Terrorism in Canada: Air India Flight 182 Disaster :: September 11 Terrorism Essays

Terrorism in Canada: Air India Flight 182 Disaster The Air India disaster occurred on July 22nd, 1985. It is believed to be the most serious terrorist act that has ever taken place in Canada, claiming the lives of over three hundred people, most of them Canadian. To the present day, the bombings remain a mystery, with only one person charged in connection with the crime. Almost 15 years after flight 182 plummeted into the Atlantic off the coast of Ireland it continues to be investigated by authorities throughout the world, including the RCMP and CSIS in Canada. Sometime in mid-June of 1985, a man with a slight east-Asian accent called the Canadian Airlines international reservations desk in Vancouver, and after a number of inquiries, booked tickets for two flights departing from Vancouver on July 22nd. The first was booked to Narita, Japan in the name of L. Singh, the second, from Vancouver to Toronto, where the passenger M. Singh would transfer to Air India flight 182 to New Dehli, India. A man described as "A bearded Indian male wearing a mustard colored turban ," (www.airindia.istar.ca) paid for both tickets in person, in cash, a few days later. For both lights, luggage was checked under the names of both passengers, but neither party boarded their respective flights. Canadian Airlines flight 003 to Narita, Japan arrived at its destination without incident. However, at 7:13 London time, a suitcase exploded while being unloaded from the plane, killing two baggage handlers and injuring others. The luggage for M. Singh was transferred in Toronto to the Air India flight. At 8:13 London time, the pilot radioed that everything was normal as the plane started it's descent into London's Heathrow Airport. Moments later, the plane exploded, and crashed from an altitude of 31,000 feet into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Ireland. Following the crash, an unprecedented salvage operation took place, in which jet wreckage was recovered from ocean depths that had been previously unexplored. The investigation of the crash revealed the following: Â ¨ the black box recorded a thud, muffled bang and a faint shriek. Â ¨ the pilot tried to send a distress call while he desperately attempted to gain control of the aircraft. Â ¨ fan blades on the engines were not bent indicating the engines were not running when the plane hit the water. Â ¨ One hundred and thirty-one bodies were recovered from the crash site.