The MH653 tragedy: Hijacked flight ends in crash, leaves 100 dead

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Flight MH653 hijacked under mysterious circumstances, motive still unknown

The hijacking of Malaysia Airlines flight MH653 in 1977 remains one of Malaysia’s most tragic and perplexing aviation incidents.

What started as a routine domestic flight from Penang to Kuala Lumpur ended in catastrophe, with all 100 onboard killed after the plane crashed into a swamp in Johor.

With the hijacker himself among the casualties — who were mangled beyond recognition — his identity and motives remain unclear to this day.

Despite extensive investigations, only theories and speculations have surfaced. Here’s what we know about this fateful flight.

The MH653 flight carried several government officials

According to The Sun in Malaysia, flight MH653 departed from Penang International Airport at around 7.20pm on 4 Dec 1977.

It was scheduled to arrive at Subang International Airport, now known as the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, at around 8pm.

Onboard were 93 passengers and seven crew members, including prominent government officials such as Malaysia’s Minister of Agriculture, Datuk Seri Ali Ahmad, Public Works Department director-general Tan Sri Mahfudz Khalid, and the Cuban Ambassador to Japan, Mario Garcia Inchaustergui. 

As the plane prepared for its descent at around 7.54pm, the control tower in Kuala Lumpur received a distress call from one of the pilots, who informed them of an “emergency” with “hijackers on board”, New Straits Times reported. Moments later, chaos ensued.

Cockpit recording sheds light on what happened

A report by the Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia, published a few months after the incident and later shared online by a blog, contains transcripts of the plane’s cockpit voice recordings.

These transcripts offer a chilling glimpse into the interaction between the crew and the hijacker.

According to the transcript, the hijacker, who had forced his way into the cockpit, threatened the crew and demanded that the plane not land in Kuala Lumpur.

Initially, the captain tried to negotiate, explaining that they’ll “do whatever you feel like” but had insufficient fuel to go further than Singapore.

The hijacker eventually agreed to head there, telling the captain to “contact them (presumably control centre) and say you are going to Singapore”.

The next part reveals the captain’s continued efforts to defuse the situation, instructing others not to inform the passengers about the hijacking.

After some time, tensions appeared to escalate. The captain could be heard repeatedly reassuring the hijacker that they would follow his orders and wouldn’t “do anything funny.”

However, at one point, the hijacker shouted: “What is this? You bluff us!” Gunshots rang out moments later, followed by the captain’s cries for mercy, which eventually faded.

The rest of the recording became a chaotic mix of noises, including knocks on a door, sounds of objects moving, altitude alerts, and someone repeatedly exclaiming, “it won’t come up!” amid other unintelligible voices.

According to the New Straits Times, all communications were cut off by 8.15pm. The aircraft subsequently crashed into a swamp in Johor at around 8.35pm at a near-vertical angle.

There were no survivors.

Aftermath and theories

The transcript suggests that the hijacker became convinced the pilots were attempting to deceive him, leading him to fatally shoot both pilots and causing the plane to crash.

However, the recordings provide little insight into the hijacker’s identity or motive.

A 1977 Toledo Blade report quoted “sources at Kuala Lumpur airport”, who claimed that the pilot had radioed saying the plane was seized by the Japanese Red Army (JRA), a known terrorist group. 

However, this communication was not part of the cockpit recording, leaving many skeptical of the claim.

An article by Southeast Asia Globe argues that the hijack seemed too poorly executed to have been orchestrated by an organised terrorist group.

The target — an aircraft with insufficient fuel for long-distance travel — raised questions, and the hijacker’s actions suggested uncertainty about his intended destination. His only clear demand was not to land in Kuala Lumpur.

Additionally, the article noted that the Japanese Red Army (JRA) never claimed responsibility or issued any demands, actions typically associated with terrorist organisations.

Following similar reasoning, one Internet user theorised that the hijack might have been a last-minute act by someone desperate to avoid landing in Kuala Lumpur.

Another commenter speculated that it could have been a suicide. “The hijacker never wanted to land. He just wanted it to seem like he wanted to go somewhere,” this person wrote.

Ultimately, there isn’t enough evidence to support any specific conclusion. Without new information, the MH653 case remains an unanswered mystery that may never be solved.

The bodies of the deceased, damaged beyond recognition, were laid to rest in a mass grave in Johor Bahru.

A memorial now stands in their memory, serving as a somber reminder of a tragedy that continues to intrigue and perplex crime enthusiasts.

Also read: The mysterious case of Jackson Chua, the ‘responsible’ teen who vanished and never came home

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Featured image adapted from Singapore National Archives via Southeast Asia Globe.