B727-100c World Airways

Guess it is the same plane making famous rescue

The plane involved was a World Airways 727. Apparently there were 280 passengers on board. A grenade exploded under the wing causing the flaps to get stuck down. It was also leaking fuel and had its landing gear stuck down. It took 2 hours to get to Saigon, instead of forty five minutes. When they landed there were a couple of bodies, in the under carriage, of stowaways

The plane was a World Airways 727-100 sent to Da Nang to help evacuate refugee women and children. Aboard was World Airways president Edward J. Daley, two reporters and cameraman. As the plane was loading, word wpread that enemy troops were approaching the field. Men of the crack South Vietnamese 1st Division, the Hac Bao (Black Panthers) made a dash for the airliner, shoving women and children aside in their panic. It was immediately apparent that the crowd was out of control so Daly told Capt. Kenneth Healy to take off. As engines were started, soldiers opened fire on the plane; a hand grenade was tossed under the wings in efforts to delay the departure, causing extensive damage to landing gear and flaps. As the plane gathered speed, frantic refugees and soldiers fought each other to get up the stairway with Daly pulling as many possible aboard.

Healy figures his ship was overloaded by 20,000 pounds. "We estimated there must hav been 360 people aboard a ship designed to carry 105. In the cabin there were 268 - this number we know for usre. The baggage compartments were loaded with people and there attempts to make the flight in the wheel wells and seven did get through that way to Saigon. Witness said bodies fell out but I can't say how many. I believe there were 80 to 90 in the lower compartments but an accurate count was not obtained as they unloaded before anyone thought to make a count."

"Some of the problems encountered were an aft stairway that remained partially extended for the entire flight and main wheels which would not retract. Pressurization was impossible so the flight was made at 10,000 feet. Fuel consumption was three times greater than normal and we landed at Saigon with little in the tanks. A grenade explosion removed two-thirds of the left inboard flap. I wholeheartedly praise the abilities of the 727 aircraft. It is a solid, dependable and completely honest aircraft".

B727-173C N692WA
C/N # 19506
L/N # 442
3X P&W JT8D fanjet engines

First flight August 4th 1967

First delivered to WORLD AIRWAYS (N692WA) August 8th 1967

Leased to JAPAN AIR LINES (N692WA) August 8th 1969

WORLD AIRWAYS (N692WA) July 11th 1970

BRANIFF INTERNATIONAL AIRWAYS (N692WA) April 6th 1972 .... "available at HJG, Painted by Tom LE BLANC. See B727-100C/F/QC downloads page.

WORLD AIRWAYS (N692WA) June 7th 1973

Leased to AIR ALGERIE (N692WA) November 1975

WORLD AIRWAYS (N692WA) January 1976

Leased to AIR MALTA (N692WA) April 1976

WORLD AIRWAYS (N692WA) September 1976

Leased to YEMENIA - YEMEN AIRWAYS (N692WA) December 1976

WORLD AIRWAYS (N692WA) January 1977

Leased to FAUCETT DEL PERU (OB-R-1145) February 10th 1977

WORLD AIRWAYS (N692WA) January 1977 August 1977

Sold to ALM ANTILLEAN AIRLINES (PJ-BOA "St Martin") October 30th 1977 .... "available at HJG, Painted by Tony MADGE. See B727-100C/F/QC downloads page.

Sold to GATEWAY AIRCRAFT LEASING (PJ-BOA) February 6th 1979

Leased to AVIATECA GUATEMALA (TG-AYA "Iximche") July 15th 1979

Sold to UNITED PARCEL SERVICE (N938UP) December 13th 1989

Sold to OVERSEAS PARTNERS LEASING (N938UP) December 12th 1990

Leased to UNITED PARCEL SERVICE (N938UP) December 12th 1990

Sold to UNITED PARCEL SERVICE (N938UP) March 31st 1994

Sold to STEWART INDUSTRIES INTERNATIONAL (N938UP) February 27th 2008

CURRENT STATUS = "stored at Roswell/New Mexico"