United Airlines Flight 696

Aircraft hijacking

39°45′38.6″N 104°53′31.1″W / 39.760722°N 104.891972°W / 39.760722; -104.891972AircraftAircraft typeBoeing 727OperatorUnited AirlinesRegistrationUnknownFlight originSan Francisco International Airport, San Francisco, California1st stopoverOakland, CaliforniaLast stopoverDenver, ColoradoDestinationSeattle/Tacoma International Airport, Seattle, WashingtonFatalities0Injuries3Survivors75

United Airlines Flight 696 was a flight from San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, California, to Seattle, Washington, with 75 people in board on March 13, 1978, which was hijacked by a man claiming to have a bomb. The incident resulted in no serious injuries and the arrest of the hijacker, Clay Thomas.^[1]^[2]

Background

After takeoff from San Francisco, Clay Thomas, claiming to have a bomb, hijacked the Boeing 727-222, demanding the plane land in Oakland, California, and fuel up for a flight to Cuba. The crew negotiated the release of all the passengers and cabin crew while on the ground in Oakland waiting for fuel. Panicked by the sight of police vehicles, Thomas cut the fueling short and demanded an immediate departure to Cuba. Once the plane was airborne, the pilot explained that the aircraft still did not have enough fuel to reach Cuba, and Thomas agreed to land in Denver, Colorado, for more fuel. About 90 minutes after landing, the three members of the cockpit crew all jumped to safety from the open cockpit windows, all suffering injuries in the 18-foot (5.5 m) jump. Within five minutes of the escape and without hostages, Thomas meekly surrendered to the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation.^[3]^[4]

References

^ "Officials could not call hijacker's bluff". Wisconsin State Journal. 1978-03-16. p. 13. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
^ "FBI sure hijacker didn't have a bomb". Clarion-Ledger. 1978-03-16. p. 10. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
^ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727-222 registration unknown Memphis, Denver". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network.
^ "Officials Hijacker of Jet in San Francisco Had Bomb". Albuquerque Journal. 1978-03-16. p. 23. Retrieved 2023-03-05.

Aviation accidents and incidents in 1978 (1978)

Jan 1

Air India Flight 855

Feb 11

Pacific Western Airlines Flight 314

Feb 17

British Army Gazelle downing

Mar 1

Continental Airlines Flight 603

Mar 3

LAV HS 748 accident

Mar 9

China Airlines Flight 831

Mar 13

United Airlines Flight 696

Mar 16

Balkan Bulgarian Airlines Flight 107

Apr 20

Korean Air Lines Flight 902

May 8

National Airlines Flight 193

May 19

Aeroflot Flight 6709

May 23

1978 Yegoryevsk Tu-144 crash

Jun 21

Iranian Chinook shootdown

Jun 26

Air Canada Flight 189

Jun 26

Helikopter Service Flight 165

Aug 9

Olympic Airways Flight 411

Aug 30

LOT Polish Airlines Flight 165 hijacking

Sep 3

Air Rhodesia Flight 825

Sep 7

Air Ceylon Avro 748 4R-ACJ bombing

Sep 25

Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182

Sep 26

Air Caribbean Flight 309

Sep 30

Finnair Flight 405

Oct 3

Finnish Air Force DC-3 crash

Oct 7

Aeroflot Flight 1080

Oct 21

Valentich disappearance

Nov 15

Loftleiðir Flight 001

Dec 17

Indian Airlines Flight 403

Dec 20

Indian Airlines Flight 410

Dec 21

TWA Flight 541

Dec 22

Cessna 188 Pacific rescue

Dec 23

Alitalia Flight 4128

Dec 28

United Airlines Flight 173

1977 ◄ ► 1979

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