They threw the hand grenades too, one of which fell on my friend Rupal (18), sitting next to me. The letters provided information about defendant Safarini's guilty plea and encouraged victims to attend the scheduled sentencing proceeding. We went to all the hospitals looking for our people. September 12, 2002 - Defendant Safarini is arraigned on the superseding indictment and pleads not guilty to each of the counts. Dark Mode. Eventually the militants threatened that, as a pilot had not materialised, a passenger would be shot every 15 minutes. They have thrown every bit of their resources into trying to shut her up.. Suresh GopalkrishnanProfession: Businessman, ChennaiAge: 55I was a carefree and free-spirited 23 year old boy, working with a German company, on my way to Paris. I realised I had survived. They were at every exit trying to push us out of the aircraft. (In group shot - far left): Massey. How I connect my mother to Neerja is that they both died saving children and at the same time. Philadelphia, flight attendant. . A passenger informed that his mother had probably had died inside. Philadelphia, flight attendant, SARP, Aytel, Arlington. 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. At the airport we identified them and they were captured by the security officials. That plot was averted when the pilots climbed out of an emergency cockpit of the Boeing 747. Meanwhile, inside the plane, 29-year-old American passenger Rajesh Kumar was pulled out of his seat and made to kneel in front of one of the open doors, with a gun to his head. I realised I was completely drenched in my mothers blood. A certain Mr. Mohammadbhai, a businessman from Karachi, known to a relative of Utpala came to us asking if he could help. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. And screams.". At the end of the proceeding, Judge Sullivan took the matter under advisement and will issue a written decision at a later date. She was killed while helping passengers to escape through emergency exits when hijackers opened fire and set off explosives during the 16-hour ordeal. On the hand he was he giving me water and on the other he was still a threat to my life. I turned more patriotic, pious and mind you not religious rather spiritual after this incident. I realised I couldnt stand. He made me wear a burkha and we stepped out as the security wasnt allowing me to step out. Now eight of them - led by Sunnyvale attorney Gargi Dave, who was 10 years old during the ordeal and is due a $3 million payment -are fighting a New York law firm's efforts to wrest away 90 percent of those settlements. It took a tremendous amount of courage, said her attorney, Boyd. An official website of the United States government. April 11, 2003 - A status hearing was held before Judge Sullivan. The letter also contained a handbook entitled "Coping After Terrorism: Information for Victims and Survivors of the Pan Am Flight #73 Hijacking. She slid out the exit upside down. The hijacking of Flight 73 was a botched precursor to 9/11. "I may be biased but I feel that day proved that the flight attendants on board were some of the best in the industry.". 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 had a bullet injury on the right leg and the whole of the left leg up to my thigh was burnt with the grenade. Sunshine, Madhvi Bahuguna and another flight attendant began collecting passports, quietly avoiding collecting any that were American. She was hit with a bullet in her skull and had injuries on her chest and hands. Contact the Webmaster to submit comments. One of the survivors and also eyewitness of hijacked Pan-Am flight in the year 1986. Calling the fight sad and disheartening, Newberger said the sharing clause was originally put in the agreement to stop infighting among the 178 plaintiffs. In panic mode, they opened gunfire. Once they finally got to the hospital, the chaos continued, Sherene says. Her sister could get as much. Outside on the tarmac, Pan Am's Karachi director Viraf Doroga used a megaphone to begin negotiations with the hijackers. "My first instinct was to open the wing exit and slip out with as many passengers as I could, but I realised that this would leave the rest of the passengers vulnerable," then flight attendant Nupoor Abrol told BBC News. 