On September 6, 1979 a Swissair DC-8 en route from Zurich to New York was hijacked by terrorists from the Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The jet was forced to land at Dawson Field near Zerga in northwestern Jordan. The hijackers demanded the release of three terrorists being held in a Swiss prison. A settlement was reached and the terrorists were exchanged for the hostages. During this time, however, a civil war erupted in Jordan. The Swissair jet was allowed to leave, but in the fighting a TWA 707, aBOACVC-10, and a Pan Am 747 were exploded at Zerga and completely destroyed.