We were pushed to another compartment of the aircraft. Each is sentenced to death. One person opened the door that led to the wing of the plane. The PanAm had also survivors, before the names of the survivors appears a * Content of the page: Crewlist of the PanAm. Sign up for our newsletter and other special offers: Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall Turns 75! The elderly woman, a resident of a village outside Bombay, had been on her way to Southern California with Kumar and Kumars aunt, Gangaben Patel. I experienced compassion from a stranger, that too a Pakistani. The main leader, who was directing the other three men, was in charge of our compartment. Then I was pushed gently from an exit and I landed on the tarmac. 2023 BBC. Over a long time, it looked like the Dav sisters and the rest of the passengers on the Pan Am flight would never see a penny in compensation for their suffering. LUKER, Marilyn. Outside on the tarmac, Pan Am's Karachi director Viraf Doroga used a megaphone to begin negotiations with the hijackers. Neerja may still be alive if she'd been cared for right away," says Sunshine. She went to save the kids who were stuck inside and got shot from behind. She still lives on through the ultimate courage - saving lives at cost of her own. The attack, which occurred aboard Pan Am Flight 73 during an airport stopover in Karachi, resulted in the deaths of 20 passengers and crew. Pan Am flight 103, also called Lockerbie bombing, flight of a passenger airliner operated by Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) that exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, on December 21, 1988, after a bomb was detonated. One of the terrorists picked up the baby and started strutting up and down with a machine gun in his hand and a rifle hanging from his shoulder. Read a copy of the handbook "Coping After Terrorism: Information for Victims and Survivors of Pan Am Flight #73 Hijacking May 12-13, 2004 - A sentencing proceeding was held before Judge Sullivan, attended by more than 50 victims and family members, many of whom provided powerful and emotional statements during the two-day proceeding. It was just before 06:00 and Pan Am Flight 73, on a stopover in Karachi from Mumbai, was scheduled to continue on to Frankfurt, en route to New York. On that night, Dec. 8, 1963, Flight 214, a Pan American Airways Boeing 707, was returning to the U.S. from from San Juan, Puerto Rico. "It was 5th September 1986. He stopped me from writing. The four suspectsWadoud Muhammad Hafiz al-Turki, Jamal Saeed Abdul Rahim, Muhammad Abdullah Khalil Hussain ar-Rahayyal, and Muhammad Ahmed al-Munawarare believed to have been members of the Abu Nidal Organization, which was designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. Department of State. Most . Contact Scott Herhold at sherhold@mercurynews.com or 408-275-0917. BY xms3200 - Sun Oct 30, 2005 9:04 am. An airhostess, who felt unwell, too lay down next to Trupti. She died heroically, saving Pan Am passengers from terrorists on Sept. 5, 1986. View a copy of the Court's legal opinion on the availability of the death penalty in this case. Profession: Chief Finance OfficerI was 23 then. The Pakistani military boarded the plane and the ensuing shootout killed 22 people. They didn't discuss the hijack. He said of a family of four sitting across the aisle from him: Two of them were killed and the others were wounded.. 'Grey's Anatomy' Cast: Where Are They Now? The court rescheduled the hearing to continue on Wednesday, August 13, 2003, at 10:00 a.m. August 13, 2003 - Legal arguments were held before Judge Sullivan, with the attorneys for the government and the defense arguing their positions on the government's motion for the court to reconsider its ruling barring the death penalty in this case. You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times. The other four defendants convicted in connection with the hijacking remain in jail in Pakistan. I climbed back into the aircraft and then ran to the rear exit. Once they finally got to the hospital, the chaos continued, Sherene says. Hassan Abd Latif Safarini appeared in court Wednesday to begin the sentencing phase for his role as lead hijacker of Pan Am Flight 73. "Many have criticised the pilots for leaving the rest of the crew behind, but I was relieved when I saw the pilots were gone, as we were all safer on the ground than we would be in the air. Three lives would be saved.". I was from a business family, married into another business family but I chose to start an NGO, providing education for the underprivileged after going through this tragedy. My mother was trying to save me while Neerja saved other children.I wanted to use the loo. No one aboard the KLM aircraft survived, and only 71 people escaped from the Pan Am wreckage. It