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. (Photo: AP) In 2003, Zayd Safrini pleaded guilty to 95 charges which included . "It was chaotic, like a war zone, in there. "See a copy of the Government's Sentencing Memorandum, See a copy of the text of the prosecutors' allocution narrative during the sentencing proceeding, View the PowerPoint presentation shown by the prosecutors during the sentencing proceeding, Read the Government's press release concerning the sentencing, See a copy of the Transcript of Sentencing Proceeding - May 12, 2004, See a copy of the Transcript of Sentencing Proceeding - May 13, 2004, Week of July 5, 2004 - Defendant Safarini was transferred by the Bureau of Prisons to the Administrative Maximum facility in Florence, Colorado, also referred to as "SuperMax.". Then, when all the passengers were off the wing, the crew did something remarkable. When the day ended, almost everyone survived the hijack, thanks to Neerja's quick-thinking . We had to wait on the tarmac for 45 minutes for a transport vehicle to carry my mothers coffin. "I didn't see medical facilities at the airport besides minor first aid The hospital was several kilometres away from the airport," says Dilip. He had been on a climbing expedition in northern Pakistan to say goodbye to his elder brother Pete, a doctor who had died during . 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. (From top left): Nupoor, Sunshine, Sherene, Dilip. Onboard: 73 passengers and eight crew members. . He said she related, It was all confusion and panic. They pushed her down first, then jumped out themselves. 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. Sunshine and Dilip were also on the wing, but in the darkness couldn't gauge the distance of the drop. See Her Life in Photos, Mickey Guyton and Grant Savoy's Relationship Timeline, Girl, 11, Speaks Out After Dad's Bear Hug Saves Her Life in Airplane Crash, Gloria Estefan and Emilio Estefan's Relationship Timeline, The Cutest Longterm Celebrity Couple Throwback Photos, All of Princess Diana's PEOPLE Magazine Covers Through the Years, Shaquille O'Neal and Ex Shaunie's Relationship Timeline, On the 110th Anniversary of Titanic's Sinking, Revisit Chilling Tales of Life and Death from the PEOPLE Archives. On Friday, Feb. 19, 2016, India sees 'Neerja' again. Neerja seemed like just any other airhostess until we reached Karachi and the terrorists took over. Some Southlanders will not be coming home. Its always been an active case of ours, saidthe leadFBI agenton the case. Neerja Bhanot was working as a senior flight attendant for Pan American World Airways when tragedy struck on the morning of Sept. 5, 1986. They saw another door had been deployed in automatic, which meant that the emergency slide was inflated. 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. 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. Gargi Dav (pronounced Dah-VAY) is now a 34-year-old attorney who lives in Sunnyvale. One of those survivors was Purser I wanted to save my family.. Subscribe Though nearly everyone was paralyzed with fear, Neerja Bhanot wasted no time in trying to diffuse the situation. Survivors condemn hijacker in Pan Am massacre . They are breaking this silence now, they say, because they want to honour and acknowledge the vital roles played by all on board, most of whom are not known to the public. And their battle offers a fascinating glimpse at the conflicts that erupt between victims and their lawyers. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. That incident changed my outlook towards life. If we didnt speak up for ourselves, I cant tell you how victimized we would feel, she said. The defendant's response will be due on May 30, 2003, and the government's reply will be due on June 16, 2003. 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. Witness is a programme of the . ", See a copy of the Sentencing Response Form, See a copy of the Victim Impact Statement Form, 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. At the sentencing, the judge will consider victim impact evidence from those who survived Pan Am 73 as well as from family members or friends of those who were killed. n the afternoon of Dec. 21, 1988, Syracuse University student Matthew Trento walked into New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport, ready to make what he thought would be a routine connection between a Pan Am flight and a Piedmont plane bound for Syracuse. She died heroically, saving Pan Am passengers from terrorists on Sept. 5, 1986. We put her in the ambulance. We were told to raise our hands and sit. I thought we were going to die, George said. It changed my perception. She informed the pilots about the hijack and thats how the pilots could escape. Those who were sitting straight got shot in the legs while others who had ducked got shot in the heads as their guns were pointed downwards. Passengerlist of the PamAm. Survivors of a 1986 terrorist attack on Pan Am 73 in Pakistan faced a nightmare together. One was naturalized citizen Rajesh Kumar, 29, of Huntington Beach. The men entered the Boeing 747, firing shots into the air. The court date of November 17, 2003, which had previously been set as a date to hear arguments on legal motions not related to the death penalty, has been converted to a status conference. On September 5, 1986, Pan Am Flight 73 was hijacked on the ground at Karachi Airport in Pakistan by Palestinian terrorists led by the Abu Nidal Organization, a terrorist organization backed by . This is where the fine print matters. Around four hours into the siege, the hijackers began trying to identify the Americans on board. Courageous crew members like Sunshine went back into the plane to look for survivors when the gunfire ceased and found . Survivors condemn hijacker in Pan Am massacre . He stopped me from writing. The terrorists, members of the Abu Nidal organization, had planned to crash the plane into a sensitive Israeli target in Tel Aviv. 