anybody heard about this?

I was just reading Az's latest editorial about travelling and it reminded me of a newspaper article I read in Japan.

Apparantly sometime in the 1990s a Japanese man hijacked a jumbo jet with the sole intent to get the pilot to do a loop the loop! When the pilot explained it wasn't possible as the engine would stall, the hijacker then decided that flying it under the Rainbow Bridge in Tokyo would suffice.

Not sure if he actually got his wish, but I believe the hijacker was sentenced to death in 2004. Think he may have killed 1 of the pilots too. Still....hijacking a plane for that reason, you gotta appreciate the comedy value!
Imagine what the pilot mast have thought when he heard the demands!

Anybody else heard about this or got a link to the news story?

actually I've found a link, but it doesn't mention the loop the loop, which I clearly remember in The Japan Times.

http://www.insite-tokyo.com/column/itaru/index.html

[stsparky]

Kodansha publishes FRIDAY which broke ranks and printed Nishizawa's name on its advertisement but newspapers would black out the hijacker's name due to his history as a mental patient.

WikiPedia says:
Yuji Nishizawa (西沢裕司; Nishizawa Yūji, b. September 8, 1970, Tokyo) was convicted of the hijacking of All Nippon Airways Flight 61, en route from Tokyo International Airport (Haneda) to New Chitose Airport (Sapporo) in Japan, on July 23, 1999. After he graduated from Hitotsubashi University, he joined the Japan Freight Railway Company. After leaving JR Freight, he hijacked the ANA flight using a knife, forced the cocaptain out of the cockpit, and stabbed the captain, who later died of the wounds. Nishizawa took control of the aircraft, and attempted to fly to Yokota Air Base. The cocaptain reentered the cockpit and regained control of the aircraft, landing it at Haneda. Tokyo District Court demanded life imprisonment for him on April 7, 2005.

Nishizawa explained his reasons for the highjacking, saying that he wanted to do a Dutch roll and to fly under the Rainbow Bridge.

[Frankey-eh]

Originally Posted by stsparky

to fly under the Rainbow Bridge.

this is.... the one in Tokyo Bay, right.....? my god.

[six-eight-ten]

Unrelated to this incident, but my favorite airplane story:

Somewhere I've got a newspaper clipping about a guy who was caught trying to smuggle small monkeys through airport security/customs. They found several birds in his suitcase, and when asked if he had anything else he said "I have monkeys in my pants."

[darje]

Originally Posted by rika

this is.... the one in Tokyo Bay, right.....? my god.

I thought that as well as had an image of the Rainbow Bridge going "wobblywobbly~" at the sheer air pressure of a jumbo jet flying under it (if possible... I don't think it is ).