In 1971, three gunmen belonging to the Nicaraguan National Liberation Front hijacked a plane bound for Cuba with 46 passengers and crew on board. The hijackers landed in San Jose, Costa Rica for refueling and demanded an alternate plane to finish their flight to Havana.
Upon hearing of the hijacking, the 3-term president took matters into his own hands and immediately set off for the airport. While the passengers had been released, the gunmen still held the crew hostage.
Figueres Ferrer ordered his armed guardsman to attack while tear gas filled the plane's ventilation system, all the while pointing a submachine gun at the hijackers. While he never fired a shot, the hijackers surrendered and the hostages were released without injury.
Aircraft hijackings have been a serious threat since the first reported occurrence in 1931. As the number of incidents grew exponentially between the 1960s and 1980s, and again in the early 21st century, governments increased their efforts to prevent such threats, though no singular program has yet to prove successful.
