Date: August 24, 1970
Flight Info: TWA Flight 134 from Las Vegas to Philadelphia, with a scheduled stop in Chicago.
The Story: A 27-year-old Vietnam vet, Labadie boarded the Boeing 727 in Chicago. He was wearing his Army uniform, and he was able to secure a first-class seat thanks to TWA’s policy of granting half-price fares to soldiers. Over Fort Wayne, Ind., Labadie entered the cockpit and informed the pilot that he wanted to go to Cuba; if the pilot refused, then Labadie vowed to signal an accomplice to detonate a bomb. Labadie did not utter another word en route to Havana, where he disembarked by himself and was immediately arrested by Cuban authorities.
The Upshot: On September 24, 1970, Cuban officials permitted American officials to come to Havana and escort Labadie back to Miami—the first time a hijacker had ever been extradited in such a manner. Labadie was found unfit to stand trial and was committed to a psychiatric facility, from which he was released in October 1973.
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