Dick Scoppettone

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Airline official Norman Kaye has hijacked TWA85 at the Bangor airport, Maine

At the peak of the mid-1960s, a spate of kidnappings, a Plane high all six days in the United States was maintained, on average, once. Fifty years ago This Week , Raffaele Minichiello, was responsible for the "longest and most spectacular", as one report described it at the time. Those who forgive on board ever could?

21. August 1962

Among The Hills of Southern Italy , a little North-East of Naples, a Trouble -torn, and the earth began to tremble. Those who live on The Surface , in one of The Most earthquake-prone parts of Europe, were used to this. The 6. 1-magnitude Quake in the early evening was enough to frighten anyone, But it was the Two strong aftershocks, The Most damage.

Twenty kilometers from the epicenter, and a few hundred meters to the North, where the Minichiello family lived, including the 12-year-old Raffaele. By the time That had subsided for the third earthquake, your village of Melito Irpino was uninhabitable. The Minichiello family was left with nothing, Raffaele would remind me later, and no one came in the authority to help.

The damage was so great That almost the entire village was evacuated, razed to the ground and rebuilt. Many families would return, But the Minichiellos decided to move US to a better life.

What is Raffaele Minichiello found, But it was war, trauma, and awareness.

01:30; 31 October 1969

Dressed in camouflage, Raffaele Minichiello occurred, the aircraft, a $15. 50 ticket from Los Angeles to San Francisco in his hand.

This was The Last Station on the Trans World Airlines flight 85 travel across the United States , which had started some hours earlier in Baltimore before the call, in St Louis and Kansas City .

The Crew of three in The Cockpit were supported by four young female flight attendants, most of them were already in The Job only a few months. Most have experienced, was Charlene Delmonico, a bob-blonde 23-year-old from Missouri, had to fly with the airline for three years. Delmonico had swapped shifts to fly on TWA85 as You wanted to for free in the Halloween night.

Before leaving Kansas City , Captain Donald Cook , 31, had informed The Flight attendants, a modification of the usual practice: if You want to be The Cockpit , they were to ring the bell in front of the door, and knock.

The Flight landed in Los Angeles late in The Night . Passengers ächtigte of the Board, previous, and other, over-came the short Night Flight to San Francisco . The lights were dimmed, so That those who could stayed on Board to sleep. The Flight attendants checked The Passengers tickets, When taken on Board quietly, But Delmonico, in particular, one of the newcomers, especially his bag.

The tanned young man in camouflage, his wavy Brown Hair flattened, was nervous, But polite, as he is on Board. A thin container sticking Out of his backpack.

'Delmonico' moved to The First -class compartment, where your colleagues Tanya Novacoff and Roberta Johnson led The Passengers to their seats. "What was the thing from the young man with the backpack?" Delmonico asked. The Answer - a Fishing Rod - soothes and calms their fears, and again on the back of the machine.

TWA85, one of the notoriously loud Boeing 707 fleet, which was engaged during the abduction of The Flight away. With only 40 passengers on Board, there was room for everyone to spread Out and seek their own series, in which You sleep.

Including five mop-top were Bizarre, The Members of the " sunshine pop group Harper's, exhausted After a strange concert in Pasadena That Night had been temporarily stopped by A Man screaming from The Balcony of the auditorium. It has been Two years since The Band 's biggest hit, an adaptation of Simon & Garfunkel's The 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin 'Groovy), But You hit the peak of their fame just a couple of hours later.

singer-guitarist Dick Scoppettone , and drummer John Petersen was on the left side of the aircraft and relaxed in their seats, they light up cigarettes. At 01:30 on Friday, 31. October 1969, TWA flight 85 left Los Angeles to San Francisco . Fifteen minutes into The Flight , which began in abduction.

Everyone would peacefully sleep, had your sleep disturbed take-off. To strengthen the level of thrust, the Boeing took off 707 injected water in the engines, You will earn the industry nickname car of the water. The effect in the Plane was intense and loud, the production of an ominous, deep rumble.

it was Dark in the Plane as The Flight attendants, the lights turned almost all the way down. As a silent, Charlene Delmonico, the clean up of the kitchen began in the rear part of the aircraft with Tracey Coleman, a 21-year-old languages graduate who had previously TWA only five months.