was dark and I was very scared.. During their interviews with the BBC, they stressed that there was no single hero that day, that crew members not interviewed played an equally important role, and that they want survivors of terror attacks like 9/11 and Paris to know that life goes on. It was one of the deadliest airplane crashes in the history of the U.S. And screams.". Safarini was still on board when Pakistan's security forces entered the plane. The Court will allow the government to file additional briefs on some of the pending legal motions by April 22, 2003, and the attorneys for the defendant will be permitted to file any responding briefs by April 29, 2003. The crew of Pan Am Flight 73 (three of whom are pictured here with their colleagues) were all in their early to mid 20s at the time of the hijack. A plea proceeding date was set for Tuesday, December 16, 2003, at 10:00 a.m. and the status hearing previously scheduled for November 17, 2003, has been canceled. Please use portrait mode for best experience. Trahan, dubbed the "Miracle Baby of Pan Am Flight 759," was the sole survivor of the crash, sustaining no serious injuries. The court suspended the hearing before it was completed due to a lack of sufficient interpreters for the defendant. Sherene and Sunshine were the cabin crew who spent the most time with lead hijacker Zaid Hassan Abd Latif Safarini. I turned more patriotic, pious and mind you not religious rather spiritual after this incident. It was blamed for a string of attacks in the 1970s and 80s, killing and wounding hundreds of people, The Pan Am crew were recognised with courage awards by the airline in 1986, the US Department of Justice in 2005 and the US attorney general in 2006. That didnt make sense to Gargi Dav, who read the law firms demands with a trained lawyers eye. February 12, 2003 - Legal arguments were held before Judge Sullivan, with the attorneys for the government and the defense arguing their positions on the defendant's motion seeking to bar the death penalty in this case. They gave us strength. Tenn., flight attendant, JOHNSON, Caria, New York City, flight attendant, WARNS, Grores, Blairstown, N.J., flight engineer, See the article in its original context from. More information will be provided to victims concerning submitting a victim impact. At the end of the proceeding, Judge Sullivan took the matter under advisement and will issue a written decision at a later date. . This 747-121 was a big one, the kind with a second-floor lounge at the front of the plane where passengers could sit and have a drink. February 10, 2003 - The attorneys for the defense and the government filed pretrial motions and notices. All have coped in different ways. Shahs family members, whom he had sent to Bombay to visit friends and relatives, were apparently uninjured. Our tickets got confirmed at the last moment in Pan-Am Flight-73, which was headed to New York via Karachi and Frankfurt from . These charges will serve as the basis for the upcoming criminal trial of defendant Safarini. Victims were also encouraged to submit a victim impact statement and a form was provided to serve as a guide in composing a victim impact statement. Jenny White's parents Bryan and Margaret were touring the United States, stopping off in New Orleans and preparing to fly to Las Vegas on July 9, 1982. As the movie Neerja is releasing today, I thought it would be great to bring this story to all of you. That incident changed my outlook towards life. She fell on my shoulder, while I felt a hot ball of fire going up my feet. Had they not, the terrorists would have taken the flight somewhere and blown up the aircraft. 25th 1977, two 747's crashed into each other in. March 10, 2003 - Attorneys for both sides filed briefs in response to the motions and notices filed on February 10, 2003. The adrenaline was doing its work until I realised I had a major injury. After complaints by families in the United States that they had been unable to get accurate information about their kin on the jetliner, a spokeswoman for a State Department task force said American consular officials were empowered only to deal with U.S. citizens. The $5 million reward is offered through the State Departments Rewards for Justice Program. A passenger informed that his mother had probably had died inside. My friend was drenched in blood. Another Southern Californian who died was Kala Singh, a resident alien who lived in La Jolla. The firm's court filings estimate that $330 million is owed to Pan Am 73 survivors. Answer (1 of 6): Of all of the 61 survivors of Pan Am Flight 1736 (the flight that had survivors come out), only 16 people came out without injuries. "Neerja was put into the ambulance without a stretcher.". On September 5, 1986, Thexton boarded Pan Am Flight 73 in Karachi. Working hard and