Finnair Flight 405
Encyclopedia
Finnair Flight 405 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight between Oulu
and Helsinki
, Finland
, that was hijacked on September 30, 1978. The Finnair
Sud Aviation
Caravelle
with 44 passengers and 4 crew aboard was hijacked by an unemployed home building contractor. After forcing the pilot to fly to Amsterdam
, The Netherlands and Helsinki, the hijacker received his ransom demands and released his hostages. He was arrested at his home the following day.
between Oulu Airport
and Helsinki Airport
. On September 30, 1978, the flight was serviced by a Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle.
Aarno Lamminparras, a 37-year-old unemployed home building contractor
who had recently declared bankruptcy
, boarded the aircraft in Oulu. Since Finnish airports did not perform security checks
on domestic flights, he was able to carry a loaded Walther 7.65mm pistol
aboard. At approximately 4 p.m., while enroute to Helsinki, Lamminparras entered the cockpit and held the pilot at gunpoint. The aircraft continued to Helsinki, where 34 of the passengers were released.
Lamminparras subsequently forced the pilot to fly back to Oulu where the aircraft circled the airport for several hours before landing to refuel. A US$
168,000 ransom payment from Finnair
was also loaded onto the plane. The plane was then flown back to Helsinki
, where Lamminparras demanded $38,000 from Helsingin Sanomat
, Finland's largest newspaper. The newspaper paid approximately $18,000, and the remaining eleven passengers were freed.
The aircraft then flew to Amsterdam
, the Netherlands, where it landed at Schiphol Airport and refueled. It then returned to Helsinki and received the remainder of the newspaper's ransom payment. The Caravelle then continued on to Oulu.
Lamminparras's final demands included four bottles of whiskey, a chauffeur
ed limousine
, and 24 hours alone at home with his wife. After police agreed to his demands, Lamminparras released the final three hostages, all of them crewmembers. He agreed to surrender peacefully Monday morning.
Oulu police
stormed Lamminparras's house and arrested him on Sunday September 31. A police spokesman indicated that law enforcement officers had tapped the hijacker's home phone, and that he had made several phone calls that implied he did not plan to surrender peacefully as he had initially agreed. He was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment in 1979.
Oulu
Oulu is a city and municipality of inhabitants in the region of Northern Ostrobothnia, in Finland. It is the most populous city in Northern Finland and the sixth most populous city in the country. It is one of the northernmost larger cities in the world....
and Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
, that was hijacked on September 30, 1978. The Finnair
Finnair
Finnair Plc is the flag carrier and largest airline of Finland, with its headquarters on the grounds of Helsinki Airport in Vantaa, Finland, and its main hub at Helsinki Airport. Finnair and its subsidiaries dominate both the domestic and international air travel markets in Finland. The largest...
Sud Aviation
Sud Aviation
Sud-Aviation was a French state-owned aircraft manufacturer, originating from the merger of Sud-Est and Sud-Ouest on March 1, 1957...
Caravelle
Sud Aviation Caravelle
The Sud Aviation SE 210 Caravelle was the first short/medium-range jet airliner produced by the French Sud Aviation firm starting in 1955 . The Caravelle was one of the more successful European first generation jetliners, selling throughout Europe and even penetrating the United States market, with...
with 44 passengers and 4 crew aboard was hijacked by an unemployed home building contractor. After forcing the pilot to fly to Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, The Netherlands and Helsinki, the hijacker received his ransom demands and released his hostages. He was arrested at his home the following day.
Hijacking
Flight 405 was a regularly scheduled domestic passenger flight operated by FinnairFinnair
Finnair Plc is the flag carrier and largest airline of Finland, with its headquarters on the grounds of Helsinki Airport in Vantaa, Finland, and its main hub at Helsinki Airport. Finnair and its subsidiaries dominate both the domestic and international air travel markets in Finland. The largest...
between Oulu Airport
Oulu Airport
Oulu Airport is located in the municipality of Oulunsalo, Finland, south-west of Oulu city centre. The airport is the second busiest in Finland after Helsinki-Vantaa airport, as measured by the number of passengers and the amount of freight transported. There are around twenty daily flights to...
and Helsinki Airport
Helsinki Airport
Helsinki Airport or Helsinki-Vantaa Airport is the main international airport of the Helsinki metropolitan region and the whole of Finland. It is located in Vantaa, Finland, about west of Tikkurila, the centre of Vantaa, and north of Helsinki city centre...
