With all the talk of MH370 lately, I guess the story of LY219 has resurfaced and I am glad it did, I was not familiar with this story although LY does have a perfect history of never being victim of a successful hijacking.  Also interesting how the Pilot did not allow boarding due to consecutive passport #'s.  So El Al was doing in 1970 what most countries are struggling to do today...

 

Unrelated to MH370 but great article on the only incident to use armed force to disable terrorists onboard...
I was not familiar with this story:
http://www.timesofisrael.com/how-to-defeat-airplane-terrorists-from-the-only-pilot-who-ever-foiled-a-skyjacking/

 

 

Some amazing observations from 1970:

1. Pilot awareness
2. Catch by El Al Security AND the Pilot of the consecutive passport #'s
3. Denial of boarding based on point 2
4. Moving the air marshal into the flight deck (Today, I have seen El Al actually put a mirror on the back of the seat in front of the marshal so they can see behind them. Sort of gives it away but I have yet to be on a US International flight where I haven't spotted the AM's before we have even boarded and confirmed the second I was on anyway... 
5. Total time to overcome the threat was two and a half minutes
6. Terrorist was found passed out due to pilots maneuvers... Hence why the grenade probably didn't explode, they didn't even get a chance to pull the pin.
7. Awareness and afterthought to get their people out of UK after the incident
8. Pilots cavalier attitude to it even being a big deal today 

Wow great story.

 

Thanks for sharing

Brave man,great story!

Absolutely brilliant link. Thanks I was then a young man just having finished my apprenticeship in the RAF when Leila Khaled hit the headlines.

I think a lot of the pilot's attitude had to do a lot with the Isreali requirement for all persons to serve in the military upon turning 18. And they all get the same training, officers, enlisted, men, women.., not to mention much better training than the US. Sorry, can't  figure out how to turn italics off! Anyway, Kragh Magog (sp?) is a big part of basic training, whereas most terrorists are taught how to set off a boom, and little else. And KM is a tough hand-to-hand art. So, to the pilot, it probably wasn't a nig deal. To Americans, to whom "security" means a pita run thru a long line and little else, even less back in the 70's, it was an amazing feat of derring do on the part of the pilot and El Al. Isreal has concistantly laughed up their sleeve at other country's security, especilly airline security, where the greatest concern is pretty much not to inconvience the welthier citizens. Can ypu imagine the brou-ha-ha if America or Britain placed armed soldiers inside the airports, as Isreal does? Armed as in carrying loaded and ready to fire except for the safety weapons carried in a ready to shoot position at all times? American citizenry would go balistic. They squall about secureity, but not if it's visible or inconvenient.

I've worked with Isrealis, and that story doesn't suprise me in the least...

Pat☺