This site is the official homepage of the Victims of Pan Am Flight 103, Inc. Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. President Gadhafi paid $2.7 billion compensation to family members of individuals killed in the bombing. Why after taking off in London did it fly all the way to Lockerbie instead of going directly to New York? Pan Am Flight 103 was a Pan American World Airways passenger flight that flew … Trento had originally planned to leave for the U.S. a few hours later that day, on Pan Am Flight 103. About 7:00 pm on December 21, Pan Am flight 103, a Boeing 747 en route to New York City from London, exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland. The flight was supposed to be a direct flight from Frankfurt, GE, to New York, not Pan Am Flight 103 which was routed through London, UK. Take advantage of our Presidents' Day bonus! In December 1988 a bomb downed the jet, leaving 270 dead. On board this Boeing 747, the Clipper Maid of the Seas, sat 243 passengers and 16 crew, 259 souls. The plane had reached a height of approximately 31,000 feet (9,500 metres) and was preparing for the oceanic portion of the flight when a timer-activated bomb detonated. criminal charges against former Libyan intelligence officer Abu Agela Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi. In July 2010 an investigation spurred by U.S. senators revealed that oil company BP had lobbied for a prisoner transfer agreement between the United Kingdom and Libya. Thanks for identifying this 'contradiction'. On December 21, 1988, Pan Am Flight 103 exploded 31,000 feet over Lockerbie, Scotland, 38 minutes after takeoff from London. This Category comprises Articles where the article's subject is primarily noted for its connection to Pan Am Flight 103.The article should be related to subject of the main Pan Am Flight 103 article and its subtopic articles (currently alternative theories into the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, investigation into the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 and Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial). Take a look at these pictures. Pan Am flight 103, also called Lockerbie bombing, flight of a passenger airliner operated by Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) that exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, on December 21, 1988, after a bomb was detonated. Helen Jones, 28, a Scottish (London-based) accountant, who had previously escaped death in 1988 when wreckage of Pan Am Flight 103 crashed upon Lockerbie. Pan Am Flight 103 Memorial (Lockerbie Memorial Cairn) ... Scotland, about eight miles southeast of Lockerbie and below the flight path of Flight 103. Something like a great circle-based fight path, still standard today, but from local weather problems arcing around Ireland, northeast across Great Britain to its rocky far corner. More U.S. civilians died in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, which took place 25 years ago from Saturday, than in … Updated 2204 GMT (0604 HKT) December 22, 2020. Falling wreckage destroyed 21 houses and killed an additional 11 people on the ground. Matthew Gannon spent the majority of his childhood in San Juan Capistrano, California. The bomb, constructed with the odourless plastic explosive Semtex, was hidden in a cassette player that was stored in a suitcase. In April, they held a demonstration outside the White House and met with then-President George H.W. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... A section of the cockpit of Pan Am flight 103, after it was destroyed by a bomb over Lockerbie, Scotland, in December 1988. Lesser charges of conspiracy to murder and violating Britain's 1982 Aviation Security Act were dropped. The reconstructed remains of Pan Am flight 103 lie in a warehouse in Farnborough, England. On weekends and in summers h… Life imprisonment is the prescribed punishment for murder or contravention of the Aviation Security Act 1982. He didn’t think much of the change. Although the passengers aboard the plane came from 21 countries, the majority of them were Americans, and the attack increased terrorism fears in the United States. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. Al Megrahi, pictured in Tripoli in 1992, was not convicted until 2001. The hero's welcome given to al Megrahi in Libya after his early release from jail caused outrage among victims' families. There were 243 passengers and crew members on board. The Lockerbie bombing took place on December 21, 1988, when Pan Am Flight 103 was blown out of the sky. Over three years, investigators from the United States, Britain, Germany and other countries questioned more than 15,000 people in more than 30 countries and collected thousands of pieces of evidence. Any prison sentence would be served in Scotland. The plane’s wings, along with … Pan Am Flight 103 exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing all 259 people on board and 11on the ground. Corsehill Quarry, operating since 1820, has provided stones for many buildings in the United States, most notably the … There is no prescribed punishment for a conviction of conspiracy to murder. Pan Am flight 103 was en route from Heathrow to New York on December 21 1988 when it