The nervous passenger who came in the disguise of the past, in the galley and stood next to her. He had an M1 rifle in his hand. Delmonico, calm and professional, simply replied: "You are not supposed to have to. "He responded, giving her a 7. 62mm bullet to prove That the weapon charged, and ordered her, which lead Him to The Cockpit to show That it is for The Crew .

Charlene Delmonico (R) shows to The Press , such as the kidnapping happened, in addition to Tanya Novacoff (L) and Roberta Johnson (C), Dick Scoppettone was sleeping a drift, But The Movement woke more down the hall with Him . Out of The Corner of his eye, he, Delmonico saw, followed by A Man with a raised rifle on the back. His band colleague John Petersen in front turned around to Face Him from a few rows and stared at her with wide eyes. "Is this really happening?"

in the direction of the rear of the aircraft, one of The Passengers , Jim Findlay , to confront Minichiello. The kidnapper turned around. He called Delmonico: "Stop!"

This man is a soldier, Delmonico.

With Findlay back ordered to his place, Delmonico and Minichiello moved to The Cabin again. The pushed the curtain to The First -class compartment, her knees buckling under the nervous and alerted the Two flight attendants in front of her: "There is A Man behind me with a gun. "They both moved quickly Out of the way.

Some of The Passengers Minichiello scream heard at the Delmonico, as he excited Himself more and more, in addition to The Cockpit door. For The Most part he was polite, respectful and was met with, in their words, as "a nice clean-cut kid", But now That paranoia was getting the better of Him .

Delmonico reminded The Captain , the statement: to enter, do not knock, instead of ringing the bell. But Minichiello, afraid he has been tricked, refused To Let You do this. She knocked instead and was hoping this alarm would be The Crew . The door opened, and Delmonico said, the careful crew, it was A Man with a gun behind her. Minichiello stepped in and pointed The Gun at the three men in The Cockpit : Captain Cook , The First officer Wenzel Williams and flight engineer Lloyd Hollrah. to be

Minichiello seemed to be well-trained and well-armed, Williams thought. He Knew what he wanted from The Crew , and he was determined to get it. According to Delmonico had stepped Out of The Cockpit , Minichiello turned to The Crew and said in heavily accented English: "Turn in the direction of New York . "

Fbi Special Agent Scott Werner with the ball Charlene Delmonico, The unusual sight of A Man walking through the Plane who had a gun was enough, did not go unnoticed by The Passengers who were still awake.

The Members of Harpers Bizarre had to sit all over raced to be next to each other within seconds with the rifle. Their strange night external had just. They speculated how The Man might have been able to sneak a gun on the Plane . Where could You go? Hong Kong , maybe? You could never be in Hong Kong , it's funny.

in the vicinity, Judi Provance, who entered the training. An off-duty TWA Flight Attendant , she was going home to San Francisco After Eight Days on the rota to fly around Asia. To respond each year, and TWA-would require staff training, as in the case of emergencies, including kidnappings. The Most important lesson she had taught, was to remain calm. Other You not Fall In love with the hijacker - it was simple, You had said, for the kidnappers to elicit sympathy from The Crew .

Provance be quietly mentioned to her That she had seen someone walking down the aisle with a gun. Not cause they had been taught to panic, and can help The Situation calm. Jim Findlay , The Man had previously tried to intervene, was a TWA pilot, "deadheading" on Board as a passenger. He found the hijacker's bags, and went through The Search for clues to his identity, and to ensure That no weapons were on Board. Later, The Passengers were find rifle Magazine full of bullets.

'Captain Cook ' s voice came over the loudspeaker. "We have a very nervous young Man Up here, and we to Him where he wants to go. "

As The Flight dragged on more and more of San Francisco , other messages were communicated to The Passengers , or spread among them: they were on the way to Italy , Denver, Cairo, Cuba. The Crew in The Cockpit were afraid for their Lives , But some of The Passengers were part of an adventure. Strange, But an adventure nonetheless.

It was only natural That the people thought on Board TWA85, You could go to Cuba. It was a long time kidnapper " destination of choice.

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Source of news: bbc.com