TWA Flight 541 was a domestic passenger flight hijacked in the

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by Robin Oswald in an attempt to free

Garrett Brock Trapnell Garrett Brock Trapnell (January 31, 1938 – September 7, 1993) was a con man, bank robber, and aircraft hijacker of the 1960s and early 1970s. Trapnell robbed a string of banks in Canada, frequently posed as an agent of the Central Intellige ...

, who was a prisoner at the

United States Penitentiary, Marion The United States Penitentiary, Marion (USP Marion) is a large medium-security United States federal prison for male inmates in Southern Precinct, unincorporated Williamson County, Illinois. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a ...

(USP Marion). The hijacking was successfully resolved when a

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

(F.B.I.) negotiating team persuaded the hijacker to release the passengers and then surrender.

Background

On January 29, 1972, Garrett B. Trapnell hijacked a

TWA The Twa, often referred to as Batwa or Mutwa (singular), are indigenous hunter-gatherer peoples of the Great Lakes Region in Central Africa, recognized as some of the earliest inhabitants of the area. Historically and academically, the term � ...

plane flying from Los Angeles to New York. He demanded $306,800 (equivalent to $2,300,000 in 2024), the release of the imprisoned

Angela Davis Angela Yvonne Davis (born January 26, 1944) is an American Marxist and feminist political activist, philosopher, academic, and author. She is Distinguished Professor Emerita of Feminist Studies and History of Consciousness at the University of ...

, and a conversation with

President Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until his resignation in 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 36th vice president under P ...

. The hijacking was resolved when Trapnell was disarmed after being shot by an F.B.I. agent who pretended to be a negotiator. On May 24, 1978, Trapnell's friend, 43-year-old Barbara Ann Oswald, a

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staff sergeant Staff sergeant is a Military rank, rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. History of title In origin, certain senior sergeants were assigned to administr ...

on leave, hijacked a Saint Louis based charter helicopter and forced the pilot to land in the yard at

. While landing the aircraft, the pilot,

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (1 November 1955 – 30 April 1975) was an armed conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia fought between North Vietnam (Democratic Republic of Vietnam) and South Vietnam (Republic of Vietnam) and their allies. North Vietnam w ...

veteran Allen Barklage, struggled with Oswald and managed to wrestle the gun away from her. Barklage then shot and killed Oswald, thwarting the escape.

Incident

On December 21, 1978, Robin Oswald, the 17-year-old daughter of Barbara Annette Oswald, hijacked TWA Flight 541 and demanded Trapnell be freed or she would detonate

dynamite Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and Stabilizer (chemistry), stabilizers. It was invented by the Swedish people, Swedish chemist and engineer Alfred Nobel in Geesthacht, Northern German ...

strapped to her body. She was remembered by the hostages aboard the flight as a "beautiful" but serious girl, never showing alarm at her actions. FBI negotiators were able to free the hostages and have Oswald surrender with no injuries or deaths. The bomb that was strapped to her chest later emerged to be railroad flares wired to what appeared to be a doorbell. Robin Oswald was charged as a juvenile with charges not being announced as is the law in Illinois.

Aftermath

Garrett B. Trapnell died in prison, in 1993, of

emphysema Emphysema is any air-filled enlargement in the body's tissues. Most commonly emphysema refers to the permanent enlargement of air spaces (alveoli) in the lungs, and is also known as pulmonary emphysema. Emphysema is a lower respiratory tract di ...

Bibliography

{{TWA Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States in 1978 Aircraft hijackings in the United States Accidents and incidents involving the McDonnell Douglas DC-9 Crimes in Louisville, Kentucky Hostage taking in the United States Trans World Airlines accidents and incidents, 541 Airliner accidents and incidents in Illinois Airliner accidents and incidents in Kentucky 1978 in Kentucky December 1978 in the United States Terrorist incidents in the United States in 1978 Hijackings in the 1970s

Background

Incident

Aftermath

See also

Bibliography