PARKER, Isabella, Capistrano Bench, Calif. PENKSTAFF, Mrs. Charles San Diego, Calif. SEACRIST, Katherine, Lthaina. On December 21, 1988, their 20-year-old daughter, Theodora, was one of 270 people killed in the terrorist bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland. The passenger plane crashed in a residential area of Kenner soon after . Pity that she was shot at. 'Miracle baby' shares her story 40 years after deadly Pan Am - WGNO 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. "That day, knowingly or unknowingly, we came together as a team and played our parts to the best of our ability," says Massey Casper, another steward. It was a strange feeling. If we didnt speak up for ourselves, I cant tell you how victimized we would feel, she said. The men entered the Boeing 747, firing shots into the air. They occasionally worked the same flight and ran into each other at layovers. It showed they were ruthless killers," says Sunshine. I lay down on my family, my small child and other baby . Massey had already exited down the slide just moments earlier, taking three unaccompanied children with him. Gargi Dav (pronounced Dah-VAY) is now a 34-year-old attorney who lives in Sunnyvale. They threw the hand grenades too, one of which fell on my friend Rupal (18), sitting next to me. One was naturalized citizen Rajesh Kumar, 29, of Huntington Beach. Sunshine and Dilip were also on the wing, but in the darkness couldn't gauge the distance of the drop. Four terrorists took position in four corners of the cabin and started shooting and throwing grenades. A Plane Went Missing In 1955 And Lands 37 Years Later They were not aggressive as such but panic started after the power supply went off. He had grenades on him. 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. Shama, another friend, had two bullet injuries in her head. Dilip Bidichandani, another steward, is adamant that the pilots' escape actually saved more lives. Survivors condemn hijacker in Pan Am massacre . Working hard and making money was on my mind until I went through this incident. The Indian-born couple had taken their children on a vacation to Bombay and were returning home when the aircraft was commandeered. May 19, 2003 - A status hearing was held during which the Court decided to vacate (cancel) the September 8th trial date, pending the resolution of the government's motion for the court to reconsider its ruling barring the death penalty in this case. Over a long time, it looked like the Dav sisters and the rest of the passengers on the Pan Am flight would never see a penny in compensation for their suffering. My friend was drenched in blood. At this stage the hijackers still believed a pilot would be found to fly the plane for them. Today, the California sisters, along with several other passengers from Flight 73, are locked in a legal struggle with the law firm that represented them in the battle to win damages from the government of Libya, which funded the hijackers. 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. Irja Skabo, 38, was one of Pan Am's more experienced stewardesses and she often worked in the first class cabin. Sunshine, Madhvi Bahuguna and another flight attendant began collecting passports, quietly avoiding collecting any that were American. BKELUND, Christine, New York, flight attendant, HIRANO, Sachiko, New York, fight attendant, LUKER, Marilyn. Though Gargi had to take medication for years because of her head injury, she excelled in college and went on to graduate from the USC School of Law. Pan Am Flight 73: Victims of Terror Sue Their Lawyers A passenger informed that his mother had probably had died inside. KERSHAW, Dorothea, Borrego Springs, Calif. TANEMURA, Roy, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. Nobody knew what to do. She persuaded them to let the children drink water too. I ran bare feet for almost two kilometres on the tarmac. WILLIAMS, Norman; RO Palos Verdes, Calif. BRAGG, Robert, Howard Beach, N. Y., first officer, DONOVAN, Susanne, Harrisburg, Pa., flight attendant, GRUBBS, Victor, Centerport, L.I., captain, JACKSON, Joan, Nashville. We take you down the emotional journey "Neerja was standing right next to the exit. The spokeswoman said anyone calling the State Department for information about a permanent resident would have been advised to call the embassy representing the passengers nationality. This is where the fine print matters. We just kept praying.. If you have any questions regarding the legal proceedings in this case, please contact us at USADC.PanAm73@usdoj.gov. Philadelphia, flight attendant. I was from a business family, married into another business family but I chose to start an NGO, providing education for the underprivileged after going through this tragedy. Forty minutes into the flight, the plane had reached the coast of Scotland. A Bloody Weekend: The Terror and the Tragedy : Survivors of Pan Am At the center of that showdown is their 16-hour ordeal, during which the gunmen killed 20 passengers and wounded more than 100. The stench of her blood haunts me even today. Inside a hijack: The unheard stories of the Pan Am 73 crew It remains the worlds deadliest air disaster. The law firms own 25 percent fees also figure in the debate. She was calm and responsible right up to the end. The letter also contained a handbook entitled "Coping After Terrorism: Information for Victims and Survivors of the Pan Am Flight #73 Hijacking. Safarini, mid-joke, caught her and immediately pointed the gun at her head. May 5, 2003 - The court heard testimony from two FBI agents in connection with the defendant's motion to suppress statements and the defendant's speedy trial motion. The Court finds that the ends of justice will be served by allowing the parties additional time to prepare for trial. Thirty-two years later, Trahan, now 33, is a wife and mother who has . "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. Captain Robert Bragg was the co-pilot aboard the Pan Am plane, and was one of the few who survived the collision. When her dead body arrived in Mumbai, she looked fresh and beautiful because all her wounds were on her back.Had there been