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PAN AM'S WORLD

Another burst of machine gun fire...

9/6/2019

1 Comment

 
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"Crouching low to present as small a target as possible, Pan American World Airways deadheading Captain Paul Lachapelle sprinted toward safety down a dimly outlined taxiway.

Suddenly in his path loomed a rickety bus, its lights extinguished and entry door open. Much as he welcomed the protection, the pilot was greatly concerned for the safety of the 747’s crew members, last known to be on the flight deck.

Another burst of machine gun fire motivated him to jump quickly into the bus and dive to the floor, where he found himself alongside of First Officer Pat Levix, Captain John Walter "Jack" Priddy, Flight Engineer Julius Dzuiba, (the Pan Am Flight Crew) plus many passengers and cabin crew members."

This is September 6, 1970, in Cairo, Egypt, the "Clipper Fortune" was hijacked in what is now referred to as the "Dawson Field Hijackings". The aircraft was blown to pieces after landing. We welcomed Captain Paul Lachapelle as a Honoree at the 2019 Pan Am Museum Gala.

How did they survive? Here is the Captain Lachapelle's full recollection: 

http://www.pasflighttraining.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/FLSpring_Summer_06-Flight-194.pdf?fbclid=IwAR0uUPJCbXBRU_Aemnh66Nd25j4Z4AGfXsVDBhjbEwxOZvFfkRBRUMCD1GA
1 Comment
Mary Hamilton Hkward
11/21/2020 07:56:54 am

I had the honor of flying with Captain LaChapelle during my 12 year tenure with Pan Am. He epitomized the best of all Pan Am had to offer: professionalism and intelligence, along with being one of the nicest and most pleasant gentlemen I had ever met.

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