 4R-ULD, the aircraft involved, seen at Paris–Le Bourget Airport in November 1983 | |
| Bombing | |
|---|---|
| Date | 3 May 1986 |
| Summary | Bombing |
| Site | Bandaranaike International Airport 7°10′52″N 79°51′58″E / 7.18111°N 79.86611°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Lockheed L-1011-100 TriStar 100 |
| Aircraft name | City of Colombo |
| Operator | Air Lanka |
| Registration | 4R-ULD |
| Flight origin | London-Gatwick Airport |
| 1st stopover | Zurich Airport |
| 2nd stopover | Dubai International Airport |
| Last stopover | Bandaranaike International Airport, Colombo, Sri Lanka |
| Destination | Male' International Airport |
| Occupants | 148 |
| Passengers | 128 |
| Crew | 20 |
| Fatalities | 21 |
| Injuries | 41 |
| Survivors | 127 |
Air Lanka Flight 512 was an Air Lanka (now SriLankan Airlines) flight from London Gatwick Airport via Zurich and Dubai to Colombo (Bandaranaike International Airport) and Malé, Maldives (Velana International Airport). On 3 May 1986, the Lockheed L-1011 Tristar operated by Air Lanka was on the ground in Colombo, about to fly on to Malé, when an explosion ripped the aircraft in two, destroying it. The flight carried mainly French, West German, British and Japanese tourists; 21 people were killed on the aircraft, including 3 British, 2 West German, 3 French, 2 Japanese, 2 Maldivian, and 1 Pakistani. 41 people were injured.[1]
Boarding of the flight had been delayed due to the aircraft being damaged during cargo / baggage loading.[2] During boarding, a bomb, hidden in the aircraft's 'Fly Away Kit' (a collection of small spare parts[3]), exploded.[4] The bomb had been timed to detonate mid-flight; the delay likely saved many lives.
The Sri Lankan government concluded that the bomb was planted by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to sabotage peace talks between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan government. They reported that a search of the aircraft the next day uncovered a parcel containing uniforms with the insignia of the Black Tigers, the suicide wing of LTTE.[1][5]
- ^ a b "1986: Bomb kills 21 in Sri Lanka". BBC. 3 May 1986. Retrieved 30 April 2008.
- ^ A joke common among international travelers at the time was that AirLanka's IATA code, UL, stood for "usually late".
- ^ "IR Fly Away Kit?" Airliners.net; accessed 2017.04.27.
- ^ "Unlawful Interference Lockheed L-1011 TriStar 100 4R-ULD, Saturday 3 May 1986". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 2 October 2024.
- ^ "Commercial Airline Bombing History". aerospaceweb.org. Retrieved 10 September 2014.