. On September 30, 1978, the flight was serviced by a Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle.
Aarno Lamminparras, a 37-year-old unemployed home building contractor
General contractor
A general contractor is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a construction site, management of vendors and trades, and communication of information to involved parties throughout the course of a building project.-Description:...
who had recently declared bankruptcy
Bankruptcy
Bankruptcy is a legal status of an insolvent person or an organisation, that is, one that cannot repay the debts owed to creditors. In most jurisdictions bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor....
, boarded the aircraft in Oulu. Since Finnish airports did not perform security checks
Airport security
Airport security refers to the techniques and methods used in protecting airports and aircraft from crime.Large numbers of people pass through airports. This presents potential targets for terrorism and other forms of crime due to the number of people located in a particular location...
on domestic flights, he was able to carry a loaded Walther 7.65mm pistol
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
aboard. At approximately 4 p.m., while enroute to Helsinki, Lamminparras entered the cockpit and held the pilot at gunpoint. The aircraft continued to Helsinki, where 34 of the passengers were released.
Lamminparras subsequently forced the pilot to fly back to Oulu where the aircraft circled the airport for several hours before landing to refuel. A US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
168,000 ransom payment from Finnair
Finnair
Finnair Plc is the flag carrier and largest airline of Finland, with its headquarters on the grounds of Helsinki Airport in Vantaa, Finland, and its main hub at Helsinki Airport. Finnair and its subsidiaries dominate both the domestic and international air travel markets in Finland. The largest...
was also loaded onto the plane. The plane was then flown back to Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, where Lamminparras demanded $38,000 from Helsingin Sanomat
Helsingin Sanomat
Helsingin Sanomat is the largest subscription newspaper in Finland and the Nordic countries, owned by Sanoma. Except after certain holidays, it is published daily. In 2008, its daily circulation was 412,421 on weekdays and 468,505 on Sundays...
, Finland's largest newspaper. The newspaper paid approximately $18,000, and the remaining eleven passengers were freed.
The aircraft then flew to Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, the Netherlands, where it landed at Schiphol Airport and refueled. It then returned to Helsinki and received the remainder of the newspaper's ransom payment. The Caravelle then continued on to Oulu.
Lamminparras's final demands included four bottles of whiskey, a chauffeur
Chauffeur
A chauffeur is a person employed to drive a passenger motor vehicle, especially a luxury vehicle such as a large sedan or limousine.Originally such drivers were always personal servants of the vehicle owner, but now in many cases specialist chauffeur service companies, or individual drivers provide...
ed limousine
Limousine
A limousine is a luxury sedan or saloon car, especially one with a lengthened wheelbase or driven by a chauffeur. The chassis of a limousine may have been extended by the manufacturer or by an independent coachbuilder. These are called "stretch" limousines and are traditionally black or white....
, and 24 hours alone at home with his wife. After police agreed to his demands, Lamminparras released the final three hostages, all of them crewmembers. He agreed to surrender peacefully Monday morning.
Oulu police
Police
The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...
stormed Lamminparras's house and arrested him on Sunday September 31. A police spokesman indicated that law enforcement officers had tapped the hijacker's home phone, and that he had made several phone calls that implied he did not plan to surrender peacefully as he had initially agreed. He was sentenced to seven years' imprisonment in 1979.
See also
- Aircraft hijackingAircraft hijackingAircraft hijacking is the unlawful seizure of an aircraft by an individual or a group. In most cases, the pilot is forced to fly according to the orders of the hijackers. Occasionally, however, the hijackers have flown the aircraft themselves, such as the September 11 attacks of 2001...
- List of aircraft hijackings