was blown out of the sky by a bomb which exploded in the cargo hold. By signing up for this email, you are agreeing to news, offers, and information from Encyclopaedia Britannica. In 2009 Megrahi, who had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, was released from prison in Scotland on compassionate grounds and allowed to return to Libya; the United States strongly disagreed with the Scottish government’s decision. Only in 2004 did the United States resume direct diplomatic ties with Libya. The blast broke the plane into thousands of pieces that landed in an area covering roughly 850 square miles (2,200 square km). Investigators believed that two Libyan intelligence agents were responsible for the bombing; many speculated that the attack had been retaliation for a 1986 U.S. bombing campaign against Libya’s capital city, Tripoli. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/event/Pan-Am-flight-103, CIA - The World Factbook - Terrorist Bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. A Boeing 747-121A passenger plane, registered N739PA, was destroyed in a criminal occurrence at Lockerbie, United Kingdom. Pan Am Flight 103 was flying at an altitude of 31,000 feet over Lockerbie, Scotland, when a terrorist bomb exploded on board. The twisted remains of Pan Am flight 103 lie in a forgotten heap – 30 years after a terrorist bomb sent it crashing into the town of Lockerbie. New legislation took off quickly. The suspects were tried in a Scottish court at Camp Zeist, a former US air base 20 miles south of the Dutch capital of Amsterdam. Omissions? Roses adorn the Lockerbie memorial at Arlington National Cemetery in the U.S. Wreckage of the downed aircraft hit houses in the Scottish town of Lockerbie. But his mother, concerned about a potentially long layover in Kennedy, decided to switch him to an earlier flight, Pan Am Flight 101. Here are a few sources to support that this is the common name, they all refer to it … However, after a brief spell of attention, this angle of the bombing was not pursued by the commercially-controlled media. The CIA and FBI said the suspects, employed by Libyan Arab Airlines in Malta, were also Libyan intelligence agents. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. In the late 1990s, in an effort to placate the international community, Libya turned over the alleged perpetrators of the bombing to international authorities and accepted a ruling by the international court in The Hague stating that the contested Aozou territory…, …responsible for the December 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. Afterward, United States and British investigators found fragments of a circuit board and a timer, and ruled that a bomb, not mechanical failure, caused the explosion. terrorist bombing, over Lockerbie, Scotland, United Kingdom [1988]. The Dutch declared 30 acres of the 100-acre base Scottish territory so that the trial could be held in a neutral country as al Megrahi, Fhimah and. The plane had reached a height of approximately 31,000 feet (9,500 metres) and was preparing for the oceanic portion of the flight when a timer-activated bomb detonated. In February 1989, family members established Victims of Pan Am Flight 103 Inc. The airplane operated on a flight from London-Heathrow Airport (LHR) to New York-John F. Kennedy International Airport, NY … Be on the lookout for your Britannica newsletter to get trusted stories delivered right to your inbox. In August 2003, Libya accepted responsibility for "the actions of its officials" in respect of the bombing Pan Am Flight 103, but was silent on the question of the Pan Am Flight 73 hijacking. The Libyan government eventually agreed to pay damages to the families of the victims of the attack. As a result, the United States and the United Nations Security Council imposed economic sanctions against Libya. In March, the group testified in front of the Senate. About 7:00 pm on December 21, Pan Am flight 103, a Boeing 747 en route to New York City from London, exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Bush. Although both BP and the U.K. government denied that Megrahi was discussed specifically, in 2009 British justice minister Jack Straw had stated that BP’s business dealings with the Libyan government were a factor in considering his case. In 2001, after an investigation that involved interviewing 15,000 people and examining 180,000 pieces of evidence, Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al-Megrahi was convicted of the bombing and sentenced to 20 (later 27) years in prison. Like the rest of the site, it is a work in progress, not necessarily to be regarded as definitive. Any punishment is at the discretion of the court. Pan Am Flight 103; Pan Am Flight 103 bombing trial; Pan Am Flight 103 conspiracy theories – As per WP:COMMONNAME, This incident is almost always known as the Lockerbie bombing. CNN's Nic Robertson found al-Megrahi under the care of his family in his palatial Tripoli villa in 2011, surviving on oxygen and an intravenous drip. Updates? All 259 people on board were killed, and 11 individuals on the ground also died. Her family, from Annan, Dumfries and Galloway, said: "Helen will live on in the hearts of her family and her many, many friends".