Uli Derickson
Encyclopedia
Ulrike Patzelt better known as Uli Derickson, was a flight attendant
during the June 14, 1985 hijacking of TWA Flight 847
by Organization of the Oppressed on Earth terrorists
, a group with alleged links to Hezbollah. Derickson is credited with helping protect 152 passengers and crew members.
Born in what is now the Czech Republic
, Derickson and her parents were expelled to East Germany in 1945. The family later escaped to West Germany
, and Derickson made it to the United States
in 1967, where she became a flight attendant for Trans World Airlines
.
Derickson was still working as a flight attendant for Delta Air Lines
when she received a diagnosis of cancer
in August 2003. She died on February 18, 2005, at the age of 60.
and Rome
, her plane was hijacked. Derickson took a kick to the chest from one of the hijackers as he forced her to go with him into the cockpit. The other hijacker — who was holding a grenade
with the pin removed — started kicking open the door. Once inside, they pistol-whipped the pilot and flight engineer.
The two hijackers spoke almost no English, but Derickson was able to speak with one of them in German, eventually gaining their trust. This put her at the center of the drama for the next 55 hours as she translated the tense communication between the plane's crew and the hijackers. At one point, one of the two hijackers asked her to marry him.
The plane was diverted first to Beirut
, where Derickson successfully pleaded with the hijackers to release 17 elderly women and two children.
Later in the ordeal, a ground crew in Algiers
refused to refuel the plane without payment despite the terrorists' threat to kill passengers. It occurred to Derickson to offer her Shell Oil
credit card. The ground crew charged about $5,500 for 6,000 gallons of fuel.
Derickson was asked to sort through passenger passports to single out people with Jewish-sounding names. Initial reports suggested that she had followed the orders. It was later revealed she had actually hidden the passports.
The plane flew back toward Beirut. The hijackers had earlier identified some American military personnel on the flight. They singled out U.S. Navy diver Robert D. Stethem. After beating him severely with the arm of a chair, Stethem was shot and his body was dumped on the ramp. Islamist militiamen boarded the plane to assist the hijackers. The plane then headed back toward Algiers.
After about 36 hours, the terrorists released a second wave of hostages including Derickson and the 65 remaining women. The plane, now with only 39 American men on board as hostages, flew back to Beirut where they were held for 17 days. The ordeal ended on June 30 after Israel
released 31 Lebanese
prisoners, a fraction of the 766 the hijackers had demanded.
.
Subsequently, Derickson testified as a prosecution witness at the trial of Mohammed Ali Hamadi, one of the hijackers convicted of murdering Stethem. He received a life sentence. She later advised TWA, Delta Air Lines
and the FBI on crisis management.
On December 15, 2005 the German government released Hamadi from prison and sent him back to Lebanon, where he joined his family. There are speculations that this was part of a deal to release the German hostage Susanne Osthoff
in Iraq.
She had one son, Matthew, who resides in California.
, appeared on NBC
featuring Lindsay Wagner
as Derickson. It received five Emmy nominations. Derickson acted as a consultant on the film.
The 1986 action film The Delta Force also featured a flight attendant (played by Hanna Schygulla
) loosely based on Derickson.
Flight attendant
Flight attendants or cabin crew are members of an aircrew employed by airlines primarily to ensure the safety and comfort of passengers aboard commercial flights, on select business jet aircraft, and on some military aircraft.-History:The role of a flight attendant derives from that of similar...
during the June 14, 1985 hijacking of TWA Flight 847
TWA Flight 847
TWA Flight 847 was an international Trans World Airlines flight which was hijacked by Lebanese Shia extremists, later identified as members of Hezbollah and Islamic Jihad, on Friday morning, June 14, 1985, after originally taking off from Cairo. The flight was en route from Athens to Rome and then...
by Organization of the Oppressed on Earth terrorists
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
, a group with alleged links to Hezbollah. Derickson is credited with helping protect 152 passengers and crew members.
Born in what is now the Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
, Derickson and her parents were expelled to East Germany in 1945. The family later escaped to West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
, and Derickson made it to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1967, where she became a flight attendant for Trans World Airlines
Trans World Airlines
Trans World Airlines was an American airline that existed from 1925 until it was bought out by and merged with American Airlines in 2001. It was a major domestic airline in the United States and the main U.S.-based competitor of Pan American World Airways on intercontinental routes from 1946...
.
Derickson was still working as a flight attendant for Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...
when she received a diagnosis of cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
in August 2003. She died on February 18, 2005, at the age of 60.
