The hijacker of FedEx Flight 705 in 1994, was Auburn Calloway, incarcerated in a federal facility in Atwater, California, serving a predetermined life sentence.
The aircraft flew on a much more notoriety flight from Memphis to San Jose, California. It never made it to its intended location; instead, with some skillful airmanship, it made an emergency landing back at Memphis International Airport.
He used a privilege offered to FedEx staff when there was room to board aircraft 705 as a “jump seat” passenger. He had taken a guitar case as luggage.
Calloway was already inside the aircraft before the flight crew boarded, which caught them off guard. He gave up the engineer’s chair and sat in the jump seat despite their silence.
Who Is Auburn Calloway? Reddit Rediscovers Previous Hijacking
Auburn Calloway, a former Federal Express pilot, attacked the crew of a cargo plane just after it took off from Memphis and was later found guilty of attempted air piracy.
After earning his degree from Stanford University, Calloway joined the US Navy as a pilot, where he honed his martial arts skills.
He worked as a flight engineer for Federal Express after leaving the military. However, he struggled with emotional instability and money worries. His once-promising career had produced several setbacks; he could only find work as a flight engineer and had just gone through a divorce.
He was planning to attend a FedEx hearing when he attempted the hijacking because it had been discovered that he had overstated his flight experience with the US Navy on his resume, which would probably result in his termination.
Auburn Calloway Hijacked Cargo Jet
On April 7, Auburn Calloway boarded the aircraft ahead of the crew, carrying a speargun, a dagger, and hammers in his guitar case, according to an article from The Commercial Appeal in 2014.
Calloway chose to use hammers instead of firearms so that the wounds he inflicted would mimic those sustained in an aircraft crash; he wanted to pass off the attack as an accident so that his family would be covered by the $2.5 million life insurance policy his employer provided.
In line with industry slang, “jump-seaters,” Tucker, Sanders, and Peterson all believed Calloway to be merely an employee grabbing a ride.
Instead of the one man and one lady he would have faced, he had to defeat three men. Only a few minutes after takeoff, Calloway attacked. He used hammers to viciously injure the flight crew, breaking Andy Peterson’s and James Tucker’s skulls.
The flight engineer and captain then got into a protracted argument. While the three men grappled in the cockpit, James Tucker, an ex-Navy pilot, maintained control of the aircraft.
Where Is Auburn Calloway Today?
At the United States Penitentiary, Atwater jail in unincorporated Merced County, California, close to Atwater, Calloway entered a temporary insanity plea but was nonetheless given life without parole term on August 15, 1995, for attempted murder and air piracy.
Finally, given permission to land on any runway it could manage, FedEx 705 did so. In addition to making a safe landing, the flight crew’s valiant efforts allowed them to keep Auburn Calloway in check until law enforcement officers boarded the aircraft in Memphis and captured him.
David Sanders, Jim Tucker, and Andy Peterson were never again pilots due to the seriousness of their head wounds. Auburn Calloway was given a life sentence without the possibility of release. He is incarcerated in California and uses his website to contest his conviction.
Although all three crew members were seriously hurt, and none would ever fly commercially again, the flight crew eventually managed to control Calloway by intense aerial maneuvers and physical restraint.
Captain Dave Sanders safely landed the airplane at Memphis International Airport despite being loaded with fuel and exceeding the permissible landing weight. The cockpit and inside of the aircraft were coated in blood when the cops entered via the escape slide and ladder.