1961 707 hijacked for cuba

[EQGuy]

I was listening to the radio in 1961 when I heard the news that Cody Bearden and his Father, Leon, had hijacked a jet liner with the intention of going to Cuba. Cody was a classmate of mine in grammar and high school and his father had just gotten out of prison and the family left California and moved to Arizona. His father talked Cody into helping him hijack a jet to Cuba. They bought tickets to Houston and boarded the jet in Phoenix. Then took over the plane using handguns. Leon told the pilot to make a 45 degree turn to the south as they were heading to Havana. The pilot told them that they did not enough fuel to make to Cuba so they landed in El Paso to refuel. As they we attempting to take off the authorities shot out the tires with automatic weapons.

I knew Cody but we were not buds. He was a little on the wild side. I believe his father got a life sentence but since Cody was a juvenile he was out in a couple of years. He showed up at my parents house a few years latter looking for my brother but I was away at College and did not see him.

Isn't Google wonderful. I remembered the incident well and decided to see if there was any information about it on Google. There is.

 

[MKT]

And the authorities who shot out the tires were Border Patrol Agents from El Paso. I believe it was BP agents who also stormed the plane with the lead agent taking dad down with a well placed punch.