Ethiopian Airlines Flight 708

Minutes after departing from Haile Selassie I International Airport bound for Paris, when the aircraft was flying at some 29,000 feet (8,800 m),^[2] seven members^{[nb 1]} of the Eritrean Liberation Front stood up and tried to gain control of the plane.^[1] Onboard security guards opened fire on the hijackers, killing six. During the firefight a hand grenade that was armed by one of the hijackers was rolled down the aisle by a passenger.^[4] The grenade exploded in the rear part of the fuselage, some 6 inches (150 mm) off the plane's centreline, blowing a hole in the cabin floor and damaging or severing several controls of the aircraft, including those of throttle of two engines, of the rudder, and of the horizontal stabiliser.^[2][4] Despite this, the crew turned back the airplane to the airport of origin and managed to land it safely;^[2] it sustained minor damages that were later repaired. The seventh hijacker died in hospital of their injuries.^[1]

One of the passengers on the flight was English retired oil executive and art collector Rodney Searight. He was injured during the attack by the hijackers.^[3][5][6]

• Ethiopian Airlines accidents and incidents
• List of aircraft hijackings