The Nation - News from May 11, 1989

A distraught man who allegedly had just killed his ex-wife commandeered a small plane and held the city of Boston hostage for three hours, firing a semiautomatic weapon while flying within 50 feet of motorists and buildings before his capture. Traffic controllers at Logan International Airport said the pilot buzzed them repeatedly, forcing officials to close the facility for an hour and reroute several late-night flights. Controllers fled the tower twice. Alfred J. Hunter, 42, pleaded innocent to one count each of murder and armed robbery after a flight that began late Tuesday and reportedly included a dip beneath a harbor bridge. Essex County District Judge John T. Doyle ordered Hunter held without bail at Bridgewater State Hospital for psychiatric observation.