The Nation - News from March 8, 1987
An unarmed Spanish-speaking man who said he wanted to go to Cuba tried to hijack an Alaska Airlines jetliner but was overpowered by crew members, authorities said. Juan Tapanes, 30, was taken into custody by the FBI when the Boeing 727, with 109 people on board, arrived in Anchorage from Seattle, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Paul Steucke said. Tapanes gained access to the cockpit after pretending to have a pistol in his pocket. He will be arraigned on a charge of air piracy.
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