American Airlines Flight 444

Attempted bombing of flight from Chicago to Washington, D.C.

38°57′11″N 77°27′00″W / 38.953°N 77.450°W / 38.953; -77.450AircraftAircraft typeBoeing 727-223OperatorAmerican AirlinesRegistrationN876AAFlight originChicago O'Hare International AirportDestinationWashington National AirportOccupants78Passengers72Crew6Fatalities0Injuries12Survivors78 (all)

American Airlines Flight 444 was a scheduled American Airlines flight from Chicago to Washington, D.C.'s National Airport. On November 15, 1979, the Boeing 727 serving the flight was attacked by Ted Kaczynski (also known as the Unabomber), who sent a pipe bomb in the mail and set it to detonate at a certain altitude. The bomb partially detonated in the cargo hold and caused "a sucking explosion and a loss of pressure," which was then followed by large quantities of smoke filling the passenger cabin, forcing the pilots to make an emergency landing at Dulles International Airport.^[1]^[2]^[3] Twelve passengers had to be treated afterward for smoke inhalation.^[2]

Bombing a commercial airliner, especially one flying through an interstate route as Flight 444 was at the time, is a federal criminal offense, and the FBI was quickly called in to investigate. The FBI investigators assigned to the case found similarities between the still relatively intact pipe bomb and two bombs that had previously detonated at Northwestern University. This prompted federal authorities to assign the name "Unabomber" (for University and Airline Bomber) to the then-unknown suspect, and sparked one of the longest and most expensive manhunts in FBI history, which finally ended 17 years later with Ted Kaczynski being arrested and charged in 1996.

References

^ Lynton, Stephen J.; Sager, Mike; Harden, Blaine (1979-11-16). "Bomb Jolts Jet". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
^ ^a ^b O'Brien, John (1986-03-04). "Federal, State Officials Team Up To Hunt Creator Of 11 Bombs". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
^ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727-223 Adv. N876AA Washington-Dulles International Airport, DC (IAD)". Aviation Safety Network. Flight Safety Foundation. Retrieved 2020-12-22.

External links

Non-hull loss description at the Aviation Safety Network

American Airlines

Oneworld member

Mergers and
acquisitions

Facilities

Programs

Brands

American Airlines Shuttle
American Eagle

Incidents

American Airlines	Flight 1 1941 1962 Flight 2 Flight 009 Flight 11 Flight 28 Flight 63 July 1943 October 1943 December 2001 Flight 77 Flight 96 Flight 102 Flight 157 Flight 191 Flight 293 Flight 320 Flight 331 Flight 383 1965 2016 Flight 444 Flight 476 Flight 514 Flight 587 Flight 625 Flight 711 Flight 723 Flight 910 Flight 924 Flight 965 Flight 1420 Flight 1502 Flight 1572 Flight 6001 Flight 6780
American Eagle	Flight 3378 Flight 3379 Flight 4184 Flight 5452 Flight 5456
American Connection	Flight 5966

People

Organizations

Allied Pilots Association
Association of Professional Flight Attendants
TWU-IAM Association
CWA/Teamsters Passenger Service Association

History of American Airlines
Fleet
American Airlines Group
- AMR Corporation
American Way
Celebrated Living
Reservisor
Sabre
Transpacific Route Case

Category

v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in 1979 (1979)
Jan 30 Varig Flight 967 Feb 12 Air Rhodesia Flight 827 Feb 17 Air New Zealand Flight 4374 Mar 14 Alia Flight 600 Mar 17 Aeroflot Flight 1691 Mar 26 1979 Interflug Ilyushin Il-18 crash Mar 29 Quebecair Flight 255 Apr 4 TWA Flight 841 Apr 23 SAETA Flight 011 May 25 American Airlines Flight 191 May 30 Downeast Airlines Flight 46 Jun 17 Air New England Flight 248 Jun 20 American Airlines Flight 293 Jul 11 Garuda Fokker F28 crash Jul 26 Lufthansa Cargo Flight 527 Jul 31 Dan-Air Flight 0034 Aug 11 Dniprodzerzhynsk mid-air collision Aug 29 Aeroflot Flight 5484 Sep 14 Aero Trasporti Italiani Flight 12 Oct 7 Swissair Flight 316 Oct 31 Western Airlines Flight 2605 Nov 15 American Airlines Flight 444 Nov 26 Pakistan International Airlines Flight 740 Nov 28 Air New Zealand Flight 901 Dec 18 Mosfellsheiði air crashes Dec 23 Turkish Airlines Ankara crash
1978 ◄ ► 1980

