What I Survived

Episode: Pan Am Flight 73: The 1986 Karachi Hijacking Part 1

Host: Jack Laurence
Date: February 24, 2026
Guest: Michael Thexton

Overview

This episode of What I Survived sets the stage for the harrowing hijacking of Pan Am Flight 73 in 1986, focusing on one survivor—Michael Thexton. Host Jack Laurence leads listeners back through Michael's life, his relationship with his adventurous brother Peter, and the chain of tragedy and happenstance that would ultimately lead Michael to be aboard a hijacked aircraft in Karachi. The episode immerses us in Michael's personal background, the lure and dangers of mountaineering, the devastating loss of his brother, and the circumstances that brought Michael to Pakistan right before the hijacking, pausing just as the fateful flight home begins.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Universal Anxiety of Flying

[01:20]

• Jack reflects on the pervasive but often unspoken anxieties of air travel—not just crashes, but the unimaginable scenario of hijacking.
• “No safety card explains what to do if someone were to take control of the plane.” —Jack Laurence

Introducing Michael Thexton

[02:00]

• Michael, a calm, soft-spoken British accountant, is introduced.
• Michael describes his instincts during the hijacking:
  “I was telling myself, stay calm, make yourself inconspicuous.” —Michael Thexton ([03:02])

The Ominous Setting: Pan Am Flight 73 Hijacking

[03:49]

• The 1986 hijacking at Karachi is described: four armed militants storming the plane, demanding to be flown to Cyprus and Israel.
• Of 359 passengers, more than 20 were killed. Michael narrowly missed becoming one more.
• “So how does an accountant from South West London end up in Pakistan on a plane with a gun to his head?” —Jack Laurence ([04:53])

Michael’s Early Life and His Hero Brother, Peter

[05:48] Chapter 1: People want to be what their heroes are

• Michael grew up in southwest London, in the Methodist Ministers Training College.
  • “It was a great place to grow up.” —Michael Thexton ([05:48])
• His older brother Peter, six years his senior, was sent to boarding school due to behavior.
• Michael reveals a deep admiration for Peter:
  • “I worshiped him.” —Michael Thexton ([07:14])
• Peter finds passion in climbing, becomes a doctor so he can balance work with climbing expeditions.

The Tragedy on Broad Peak

[11:18] Chapter 2: The easy one

• Peter attempts to summit Broad Peak (regarded as 'the easy' 8000-meter peak) for acclimatization before K2.
• Dramatic recounting by Michael of Peter and Greg Child, his climbing partner, both suffering from altitude sickness:
  • Greg recovers as they descend; Peter deteriorates, succumbs to pulmonary edema overnight, and is buried on the mountain.
• Michael receives the devastating news two weeks later, after finishing his accountancy exams.
  • “It was. It was an utterly miserable time. I mean, we all came together, we looked after each other… But it was miserable.” —Michael Thexton ([18:09])

Coping with Grief and Rethinking Life Direction

[22:51] Chapter 4: Would you like to be the base camp manager?

• Michael, after Peter’s death, loses interest in his accountancy career path.
  • “I just realized that what happened next as an accountancy firm just did not appeal to me at all. And I thought I would do something more interesting with my life.” —Michael Thexton ([23:16])
• He attempts to write fiction, transitions to teaching accountancy for flexibility and travel.

Returning to Pakistan: A Pilgrimage

[25:12]

• The St. Mary’s climbing club proposes a Thexton Memorial Expedition in Peter’s honor.
• Michael is invited to serve as base camp manager for a group returning to Lobsang Spire, near where Peter died.
  • “Obviously I had to go, you know, there’s no way I was not going to take that opportunity.” —Michael Thexton ([25:37])
• Michael poignantly recalls his parents’ silent worry as they watch another son fly to Pakistan:
  • “…they never tried to talk me out of it, that I still think of as being the most extra[ordinary].” ([26:48])

The Emotion and Hardship of High Altitude

[28:01]

• Michael describes the trek as a “pilgrimage” but a brutal ordeal physically and emotionally.
  • “It was a total shock…walking by this river, the Braldu river…the grinding of teeth.” ([28:01])
• He’s haunted by history: on the same river years earlier, Peter tried and failed to save a friend from drowning.