making money was on my mind until I went through this incident. In the chaos and darkness, at least three doors had been opened, though it is not clear by whom. When the lights did go out, all the flight attendants and passengers were in the middle section of the cabin, several seated on the ground in the aisles and near the doors. Janki Vyas VasantProfession: Founder of Samvedna, an NGOAge: 51At the tender age of 20, I saw death so closely, losing two of my close friend and a teacher. The fundamental issue is whether the sisters are showing great courage in standing up to a big law firm for what should be theirs or whether they are, in essence, greedy. Gargi Dav (pronounced Dah-VAY) is now a 34-year-old attorney who lives in Sunnyvale. Share it now! Her actions led to 359 of the 380 people on-board the plane managing to live through the ordeal. "This changed everything. Eventually, she moved back to New Orleans and married Joe Ferrara, whom she called the boy next door in the Times-Picayune story. A form was provided for victims to let the prosecution team know if they are interested in attending and/or speaking at the sentencing proceeding. The Sentencing Response Form should be submitted by February 12, 2004. Under the plea agreement announced in court, the government has agreed not to litigate further the Courts prior ruling that the death penalty was not available in this case in exchange for Safarini agreeing to the following terms, among other things: (1) a guilty plea to all 95 counts of the indictment; (2) an agreement that Safarini will be sentenced to the maximum term of imprisonment on each count, with some counts to run consecutively and some to run concurrently, for a total sentence of three consecutive life sentences plus 25 years, which is equivalent to 160 years in prison; (3) an agreement that, as the result of the consecutive sentencing, there will be no mandatory parole release date for Safarini during his lifetime; (4) an acknowledgment that, despite the fact that Safarini will have a right to parole proceedings under governing law at the time the hijacking took place, the government intends to oppose his release on parole at any time during his lifetime; (5) an agreement by Safarini to waive any appeal of the sentence, to waive any collateral attack on the plea or the sentence and to forego any motion for reduction of sentence; and (6) an agreement that Safarini will cooperate whenever, and in whatever form, the United States shall reasonably request, including by testifying against his co-defendants, if and when any of them comes into United States custody. We were put up in a hotel. Musician Nayan Pancholi recounts how he lost his eye but survived the Pan Am flight hijack in 1986. Sherene saw that mechanic Meherjee had been killed. Her sister could get as much. We were asked to hold our hands behind and bow down. Also, a sentencing date will be scheduled (probably for some time in the spring of 2004). Neerja had been shot in her hip and was bleeding heavily, but was conscious. Were hoping that with the age-progression photos next to the original photos maybe that will jar some memories or maybe someone has seen these guys walking around.. One hundred seventy-six passengers, estates, and family members who were victims of the September 5, 1986 terrorist hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73 in Karachi, Pakistan filed suit today against Libya and the individuals convicted of launching the attack. We take you down the emotional journey "Neerja was standing right next to the exit. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Today, shes taken a leave from her San Diego-based firm to help with the Flight 73 litigation. All Access Digital offer for just 99 cents! He showed so much grace in trouble, barring borders and perceptions. That didnt seem right., Stuart Newberger, the lead lawyer for Crowell & Moring, has said in a court filing that he considers the Davs case to be an attempt to increase the recovery of some members of the victim group obviously at the expense of the others.. We landed on the wing. Philadelphia, flight attendant, SARP, Aytel, Arlington. Passengerlist of the PamAm. I knew we couldnt jump down from the high wing. The Dav sisters scampered over the top of the seats to find the emergency exit as the gunfire and grenades erupted. That plot was averted when the pilots climbed out of an emergency cockpit of the Boeing 747. I wanted to give the pilots time to escape in case they were still in the process of climbing down the ropes outside the plane. Security forces laid siege to the New York-bound plane for 16 hours at Karachi airport after the jet was taken over by Palestinian militants on 5 September 1986. The other was identified by the State Department on Monday as Surendra Manubhal Patel, 50, of