On December 21 , 1978 Robin Oswald , the 17-year-old child of Barbara Ann Oswald , hijacked TWA Flight 541 and demanded that Trapnell be freed or she would detonate dynamite that was strapped to her body . Robin Oswald was remembered by the hostages aboard the flight as a " beautiful girl " with a serious demeanor , who never exhibited any signs of nervousness . FBI negotiators were able to free the passengers and induce her to surrender with no injuries or deaths . The bomb that was strapped to her chest later emerged to be a set of railroad flares wired to what appeared to be a doorbell . Robin Oswald was charged as a juvenile with charges not being announced as is the law in Illinois
TWA Flight 541
TWA Flight 541
Garrett Brock Trapnell