off from Portland, little things happened that later were understandable as the first part of their abduction.

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Richard Simmons and his wife, Barbara, told of the hijacking after they and 34 other passengers and two stewardesses were allowed to deplane at Seattle-Tacoma Airport. Simmons is head of Job Therapy, a prisoner-rehabilitation program here.—Staff photo by Greg Gilbert.

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say, "pull the curtain aside so he can see everything." The open curtain allowed the man to see to the front cabin door from his rearmost seat.

Passengers praised the stewardesses for their calmness and the flight crew for their relaxed voices during announcements.

"We didn't realize what it was until we got out and found ourselves on a dark, cold and wet runway and they told us to get away from the plane," said one passenger.

As the passengers hurried across a runway to a waiting bus for the ride to the airport terminal they left only their luggage aboard the plane.

THE PASSENGERS were smiling as they reached the airport terminal, a bit embarrassed at the attention focused on them.

A Northwest spokesman said that as F. B. I. agents organized the questioning, hostesses offered the passengers sandwiches and overnight toothbrush-shaving kits.

"Only four wanted sandwiches and nobody wanted a kit," the spokesman said. "We'll get their luggage to them as soon as we can."

"I saw one stewardess answer a call and her face dropped," Simmons said. "She looked bewildered and gulped. I guess she learned what was happening then."

Another passenger recalled hearing a stewardess

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