1.. 2.. 3.. Jump!

        While looking for some articles on skydiving on the Internet, I recall that sometime in the year 2000, someone tried to hijack a Philippine Airlines flight from Manila to Davao, wearing a ski mask and swim goggles.  He pulled out a gun and a grenade and announced that he was hijacking the plane. Apparently security is a bit lax at the Davao City airport.

        The hijacker demanded that the plane return to Davao City but the pilots convinced him that the aircraft was low on fuel and so they continued on toward Manila.  The hijacker, undaunted, robbed the passengers of about $25,000 and ordered the pilots to lower the plane to 6,500 feet.

        When a lunatic with a gun orders you to descend, you descend.  Meanwhile, the hijacker strapped a homemade parachute onto his back and forced the flight attendants to open the door at the rear and depressurize the plane.  Apparently he knew something about skydiving and parachuting.

        He probably intended to jump, but the wind was so strong that he had some second thoughts about jumping when he saw how high the plane was flying.  Finally one of the flight attendants helpfully pushed him out the door, just as he pulled the pin from the grenade.  He threw the pin (oops!) into the cabin, and fell toward the earth carrying the business end of the grenade in his hand.

        Ground witnesses reported that they saw the parachute go one way and the man go the other when the parachute opened.

        The impact of him hitting the earth at terminal velocity had little effect on the earth's orbit.  All that remained aboveground were the hijacker's two hands.  The grenade turned out to be a dud.

    Lessons learned:

1. Don't throw yourself out of a perfectly good airplane.


2. If you feel compelled to violate Lesson 1, at least don't roll your own... parachute, that is.