The Air Ceylon Avro 748 4R-ACJ bombing occurred on 7 September 1978 when an

Air Ceylon Air Ceylon was the former flag carrier airline of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka). The airline discontinued flights to Europe in early 1978 and finally ceased all local services on 31 August 1979, when it was replaced by Air Lanka and then rebranded to Sr ...

Hawker Siddeley HS 748 The Hawker Siddeley HS 748 is a medium-sized turboprop airliner originally designed and initially produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Avro. It was the last aircraft to be developed by Avro prior to its absorption by Hawker Siddeley. ...

(registered 4R-ACJ) was destroyed in a fire following the explosion of a bomb in the aircraft while parked at

Ratmalana Airport Colombo International Airport, Ratmalana ( si, කොළඹ ජාත්‍යන්තර ගුවන්තොටුපළ, රත්මලාන, translit=Koḷam̆ba Jātyantara Guvantoṭupaḷa, Ratmalāna; ta, கொழும்பு ...

, Colombo, Sri Lanka. At the time, the pilot, first officer, and a ground crew worker were aboard; all three escaped unhurt.Air Ceylon 1978 bomb incident at the Aviation Safety Network
/ref> On 7 September 1978, the Air Ceylon 4R-ACJ landed in Ratmalana Airport following an internal flight from

Jaffna Airport Jaffna International Airport ( ta, யாழ்ப்பாணம் சர்வதேச விமான நிலையம், translit=Yāḻppāṇam Carvatēca Vimāṉa Nilaiyam; si, යාපනය ජාත්‍යන්තර ගුව ...

. A replacement crew - Captain Ronnie Perera and First Officer Ranjit Pedris - boarded the aircraft to ferry it to

Bandaranaike International Airport Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) ( si, බණ්ඩාරනායක ජාත්‍යන්තර ගුවන්තොටුපළ, translit=Bandāranāyaka Jātyantara Guvantoṭupaḷa; ta, பண்டாரநாயக்க � ...

for the next scheduled flight to

Malé Malé (, ; dv, މާލެ) is the capital and most populous city of the Maldives. With a population of 252,768 and an area of , it is also one of the most densely populated cities in the world. The city is geographically located at the southern ...

. When they started the pre-flight checklist, Captain Perera found the cabin untidy and ordered it cleaned, delaying take-off. Pedris continued the pre-flight checks while Perera supervised cleaning. Shortly thereafter an explosion rocked the aircraft. Pedris was in the cockpit and exited the aircraft, while Perera and the cleaner exited the aircraft from the rear door. The control tower alerted emergency services which responded, but equipment limitations prevented them from stopping the fire from destroying the aircraft completely. Had the flight not been delayed for cleaning, the bomb would have detonated mid-flight; the delay likely saved many lives. An immediate cordon of the airport was carried out and all passengers on the flight from Jaffna were detained and questioned. Captain Errol Cramer, pilot of the flight from Jaffna to Colombo, had noticed two passengers loitering in the cabin before departing. In the subsequent investigation, two men who had traveled on that flight were arrested, tried and found guilty of placing a bomb under a seat before leaving the aircraft. They were identified as members of the movement that later became the

Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE; ta, தமிழீழ விடுதலைப் புலிகள், translit=Tamiḻīḻa viṭutalaip pulikaḷ, si, දෙමළ ඊළාම් විමුක්ති කොටි, t ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Air Lanka Flight UL512 Accidents and incidents involving the Hawker Siddeley HS 748 Airliner bombings Attacks on civilians attributed to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam Aviation accidents and incidents in 1978 Massacres in Sri Lanka Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam attacks against airliners Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam attacks in Eelam War I September 1978 events in Asia SriLankan Airlines accidents and incidents Terrorist incidents in Sri Lanka in 1978

See also

References