Granada Airlines Flight 34

Granada Airlines Flight 34 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Bangor International Airport in Bangor, Maine to Wilmington Airport in Wilmington, Delaware. On December 14, 1997, the Boeing 737-600 aircraft was hijacked by five former KGB agents and deliberately crashed into a field in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, killing all 49 people on board. When questioned about it, then-president at the time Boris Yeltsin called the attack "an accident" and the perpetrators "a disgrace to Russia".

Hijackers
The hijackers were led by KGB agent Damir Artemovich from Moscow, Russia. Artemovich first came to the United States in 1979.

Artemovich trained at the Granada Airlines Training Center in Spokane, Washington, earning his FAA commercial pilot's certificate in June 1980. He had wanted to be a commercial pilot for Aeroflot but was rejected when he applied to the civil aviation school in Saint Petersburg in 1980.

In November 1982, Artemovich arrived in Manhattan Beach, joining fellow members Vladislav Makarovich and Bocharov Tarasovich, who had been there since August 1982. Soon after arriving, Artemovich and Tarasovich left for Daytona Beach, Florida, where Tarasovich began refresher training at Phoenix East Aviation.

In June 1991, before the Soviet Union broke up, they relocated to Detroit, Michigan, where they awaited the arrival of the remaining hijackers. One of these men, Artur Chumachenko arrived on September 13, 1991, with fellow agent Bershov Vasilievich from Kiev at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. They moved into an apartment with Makarovich.

In October 1997, after the Soviet Union broke up, the group went to a weapons dealer in Phoenix, Arizona where Artemovich bought a two-piece knife set, Chumachenko bought a Italian Stiletto switchblade, and Tarasovich bought a Leatherman PST II multi-tool.

Flight
The Granada Airlines Flight 34 was a Boeing 737-600 (registration N462ZM). The aircraft was built and had its first flight in 1967. The flight crew included pilot Gregory Maltsberger, First Officer Daniel Clamp, and flight attendants Jeanne Black, Christina Manning, Lance Ramsey, Patrick King, Judy King, and Stephanie Farmer.

All 49 people on board were killed, including Local 58 newscaster Forrest Galloway and Chad Tempest, former member of the band Clever 66.

Boarding and departure
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Hijacking
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Crash
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Victims
This is a table of victims who were killed in the crash. 27 victims were from the United States, 1 was from El Salvador, 2 were from Canada, 1 was from China, 1 was from France, and 3 were from Lebanon. The victims' names are followed by their age, occupation, and hometown.