More Tragedy at the Mountain

[30:07]

• News arrives in camp: Al Rouse, Peter’s friend and the patron of their group, dies on K2.
• Michael hikes to try to find filmmaker Jim Curran at K2 base camp after the tragedy.

A Final Goodbye

[31:00]

• Michael and the group walk up to Broad Peak Base Camp to Peter’s resting place; Michael says goodbye.
• A surprising connection: he meets Australian soldiers training for Everest. Their doctor recognizes the family name:
  • “I’m really conscious of what happened to Dr. Peter Thakston on Broad Peak three years ago.” —Australian doctor ([31:56])
• Michael calls it “the hardest thing I have ever done.” ([32:11])

The Fateful Flight Approaches

[32:47]

• Ready to leave, Michael manages to secure the last ticket home.
• The last lines of this episode foreshadow the terror to come:
  • “And I said to him, ‘Please don’t hurt me. My brother died in the mountains. My parents have no one else. Please don’t hurt me.’” —Michael Thexton ([33:09])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “No safety card explains what to do if someone were to take control of the plane.” —Jack Laurence ([02:08])
• “I was telling myself, stay calm, make yourself inconspicuous.” —Michael Thexton ([03:02])
• “You get over 8,000 meters, you are dying. But Broad Peak is sort of considered just a walk.” —Michael Thexton, describing the deadly illusion of 'easy' Himalayan climbs ([13:59])
• “He died of pulmonary edema…the only way to treat acute mountain sickness is to go down.” —Michael Thexton ([17:43])
• “It was a very emotional thing because…like a pilgrimage in every sense, in that you’re going to a place that’s very meaningful and it’s really hard to get there…” —Michael Thexton ([28:01])
• “He said, ‘I’m really conscious of what happened to Dr. Peter Thakston on Broad Peak three years ago.’ And I said, ‘He’s my brother.’” —Michael Thexton ([31:56])
• “I said, please don’t hurt me. My brother died in the mountains. My parents have no one else. Please don’t hurt me.” —Michael Thexton, previewing the terror of the hijacking ([33:09])

Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:20] – Reflections on air travel, the hidden fear of hijackings
• [03:49] – Overview of Pan Am 73 hijacking and Michael’s narrow escape
• [05:48] – Michael’s childhood and relationships with siblings
• [07:51] – Peter discovers climbing; Michael details his admiration
• [11:18] – The 1983 K2 expedition and Peter’s death on Broad Peak
• [18:09] – Thexton family grief and aftermath
• [23:16] – Michael’s career crisis and search for more meaning
• [25:12] – The Thexton Memorial Expedition and pilgrimage to Pakistan
• [28:01] – Michael’s emotional trek and dangers of the Baltoro region
• [30:07] – News of further tragedy; loss of Al Rouse
• [31:13] – Michael’s farewell at Peter’s resting place; meeting the Australian expedition
• [32:47] – Preparing to return home, setting up the hijacking story

Tone & Storytelling

Jack Laurence brings a quiet urgency, mixing research-driven narrative with Michael’s deeply personal, understated recollections. The tone is reflective and intimate, with moments of raw emotion as Michael describes family loss, survivor’s guilt, and the randomness that placed him on the hijacked plane.

Conclusion

This episode lays the emotional groundwork for the next chapter: the minute-by-minute account of the Pan Am Flight 73 hijacking. It’s a story shaped by tragedy, family bonds, and the twists of fate that took Michael Thexton from a “safe” life in London to the edge of death in Karachi. Part 2 promises the gripping details of survival under siege.