Missions: Inside the Rescue of Aeropostal Flight 252

‍DALLAS — On July 29, 1984, an Aeropostal DC-9 hijacked shortly after departing Caracas, Venezuela, was diverted across the southern Caribbean, triggering a 36-hour multinational standoff that ended with an armed intervention on the runway in Curaçao, and all passengers were rescued alive.

Aeropostal Flight 252—known by its nickname “El Zuliano”—departed Simón Bolívar International Airport (CCS) bound for Curaçao, carrying 82 passengers and five crew members. 

About ten minutes after takeoff, two armed men seized control of the cabin and ordered the flight deck to divert, initiating a tense sequence of landings and negotiations across the Caribbean.

Diversions across the Caribbean

A senior commander of Venezuela’s former Directorate of Intelligence and Prevention Services (DISIP), who later led the rescue, recalls that the hijackers first diverted the aircraft to Piarco International Airport (POS) in Trinidad and Tobago and demanded US$5 million and weapons. After authorities refused to negotiate, the hijackers redirected the DC-9 to Aruba and then back to Curaçao.

By the time the aircraft settled at Curaçao, the hijackers had reduced their demands to US$3 million and arms. Intelligence identified the perpetrators as Hilestant Dominique, a former Haitian military officer known to Venezuelan authorities, and an accomplice, Segundo Félix. Investigators assessed both as capable of carrying out threats to destroy the aircraft.

A multinational response and a narrowing clock

The commander's account describes a rapidly assembled response involving Venezuelan officials, Curaçao authorities, and U.S. military personnel who were coincidentally present at the airport. However, while discussions weighed negotiation against intervention, the situation deteriorated. The hijackers threatened to ignite fuel inside the cabin if denied refueling—an act that would have been fatal to those onboard.

To prevent a takeoff, a technician from the regional ALM Antillean Airlines (the main airline of the Netherlands Antilles between its foundation in 1964 and its shut-down in 2001, operating out of Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao) snuck under the aircraft to disable it by deflating the front tire and removing a couple of fuses, actions intended to buy time and signal that authorities were prepared to act. 

With approval delayed and the threat escalating, the Venezuelan commander decided to proceed.

The Intervention

At 1:50 a.m. local time, a twelve-man Venezuelan commission carried out a coordinated operation with airport authorities, turning off the site's lights, approaching the plane from different directions, and firing at the wheels.

The rescue plan called for a simultaneous entry: one team boarding through a rear service door while another created a distraction from the flight deck area. During the breach, a flash-bang was deployed but failed to fully disorient the hijackers. 

According to passengers, once Hilertant noticed that an assault had begun, he started pouring gasoline inside the plane and fired shots toward the entry team as the commandos stormed in using stun grenades.

In the ensuing seconds, both hijackers were neutralized. One attempted to use a child as a human shield; the child was pulled clear, and the attacker was shot. The three doors of the plane were opened almost simultaneously, and passengers and crew were secured and evacuated without fatalities. Several passengers were taken to St. Elizabeth Hospital for treatment for exhaustion and minor injuries. 

The Aeropostal flight returned to Caracas and brought back all the hijacked passengers the next day, but they had to fly at low altitude to avoid pressure problems due to the multiple bullet holes in the aircraft.

Aftermath, lessons

Investigators later confirmed that gasoline had been spread inside the cabin, reinforcing assessments that the hijackers were prepared to destroy the aircraft. The operation ended the standoff with all hostages alive, though two attackers were killed.

The incident became a reference point for Venezuela’s counter-hijacking doctrine. The commander’s account emphasizes hard lessons later reinforced through international training: the primacy of speed when an aircraft is being prepared for arson, the dangers of partial incapacitation, and the necessity of decisive action when negotiations fail.

About Aeropostal

Aeropostal Alas de Venezuela is a state-owned Venezuelan airline, founded on July 3, 1929, making it one of the oldest in the region. The carrier is based at CCS, where it operates both domestic and limited international services.

• Origins: Originally part of the French company Aéropostale, it was purchased by the Venezuelan government on December 31, 1933.
• Key Developments: Throughout its long history, it has seen periods of nationalization, privatization (1994), and re-nationalization (2009).
• Final Flight (Before Reopening): In 2011, the company officially retired its last DC-9-30, marking the end of an era before later operating MD-80 series aircraft.

Editor’s note: This article is based on a detailed first-person narrative describing the 1984 hijacking and rescue. As with all Missions pieces, Airways corroborates dates, aircraft details, and outcomes with contemporaneous reporting, aviation records, and court documents where available.