Flight 847
In 1985, on Flight 847 between AthensAthens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
and Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, her plane was hijacked. Derickson took a kick to the chest from one of the hijackers as he forced her to go with him into the cockpit. The other hijacker — who was holding a grenade
Grenade
A grenade is a small explosive device that is projected a safe distance away by its user. Soldiers called grenadiers specialize in the use of grenades. The term hand grenade refers any grenade designed to be hand thrown. Grenade Launchers are firearms designed to fire explosive projectile grenades...
with the pin removed — started kicking open the door. Once inside, they pistol-whipped the pilot and flight engineer.
The two hijackers spoke almost no English, but Derickson was able to speak with one of them in German, eventually gaining their trust. This put her at the center of the drama for the next 55 hours as she translated the tense communication between the plane's crew and the hijackers. At one point, one of the two hijackers asked her to marry him.
The plane was diverted first to Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, where Derickson successfully pleaded with the hijackers to release 17 elderly women and two children.
Later in the ordeal, a ground crew in Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
refused to refuel the plane without payment despite the terrorists' threat to kill passengers. It occurred to Derickson to offer her Shell Oil
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
credit card. The ground crew charged about $5,500 for 6,000 gallons of fuel.
Derickson was asked to sort through passenger passports to single out people with Jewish-sounding names. Initial reports suggested that she had followed the orders. It was later revealed she had actually hidden the passports.
The plane flew back toward Beirut. The hijackers had earlier identified some American military personnel on the flight. They singled out U.S. Navy diver Robert D. Stethem. After beating him severely with the arm of a chair, Stethem was shot and his body was dumped on the ramp. Islamist militiamen boarded the plane to assist the hijackers. The plane then headed back toward Algiers.
After about 36 hours, the terrorists released a second wave of hostages including Derickson and the 65 remaining women. The plane, now with only 39 American men on board as hostages, flew back to Beirut where they were held for 17 days. The ordeal ended on June 30 after Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
released 31 Lebanese
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
prisoners, a fraction of the 766 the hijackers had demanded.
Aftermath
Life was less than peaceful for Derickson after the hijacking ordeal ended. Unfounded reports, including some in the mainstream news media, that she had given the hijackers names of Jewish passengers on the flight, brought threats from extremist groups. When the truth about her efforts to protect Jewish passengers (by hiding their passports) was verified, she received threats from other extremists. As a result of these threats, Derickson’s family relocated from Fredon, New Jersey to ArizonaArizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
.
Subsequently, Derickson testified as a prosecution witness at the trial of Mohammed Ali Hamadi, one of the hijackers convicted of murdering Stethem. He received a life sentence. She later advised TWA, Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...
and the FBI on crisis management.
On December 15, 2005 the German government released Hamadi from prison and sent him back to Lebanon, where he joined his family. There are speculations that this was part of a deal to release the German hostage Susanne Osthoff
Susanne Osthoff
Susanne Kristina Osthoff is a German archaeologist who had worked in Iraq since 1991 until being taken hostage there on November 25, 2005. She was freed by her captors on December 18, 2005.- Biography :...
in Iraq.
She had one son, Matthew, who resides in California.
Movie
A 1988 TV movie, The Taking of Flight 847: The Uli Derickson StoryThe Taking of Flight 847: The Uli Derickson Story
The Taking of Flight 847: The Uli Derickson Story, also marketed as The Flight on video, is a 1988 made-for-TV film based on the actual hijacking of TWA Flight 847 as seen through the eyes of Uli Derickson, the chief flight attendant...
, appeared on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
featuring Lindsay Wagner
Lindsay Wagner
Lindsay Jean Wagner is an American actress. She is probably best known for her portrayal of Jaime Sommers in the 1970s television series The Bionic Woman , though she has maintained a lengthy career in a variety of other film and television productions since.-Early life:Wagner was born in Los...
as Derickson. It received five Emmy nominations. Derickson acted as a consultant on the film.
The 1986 action film The Delta Force also featured a flight attendant (played by Hanna Schygulla
Hanna Schygulla
Hanna Schygulla is a German actress and chanson singer. She is generally considered the most prominent German actress of the New German Cinema.-Life and career:Schygulla was born in Königshütte, Upper Silesia,...
) loosely based on Derickson.
External links
- New York Times, Uli Derickson, 60, Who Helped Airline Hostages, Dies (Note: requires login)
- Top Hezbollah militant slain