Hijacked Ethiopian Airlines Flight Crashes into Ocean: Disturbing Video Captures Final Moments

A harrowing video has emerged showing the final moments of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 961 before it crashed into the ocean. The footage begins with a man on the beach, then shifts to the hijacked plane as it attempts a water landing.

The crash, which occurred on November 23, 1996, resulted in the deaths of 125 people, including six crew members and three hijackers. Of the remaining passengers, 38 sustained serious injuries, two had minor injuries, and four escaped without harm.

The flight was en route from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to Nairobi, Kenya when it was hijacked about 20 minutes after takeoff. The three hijackers seized the cockpit, brandishing a fire axe and extinguisher, and demanded that the plane be diverted to Australia.

According to the incident report, the pilot informed the hijackers that there was insufficient fuel to reach Australia and suggested a refueling stop in Mombasa, Kenya. The hijackers, however, refused to allow the plane to land for refueling, insisting that the aircraft could fly for 11 hours based on information from the in-flight magazine. Despite the pilot’s attempts to explain the reality of the fuel situation, the hijackers remained unconvinced and threatened to destroy the plane with a bomb.

As the aircraft ran out of fuel, it crashed into the Indian Ocean near the Comoros Islands, breaking apart upon impact with a reef. At the time of the crash, there were 175 people on board. This incident is noted as the first time an aircraft of this type attempted a water ditching, with some survivors managing to escape.

The investigation into the crash highlighted the tragic consequences of the hijackers’ refusal to heed the pilot’s warnings and the subsequent failure of the plane’s emergency ditching attempt.