If you look up Andrew R. Calloway FedEx, you're likely digging into one of the most terrifying, visceral, and frankly "I can’t believe they survived that" moments in aviation history.
Wait—let's get one thing straight first. Most people search for "Andrew" or "Andy," but the man at the center of the 1994 hijacking attempt was actually Auburn R. Calloway. The confusion often stems from the fact that one of his victims, the flight engineer he tried to kill, was named Andy Peterson. It’s a small detail, but when you’re talking about a guy who tried to drop a DC-10 onto a major American city, getting the names right matters.
Calloway wasn't some random guy off the street. He was a Stanford graduate. A former Navy pilot. A martial arts expert. And, at the time, a FedEx flight engineer who was about to lose everything.
The Day Everything Went Wrong
April 7, 1994.
Memphis, Tennessee.
Auburn Calloway boarded FedEx Flight 705 as a "deadhead" passenger. In airline speak, that just means he was an employee hitching a ride to another location. He walked onto that massive tri-jet carrying a guitar case.
Security didn't check it. Why would they? He was one of their own.
Inside that case wasn’t a Fender or a Gibson. It was a collection of hammers, mallets, and a speargun. Calloway’s plan was as cold as it was calculated: he wanted to kill the crew, crash the plane, and make it look like a tragic accident. Why? So his family could collect a $2.5 million life insurance policy.
He was facing a disciplinary hearing the very next day for lying about his flight hours. He thought he was finished. He thought death was the only way to provide for his kids.
The Attack in the Clouds
The plane took off around 3:00 PM. About 26 minutes into the flight, while the aircraft was climbing through 19,000 feet, Calloway made his move.
He didn't use a gun. He knew a gunshot wound would be a dead giveaway to investigators later. He used the hammers. He walked into the cockpit and began smashing the skulls of Captain David Sanders, First Officer James Tucker, and Flight Engineer Andy Peterson.
Honestly, the sheer brutality is hard to stomach. Peterson's temporal artery was severed. Tucker’s skull was fractured so badly he lost motor control on one side of his body.
But they didn't die.
What followed was a mid-air brawl that sounds like a Hollywood script. Sanders and Peterson, dripping blood and drifting in and out of consciousness, fought Calloway in the narrow galley. Meanwhile, Jim Tucker—partially paralyzed and bleeding from the head—did something legendary.
He took the DC-10, a plane never meant for stunts, and threw it into a series of extreme maneuvers. He rolled the plane nearly upside down. He put it into a vertical dive that hit speeds the airframe wasn't even rated for. He was trying to use centrifugal force to pin Calloway to the floor or the walls so his crewmates could get the upper hand.
The Aftermath and the Legend of Flight 705
They made it back to Memphis.
The landing was a miracle. The plane was way too heavy with fuel and coming in way too fast. If they had missed the runway, they would have plowed into a residential area. Sanders landed that beast, and when the emergency crews opened the door, they described the cockpit as a "slaughterhouse."
Calloway didn't get his insurance payout. Instead, he got two consecutive life sentences. He's currently sitting in a federal prison in Kentucky.
The twist? Investigators later suggested that Calloway probably wouldn't have even been fired for the flight-hour discrepancy. He threw his life away—and nearly took three heroes with him—over a "maybe."
Why This Still Matters in 2026
You might wonder why we’re still talking about Auburn Calloway and FedEx decades later.
Safety. That’s why.
This incident changed how cargo airlines handle "jumpseat" privileges. It changed how we view the "insider threat" in aviation. It also serves as a case study in human resilience. The crew of Flight 705 never flew commercially again because of their injuries, but they saved hundreds of lives on the ground that day.
Actionable Takeaways from the Flight 705 Story
If you’re a student of aviation history or just someone fascinated by the psychology of "insider threats," here is how to process the legacy of this event:
- Study the CVR Transcripts: If you have the stomach for it, the Cockpit Voice Recorder transcripts are public. They show the incredible communication between Sanders and Tucker while they were literally fighting for their lives.
- Look into the "Sanders-Tucker-Peterson" Awards: FedEx created a bravery award named after the crew. It's a reminder that corporate culture often shifts only after a near-catastrophe.
- Understand the "Insider" Risk: Modern TSA and FAA regulations regarding employee screening were heavily influenced by Calloway’s ability to bypass security with a guitar case full of weapons.
- Support Mental Health in Aviation: The Calloway case is a stark reminder of what happens when professional pressure and mental instability collide in a high-stakes environment.
The story of Auburn Calloway isn't just about a crime; it's about the thin line between a routine Tuesday and a fight for survival at 30,000 feet.
To learn more about the technical side of the flight, you can research the McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 N306FE, which actually continued to fly for FedEx for years after the attack before finally being retired in 2023.