The World - News from Jan. 25, 1989

A stewardess and three skiers aboard a Soviet airliner foiled a hijack attempt by a man who threatened to set the plane on fire unless he was flown abroad, the newspaper Vozdushny Transport reported. The would-be hijacker approached the stewardess holding a cigarette lighter in one hand and in the other a fuse wired to a suitcase that police later discovered contained gasoline, the newspaper of the Civil Aviation Ministry said. The stewardess gave the man a push, then summoned help from the passenger cabin. Three skiers overcame the man and tied him up while the pilot aborted the takeoff, the newspaper said.