Malaysia Airlines Flight 653
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| Summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | December 4, 1977 |
| Type | Hijack |
| Site | Tanjung Kupang, Johor, Malaysia |
| Passengers | 93 |
| Crew | 7 |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Fatalities | 100 (all) |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 737-2H6 |
| Operator | Malaysia Airlines |
| Tail number | 9M-MBD |
| Flight origin | Penang International Airport |
| Last stopover | Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport |
| Destination | Singapore International Airport (Paya Lebar) |
Malaysia Airlines Flight 653 (MH653), a Boeing 737-2H6 aircraft registered as 9M-MBD (delivered September 1972 as 9M-AQO), crashed at Tanjung Kupang, Johor, in Malaysia on the evening of December 4, 1977. It was the first fatal accident for Malaysia Airlines, with all 93 passengers and 7 crew killed instantly. The flight was apparently hijacked as soon as it reached cruise altitude. The circumstances in which the hijacking and subsequent crash occurred remain unsolved.
Contents |
[edit] Sequence of events
Flight MH653 departed Penang's Runway 22 at exactly 1921 hours for Kuala Lumpur's Subang Airport (now known as Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport). Passengers included the Malaysian Agricultural Minister, Dato' Ali Haji Ahmad, Public Works Department Head, Dato' Mahfuz Khalid, and Cuban Ambassador to Japan, Mario Garcia. The pilot in command was Captain G.K. Ganjoor.
At approximately 1954 hours, while at an altitude of 4,000 feet over Batu Arang and descending toward Subang's Runway 33, captain G.K. Ganjoor reported an "unidentified hijacker" onboard to Subang Tower. The tower immediately notified the authorities, who made emergency preparations at the airport.
A few minutes later, however, Captain Ganjoor radioed: "We're now proceeding to Singapore...". Flight MH653 never touched down at Singapore.
At 2015 hours, all communication with flight MH653 was lost.
At 2036 hours, the residents of Kampong Ladang, Tanjong Kupang in Johor reported hearing explosions and seeing burning wreckage in a swamp. The wreckage was later identified as Flight MH653. The plane impacted the ground at a near-vertical angle at a very high speed. There were no survivors and not one recognizable body was found.
- Fatalities based on nationalities[1]
| Nationality | Fatalities |
|---|---|
 Afghanistan |
1 |
 Australia |
3 |
 Canada |
1 |
 Cuba |
2 |
 West Germany |
4 |
.svg/22px-Flag_of_Greece_(1828-1978).svg.png){kind=small} Greece |
1 |
 India |
3 |
 Indonesia |
3 |
 Japan |
1 |
 Malaysia |
73 |
 Singapore |
1 |
 United Kingdom |
5 |
 United States |
1 |
 Thailand |
1 |
| Total | 100 |
[edit] Aftermath
The aircraft cockpit voice recorder was recovered and the following was established:
After seizing control, at a point shortly before the crash, the offender locked himself in the cockpit with the two pilots. From the conversation, it appeared that all tension was gone, the hijacker talking amiably to the pilots.[what language? what was said?] Suddenly, two gunshots occurred in rapid succession, followed a short time later by a third and final shot.
At this stage, the aircraft was on autopilot in a stable flight attitude. Noises suggestive of the cockpit door being broken into are heard, along with screaming and cursing.[citation needed] No noises are heard from within the cockpit to indicate any of the three occupants were conscious.
The autopilot disconnected, possibly due to a pitch input by someone entering the cockpit and trying to control the aircraft without knowing how to do it properly.[citation needed] An investigator speculated that someone pulled back on the column, causing a pitch up, done in such a fashion that positive feedback occurred; e.g., reaching over a pilot unsupported and falling back as the plane pitched up; i.e., a pilot-induced oscillation. This rapidly developed into a high amplitude phugoid oscillation, resulting in the near-vertical impact into the swamp.
The hijacker spoke with a Japanese accent. It was speculated that the Japanese Red Army was responsible for the hijacking and subsequent murder of the pilots.[2]
All recovered remains were x-rayed in an attempt to discover evidence of a projectile or weapon. No weapon or bullet was ever found. Remains were buried in a common grave at the border of the various common religions[citation needed] in Malaysia.
The memorial site is situated at Jalan Kebun Teh, Johor Bahru, Malaysia. It is known as Tanjung Kupang Memorial.
[edit] Notable references
- A Malay language novel used in secondary schools in Malaysia called Tragedi Empat Disember ("The Tragedy of December 4"), written by Dzul Karnain Ithnin, is a story about a plane crash in Tanjung Kupang, with notably obvious reference to the real disaster.
[edit] References
- ^ "Names list on the Tanjung Kupang Memorial plaque"
- ^ "Ethiopia mourns crash victims 25 November 1996. Ethiopian hijacked-flight most deadliest since Malaysian crash "
[edit] See also
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