Summary Bombing (attempted) Crew 6 Injuries (nonfatal) 12 Fatalities 0 | Passengers 72 Survivors 78 (all) Date 15 November 1979 Passenger count 72 | |
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Similar American Airlines Flight 514, American Airlines Flight 28, American Eagle Flight 5452, American Airlines Flight 723, American Airlines Flight 6780 | ||
American Airlines Flight 444 was a Boeing 727 flying from Chicago to Washington, D.C.'s National Airport, which on November 15, 1979, was attacked by the Unabomber. The bomb planted in the cargo hold caused "a sucking explosion and a loss of pressure," which was then followed by large quantities of smoke filling the passenger cabin, forcing the pilots to make an emergency landing at Dulles International Airport. Twelve passengers had to be treated afterward for smoke inhalation. It was later determined that the bomb was powerful enough to have destroyed the aircraft had it worked correctly.
This was not the first Unabomber attack, but it was the attack which led to the FBI investigation into the Unabomber, as airliner bombing is a federal crime.