10 True Crime Stories That NEED A Netflix Documentary
2. The Skyjacking Epidemic
In a post-9/11 world, the skyjacking epidemic of the late 50s to early 70s feels truly bizarre. In a bygone era, the capturing of commercial aircraft, often for political purposes, was almost a part of life for flight crews. The most famous story is the mystery of D.B. Cooper, who held up a plane for ransom money before vanishing off the face of the earth.
His story was told recently in an excellent documentary, but a less well remembered story is that of Willie Roger Holder and Catherine Marie Kerkow, who hijacked a domestic flight in 1972 in order to demand, among other things, the release of Angela Davis.
Political skyjackers would frequently seek political asylum in countries with revolutionary leanings such as Cuba. Holder and Kerkow made it all the way to Algeria (still a record distance for hijackers), where they attempted - with mixed results - to assimilate with the resident Black Panthers.
The story is an incredible one, captured magnificently in Brendan Koerner’s “The Skies Belong to Us”, but the sheer wildness of the story would make for great TV content.