We put her in the ambulance. "The stories may differ but the spirit remains the same.". Her sister suffered severe damage to her feet when she leapt from the plane. PAN AM Flight 73 - Another Perspectiveby: Purnima Subhash Hardikar The Sentencing Response Form should be submitted by February 12, 2004. Neerja Bhanot was the only crew member to be awarded posthumous bravery awards by India and Pakistan, The Pakistani authorities released the leader of the hijackers, Zaid Hassan Abd Latif Safarini, in September 2001, but he was quickly recaptured by the US, Safarini is 12 years into his 160-year sentence in a US prison. We landed on the wing. The US was paid 1.5 billion dollars in compensation by Libya. Pan Am 73 Victims Now Pin Their Hope on Obama And Modi - NDTV A family from Karachi later got me clothes and shoes. Los Angeles, This fabled orchid breeder loves to chat just not about Trader Joes orchids. They have thrown every bit of their resources into trying to shut her up.. 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. After a short break all the Flight 73 crew returned to Pan Am for at least a few years. Saturday marked 40 years since Pan Am 759 crashed into a Kenner neighborhood, killing all 146 people on board and eight people on the ground.The only survivor on the ground was 16 . 2 Passengers On Flight 103 Might Have Survived, Pathologist Says I could see the terrorists walking up and down the aisle, trying to negotiate. There was a bloody end - 22 people killed and about 150 injured. Clipper 1736 Pan Am 1736 carries 378 passengers, 16 crew, and two Pan Am employees, who boarded in Tenerife and are sitting in the cockpit jumpseats. The report of the Lockerbie Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI), which was held at Dumfries in Scotland from October 1990 to February 1991, explained how Pan Am Flight 103 was sabotaged. Pan Am Flight 759 went down shortly after takeoff in a Kenner neighborhood on July 9, 1982, killing all 145 on board. July 21, 2003 - The court began hearing arguments on the government's motion for the court to reconsider its ruling barring the death penalty in this case. Please use portrait mode for best experience. At the center of that showdown is their 16-hour ordeal, during which the gunmen killed 20 passengers and wounded more than 100. 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. April 10, 2003 - The Court issued a legal opinion, ruling that the death penalty is not available in this case. I knew we couldnt jump down from the high wing. No matter how much time has passed or the obstacles we encounter,the case agent said, we owe it to the victims and their families to never give up on them.. Three lives would be saved.". When our flight landed in Karachi, the hijackers entered the aircraft wearing security guard uniforms. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. She was calm and responsible right up to the end. One of those survivors was Purser Survivors condemn hijacker in Pan Am massacre - May 12, 2004 - CNN I t was September 5, 1986. Other terrified passengers had jumped down on top of her at Karachi, she explained. Her older sister is a physician with a practice in Southern California. "Neerja was an excellent airhostess. BY CHANCE: Students who switched tickets escaped the Pan Am Flight 103 The main leader, who was directing the other three men, was in charge of our compartment. Get FBI email alerts I experienced compassion from a stranger, that too a Pakistani. The crew of Pan Am Flight 73 (three of whom are pictured here with their colleagues) were all in their early to mid 20s at the time of the hijack. February 10, 2003 - The attorneys for the defense and the government filed pretrial motions and notices. Thirty-two years later, Trahan, now 33, is a wife and mother who has learned to cope with unbelievable loss. 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. Most . The shooting began when the hijackers fired in panic as the lights went out in the Boeing 747 on a runway in Karachi, Pakistan, on Friday. The flight attendants were supportive, smart and composed throughout. But I opted to carry a young lady, who was severely injured and sadly died in my arms. Sunshine called Dilip over to help, and the two carried Neerja to the emergency slide. We were ready to take what was coming, because there was nothing else we could do. Pity that she was shot at.". The attack on Pan Am Flight 73 resulted in the murder of 20 passengers and crew, including two Americans; the attempted murder of 379 passengers and crew; and the wounding of more than 100 . She went back to save the kids who were stuck inside and got shot from behind. Making sure that victims of crimes are treated with compassion, fairness and respect. A plea proceeding date was set for Tuesday, December 16, 2003, at 10:00 a.m. and the status hearing previously scheduled for November 17, 2003, has been canceled. Sunshine remained alert. 