FedEx Flight 705

Infobox Airliner accident|name=FedEx Flight 705
Date=April 7 1994
Type=Attempted hijacking
Site=Memphis, Tennessee
Fatalities=0
Injuries=4
Aircraft Type=McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30
Operator=FedEx
Tail Number=N306FE
Passengers=1
Crew=3
Survivors=4 (All)

FedEx Flight 705, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30, experienced an attempted hijacking on April 7, 1994.

The hijacker

42-year-old FedEx Express employee Auburn Calloway faced termination of employment for lying on his résumé about his previous flying experience with the United States Navy. He boarded the San José, California-bound aircraft, which was loaded with electronic equipment for Silicon Valley, intending to murder the flight crew with hammers and then use the aircraft for a kamikaze attack on FedEx Headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee. Calloway planned to use blunt force to kill the crew so that the injuries inflicted would resemble those occurring in a plane crash; he wanted to disguise the attack as an accident so that his family would benefit from his $2.5 million life insurance policy. As a last resort, Calloway smuggled a speargun on board in a guitar case. Calloway attempted to disable the cockpit voice recorder to cover his tracks. [http://www.tailstrike.com/070494.htm]

The crew

The three-man flight crew that was supposed to fly the flight, consisted of 49-year-old Captain David "Dave" Sanders, 42-year-old First Officer James "Jim" Tucker, and 39-year-old Flight Engineer Andy Peterson.

The hijacking

Calloway, a former Navy pilot and a martial arts expert, attacked minutes after take-off. He wounded the flight crew with hammers and fractured Tucker's skull. A lengthy struggle ensued with the flight engineer and captain. Tucker, also an ex-Navy pilot, managed to control the plane as the three others struggled in the cockpit. By means of extreme aerial maneuvers meant to keep Calloway off balance, the flight crew eventually succeeded in restraining Calloway. Dave Sanders, locking himself in the cockpit with the weapons, disabled the auto pilot. Heavily loaded with fuel and cargo, the plane was also coming too fast and too high to land on the scheduled runway 9. Sanders requested by radio to land on the longer runway 36. Maneuvering beyond security limits and ignoring warning messages from the in-board computer, he managed to land the jet safely at Memphis International Airport. Emergency personnel gained access to the plane via escape slide and ladder. Blood covered the cockpit interior. [http://www.tailstrike.com/070494.htm]

Aftermath

Calloway pleaded temporary insanity but was sentenced to life without parole on August 15, 1995 for attempted murder and attempted air piracy. He is imprisoned at United States Penitentiary, Atwater Federal Prison in Atwater, California.

On May 26, 1994, the Airline Pilots Association awarded Dave Sanders, James Tucker, and Andy Peterson the Gold Medal Award for heroism, the highest award a civilian pilot can receive. Due to the severity of their injuries, none of the crew has been certified as medically fit to fly commercially after the incident.

As of June 2007, the aircraft involved still flew for FedEx. [http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?cnsearch=48287/409&distinct_entry=true] The aircraft is still registered as N306FE.

This incident was featured on the "National Geographic" television show, "Mayday" ("Air Crash Investigation" or "Air Emergency").

ee also

*List of notable accidents and incidents on commercial aircraft

External links

* [http://www.tailstrike.com/070494.htm Cockpit voice recorder transcript and incident summary]
* [http://www.airdisaster.com/cvr/atcwav.shtml Clips from the air traffic control tape]
* [http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19940407-0 Aviation Safety Network summary for FedEx Flight 705]