Occupation Pilot Title Captain | Name Michel Bacos Employer Air France | |
Known for Refusing to leave Jewish passengers behind, when terrorists in Entebbe hijacking released non-Jewish hostages, and offered to release Bacos
Awards for heroism Awards National Order of the Legion of Honour
B'nai B'rith International "Menoras d'Or" (Golden Menorah) | ||
Airborne 04.04.19: Chipper SS, Trojan Trig, ForeFlight Passenger
Michel Bacos (born 1924) was captain of Air France Flight 139 when the plane was hijacked on June 27, 1976, by Palestinian and German terrorists. The hijacking, by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), was part of an international campaign of Palestinian terrorism.
Contents
- Airborne 040419 Chipper SS Trojan Trig ForeFlight Passenger
- Hijacking
- Awards and later life
- Films
- References
Bacos is a recipient of the National Order of the Legion of Honour, the highest decoration in France. He also was awarded a medal by the Israeli government, for refusing to leave his Jewish passengers behind when the terrorists released their non-Jewish hostages, and offered to release Bacos and his crew.
Hijacking
His Airbus A300 plane originated in Tel Aviv and was on its way from Athens to Paris, with Bacos at the controls. Minutes into the flight, Bacos heard screams and quickly realized that the plane was hijacked. Bacos was forced to re-route the plane, at gunpoint. He recalled later: "The terrorist had his gun pointed continuously at my head and occasionally he would poke my neck not to look at him. We could only obey the orders of the terrorists". Bacos was forced to turn the plane south to Benghazi, Libya, for refueling, and then he was forced to fly it in a south-eastern direction. He ultimately landed the jet at Entebbe in Uganda, with only 20 more minutes of fuel left.
The terrorists freed the 148 non-Jewish passengers, and offered to release Bacos and his crew. They felt duty-bound to remain on the plane, and refused to leave. They stayed behind with the Jewish hostages. The captives were freed in an Israeli commando raid known as Operation Entebbe, and Bacos was dazed in the attack.
Awards and later life
In 1976, Bacos was awarded the National Order of the Legion of Honour, the highest decoration in France, by the President of France. The Israeli government awarded Bacos and his crew medals for heroism, for refusing to leave the Jewish passengers behind. In June 2008, Bacos was awarded the B'nai B'rith International "Ménoras d'Or" (Golden Menorah) in Cannes, France. Bacos retired from Air France in 1982, and resides in Nice, France with his wife as of 2006. At that time, he had seven grandchildren.