 A TWA DC-9, similar to the aircraft involved in the hijack | |
| Hijacking | |
|---|---|
| Date | December 21, 1978 |
| Summary | Hijacking |
| Site | Energy,Illinois 37°45′18″N089°00′40″W / 37.75500°N 89.01111°W /37.75500; -89.01111 |
 | |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | McDonnell Douglas DC-9 |
| Operator | Trans World Airlines |
| Flight origin | Standiford Field, Louisville, KY |
| Stopover | Williamson County Regional Airport (due to forced landing) |
| Destination | Kansas City International Airport |
| Occupants | 87 |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Survivors | 87 |
TWA Flight 541 was a domestic passenger flight hijacked in theUnited States by Robin Oswald in an attempt to freeGarrett Brock Trapnell, who was a prisoner at theUnited States Penitentiary, Marion (USP Marion).[1] The hijacking was successfully resolved when aFederal Bureau of Investigation (F.B.I.) negotiating team persuaded the hijacker to release the passengers and then surrender.[2]
On January 29, 1972, Garrett B. Trapnell hijacked aTWA plane flying from Los Angeles to New York. He demanded $306,800 (equivalent to $2,300,000 in 2024), the release of the imprisonedAngela Davis, and a conversation withPresident Nixon.[3] The hijacking was resolved when Trapnell was disarmed after being shot by an F.B.I. agent who pretended to be a negotiator.[3]
On May 24, 1978, Trapnell's friend, 43-year-old Barbara Ann Oswald, aUS Armystaff sergeant on leave, hijacked aSaint Louis based charter helicopter and forced the pilot to land in the yard atUnited States Penitentiary, Marion. While landing the aircraft, the pilot,Vietnam War veteran Allen Barklage, struggled with Oswald and managed to wrestle the gun away from her. Barklage then shot and killed Oswald, thwarting the escape.[1]
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 detonatedynamite 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.[4]
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.[5] Robin Oswald was charged as a juvenile with charges not being announced as is the law in Illinois.[6]
Garrett B. Trapnell died in prison, in 1993, ofemphysema.[3]