Iraqi Airways Flight 163

Iraqi Airways Flight 163

An Iraqi Airways Boeing 737-200 similar to the aircraft involved.
Hijacking summary
Date	25 December 1986
Summary	Hijacking, explosion in cockpit leading to crash
Site	Arar, Saudi Arabia
Passengers	91
Crew	15
Injuries (non-fatal)	unknown
Fatalities	63
Survivors	43
Aircraft type	Boeing 737-270C
Operator	Iraqi Airways
Registration	YI-AGJ
Flight origin	Saddam International Airport Baghdad, Iraq
Destination	Queen Alia International Airport Amman, Jordan

Iraqi Airways Flight 163 was a Boeing 737-270C, registered YI-AGJ, that was hijacked in 1986. On 25 December 1986, en route from Baghdad's Saddam International Airport to Amman, Jordan, Flight 163 was hijacked by four men. Iraqi Airways security personnel tried to stop the hijackers, but a hand grenade was detonated in the passenger cabin, forcing the crew to initiate an emergency descent. Another hand grenade exploded in the cockpit, causing the aircraft to crash near Arar, Saudi Arabia where it broke in two and caught fire.

There were 106 people on board, and 60 passengers and 3 crew members died. The surviving passengers were able to tell authorities what transpired on the aircraft. The hijacking was one of the deadliest ever, and was one of many in 1985 and 1986.

Shortly after the hijacking, the pro-Iranian group "Islamic Jihad" (a widely used name for Hezbollah) claimed responsibility. One of the dead hijackers was later identified by the Central Intelligence Agency as a Lebanese national named Ribal Khalil Jallul, whose passport photo was matched to a Hezbollah martyr poster found near a mosque in Beirut. Iraq accused Iran of being behind the attack.

See also

• List of aircraft hijackings
• Lists of accidents and incidents on commercial airliners
• Air safety

External links

• Hijacking description at the Aviation Safety Network