Aviation accidents and incidents in 1979 (1979)

Jan 30

Varig Flight 967

Feb 12

Air Rhodesia Flight 827

Feb 17

Air New Zealand Flight 4374

Mar 14

Alia Flight 600

Mar 17

Aeroflot Flight 1691

Mar 26

1979 Interflug Ilyushin Il-18 crash

Mar 29

Quebecair Flight 255

Apr 4

TWA Flight 841

Apr 23

SAETA Flight 011

May 25

American Airlines Flight 191

May 30

Downeast Airlines Flight 46

Jun 17

Air New England Flight 248

Jun 20

American Airlines Flight 293

Jul 11

Garuda Fokker F28 crash

Jul 26

Lufthansa Cargo Flight 527

Jul 31

Dan-Air Flight 0034

Aug 11

Dniprodzerzhynsk mid-air collision

Aug 29

Aeroflot Flight 5484

Sep 14

Aero Trasporti Italiani Flight 12

Oct 7

Swissair Flight 316

Oct 31

Western Airlines Flight 2605

Nov 15

American Airlines Flight 444

Nov 26

Pakistan International Airlines Flight 740

Nov 28

Air New Zealand Flight 901

Dec 18

Mosfellsheiði air crashes

Dec 23

Turkish Airlines Ankara crash

1978 ◄ ► 1980

v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States and U.S. territories in the 1970s
1970	Cornfield Bomber Eastern Air Lines Shuttle Flight 1320 Trans International Airlines Flight 863 Wichita State University football team plane crash Southern Airways Flight 932 Capitol International Airways Flight C2C3/26
1971	B-52C Lake Michigan crash Colorado Aviation Aero Commander 680 crash Hughes Airwest Flight 706 Allegheny Airlines Flight 485 Pan Am Flight 845 Alaska Airlines Flight 1866 Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305 (see D. B. Cooper)
1972	Mohawk Airlines Flight 405 Delta Air Lines Flight 9570 American Airlines Flight 96 Prinair Flight 191 Lake Winnebago mid-air collision Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 710 Delta Air Lines Flight 841 Sacramento Canadair Sabre accident Southern Airways Flight 49 United Air Lines Flight 553 Chicago–O'Hare runway collision Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 Puerto Rico DC-7 crash
1973	DeKalb–Peachtree Airport Learjet crash Ozark Air Lines Flight 809 Delta Air Lines Flight 723 TWA Flight 742 World Airways Flight 802 Texas International Airlines Flight 655 Pan Am Flight 160 National Airlines Flight 27 Iberia Flight 933
1974	Commonwealth Commuter Flight 317 Pan Am Flight 806 Delta Air Lines Flight 523 Eastern Air Lines Flight 212 TWA Flight 514 Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 6231
1975	Golden West Airlines Flight 261 Eastern Air Lines Flight 66 Wien Air Alaska Flight 99 Overseas National Airways Flight 032
1976	Alaska Airlines Flight 60 American Airlines Flight 625 Air Manila Flight 702 TWA Flight 355
1977	Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 1045 Southern Airways Flight 242 Delta Air Lines Flight 1080 Encino helicopter crash Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash Air Indiana Flight 216 United Airlines Flight 2860 Vieques Air Link crash
1978	Continental Airlines Flight 603 United Airlines Flight 696 National Airlines Flight 193 Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182 Air Caribbean Flight 309 TWA Flight 541 United Airlines Flight 173
1979	TWA Flight 841 American Airlines Flight 191 Downeast Airlines Flight 46 Air New England Flight 248 American Airlines Flight 293 American Airlines Flight 444
This list is incomplete. ALM Flight 980 ditched in waters near St. Croix. Flying Tiger Line Flight 45 occurred in the United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands