37
Boeing 747-200
British Airways flight G-BDHX
Aircraft Name
City of Coventry
Airspace over south west England
Approaching
Heathrow airport
London
Lat = 51 degrees, 28.3 minutes North
Long = 0 degrees, 27.1 minutes West
Sunday 17th September 1989 (Same day)
Twenty-three hundred hours and ten minutes BST
Patrick O’Rourke or Paddy as he was often referred to was seated in seat 65-F on the lower deck on the starboard side, in a four-seat configuration the last but one row at the back with one of the toilets behind.
The plane was only just over half-full and no one was sitting behind in the last row and the nearest other passengers were in rows sixty in front of them.
The handcuffs he was wearing for the last six hours and thirty minutes had become tiresome; the man next to him on his right in seat 65-G was a US air Marshall named Will Dexter a tall and powerfully built man.
Will Dexter had been a US Marshall for the last five years; the US Marshall’s agency was formed by the Judiciary Act of September 24, 1789.
The act specifically determined that law enforcement was to be the U.S. Marshals’ primary function.
The Marshals Service itself, as a federal agency, was not created until 1969.
The Marshals Service is responsible for apprehending wanted fugitives, providing protection for the federal judiciary, transporting federal prisoners, protecting endangered federal witnesses, and managing assets seized from criminal enterprises.
O’Rourke looked at the passengers in front and noticed many of them were asleep.
Patrick O’Rourke was a convicted IRA bomber and murderer, who had escaped British custody six months earlier and two months ago, had been arrested for a drink driving related offence in New York.
When the NYPD had checked up on him, it came to light he was wanted by the British, following several weeks of court appearances and his lawyers attempting to stop the extradition, he had finally been put on a plane back to England.
O’Rourke looked at his watch, around forty minutes to touch down he had a miniature whiskey on the fold down table in front of him that he had, had to persuade the air Marshall to allow him to have, saying he did not like the landing aspect of flying.
Will Dexter had acceded to the request his attitude to the request was, what the hell, what could one small drink do?
O’Rourke wriggled in his seat to reach for his cigarettes in his jacket pocket, he finally pulled one out and said to Dexter, “A light please Marshall?”
Will Dexter reached into his coat pocket, pulled out his plain street chrome Zippo lighter, and turned to face O’Rourke.
He rolled the wheel and immediately a flame appeared however immediately the flame expanded and he initially felt hot liquid on his face followed immediately by an excruciating burning sensation to his facial area.
Three things happened, instinctively he closed his eyes and dropped the lighter raising both his hands to his face and he let out a painful cry.
Just as the Marshall was reaching for his lighter, O’Rourke had taken a mouthful of the whiskey and then sprayed it from his mouth into the naked flame of the lighter.
As the US Marshall was diverted by the pain, O’Rourke leaned forward, pulled the Marshalls Glock-17 handgun from his shoulder holster, and expertly wrapped the butt of the pistol across the nape of the neck.
The Marshall immediately fell unconscious and O’Rourke quickly looked around, no one had appeared to notice the attack.
He quickly searched the Marshall’s pockets for the keys to the handcuffs.
A minute later, he had undone them and placed them on the unconscious Marshall’s wrists.
He then grabbed a small bottle of water that the Marshall had been drinking and poured the contents over the Marshall’s face.
Although the Marshall was a big person, O’Rourke was sinewy and quiet powerful for his size, he wrestled the Marshall up and quietly manhandled him into the toilets behind their seats and into a sitting position on the floor area.
He undid the Marshalls trouser belt, looped it around his neck pulling it tight, and then wrapped the loose end around the basin tap.
He looked down at the Marshall and said, “nice to have met you Marshall,” he gave a cursory salute threw the handcuff keys into the sink and closed the door over.
Just at that point, the co-pilots voice came over the intercom system, “ladies and gentlemen, the captain has turned on the no smoking and seatbelt signs please extinguish any cigarettes return to your seats and put your
Seatbacks in an upright position, fasten seatbelts, and store tray table. The toilets are now off-limits thank you.”
O’Rourke found another empty seat near to the passengers that had been in front of his original seating position.
In the cockpit, the captain was in communication with Air traffic controllers at Heathrow Approach Control based in Swanwick, Hampshire, whose job it was to guide the aircraft to its final approach.
“BA G-BDHX we have you on radar at one hundred miles out, confirm speed as 325 knots and altitude as six thousand feet, over.”
“BA G-BDHX we confirm speed and altitude, over.”
“Roger that G-BDHX, you are clear to commence CDA for approach onto runway 09/27L, at thirty miles out maintain level flight to pick up ILS at twenty-five miles and then commence final approach, glideslope angle is three degrees over.”
“Copy that Heathrow approach, G-BDHX out.”
Considerable use is made of continuous descent approach (CDA) techniques to minimise the environmental effects of incoming aircraft, particularly at night.
As the aircraft approached the twenty-five mile mark, it picked up the instrument landing system (ILS), a beam that is aligned with the runway centreline in order to guide aircraft in a straight-line approach to the runway threshold for landing.
It consists of two signals, one giving vertical guidance (the glideslope) and the other indicating whether to fly left or right in order to line up with the runway (the localiser)
At this point, the aircrafts final approach is established and control is handed over to the Heathrow Tower.
“G-BDHX from Heathrow Tower, we have you at twenty-five miles out, you are clear for landing on runway 09/27L, confirm you are aware of the no reverse thrust once down, over.”
“Roger that no reverse thrust once down, commencing final approach and landing sequence Heathrow, G-BDHX, out.”
To reduce disturbance in areas close to Heathrow, pilots are asked not to use reverse thrust after landing between 23:00 and 06:00 hours local, unless they need to for safety reasons.
The captain said, “Lower the gear?”
The co-pilot operated the control and the eighteen huge wheels descended out of their respective under wheel wells.
There are 16 main landing gear wheels, and 2 nose landing gear wheels.
The co-pilot said, “Confirm landing gear is down and locked, operating landing flaps to down.”
The captain now had a visual of Runway 09/27L and began operating the yoke, pedals, and throttle to land the aircraft.
He continually had to trim the aircraft using a switch on the yolk, as the aircraft flew over the runway he placed the aircraft down on the main landing gear wheels and a few moments later the nose wheels touched down.
As soon as the nose wheels hit the deck, the aircrafts brakes were applied slowing the colossal aircraft rapidly.
“Heathrow Tower to G-BDHX welcome to Heathrow you are cleared to taxi to terminal-3 over.”
“Roger that Tower, taxing to terminal-3, G-BDHX out.”
Fifteen minutes later the aircraft had arrived at its designated parking apron alongside terminal-3, within minutes a jet bridge connecting the gate with the aircrafts forward port door was secured and the aircraft staff opened the cabin door.
Paddy O’Rourke joined the slow queue of people as they herded forward to the open door, ten minutes later he was out and walking towards the arrivals area.
He took the green route through customs and then entered the arrivals lounge area.
No one had challenged him or given him a second look; he made his way along the underground subway to Terminal-1 and found a taxi outside climbing into it he said to the driver, “Kilburn north London.”
The taxi driver replied, “Kilburn it is sir.”
Marshall Will Dexter came out of his unconscious state and as he moved, he felt an object around his neck tighten.
He immediately stopped, the pain on his face was now stinging and he noticed his hands were cuffed with his own handcuffs.
He also noticed his belt was missing; he raised his cuffed hands to his neck, felt the ligature, and quickly determined that it was his belt.
Marshall Dexter kicked out with both feet several times at the toilet door, it was giving way and a final kick swung the door open.
A flight attendant had heard the commotion and she had walked to the rear of the aircraft, starred down at the man on the floor of the toilet, and noticed his red face. Marshall Dexter managed a faint horse cry, “help me please?”
The attendant walked into the toilet and began to loosen the belt that had been wrapped around the tap; she then unbuckled it from the Marshal’s neck.
Marshall Dexter took in a long gulp of air and he was aware that the aircraft had landed due to the lack of the drone from the engines and said, “How long have we been down?”
“About twenty-five minutes,” replied the attendant.
The attendant had noticed a small key in the sink and picked it up.
Marshall Dexter noticed the key in her hand, raised his cuffed hands and said, “Would you?”
A minute later he was free from his cuffs and pulled his Marshalls badge from his inside pocket, he was also acutely aware that his Glock was missing from his shoulder holster.
He opened the wallet up, showed his identification to the attendant, and said, “Ma’am, I am US Marshall Will Dexter, I need you to take me straight to the airports security.”
The attendant said, “Follow me sir,” she turned and they both walked to the forward open door.