a VIP or a minister on our plane; all the lives would have been saved. Her husband, Sadanand Singh, said she was killed when she threw herself in front of her son and daughter. These were the 2 cockpit observers who may as well be considered passengers, 2 flight attendants, and 12 passengers. They didn't discuss the hijack. September 12, 2002 - Defendant Safarini is arraigned on the superseding indictment and pleads not guilty to each of the counts. New Images Released in 1986 Hijacking Case FBI They gave us strength. KENNER, La. One person opened the door that led to the wing of the plane. Flight attendant Sherene Pavan, who was out of sight of the militants, heard the commotion, reached for the intercom and pressed the emergency number to the cockpit. At least 29 other passengers, including 24 American citizens, were being treated at U.S. military hospitals in West Germany. We just started jumping. The letters provided information about defendant Safarini's guilty plea and encouraged victims to attend the scheduled sentencing proceeding. Our tickets got confirmed at the last moment in Pan-Am Flight-73, which was headed to New York via Karachi and Frankfurt from . Survivors condemn hijacker in Pan Am massacre - CNN.com Another person who was on the wings jumped down and broke his legs. They were on Pan Am Flight 1736. 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. She had been shot in the lower left leg as she rushed to an emergency exit and her back and neck were injured when she jumped down to the tarmac. November 7, 2001 - The Court finds that, due to the complexity of the case, it would be unreasonable to expect the parties to prepare for trial within the time limits established by the Speedy Trial Act (usually 70 days). Khanjan Dalal, who survived the hijack of Pan Am Flight 73 in September 1986, has lauded Sonam Kapoor starrer "Neerja". But win or lose, what strikes me is how a 10-year-old victim has grown up to be an intelligent and passionate young lawyer willing to take on a big international law firm that has threatened her with legal reprisals. More information will be provided to victims concerning submitting a victim impact. Sherene, and another colleague Ranee Vaswani, were the last two hostages to leave the plane. Neerja was standing right next to the exit. Each of the men is on the FBIs Most Wanted Terrorists List. BY CHANCE: Students who switched tickets escaped the Pan Am Flight 103 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. I realised I was completely drenched in my mothers blood. Read about our approach to external linking. Victims were also encouraged to submit a victim impact statement and a form was provided to serve as a guide in composing a victim impact statement. They also shed light on the last few hours of Neerja Bhanot, their colleague who died in the attack and is the subject of the new film. That didnt make sense to Gargi Dav, who read the law firms demands with a trained lawyers eye. Our nation-wide commitment to reducing gun crime in America. Her spirit lives inside of me, and so does my sisters, she said of her mom in an interview with local station WWLTV marking the 20th anniversary of the crash. 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New Images Released in 1986 Hijacking Case. Some survivors of the ill-fated PanAm flight 73 recount the sordid memories of that September day in 1986 when . See a Message on the 25th Anniversary of the Hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73. Here's What Happened to the Hijackers of Neerja's Pan Am Flight 73 Anyone with information in the case is asked to contact the FBI or submit a tip at https://tips.fbi.gov. At the plea proceeding on December 16th, the terms of the plea agreement will be made public and the defendant is expected to admit his guilt. 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. One of the survivors and also eyewitness of hijacked Pan-Am flight in the year 1986. Suffice it to say there are many shades of gray. No one aboard the KLM aircraft survived, and only 71 people escaped from the Pan Am wreckage. The real-life hero of Flight 73 - News.com.au 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. I cant imagine what the babys mother must have gone through then.When people began escaping, the terrorists, who initially walked in wearing airport security uniforms, changed their clothes and tried to escape with the rest of us. Around four hours into the siege, the hijackers began trying to identify the Americans on board. The pact the Bush administration signed with the Libyan government, which dismissed all other existing lawsuits, applied only to the American passengers on Flight 73, who were in a distinct minority. Then I was pushed gently from an exit and I landed on the tarmac. Crash, 41 Celebrities Who Have Shared Their Miscarriage Stories, in the Hopes of Helping Others, See PEOPLE's Incredible 20-Year Journey Documenting the Children Whose Dads Died on 9/11, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry's Eventful Decade: From Their Royal Exit to Baby No. It took a tremendous amount of courage, said her attorney, Boyd. 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. Joe Biden's Sister Valerie Opens Up: 'We Bleed Like Every Family in America', Pregnant Woman, 25, and Man Who Recently Celebrated His 20th Wedding Anniversary Killed in Mo. The way I looked at life changed.I remember the terrorists dashing in from the front door near the pantry, holding Neerja at gun point. 'Neerja', an experience of our lives: Pan Am 73 hijack survivor I wanted to give the pilots time to escape in case they were still in the process of climbing down the ropes outside the plane. Just 61 people survived, all from the Pan Am jumbo jet. In panic mode, they opened gunfire. They pushed her down first, then jumped out themselves. Hassan Abd Latif Safarini appeared in court Wednesday to begin the sentencing phase for his role as lead hijacker of Pan Am Flight 73. 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. A lock () or https:// means you've safely connected to the .gov website. 'I still don't know how I cheated death' - The Telegraph