The Era of Airline Hijackings in the 1970s

On 23 June 1972, a man boarded American Airlines Flight 119 in St Louis. He sat most of the way to Tulsa before donning a wig and a pair of gloves in the restroom, taking out a gun and handing a member of the cabin crew a note.

'Don't panic. This is a ransom hijacking.'

To find out more about this man, what he hoped to gain from his crimes, and how he and others were inspired by D.B. Cooper, Don speaks to John Wigger. John is a Professor of History at the University of Missouri and the author of ‘The Hijacking of American Flight 119: How D.B. Cooper Inspired a Skyjacking Craze and the FBI's Battle to Stop It’.

Produced and edited by Sophie Gee. Senior Producer was Charlotte Long.

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