Fullerton, a computer programmer who was returning home from a vacation with his two daughters. Doctors did not think shed recover. But Pan-American Flight 759 crashed . May 9, 2003 - The government filed a motion for the court to reconsider its ruling barring the United States from Seeking the Death Penalty in this case. August 28, 2002 - A 95-count superseding indictment is returned by a grand jury in the District of Columbia, charging defendant Safarini and four co-defendants. Tenerife killing approx. Though nearly everyone was paralyzed with fear, Neerja Bhanot wasted no time in trying to diffuse the situation. Crew list PanAm *Grubbs, Victor Captain *Bragg, Robert First Officer *Warns, George W. Flight Engineer I was so fortunate to be surrounded by a loving family, including my grandparents from both sides, she told the New Orleans Times-Picayune in an interview highlighting the anniversary of the tragedy. DE BEAULIEU, Francoise Colbert, New York ?? Irja Skabo, 38, was one of Pan Am's more experienced stewardesses and she often worked in the first class cabin. They shot a certain US citizen by the name of Rajesh.I remember seeing Neerja each time the terrorists asked her to give us instructions. Nupoor saw them shoot near the feet of a colleague, shouting at her to lock the door. At the conclusion of the proceeding, Judge Sullivan sentenced the defendant to three consecutive life terms plus 25 years, for a total of 160 years. A 7-year-old child that Bhanot helped protect went on to become a captain of a major airline and he noted that she was his inspiration. All 259 people on board were killed, and 11 individuals on the ground also died. Captain Robert Bragg was the co-pilot aboard the Pan Am plane, and was one of the few who survived the collision. October 17, 1990. The initial agreement between the passengers was "designed to avoid infighting," Newberger wrote. Hassan Abd Latif Safarini appeared in court Wednesday to begin the sentencing phase for his role as lead hijacker of Pan Am Flight 73. Asked about the role of Pakistani commandos in ending the hijack episode, he said grimly, None of the people saw any commandos., When the lights went out in the plane, he said, the terrorists killed indiscriminately, firing their machine guns from less than a yard away.. The terrorists began screaming in Arabic. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. A family from Karachi later got me clothes and shoes. March 27, 1977 is a date permanently etched in aviation history. WILLIAMS, Norman; RO Palos Verdes, Calif. BRAGG, Robert, Howard Beach, N. Y., first officer, DONOVAN, Susanne, Harrisburg, Pa., flight attendant, GRUBBS, Victor, Centerport, L.I., captain, JACKSON, Joan, Nashville. The court set a briefing schedule regarding the government's motion to reconsider the death penalty ruling. We saw another lady, Utpala Desai, coming out seriously injured. Become a Member. As they left the plane, Pratik pointed at his father and cried, Daddy, Daddy!. We used to give up that position for a bit, or talk and whisper to each other. I became more courageous and confidant to face any situation in life later.Neerja was an excellent airhostess. Fellow attendant Sunshine Vesuwala saw one of the hijackers grab a colleague, Neerja Bhanot, and put a gun to her head. Nearly 361 passengers, ground crew and 13 flight attendants spent 16 . Become a Member. PAN AM Flight 73 - Another Perspectiveby: Purnima Subhash Hardikar Crowell & Moring LLP would like to recognize 13 of the firm's Pan Am Flight 73 victims of terrorism clients who were presented the Special Courage Award by Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales during the National Crime Victims' Rights Week Awards Ceremony on April 21, 2006. You can argue that setting aside the lawsuit brought by Crowell & Moring was one of the benefits to Libya in signing a pact and therefore that the lawyers deserve some payment for their work. Meherjee Kharas, a 28-year-old Pan Am mechanic on board, was forced to make radio contact with negotiators outside. I cant imagine what the babys mother must have gone through then.When people began escaping, the terrorists, who initially walked in wearing airport security uniforms, changed their clothes and tried to escape with the rest of us. After a short break all the Flight 73 crew returned to Pan Am for at least a few years. 