Philippine Airlines Flight 116

Philippine Airlines Flight 116 was a domestic flight operated by Philippine Airlines that departed from Francisco Bangoy International Airport in Davao to Manila International Airport. On May 21, 1976, six passengers stormed the plane and diverted it to Zamboanga Airport where it was met by the military and the police. Negotiations between the hijackers and the police continued until May 23, 1976, when authorities attempted to storm the plane. A gun battle broke out and grenades were thrown, setting it on fire. 10 passengers and 3 of the 6 hijackers died in the storming.

Hijacking

On May 21, 1976, the BAC One-Eleven operating as Flight 116 took off from Davao City to Manila International Airport at 2:30 p.m. (local time) when six armed passengers from Makati and the Moro Liberation Front announced that they would be hijacking the plane, only 10 minutes after departure. Three hijackers were armed with grenades, while two were armed with a.45 caliber pistol, and one with a.22 caliber.

The hijackers ordered the pilots to fly to Libya, wanting to seek asylum there imitating a successful PAL that took place in April that same year.

However, the captain negotiated with the leader (known as Commander Zapata) stating that the aircraft was unfit for flying long distances because of fuel, so Zapata ordered him to fly to Sabah. With the same explanation, he reluctantly ordered the aircraft to divert to Zamboanga.

Upon landing in Zamboanga at around 3:00 p.m., the aircraft was immediately met with two armored cars parked towards the front of the jet.

The hijackers demanded a ransom of $375,000 and a larger plane to fly them to Libya, threatening to blow up the jet if their demands were not met by the Philippine government and the airline. Negotiations lasted for a day while the police and military monitored the situation. At one point, there were plans that authorities would enter the plane disguised as the relatives of the hostages. The next day, 5 women and 9 children were released in exchange for food and water, however none of the passengers were said to have been served anything until May 23.