'Flight 73' is a Non-fiction, based on the true events that had happened on 6th September, 1986 while Pan-Am Clipper 73 was hijacked on the ground in Karachi, Pakistan. Similar findings are made by the Court on May 3, 2002, and again on November 1, 2002. From there, she went to work as a volunteer lawyer for the Northern California ACLU. On September 5, 1986, Thexton boarded Pan Am Flight 73 in Karachi. The Dav sisters scampered over the top of the seats to find the emergency exit as the gunfire and grenades erupted. [17], One of the four, Jamal Saeed Abdul Rahim, was allegedly killed in a dr After escaping out an emergency window, Gargi and her sister, Giatri, were badly injured when they fell from wing to ground. "The hijack is far from over for me and my colleagues. 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. She fell on my shoulder, while I felt a hot ball of fire going up my feet. June 16, 2003 - The government filed its reply brief in support of its motion for the court to reconsider its ruling barring the death penalty in this case. . They then went through the bags of passports they had collected, secretly sifting out any remaining American ones and tucking them under their seats or concealing them in their clothing. One person opened the door that led to the wing of the plane. Now, a tangle of lawsuits over $150 million in compensation from Libya is pitting them against one another. At the end of the proceeding, Judge Sullivan took the matter under advisement and will issue a written decision at a later date. It's been over 25 years since the hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73, in Karachi, Pakistan, and a number of survivors are renewing their calls to Congress for compensation from the Foreign Claims . "The flight attendant smiled throughout the incident despite the fear surrounding her," Mitra said. He was shot by the hijackers when, according to some other passengers, he objected to their rough treatment of a flight attendant. Thirty-two years later, Trahan, now 33, is a wife and mother who has learned to cope with unbelievable loss. Irja Skabo, 38, was one of Pan Am's more experienced stewardesses and she often worked in the first class cabin. 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. The stench of her blood haunts me even today.". Victim impact statements can be given in written or recorded form, and a limited number of victims will be permitted to give in-court testimony. "I noticed immediately that the escape devices in the cockpit had been deployed. They climbed back in through the door they had come through, and along with Sherene and another colleague, assisted and redirected passengers to the inflated slide. Print. The Pan Am captain's name was Victor Grubbs. The government argues that the death penalty is available for defendant Safarini's violation of the air piracy statute. Earlier Monday, Arun Athavale of Mission Viejo, a computer engineer, arrived here on an American Airlines plane and was met by his wife, Prati, and son, Agay, 4. As they left the plane, Pratik pointed at his father and cried, Daddy, Daddy!. 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. Saturday marked 40 years since Pan Am 759 crashed into a Kenner neighborhood, killing all 146 people on board and eight people on the ground.The only survivor on the ground was 16 . A total of 112 survivors of Flight 73 had arrived in the United States late Sunday, landing at New York's Kennedy International Airport, where they were met by relatives, friends, reporters and . December 30, 2002 - Attorneys for defendant Safarini file a reply brief in support of their motion seeking to bar the death penalty against the defendant. But, Pan Am Flight 214 . There was a buzz that they had a time bomb on them, which could explode. Massey had already exited down the slide just moments earlier, taking three unaccompanied children with him. Tenerife killing approx. There was one airhostess there helping people jump. (Neerja Bhanot's pictures courtesy: Aneesh Bhanot). Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Column: Did the DOJ just say Donald Trump can be held accountable for Jan. 6? On Mar. No one aboard the KLM aircraft survived, and only 71 people escaped from the Pan Am wreckage. Crew list PanAm *Grubbs, Victor Captain *Bragg, Robert First Officer *Warns, George W. Flight Engineer Bloodstain is seen on one of the wings of the Pan Am jetliner on the Karachi Airport, Pakistan on 6 September 1986. Dilip Bidichandani, another steward, is adamant that the pilots' escape actually saved more lives. Each of the men is on the FBIs Most Wanted Terrorists List. 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. The firm's court filings estimate that $330 million is owed to Pan Am 73 survivors. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Victim impact statements should be submitted to the prosecution team by March 1, 2004. The battle between the Dav group and the law firm is now in arbitration in D.C. Some survivors of the ill-fated PanAm flight 73 recount the sordid memories of that September day in 1986 when the airhostess gave up her life in the line of duty. December 16, 2003 - Defendant Safarini pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court to all 95 counts of the superseding indictment against him in connection with the hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73. Meherjee Kharas, a 28-year-old Pan Am mechanic on board, was forced to make radio contact with negotiators outside. The other 259 people aboard the aircraft died when the bomb blew apart the jetliner Dec. 21, 1988 or were killed by the 30,000-foot fall . July 21, 2003 - The court began hearing arguments on the government's motion for the court to reconsider its ruling barring the death penalty in this case. Safarini was still on board when Pakistan's security forces entered the plane. Maul, Hawaii. See the press release concerning the guilty plea, See a copy of the signed plea agreement concerning the guilty plea, See a copy of the of the facts proffered by the government to which the defendant admitted guilt under oath, January 20, 2004 - Letters were mailed to victims whose addresses are known to the prosecution. The gunmen's plan was to force the pilots to fly them to Cyprus and Israel, where other members of their militant group were incarcerated on terror charges. The air conditioner stopped, the lights went off. They also want people to know they dearly miss their colleagues Neerja Bhanot and Meherjee Kharas. Nupoor tried to comfort the passengers around her while her colleague Dilip Bidichandani took round sandwiches and Neerja distributed water. The two girls narrowly escaped a deadly fusillade. Sherene and Sunshine were the cabin crew who spent the most time with lead hijacker Zaid Hassan Abd Latif Safarini. emailStay Connected Elliott: Kings use their heads over hearts in trading Jonathan Quick, A $150,000 executive protection dog? More information will be provided on submitting a victim impact statement at a later date. The motions hearing will continue on Monday, June 16, 2003. Pan Am officials said 16 survivors of the hijacking were booked on the plane that arrived in Los Angeles from New York on Monday afternoon. How much is naturally a matter of debate. When the survivors recall the deadly memory, their hearts start racing and their spines become chilled. Thirty-two years later, Trahan, now 33, is a wife and mother who has . And in any case, at least the three pilots were safe. I could see the terrorists walking up and down the aisle, trying to negotiate. Gargi Dave was among the survivors of a shootout aboard a jetliners hijacked by Pakistani terrorists. Interim status hearing dates were set for February 18, 2004, and April 14, 2004. I told the terrorist I wanted some water. Mike was made to sit on the floor, and like the other passengers, keep his hands above his head. Musician Nayan Pancholi recounts how he lost his eye but survived the Pan Am flight hijack in 1986. The university's annual Remembrance Week, which runs October 20-26, features a candlelight vigil . Otherwise wed have panicked. Not hearing any more gunfire, but not knowing where the gunmen were, they went back into the dark plane to look for survivors. When our flight landed in Karachi, the hijackers entered the aircraft wearing security guard uniforms. When no pilot materialised within the hour, Mr Kumar was shot and kicked out of the plane. The Abu Nidal Organisation (ANO) is a Palestinian militant group, now considered largely inactive. Later, as Pakistani commandos prepared to raid, the gunmen opened fire inside the cabin. If you wish to contact the FBI case agent assigned to this matter, Special Agent Michael OCallaghan, any of the prosecutors handling this matter, Jennifer Levy, Gregg Maisel or Robert Bowman, or victim-witness advocate Yvonne Bryant you may do so at USADC.PanAm73@usdoj.gov. Another person who was on the wings jumped down and broke his legs. 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