On 30 July 1982, a Viscount passenger plane carrying a Ugandan delegation took off from Shanghai Airport and was scheduled to fly to Beijing. This is a routine international exchange flight, with members of foreign delegations among the passengers, and it is extremely important for the international image. However, in the middle of the flight, a silent horror crisis rapidly expanded, and the airliner, which was supposed to fly smoothly, was hijacked by a strange man at gunpoint.
The hijackers, dressed in dark suits, burst into the cockpit, viciously locked the door, and poured gasoline all over the inside, then put a gun to the captain's head. He threatened: "Don't move, be honest with me, if anyone moves, I will shoot whoever kills." Do as I say, fly 150 degrees, and then land at the airport in Taiwan, otherwise I will ignite the gasoline and everyone will die. "The hijacker's request is incomprehensible, and what is even more incredible is that this man turned out to be a bodyguard from Zhongnanhai whose mission is to protect the safety of foreign guests.
Captain Lan Dingshou and co-pilot Zhang Jinghai are forced to face this sudden crisis, knowing full well that if not handled properly, it will lead to serious consequences. They calm down and think positively about how to deal with it. In order not to detect the anomaly by the hijackers, they remained calm and turned on the autopilot mode to lower the plane to a safe altitude and prevent the disaster caused by fuel ignition. However, the hijacker's target was Taiwan, which he claimed to have flown to a Taiwanese airport. The captain and co-pilot decided to stabilize the composer and gradually change the direction of the flight.
At the critical moment when the captain and co-pilot were facing the test of life and death, they showed extraordinary wisdom and courage. They used their superior flying skills and clever course deception to try to convince the hijackers that the plane was heading for Taiwan. Zhang Jingguan dropped the indicator switch of the rudder compass and adjusted the direction of the plane to deviate from the so-called direction of Taiwan, while the instruments in the cabin showed that the plane was facing the direction of Taiwan, which was their ingenious strategy. However, Zheng Yanwu, as a bodyguard, knew very little about flying, and he did not notice the anomaly of the plane.
In the tense confrontation, Zhang Jinghai found Zheng Yanwu holding a compass in his hand, and he was in a hurry, explaining: "Due to electromagnetic interference in the cockpit, the compass display is inaccurate, and our course is still pointing to Taiwan." Zheng Yanwu listened to this explanation, and although he was skeptical, he did not doubt the course of the plane for the time being. This temporary response strategy bought the captain and co-pilot valuable time and gave them an opportunity to plan a follow-up.
After hours of tense standoffs, Mr. Zheng began to wonder if the plane was actually flying toward Taiwan. He loudly questioned the captain and co-pilot why they hadn't seen the coastline yet, thinking they were playing tricks and didn't want to live. Lan Dingshou and Zhang Jinghai knew that the situation was about to deteriorate, and they had to act quickly, otherwise the consequences would be dire.
After the captain and co-pilot deliberated, they decided to end the crisis with a risky move. They pretended to plan a route, took the map out of the drawer, and adjusted the seats back to bring Zheng Yanwu closer to them. Then, while conspiring, they quietly made an impromptu decision to land near Taiwan, where Zheng Yanwu was satisfied.
In the process of pretending to check the map, Lan Dingshou shouted loudly: "Look, the sea has arrived, and we are almost in Taiwan." This shout made Zheng Yanwu mistakenly believe that they were finally about to reach Taiwan, so he relaxed his guard and looked forward. This was the long-awaited opportunity for the captain and co-pilot, and they moved quickly, one holding Zheng Yanwu's neck while the other grabbed the gun in his hand.
Although Zheng Yanwu is a well-trained bodyguard, the small space in the cabin restricts his movements. In the fierce struggle, Zheng Yanwu accidentally shot, resulting in injuries to the captain and co-pilot, but they did not give up, and finally with the help of the crew, Zheng Yanwu** was beheaded under the fire axe.
The hijacking was not publicly disclosed, and it was kept secret for a long time until 2019, when the two captains were interviewed by a television station. Although Lan Dingshou and Zhang Jinghai did not reveal their true identities, their courageous actions and intelligent decisions were widely praised, and they were hailed as heroes of China's aviation industry at the time. Their courageous actions saved the lives of 163 passengers and protected the image of international exchanges, and they themselves were honored as heroes of brave action for this incident.
However, the hijacking incident also brought great harm to Lan Dingshou and Zhang Jinghai. Zhang Jinghai was seriously injured during the struggle and later died of his injuries at the age of 35. And Lan Dingshou was also injured after the incident, leaving him with a lifelong disability.
For these two heroic captains, people have always remembered and commemorated them. Their deeds have been recorded in the history of national aviation and have become legends of China's aviation industry. Their courage and wisdom have set an example for us to forge ahead bravely and defy difficulties, which deserves to be remembered and remembered forever.