ABSTRACT
On the 242nd birthday of George Washington, 44-year-old Sam Byke of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, attempted to hijack an Atlanta-bound DC-9, Delta 523, that was in the boarding process at the Baltimore Washington Airport (BWI). With his .22 caliber pistol, he shot and killed the BWI police o¤cer at the magnetometer, ran to the nearest boarding aircra«, and then ran down the Jetway and into the cockpit. He shot and killed the copilot and wounded the pilot. He grabbed a frightened female passenger, dragged her into the cockpit, and ordered her to °y to Washington, DC. Like most airports, the aircra« was at the gate with its nose facing the terminal. A tow would be required to pull it back and onto the tarmac for taxi and eventual takeo§. Byke did not take these facts into account. During this initial confusion, the Delta °ight attendants responded by opening the emergency doors that activated the slides and evacuated the aircra«.
