A decade ago, on February 2, 2016, a Somali suicide bomber triggered a blast inside Daallo Airlines Flight 159, heading from Mogadishu to Djibouti. In what was nothing short of a miracle, only the bomber was killed.
The suspected bomber, identified as Abdulahi Abdisalam Borleh, a Somali national, took the laptop computer containing the explosives onto the flight. According to the sources to CNN, the bomber knew exactly where to sit and how to position the device to cause the most damage.
The explosion on the Daallo Airlines flight occurred around 15 minutes after takeoff, while the plane was at approximately 11,000ft (3,350m) and the cabin was not yet fully pressurised, BBC reported.
The blast created a one-metre-sized hole in the side of the Airbus A321, and the bomber was killed, most likely after being propelled out of the plane in the explosion, reported Al Jazeera. The plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Mogadishu.
Somalia-based group Al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack, stating it was targeting Western officials and Turkish NATO forces.
In an emailed statement, the group said, "Harakat al-Shabaab al Mujahideen carried out the bombing as a retribution for the crimes committed by the coalition of Western crusaders and their intelligence agencies against the Muslims of Somalia."
The head of Daallo Airlines, Mohamed Ibrahim Yassin Olad, revealed that the bomber was originally meant to board a Turkish Airlines flight, which was cancelled. According to Olad, the 74 passengers on the flight were originally checked in with Turkish Airlines, which travels to Somalia three times per week.
“They were not our passengers. Turkish Airlines cancelled its flight from Mogadishu that morning because the incoming flight from Djibouti could not come to Mogadishu because of what they said was strong wind. They requested we carry the passengers on their behalf to Djibouti, where they would continue their journey on a Turkish Airlines flight," he added.
In May 2016, a Somalian military court sentenced two men to life in jail for planning the bomb attack. As per a BBC report, eight other people, including a woman, received prison sentences ranging from six months to four years.
That sounds like the plot of a high-stakes thriller, but if you’re thinking of a real-world event, you’re likely recalling the Daallo Airlines Flight 159 incident in 2016.
It is one of the most bizarre and narrow escapes in aviation history. Here is the breakdown of what happened:
The Incident: Daallo Airlines Flight 159
On February 2, 2016, an Airbus A321 was climbing out of Mogadishu, Somalia, when an explosion ripped a hole in the fuselage.
The Blast: A suicide bomber detonated a laptop bomb about 15 minutes into the flight.
The Outcome: Because the plane was still at a relatively low altitude (around 11,000 feet), the cabin wasn't fully pressurized. If it had been higher, the blast likely would have caused a catastrophic structural failure.
The Fate of the Bomber: The explosion created a hole next to his seat. He was the only person sucked out of the aircraft.
The Landing: Despite the gaping hole in the side of the plane, the pilots managed to turn around and land safely back in Mogadishu.
Why "Only He Died" is Rare
In most mid-air bombings (like Pan Am 103 or UTA Flight 772), the explosive force combined with rapid decompression at high altitudes causes the aircraft to break apart instantly.
In the Daallo case, two factors saved everyone else:
Low Altitude: The pressure differential wasn't high enough to "unzip" the plane.
Bomb Placement: The device was small and positioned in a way that the fuselage absorbed the brunt of the shock without hitting critical flight control systems.
Note: While the bomber was the only fatality, two other passengers were injured during the event. It remains a chilling reminder of how much "luck" (and engineering) can play a role in survival.
Are you researching this for a writing project, or were you looking for a different specific historical flight? I can help you dig into the NTSB reports or similar "miracle" aviation cases if you'd like.
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