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SAM Colombia Flight 601

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1973 hijacking of a Colombian airliner

SAM Colombia Flight 601
A SAM Lockheed L-188 similar to the one involved
Hijacking
Date30 May 1973
SummaryHijacking for profit
Aircraft
Aircraft typeLockheed L-188 Electra
Aircraft nameVenus
OperatorSAM Colombia
RegistrationHK-1274
Flight originAlfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport, Cali, Colombia
Last stopoverSilvio Pettirossi International Airport, Asunción, Paraguay
DestinationEnrique Olaya Herrera Airport, Medellín, Colombia
Passengers84
Crew4
Fatalities0

The SAM Colombia Flight 601 was a Lockheed L-188 Electra, which was hijacked when it was scheduled to fly from Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport of Cali to Enrique Olaya Herrera Airport in Medellín, with a stop at Matecaña International Airport in Pereira, Colombia on May 30, 1973. It was one of the longest hijackings in the history of commercial aviation. 84 passengers were on board with at least four crew members.

Hijacking

The hijacking began after the plane stopped in Pereira, perpetrated by two former football players from Paraguay who initially claimed affiliation with the National Liberation Army (ELN). Armed and presenting varying demands, they initially sought to negotiate with the Colombian government for the release of all passengers and crew in exchange for a substantial ransom and the release of certain ELN members, expressing a desire to flee to Cuba. However, the government doubted their ELN membership, refusing direct negotiations with the hijackers. Consequently, the hijackers negotiated with the airline instead. After forcing the plane to land at Queen Beatrix International Airport in Aruba, where they released some passengers but failed to secure money, they directed the pilot to head to Jorge Chávez International Airport in Lima, Peru. A technical issue forced a return to Aruba, during which some passengers escaped due to the hijackers' oversight. Eventually, they reached Lima, where they negotiated for fuel and new pilots. The hijackers then decided to make stops in several South American cities: Guayaquil, Mendoza, Buenos Aires, Resistencia, and finally Asunción, Paraguay, where the hijacking ended after more than 60 hours.

The hijackers, Eusebio Borja and Francisco "Toro" Solano López, confessed to the crew that their sole motivation was financial. As the hijacking progressed, they sought notoriety and aimed to set a record for its duration. Borja disembarked at Resistencia International Airport and evaded capture; he has not been seen since. Solano López was apprehended at Silvio Pettirossi International Airport by Paraguayan police and subsequently extradited to Colombia. Both men had lived in Colombia attempting to secure playing contracts with local football clubs but were unsuccessful.

Popular culture

In 2024 Netflix released a drama series named The Hijacking of Flight 601  [es] (Spanish: Secuestro del vuelo 601). a Colombian production inspired by the events. The series is based on a book by the Italian writer Massimo Di Ricco named Los condenados del aire.

References

  1. Vicencio, Miguel (13 April 2024). "La historia real detrás de Secuestro del vuelo 601, la serie colombiana en Netflix" [The Real Story Behind Hijacking Flight 601, the Colombian Series on Netflix]. Vogue México y Latinoamérica (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  2. Abuchaibe, Rafael (13 April 2024). "Vuelo 601: el avión colombiano secuestrado durante 60 horas por dos paraguayos que se convirtió en el acto de piratería aérea más largo de la historia de América Latina" [Flight 601: The Colombian plane hijacked for 60 hours by two Paraguayans that became the longest act of air piracy in Latin American history]. BBC News Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  3. Mancini, Nicolas (15 April 2024). "El inaudito caso real de piratería aérea detrás de "Secuestro del vuelo 601", la serie de Netflix del momento" [The unheard-of real case of air piracy behind "Hijacking Flight 601", the Netflix series of the moment]. Clarín (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 April 2024.
  4. Acero, Yaritza (29 June 2023). "Así fue el secuestro aéreo más largo en la historia de Colombia, que ahora será una serie en Netflix" [This was the longest air hijacking in Colombia's history, which will now be a series on Netflix]. Infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 April 2024.
Aviation accidents and incidents in 1973 (1973)
Jan 21 Aeroflot Flight 6263Jan 22 Kano Nigeria Airways Boeing 707 crashJan 29 EgyptAir Flight 741Feb 19 Aeroflot Flight 141Feb 21 Libyan Arab Airlines Flight 114Feb 24 Aeroflot Flight 630Feb 26 DeKalb–Peachtree Airport Learjet 24 crashFeb 28 Aeroflot Flight X-167Mar 3 Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Flight 307Mar 5 Nantes mid-air collisionApr 10 Invicta International Airlines Flight 435Apr 23 Aeroflot Flight 2420May 11 Aeroflot Flight 6551May 18 Aeroflot Flight 109May 30 SAM Colombia Flight 601May 31 Indian Airlines Flight 440Jun 3 Paris Air Show Tu-144 crashJun 10 Nepal plane hijackingJun 20 Aeroméxico Flight 229Jul 11 Varig Flight 820Jul 22 Pan Am Flight 816Jul 23 Japan Air Lines Flight 404Jul 23 Ozark Air Lines Flight 809Jul 31 Delta Air Lines Flight 723Aug 13 Aviaco Flight 118Aug 18 Aeroflot Flight A-13Aug 27 Aerocondor Lockheed L-188 Electra crashAug 28 TWA Flight 742Sep 8 World Airways Flight 802Sep 11 JAT Flight 769Sep 27 Texas International Airlines Flight 655Sep 30 Aeroflot Flight 3932Oct 13 Aeroflot Flight 964Nov 2 Aeroflot Flight 19Nov 3 Pan Am Flight 160Nov 3 National Airlines Flight 27Nov 21 US Navy C-117D Sólheimasandur CrashNov 23 Italian Air Force C-47 Argo 16 crashNov 25 KLM Flight 861Dec 16 Aeroflot Flight 2022Dec 17 Iberia Flight 933Dec 17 Pan Am Fl. 110, Lufthansa Fl. 303 hijackingDec 22 Royal Air Maroc Caravelle crash
1972   ◄    ►   1974
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