The Taking of Flight 847: The Uli Derickson Story

based on the actual hijacking of TWA Flight 847 as seen through the eyes of Uli Derickson, the chief flight attendant.[2] Derickson herself acted as a consultant for the film. The film was directed by Paul Wendkos

The film showcases the first 48 hours of the hijacking, until Derickson's liberation. After the aircraft leaves Athens, Derickson is forced at gunpoint to the flight deck door by "Castro", one of the terrorists. She is able to defuse the situation by communicating with him in German[4] and singing a folk song[5], convincing him to release hostages upon landing in Beirut and Algiers and pleading for the other hijacker to stop harming the passengers. Her efforts are shown to save the lives of all but one hostage, Robert Stethem, whose body was thrown on the tarmac in Beirut.