Philippines hijacker parachutes from plane in flight

Passengers, crew safe in Manila after airborne robbery

May 25, 2000
Web posted at: 7:08 p.m. HKT (1108 GMT)

MANILA, Philippines (CNN) -- A gunman wearing a blue ski mask hijacked a Philippine Airlines jet on Thursday, robbed passengers of their money and then parachuted from the plane as it approached Manila.

Officials said security forces had been dispatched to a wooded, hilly area about 20 kilometers (13 miles) outside the Philippine capital to search for a man described as "young, skinny and brown" by a woman who sat next to him on the plane.

The hijacking began after the Airbus 330, carrying 278 passengers and 12 crew members, left Davao City in the southern Philippines on a 90-minute flight to Manila.

Witnesses aboard the plane told CNN that the hijacker fired a shot in the cockpit area and threatened to kill the pilot. After the pilot announced that the passengers should prepare for a crash landing, the crew passed a bag around the cabin for money, telling the passengers that the hijacker was not interested in harming them.

But the hijacker said the bag did not contain enough money, and sent it around the cabin a second time. The second pass apparently satisfied the hijacker, and the pilot announced to the passengers that the man was leaving and warned them that the cabin would be depressurized.

While the plane circled at about 1,800 meters (6,000 feet), the man ran through the aisles and jumped from the left rear door of the plane.

Passenger Ida Marie Bernasconi, a reporter for Manila's TV Channel 13, said the hijacker carried ropes and appeared to have prepared for his midair exit. He used the ropes to get out of the plane, she said, but did not describe how.

Manila airport general manager Antonio Gana said the man, armed with a 32- caliber gun and a grenade, originally ordered the pilot to fly back to Davao City, but the pilot refused, saying the plane didn't have enough fuel for the return trip.

The plane landed at Manila two and a half hours after departing Davao City, and the passengers were allowed to disembark. The Philippines Aviation Security Group questioned the crew and checked the plane for explosives.

Officials said security at southern airports had been increased following the hijacking.

Southern Command Lt. Gen. Deomedio Villanueva said an investigation was under how to determine how the hijacker was able to board the plane "despite strict security in Davao airport."

A spokesman for President Joseph Estrada said the hijacking was not politically motivated. The military is battling Muslim guerrillas fighting for a separate Islamic state in the impoverished southern Philippines. One band of rebels holds 21 Western and Asian hostages there.

Correspondent Maria Ressa, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

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