Gulf Air Flight 771
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 A4O-BK, the aircraft involved in the bombing | |
| Bombing | |
|---|---|
| Date | 23 September 1983 |
| Summary | Terrorist bombing |
| Site | Jebel Ali (near Abu Dhabi International Airport), United Arab Emirates |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 737-2P6 |
| Operator | Gulf Air |
| Registration | A4O-BK |
| Flight origin | Jinnah International Airport, Karachi, Pakistan |
| Destination | Abu Dhabi International Airport, United Arab Emirates |
| Occupants | 112 |
| Passengers | 107 |
| Crew | 5 |
| Fatalities | 112 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Gulf Air Flight 771 was a flight from Karachi, Pakistan, to Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. On 23 September 1983, while the Boeing 737-2P6[1] was on approach to Abu Dhabi International Airport, a bomb exploded in the baggage compartment. The plane crashed in the desert near Jebel Ali between Abu Dhabi and Dubai in the UAE. All five crew members and 107 passengers died.[2]
Crew and passengers[edit]
The flight's cockpit crew consisted of the following:[3]
The cabin crew were of mixed nationalities, with only one Bahraini.[4] Two of the crew were from the United Kingdom, the latter who was a native of Peterborough. Other nationalities of the passengers included a Filipino, Indian, Pakistani, and an American.[citation needed]
There were 96 Pakistani nationals, many returning to jobs in Abu Dhabi and Bahrain after spending the Eid al Adha holiday with their families in Pakistan. There were also seven passengers from the United Kingdom, one from the United States, and one from Iran.[5][6][7]
Bombing[edit]
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The bomb explosion led to a fire in the baggage compartment. Despite this, the crew managed to send a short distress signal. The aircraft then crashed into the ground, killing all 112 people on board.[1]
Investigation[edit]
The investigation was carried out by the American National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), and they released a 400-page report on their findings, which was not immediately published in the Persian Gulf region. The report was revealed in September 1987 by British politician Sir Dudley Smith, under pressure from the parents of British stewardess Lyn Farthing who perished in the crash.[citation needed]
The report included a description of the last moments in the cockpit, including a description of Omani captain Saoud Al Kindy praying as the plane nose-dived into the desert.[4] The report mentioned that everything on board the flight was perfectly normal and voice transcripts showed the crew chatting among themselves. One asked the other if he was on duty the next day, to which he replied "No, I've got a day off tomorrow". That was followed by a sudden interruption and the recording showed the pilots making a frantic attempt to control the plane.[4]
The report indicated a bomb in the baggage hold as the primary cause of the accident, due to the following factors:[4]
- A passenger who checked in baggage at Karachi but never boarded the plane.
- The nature of injuries to passengers who were seated above the baggage hold.
- A sudden interruption to an otherwise normally operating flight.
- Data obtained from the aircraft's flight data recorder.
Aftermath[edit]
The bomb was apparently planted by the Abu Nidal Organization (named after Abu Nidal himself), to convince Saudi Arabia to pay protection money to Nidal so as to avoid attacks on their soil.[8]
Death certificates issued for the passengers on board showed the cause of death as asphyxiation.[4]
As of August 2017, Gulf Air still uses the flight number 771, operating scheduled services between Islamabad and Bahrain.[9]
See also[edit]
- Gulf Air Flight 072, which crashed into the sea on approach to Bahrain International Airport.
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Accident Synopsis". airdisaster.com. Archived from the original on 3 January 2009. Retrieved 27 September 2019.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
- ^ Ranter, Harro. "Criminal Occurrence description". aviation-safety.net. Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
- ^ "The Bombing of Gulf Air Flight 771". International History Blog. 2 January 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2020.
- ^ a b c d e "Airline crash caused by bomb, says report". Gulf Daily News. 23 September 1983. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016 – via thecrom.com.
- ^ The Gulf Times, Qatar, (24 September 1983)
- ^ "112 Aboard Airliner Are Killed in Crash in Persian Gulf Sheikdom". The New York Times. Associated Press. 24 September 1983. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
- ^ "Investigation into Gulf plane crash". UPI. News World Communications. 23 September 1983. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
- ^ "Abu Nidal behind 1983 Gulf Air bombing: Aide". Indiainfo.com. Agence France-Presse. 22 August 2002. Archived from the original on 7 March 2005.
- ^ "Gulf Air flight GF771". FlightRadar24. FlightRadar24. Retrieved 23 September 2016.
External links[edit]
- Criminal Occurrence description at the Aviation Safety Network
- A picture of the Gulf Air A4O-BK that crashed – Airliners.net
- Abu Nidal behind 1983 Gulf Air bombing: Aide (Archive)
- 1983 in the United Arab Emirates
- Murder in the United Arab Emirates
- Abu Nidal attacks
- Accidents and incidents involving the Boeing 737 Original
- Airliner bombings
- Aviation accidents and incidents in 1983
- Aviation accidents and incidents in the United Arab Emirates
- Gulf Air accidents and incidents
- Mass murder in 1983
- Terrorist incidents in the United Arab Emirates
- Terrorist incidents in Asia in 1983
- Pakistan–United Arab Emirates relations
- September 1983 events in Asia
- 1983 murders in Asia