All Nippon Airways Flight 61
Encyclopedia
On July 23, 1999, an All Nippon Airways
Boeing 747-481D
with 503 passengers, including 14 children and 14 crew members on board, took off from Tokyo International Airport
(Haneda Airport) in Ota
, Tokyo
, Japan
and was en route to New Chitose Airport
in Chitose
, Japan, near Sapporo when it was hijacked by Yuji Nishizawa (西沢裕司 Nishizawa Yūji).
At 12:09 P.M., crew members managed to subdue Nishizawa, and co-pilot Koga got back into the cockpit, telling the air traffic controllers, "It's an emergency. The captain was stabbed. Prepare an ambulance." The plane made an emergency landing at Haneda Airport at 12:14 P.M. and Nishizawa was immediately arrested. A doctor confirmed the death of Nagashima, of Yokohama
, shortly after the plane landed. Nishizawa was charged with murder
.
was, at the time, a 28-year old unemployed man from the ward of Edogawa
in Tokyo. During investigation, it was revealed that Nishizawa had taken a large dose of SSRI medication (SSRI (Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor
s) are antidepressant
s used in the treatment of depression) before the episode, and he said that he hijacked the plane because he wanted to fly it under the Rainbow Bridge
in Tokyo. On March 23, 2005, he was found guilty but of unsound mind, thus only partly responsible
for his actions. Presiding judge Hisaharu Yasui
handed Nishizawa a life sentence in 2005.
The family of Nagashima sued All Nippon Airways, the Japanese state and Nishizawa's family, over Nagashima's death, alleging that poor security at the airport and aboard the plane led to the incident. A settlement with undisclosed terms was reached on December 21, 2007.
All Nippon Airways
, also known as or ANA, is one of the largest airlines in Japan. It is headquartered at the Shiodome City Center in the Shiodome area in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It operates services to 49 destinations in Japan and 35 international routes and employed over 14,000 employees as of May 2009...
Boeing 747-481D
Boeing 747-400
The Boeing 747-400 is a major development and the best-selling model of the Boeing 747 family of jet airliners. While retaining the four-engine wide-body layout of its predecessors, the 747-400 embodies numerous technological and structural changes to produce a more efficient airframe...
with 503 passengers, including 14 children and 14 crew members on board, took off from Tokyo International Airport
Tokyo International Airport
, commonly known as , is one of the two primary airports that serve the Greater Tokyo Area in Japan. It is located in Ōta, Tokyo, south of Tokyo Station....
(Haneda Airport) in Ota
Ota, Tokyo
is one of the 23 Special wards of Tokyo, Japan.As of May 1, 2011, the ward has an estimated population of 676,458, with 348,492 households, and a population density of 11,376.69 persons per km²...
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and was en route to New Chitose Airport
New Chitose Airport
, is an airport located south southeast of Chitose and Tomakomai, Hokkaidō, Japan, serving the Sapporo metropolitan area. By land area, it is the largest airport in Hokkaidō....
in Chitose
Chitose, Hokkaido
-Economy:China Airlines operates its Sapporo office on the third floor of the airport building.The airline Hokkaido Air System was at one time headquartered at the New Chitose Airport in Chitose...
, Japan, near Sapporo when it was hijacked by Yuji Nishizawa (西沢裕司 Nishizawa Yūji).
Incident
About 25 minutes after takeoff, Nishizawa used a kitchen knife, 20 centimetres (7.9 in) long, to force a flight attendant to allow him access into the cockpit. He then forced 34-year old co-pilot out, remaining in the cockpit with captain , who managed to notify ATC about the hijacking. Nishizawa stabbed Nagashima in the chest and took control of the plane, at one point descending to an altitude of 300 meters.At 12:09 P.M., crew members managed to subdue Nishizawa, and co-pilot Koga got back into the cockpit, telling the air traffic controllers, "It's an emergency. The captain was stabbed. Prepare an ambulance." The plane made an emergency landing at Haneda Airport at 12:14 P.M. and Nishizawa was immediately arrested. A doctor confirmed the death of Nagashima, of Yokohama
Yokohama
is the capital city of Kanagawa Prefecture and the second largest city in Japan by population after Tokyo and most populous municipality of Japan. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of Tokyo, in the Kantō region of the main island of Honshu...
, shortly after the plane landed. Nishizawa was charged with murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
.
Aftermath
Nishizawa, born September 8, 1970 in TokyoTokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
was, at the time, a 28-year old unemployed man from the ward of Edogawa
Edogawa, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. It takes its name from the river that runs from north to south along the eastern edge of the ward. In English, it uses the name Edogawa City....
in Tokyo. During investigation, it was revealed that Nishizawa had taken a large dose of SSRI medication (SSRI (Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor
Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitors or serotonin-specific reuptake inhibitor are a class of compounds typically used as antidepressants in the treatment of depression, anxiety disorders, and some personality disorders. The efficacy of SSRIs is disputed...
s) are antidepressant
Antidepressant
An antidepressant is a psychiatric medication used to alleviate mood disorders, such as major depression and dysthymia and anxiety disorders such as social anxiety disorder. According to Gelder, Mayou &*Geddes people with a depressive illness will experience a therapeutic effect to their mood;...
s used in the treatment of depression) before the episode, and he said that he hijacked the plane because he wanted to fly it under the Rainbow Bridge
Rainbow Bridge (Tokyo)
The is a suspension bridge crossing northern Tokyo Bay between Shibaura Pier and the Odaiba waterfront development in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.Construction started in 1987 and was completed in 1993. The bridge is long with a main span of . Officially called the "Shuto Expressway No...
in Tokyo. On March 23, 2005, he was found guilty but of unsound mind, thus only partly responsible
Diminished responsibility
In criminal law, diminished responsibility is a potential defense by excuse by which defendants argue that although they broke the law, they should not be held fully criminally liable for doing so, as their mental functions were "diminished" or impaired. The defense's acceptance in American...
for his actions. Presiding judge Hisaharu Yasui
Hisaharu Yasui
served as a presiding judge in the Tokyo District Court.He sentenced Yuji Nishizawa, perpretrator of the All Nippon Airways Flight 61 incident and the killing of Flight 61's pilot, to life in 2005.-References:...
handed Nishizawa a life sentence in 2005.
The family of Nagashima sued All Nippon Airways, the Japanese state and Nishizawa's family, over Nagashima's death, alleging that poor security at the airport and aboard the plane led to the incident. A settlement with undisclosed terms was reached on December 21, 2007.
See also
- List of accidents and incidents on commercial airliners
- Tokyo International AirportTokyo International Airport, commonly known as , is one of the two primary airports that serve the Greater Tokyo Area in Japan. It is located in Ōta, Tokyo, south of Tokyo Station....
(Haneda Airport) - Aircraft hijackingAircraft hijackingAircraft hijacking is the unlawful seizure of an aircraft by an individual or a group. In most cases, the pilot is forced to fly according to the orders of the hijackers. Occasionally, however, the hijackers have flown the aircraft themselves, such as the September 11 attacks of 2001...