John Leigh Testrake - Grave of a Famous Person on Waymarking.com

John Testrake was a native of Ripley, New York and joined the United States Navy after graduating from high school. He served as a flight engineer during the Korean War. After leaving military service he became a commercial pilot for Trans World Airlines (TWA). He spent 30-years as a TWA pilot and it was during the later stages of his career that he began flying international routes. On June 14, 1985, Captain John Testrake was the pilot of TWA Flight 847, which was flying between Athens and Rome. During the flight the plane carrying 153 passengers and crew was hijacked by terrorists. The plane was commandeered shortly after takeoff by two German speaking Lebanese men armed with pistols and grenades. The plane was diverted to Beirut International Airport where 19-passengers were released in exchange for fuel. After spending several hours in Beirut the aircraft took off and eventually landed in Algiers where 20-more passengers were release. Several hours later the plane took off and returned to Beirut. It was here that the terrorist killed U. S. Navy Diver Robert Stethem. Additional terrorist boarded the plane before it departed Beirut and returned to Algiers. The plane eventually returned to Beruit for a third time where it remained for the duration of the ordeal which eventually ended on June 30, 1985 when Israel release a number of terrorist prisoners. Throughout the more than two week ordeal, Captain Testrake remained calm and steady in the pilot seat as the plane crisscrossed the Middle-East. The most famous photo of the entire ordeal shows Captain Testrake leaning out of the planes window talking to the media while a terrorist held a pistol to his head. Following his retirement in 1987 became a lay minister often flying around the country for faith based speaking engagements. Captain John Testrake died on February 6, 1996 in St. Joseph, Missouri following a lengthy battle with cancer. He is resting in the Richmond Memory Gardens, in Richmond, Missouri.

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Description: Captain John Testrake was the Pilot of TWA Flight 847 that was Hijacked on June 14, 1985 on a flight from Athens, Greece to Rome, Italy. The flight carried a total of 153 passengers and crew and crisscrossed the middle east over a total of 17-days, during which time one passenger was killed by the terrorist, and the rest either held hostages on the aircraft or at various locations in Beirut. Throughout the entire ordeal, Captain Testrake was praised for his calm and steady demeanor displayed throughout the trying event. The most famous photo of the entire ordeal shows Captain Testrake leaning out of the planes window talking to the media while a terrorist held a pistol to his head. After being release by the terrorists, Captain Testrake continue to fly for TWA until he retire in 1987. He retired to the small town of Richmond, Missouri where he became a lay minister. Captain John Testrake died on February 6, 1996 and is buried in the Richmond Memory Gardens in Richmond, Missouri. Date of birth: 12/02/1927 Date of death: 02/06/1996 Area of notoriety: Other Marker Type: Horizontal Marker Setting: Outdoor Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Daily 8 a.m. - 6 p.m. Fee required?: No Web site: [Web Link]

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