{
  "id": 5905596,
  "title": "Pan Am Flight 73 survivor recalls escape through emergency exit",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/06/pan-am-flight-73-survivor-recalls-escape-through-emergency-exit",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-06T03:44:19.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Times of India",
    "slug": "times-of-india",
    "url": "https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/life-style/travel/this-woman-survived-the-pan-am-flight-73-hijacking-at-15-40-years-later-she-travels-the-world-despite-her-fear-of-flying-trauma-doesnt-just-disappear/articleshow/133824689.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Forty years ago, a 15-year-old girl named Neerja Sharma was traveling alone from India back to the United States when her Pan Am Flight 73 was hijacked in Karachi, Pakistan on September 5, 1986. She had no idea that this seemingly ordinary journey would become one of the most terrifying experiences of her life. The hijackers held passengers hostage for hours before the ordeal ended in gunfire, resulting in the deaths of 20 passengers and crew members, and over 100 people were wounded.\n\nAmong those on board was Sharma, who describes her harrowing escape from the aircraft in an emotional post on Instagram. According to Sharma and her son Rohan Sharma, as the situation turned increasingly violent, another passenger opened the emergency exit door, prompting Sharma's mother to join the crowd of passengers. However, instead of escaping through the door, Sharma's mother found herself standing frozen on the plane's wing as gunfire erupted inside.\n\nJust when it seemed that her ordeal was over, a flight attendant named \"Sunshine\" helped Sharma's mother escape from the aircraft's wing and down an emergency slide to safety. Sharma's mother survived the attack without any physical injuries, but the experience left an indelible mark on her mind. Four decades later, Sharma's mother still vividly remembers the images of the hijacking, emphasizing that unlike other painful memories that fade with time, the hijacking remains imprinted in her memory.\n\nWhile the incident did not mean the end of Sharma's life, it did require her to redefine what healing meant to her. Unlike the typical narrative of healing where one forgets the traumatic experience, Sharma acknowledges that trauma does not disappear. Instead, she chose to live alongside her memory, rather than allowing it to define her life. She faced a lifelong fear of flying, but still traveled extensively, including scuba diving in the Caribbean, skiing in the Swiss Alps, and swimming in the open waters of Portugal. Sharma's message is clear: healing does not happen before we live, it happens because we live.",
  "summary": "In a heart-wrenching reflection decades after the Pan Am Flight 73 hijacking in 1986, a survivor recounts the terror as she was ushered to the plane’s interior amid the turmoil. A heroic flight attendant named Sunshine enabled her escape down an emergency slide. Choosing to confront her fears, she pursued a life of travel, illustrating that healing is achieved by embracing life, not evading…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}