During the 1970s, hijackings became an unsettling global phenomenon. A notable incident involved a Southern Airways flight, where hijackers held passengers and crew captive for over 24 hours, forcing the plane to crisscross the United States before heading to the Caribbean.
The three perpetrators demanded a ransom of $10 million—equivalent to $48.8 million in 2025 dollars. Their scheme unraveled when the DC-9 touched down in Cuba, where authorities swiftly arrested them.
‘Billy Bob, We’re Taking Over the Airplane’
The hijacking took place on Southern Airways Flight 49 on 10 November 1972. Having departed Memphis, Tennessee, the DC-9 carrying 31 passengers stopped in Birmingham, Alabama, before departing for Miami, Florida, at around 1900 local time. William Haus was the pilot, with Harold Johnson co-piloting.
Johnson spoke to Ay Magazine about what security was like during his time as a pilot:
‘Any semblance of airport security in the 1960s was virtually nonexistent…You drove to the airport, purchased a ticket, checked your baggage, walked to the gate, and boarded the airplane. Perhaps a policeman may have been around somewhere, but there was no “airport security” at that time.’
Shortly after takeoff, a man smashed a cabin door open, corralling a female flight attendant while pointing a gun at her head and shouting ‘Billy Bob, we’re taking over the airplane!”.
The suspects were identified as Henry Jackson Jr., Louis Moore, and Melvin Cale from Detroit, Michigan. All three men were facing trial for prior incidents.
The three men, all of whom were Black, expressed frustration to Johnson and Haas about the way law enforcement was disproportionately focusing on the Black community in Detroit. They insisted the flight be rerouted there, demanding that the city provide them with $10 million.
The pilots obliged in fear for their lives, so the flight traveled to Jackson, Mississippi, for refueling and then headed north towards the Motor City.
Great Danger Above the Great Lakes
Flight 49 flew 20,000 feet above Detroit and circled the city as Jackson, Moore, and Cale negotiated with city officials about the $10 million ransom.
Southern Airways and the City of Detroit only offered $500,000 apiece. The criminals rejected the offer and told the pilots to fly above Cleveland, Ohio, and then to Toronto, Canada. At 0500 the next day, FBI agents proposed $500,000 to the hijackers at Toronto Pearson International Airport, but this offer was rejected, too.
The men instructed the pilots to fly to Knoxville, Tennessee. At this point, the men raided the DC-9’s liquor cabinet and shared alcohol with hostages. The FBI and two other aircraft from Southern Airways were following the DC-9 by air.
One of the Southern Airways hijackers negotiated again with officials, stating that if the $10 million wasn’t on the table, he would crash the plane into the Atomic Energy Commission in Oak Ridge.
‘We’ll Make This Look Worse Than Munich’
The DC-9 refueled once more in Lexington, Kentucky. That was when agents agreed to hand over the $10 million.
The DC-9 landed in Chattanooga, where the FBI handed over a bag of money and buckets of Kentucky Fried Chicken. Little did the men know that the money only equated to around $2 million. Regardless, they were in good spirits after receiving it.
Despite the money grab, the three men refused to release their captives, instead instructing the flight to divert once more to Cuba to meet dictator Fidel Castro. The men ended up changing their minds and wanted to fly to Algiers, Africa.
Johnson knew the flight was impossible, as the aircraft would run out of fuel. ‘But they had the guns. We didn’t,’ Johnson recalled.
After flying 200 miles over the Atlantic, the criminals decided to refuel back in America and then fly to Cuba.
The Havoc Ends in Havana
The plane refueled in Key West, Florida. FBI agents, including acting director L. Patrick Gray, met them upon landing. The hijackers demanded to meet with President Nixon, but this request was denied. The plane then continued on to McCoy Air Force Base in Orlando, Florida, where it refueled again. Flight 49 took off from Orlando again, despite the FBI shooting two of its four tires.
To ‘make an example’ out of Johnson, Jackson and Moore were going to execute him right then and there from inside the cabin. Johnson shoved Moore’s arm out of the way and the bullet struck his arm, shattering the bone.
As the DC-9 was in the air again, Haas entered the cabin and stated that he needed Johnson to fly despite losing his arm.
That evening, the plane landed in Havana, Cuba. The Cuban military was well prepared and arrested the three men on the spot.
Johnson claims to not remember the flight to Cuba. He did say he wasn’t able to call his wife until he returned to America. When Johnson asked her if she knew his flight was hijacked, she responded, ‘The whole world knows.’
Johnson spent three months in a hospital and three additional months in rehabilitation. In 1974, Johnson and Haas received the Airline Pilots Association Gold Medal of Heroism. He returned to Southern Airways that year and retired in 1986.
Jackson, Cale, and Moore were detained in Cuba for eight years before being extradited to America. In 1981, the Southern Airways hijackers were sentenced to at least 20 years in prison, minus the time served in Cuba.
It was unknown when Jackson was released from prison. Cale was paroled in 1993, while Moore was released in 1998.
