​​Unlucky Airplane Hijacker

One of the most ridiculous attempts to hijack an airplane took place on May 25, 2000 in the Philippines. The Philippine Airlines Airbus A330-301 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight to Manila. The flight carried 278 passengers and 13 crew members.

Towards the end of the flight, when the crew was preparing to land, one of the passengers suddenly fired a gun into a bulkhead and demanded access to the cockpit. But pilots barricaded themselves and refused to let him in.

In addition to the gun, the man had a hand grenade with him. Under the threat of an explosion, he ordered pilots to turn around the plane and go to the airport of departure. However, the pilots reported that this is impossible, as the aircraft would run out of fuel.

After the hijacking failed, our hero switched to plan B. He decided to commit an unusual robbery. First, the offender announced that he needed money and invited passengers to put in his bag "voluntary donations" in the form of money and valuables. After the bag fulfilled, he demanded pilots to descend and depressurize the aircraft. He intended to open the door to the cabin. The man had a homemade parachute with him. According to eyewitnesses, the design of the parachute was so artisanal that the criminal refined it right in the cabin from scrap materials.

When the aircraft descended to an altitude of 1800 meters, unsuccessful hijacker put on a ski mask, swimming goggles, took a bag with valuables and opened the back door of the cabin. However, due to the fact that he could not overcome the oncoming wind flow, the flight attendant had to literally push him out. At the same time, he left a gun and one shoe on board.

The plane landed safely with the door open. On the ground, the crew members expressed doubts that the criminal could survive after the jump.

Indeed, his body was found 70 kilometers from Manila three days after the attempted hijacking. According to the police report, the man crashed because he could not open the parachute. Later, his brother said that the hijacker always wanted to go in for parachuting. The jump from the jet Airbus was his first and last attempt.

Perhaps the hero of this story was inspired by the crime of Dan Cooper, who successfully hijacked a jet plane in 1971, received a ransom and also jumped with a parachute. The truth is, the question of whether Cooper survived the jump remains open. But that's a completely different story.