Frederick William Hahneman was a Honduras-born US citizen convicted of hijacking Eastern Air Lines Flight 175 on May 5,1972.
22 Facts About Frederick Hahneman
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Frederick Hahneman parachuted from the plane over his native Honduras after extorting $303,000 from Eastern Air Lines.
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Frederick Hahneman was sentenced to life imprisonment for aircraft hijacking, kidnapping, and extortion, and was paroled after serving 12 years.
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The younger Frederick Hahneman served in the United States Army from April 1943 until March 1946 as a radar operator and aircraft crewman.
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Frederick Hahneman was an engineer and married to Mary Jane Hahneman; they had two sons.
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Neighbors of the couple later told investigators that Frederick Hahneman was a mystery to them and that Mary, going blind, raised the children alone.
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On May 2,1972, Frederick Hahneman checked into the Americus Hotel in Allentown, Pennsylvania, as a well-dressed businessman under the assumed name George Ames.
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Satisfied that his demands had been met, Frederick Hahneman allowed the passengers to disembark one by one at 1:13pm, including one stewardess.
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Frederick Hahneman ordered the plane to return to Dulles and demanded the money in larger bills.
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Satisfied , Frederick Hahneman ordered the captain to take off and fly to Honduras in Central America, his country of birth.
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However, while en route, the plane's hydraulic pump developed a problem and the captain told Frederick Hahneman they had to divert to New Orleans.
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Frederick Hahneman was angry and when they landed in New Orleans he demanded another plane from Eastern.
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Frederick Hahneman put on one of the parachutes he had demanded and opened the rear door.
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Frederick Hahneman moved around between friends and family, trying to stay one step ahead.
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Eastern Air Lines put up a $25,000 reward for his capture, which ultimately led to a tip off that Frederick Hahneman was still in Honduras.
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The FBI had put together biographical information Frederick Hahneman had let slip to the crew during their 20-hour ordeal, with a photograph they possessed, to identify Frederick Hahneman as their prime suspect.
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Frederick Hahneman told authorities that he had deposited the ransom in "the Chinese Communist Bank in Hong Kong", via a mysterious Panamanian "contact".
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On September 11,1972, Frederick Hahneman waived his right to a jury trial and pleaded guilty to a charge of air piracy, kidnapping and extortion.
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Frederick Hahneman was sentenced to life imprisonment on September 29,1972, in the US District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, and sent to the federal prison in Atlanta.
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Bureau of Prisons records show Frederick Hahneman was paroled on March 13,1984.
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Frederick Hahneman's arrest reignited interest in the case and his quiet Easton neighbourhood was alive with agents and reporters asking questions.
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Mary Frederick Hahneman maintained that she had no contact with her husband and didn't even know he'd been released.