Macari told Qantas officials he’d planted a bomb on Flight 755 from Sydney to Hong Kong that would detonate if the plane dropped below 20,000 feet, demanding $500,000 to spare the 128 passengers and crew. As negotiations dragged on, the plane circled Sydney for over six hours until fuel was running low and Qantas agreed to pay. At 5:45 p.m., outside the company’s headquarters in Chifley Square, Qantas general manager Captain R. J. Ritchie handed the ransom through the window of a Volkswagen Kombi. After 6:00 p.m., Macari called to say there was no bomb, a subsequent mid-air search failed to locate any device and the aircraft diverted to Brisbane and landed safely.
Police launched an investigation, and on the 4th of August 1971, both men were arrested after a tip-off about Poynting’s sudden lavish spending. Poynting was sentenced to seven years in prison, and Macari was sentenced to fifteen years, though he served only nine before being paroled and deported to England in 1980.
The 1986 Australian TV film *Call Me Mr. Brown* was inspired by these events.
Aircraft Information:
Airline: Qantas
Code: QF/QFA
Aircraft: Boeing 707-338
Registration: VH-EBU
Serial Number: 19294
Engines: 4 x RR RB211-524D4
First Flew: 13/02/1967
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