Two wild-eyed hijackers barrelled up the aisle of the Boeing 727 within 20 minutes after its takeoff from Athens. One carried a hand grenade with its pin pulled and the other a 9-millimeter pearl-handled automatic pistol. They burst through a locked door on the cockpit where John L. Testrake, the pilot, Mr. Zimmermann, the flight engineer, and Mr. Maresca, the first officer, were calmly going about their business.
''They wanted to establish that they were ruthless, fanatical, determined terrorists,'' said Mr. Testrake, the pilot of the comandeered aircraft where a reign of terror was about to begin.
Within moments, the pair of Shiite Moslem hijackers pistol-whipped Mr. Zimmermann and Mr. Maresca. They physically abused dozens of passengers, apparently for minor offenses such as failing to keep their heads bowed, and hand-picked others for particular savagery because they carried military credentials.