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. 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. I told the terrorist I wanted some water. 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. As soon as his prayer was over, they started firing indiscriminately. She went to save the kids who were stuck inside and got shot from behind. They occasionally worked the same flight and ran into each other at layovers. Her actions led to 359 of the 380 people on-board the plane managing to live through the ordeal. See Her Life in Photos, Mickey Guyton and Grant Savoy's Relationship Timeline, Girl, 11, Speaks Out After Dad's Bear Hug Saves Her Life in Airplane Crash, Gloria Estefan and Emilio Estefan's Relationship Timeline, The Cutest Longterm Celebrity Couple Throwback Photos, All of Princess Diana's PEOPLE Magazine Covers Through the Years, Shaquille O'Neal and Ex Shaunie's Relationship Timeline, On the 110th Anniversary of Titanic's Sinking, Revisit Chilling Tales of Life and Death from the PEOPLE Archives. But Pan-American Flight 759 crashed . They were not aggressive as such but panic started after the power supply went off. DE BEAULIEU, Francoise Colbert, New York ?? Those who were sitting straight got shot in the legs while others who had ducked got shot in the heads as their guns were pointed downwards. The survivors of the Pan Am 73 hijacked flight say that 'Neerja' unfairly depicts only one side of the story. She was calm and responsible right up to the end. Their guns were on silent, so we didnt realise he was killed and thrown out. They climbed back in through the door they had come through, and along with Sherene and another colleague, assisted and redirected passengers to the inflated slide. At the sentencing in the spring of 2004, the judge will consider victim impact evidence from those who survived Pan Am 73 as well as from family members or friends of those who were killed. When the doors were thrown open, I realised I had jumped onto the wing. He also recommended that the Bureau of Prisons assign the defendant to the Administrative Maximum facility in Florence, Colorado, also referred to as "SuperMax. Scott Herhold is a former San Jose metro columnist. September 28, 2001 - Zaid Hassan Abd Latif Safarini, one of the men convicted in Pakistan for his role in the hijacking of Pan Am flight 73, is captured by the FBI shortly after he was released from jail by Pakistan. The case is being investigated by the Bureaus Washington Field Office. We saw another lady, Utpala Desai, coming out seriously injured. In 2005, at the urging of other Flight 73 survivors, she and her sister joined a group that hired the Washington, D.C. law firm of Crowell & Moring to pursue claims against the Libyan government, which had backed several international terrorist exploits, including the 1988 Pan Am explosion over Lockerbie, Scotland. Not hearing any more gunfire, but not knowing where the gunmen were, they went back into the dark plane to look for survivors. The FAI report concluded that Pan Am 103's 16 crew and 243 named passengers, including Bernt Wilmar Carlsson (born on 21 November 1938 and residing at Apartment 30, 207 West 106th Street, New York, New York 10025 . Survivors of a 1986 terrorist attack on Pan Am 73 in Pakistan faced a nightmare together. There were huge streaks of light breaking the darkness. CORNELIUS, MRS. D., Woodland Hill, Calif. HALLDORSON, Raymond, Laguna Hills, Calif. JOHNSTON, Patricia, Newport Beach, Calif. McCULLOUGH, Gertrude, Santa Barbara, Calif. MITCHELL, Walter, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada, MITCHELL, Evonne, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. I was told to go alone and on my way back, I came across a water dispenser. At the airport we identified them and they were captured by the security officials. 25-30 passengers were killed and a large number were injured. Also meeting the plane was Harshad Shah, 40, a Los Angeles bank employee, who had waited through the days of fear and uncertainty to learn what had happened to his wife, Raksha; his 65-year-old mother, Jasumati; his son, Pratik, 3, and his daughter, Jignisha, 13. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, Column: Did the DOJ just say Donald Trump can be held accountable for Jan. 6? Interim status hearing dates were set for February 18, 2004, and April 14, 2004. The powerful emotions that stick in Gargi Davs heart and mind from the hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73 nearly a quarter-century ago mix the horrific with the unexpectedly kind, the blessing of survival with the resolve not to be victimized again.