American Airlines Flight 444

American Airlines Flight 444 was a Boeing 727 flying from Chicago to Washington, D.C.'s National Airport piloted by captain Donald M. Tynan, which, on November 15, 1979, was attacked by the Unabomber Ted Kaczynski. The bomb planted in the cargo hold 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] It was later determined that the bomb was powerful enough to have destroyed the aircraft if it had worked correctly.

American Airlines Flight 444

An American Airlines Boeing 727-223 identical to the one involved in the incident.
Occurrence
Date	November 15, 1979
Summary	Bombing (attempted)
Site	near Washington Dulles International Airport 38.953°N 77.450°W
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Boeing 727-223
Operator	American Airlines
Registration	Unknown
Flight origin	Chicago O'Hare International Airport
Destination	Washington National Airport
Occupants	78
Passengers	72
Crew	6
Fatalities	0
Injuries	12
Survivors	78 (all)

This was not the first Unabomber attack, but it was the attack which led to the FBI investigation into the Unabomber, as airliner bombing is a federal crime.

References

1. "Bomb Jolts Jet". The Washington Post. 1979-11-16. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
2. O'Brien, John (1986-03-04). "Federal, State Officials Team Up To Hunt Creator Of 11 Bombs". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2015-12-12.
3. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727 registration unknown Washington-Dulles International Airport, DC (IAD)". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 2020-12-22.

External links

• Non-hull loss description at the Aviation Safety Network