Lufthansa Flight 592
| File:Lufthansa Logo.svg Lufthansa logo | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Aviation |
| Founded | January 6, 1953 in Cologne, Germany |
| Headquarters | Cologne , Germany |
| Products | Air transport services |
| Website | www |
Lufthansa Flight 592 was a regularly scheduled passenger service operating between Frankfurt, Germany, and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, which became the target of a hijacking on February 11, 1993. The flight was conducted by Lufthansa using an Airbus A310-300 aircraft when Nebiu Zewolde Demeke, a 20-year-old Ethiopian asylum seeker, commandeered the plane and compelled the pilot to alter course toward John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. The airplane landed without incident; the hijacker surrendered without violence and was subsequently sentenced to two decades in prison for aircraft hijacking.
Flight
Operated by Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Flight 592 connected Frankfurt International Airport in Germany to Bole International Airport in Ethiopia, with an intermediate stop planned at Cairo International Airport, Egypt. The aircraft involved, bearing registration D-AIDM, had been active since August 30, 1991. On board were 94 passengers alongside a crew of ten. The flight deck was commanded by Captain Gerhard Goebel with First Officer Kay Juergens assisting.
Hijacker
Nebiu Zewolde Demeke was born on September 24, 1972, in Egypt. Following his father’s imprisonment in Ethiopia—his father being an economist—Nebiu’s family relocated to Morocco. He attended the American School in Tangiers while his siblings pursued education in the United States; however, Nebiu was denied both a student visa and lawful entry into the U.S. Approximately six months prior to the hijacking incident, Nebiu moved to Germany and sought political asylum. After retracting his application, German authorities arranged for his return to Ethiopia on Flight 592.
At the departure airport, Nebiu concealed a starter pistol loaded with blanks beneath a fedora reminiscent of "Indiana Jones." He bypassed security checks by placing both the hat and pistol on a table near the metal detector before reclaiming them just prior to boarding.
Hijacking
Approximately 35 minutes after takeoff while traversing Austrian airspace, Nebiu put on a ski mask, brandished the pistol, and entered the unlocked cockpit. He threatened the pilot, insisting that the flight be diverted to New York City so he could seek political asylum.
The aircraft made an unscheduled refueling stop in Hanover, Germany, where it was surrounded by law enforcement personnel. Nebiu issued threats to kill a flight attendant every five minutes but consented to continue flying after receiving assurances that he would peacefully surrender upon arrival in the United States.
During the nonstop segment from Hanover to New York, Captain Gerhard Goebel maintained composure and established rapport with Nebiu, who revealed that he had meticulously planned the hijacking for months. They agreed that once landed, Goebel would trade his sunglasses for Nebiu’s pistol.
The plane touched down at JFK Airport around 4:00 pm EDT and proceeded to a secluded runway area. Negotiators including NYPD detective Dominick Misino, FBI special agent John Flood, and Port Authority detective Carmine Spano communicated with Nebiu via radio. After approximately seventy minutes of negotiation, Nebiu gave himself up peacefully in exchange for receiving sunglasses. All passengers and crew—totaling 104 individuals—were unharmed.
Aftermath
Nebiu was taken into custody and faced charges of air piracy in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York located in Brooklyn. His arraignment occurred on February 12, 1993, with Judge Allyne Ross ordering his detention without bail pending trial. Nebiu anticipated avoiding incarceration and hoped to obtain asylum. Throughout the trial, he was declared incompetent to stand trial on two occasions and received treatment for depression and hallucinations. After representing himself during a four-day trial, the jury deliberated for an hour before finding him guilty, leading Judge Sterling Johnson, Jr. to impose a prison sentence extending until 2013.
Germany encountered international reproach due to insufficient security measures at Frankfurt Airport, which enabled Nebiu to bring a pistol onboard and allowed the hijacked aircraft to leave following refueling in Hanover. At that time, Frankfurt was Europe’s busiest airport and had recently enhanced its security protocols in response to the 1988 Pan Am Flight 103 bombing, an attack allegedly involving explosives loaded at the airport.
This event represented the first transatlantic hijacking since five Croatian nationalists seized control of TWA Flight 355 in 1976, compelling a domestic flight to divert to Paris. As of 2024, it stands as the latest transatlantic hijacking on record.
In 2012, this hijacking was featured in an episode of Hostage: Do or Die titled "The Last Transatlantic Hijacking".