25-30 passengers were killed and a large number were injured. Unable to fly the plane, the terrorists started by executing an American and dumping his body out the door of the plane. I told the terrorist I wanted some water. He said she related, It was all confusion and panic. August 29, 1991 - A 126-count indictment is returned under seal (i.e., in secret) by a grand jury in the District of Columbia. (In group shot - far left): Massey. Courageous crew members like Sunshine went back into the plane to look for survivors when the gunfire ceased and found . If we didnt speak up for ourselves, I cant tell you how victimized we would feel, she said. Download a PDF reader or learn more about PDFs. From there, she went to work as a volunteer lawyer for the Northern California ACLU. May 30, 2003 - Defendant filed his response to the government's motion for the court to reconsider its ruling barring the death penalty in this case. After the terrorists opened fire, I lay down flat fearing I could get killed any moment. No Thanks Later, as Pakistani commandos prepared to raid, the gunmen opened fire inside the cabin. When her dead body arrived in Mumbai, she looked fresh and beautiful because all her wounds were on her back.Had there been a VIP or a minister on our plane; all the lives would have been saved. Pan Am Flight 73 had just touched down in Karachi after departing from Mumbai, India, and was en route to Germany and then New York when the Palestinian gunmen commandeered it around 6:00 a.m. that fateful September day. Like I say, there are many shades of gray here. Eventually the militants threatened that, as a pilot had not materialised, a passenger would be shot every 15 minutes. Elliott: Kings use their heads over hearts in trading Jonathan Quick, A $150,000 executive protection dog? October 1, 2001 - Defendant Safarini is brought before a federal judge in Anchorage, Alaska, where he is ordered to be held and transported to the District of Columbia to face the charges pending against him. We stood still and numb, long after the end credits rolled. Neerja Bhanot. On Mar. The powerful emotions that stick in Gargi Davs heart and mind from the hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73 nearly a quarter-century ago mix the horrific with the unexpectedly kind, the blessing of survival with the resolve not to be victimized again. Grubbs was not among the survivors. Shama, another friend, had two bullet injuries in her head.. They made 300 passengers move to the front of the economy cabin. Once the death penalty issue is resolved, including any appeal, if one is filed, a new trial date will be set. They turned and ran back through the plane--and some gunfire--to the other wing, where they were able to slide to safety. In 1986, Pakistani terrorists hijacked a US-bound plane in a drama that left 22 passengers dead. The following is a ast of known survivors of the Pan American Boeing 747 involved in the Canary Island crash as provided Monday to The Associated Press by Pan Am officials: CULBERTSON, Slcohen, Green Valley, Arizona. Neerja Bhanot was senior flight purser on the Empress of the Seas, a Pan Am 747 hijacked at Jinnah International Airport in Karachi by four armed men from the Abu Nidal organization en route to Frankfurt and New York. It remains the worlds deadliest air disaster. Around 4 pm, we were served some cold drinks and snacks.The most incredible memory is that of Neerja gesturing the passengers to hide their American passports. More than three decades after a bomb pierced the evening sky over Lockerbie, Scotland, the Syracuse University community carries on a tradition to honor the 35 study-abroad students killed on Pan Am Flight 103. As soon as his prayer was over, they started firing indiscriminately. "It was chaotic, like a war zone, in there. "Neerja's life may have been saved were conditions in the hospital better.". Sherene says she knew then that time was running out. April 10, 2003 - The Court issued a legal opinion, ruling that the death penalty is not available in this case. MUMBAI-Neerja Bhanot died on the night of Sept. 5, 1986, after terrorists killed her for helping passengers escape Pan Am Flight 73 hijacked at Karachi airport, Pakistan. These sentences are later commuted to life sentences. Gari Dave is now a Sunnyvale attorney and she is representing a group of other survivors who are fighting to keep millions in restitution paid to the survivors by the Libyan government, who admitted involvement in the hijacking. We had no choice but to follow the terrorists instructions. Sonam Kapoors Neerja has brought alive memories of the braveheart Neerja Bhanot. She informed the pilots about the hijack and thats how the pilots could escape. Sunshine, Madhvi Bahuguna and another flight attendant began collecting passports, quietly avoiding collecting any that were American. Twenty people killed, more than 100 injured. He told the four men that the airport authorities were looking for pilots to fly them where they needed to go. I was told to go alone and on my way back, I came across a water dispenser. Then we were told to rest our heads on our hands and bend down. [17], One of the four, Jamal Saeed Abdul Rahim, was allegedly killed in a dr
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