Altitude 7000 Meters: Four Hours of Terror
Movie (1959)
Japanese title: 高度7000米 恐怖の四時間
Transliterated title: Kôdo nanasen metoru: kyôfu no yojikan
Starring:
Ken Takakura
Shunji Imai
Fumitake Omura
Hitomi Nakahara
Passengers on an airliner in flight are startled to discover that a killer, who is fleeing from the police after having murdered three people, has managed to come on board with a gun and is holding everyone hostage, threatening to kill anyone who doesn't obey him. The plane's crew must come up with a way to take him down before he starts murdering passengers.
Douglas DST-217B (C-49E)
Registration JA5015, c/n 2217. Built in 1940 for American Airlines with registration NC25686. Impressed into USAAF service in 1942, redesignated C-49E and given serial 42-56106. Returned to American as NC25686 in 1944. From 1945-1955, registration dropped to N25686 and passed through American Overseas Airlines, Pan American World Airways, and State Airlines before being exported to Japan as JA5015 and operated by North Japan Airlines (北日本航空) as seen in this film.
NJA was merged with several other airlines to form Japan Domestic Airlines in 1964 and this aircraft served with JDA until 1965. Then exported to the Philippines as PI-C716 flying for Southern Airlines of Philippines. Reregistered PI-C368 and later RP-C368, to Swiftair in 1976. On 31 March 1977, the airframe was involved in an incident where, during a military charter flight, the pilot took a rifle from a storage bin and fired into the cabin, killing 8 and injuring 14 before being subdued. The aircraft was then landed safely by the copilot.
Withdrawn from use in 2003 and left derelict at Manila Airport, eventually scrapped around 2015. A more detailed accounting of the airframe's Japanese service can be found here.
In the film, it is seen carrying the name Daisetsu (大雪) directly behind the cockpit. Contemporary photos also show it carrying the name Akan (阿寒) in the same place. When/why was it changed?
Tokyo International Airport (Haneda)
Two DC-4s of JAL-Japan Air Lines at the terminal.
A DC-3 at left and DC-4 at center.
DC-7C of JAL at right. Next closest is a DC-4.
Douglas DC-7C Seven Seas
Registration PH-DSO, c/n 45547/1036 built in 1958.
Douglas DC-6
Or a DC-7? Unidentified airline.
Douglas DC-4
Unidentified Cessna
In the background on the right.
Airplane with tricycle landing gear so a Cessna 172 Skyhawk (or very brand new Cessna 175 Skylark) or a Cessna 182 Skylane.
Tokyo International Airport Sign
Strange design showing a cartoonish four-engined airliner likely based on the DC-4/6/7 with North Japan Airlines markings and registration JA5053, which in reality belonged to a twin-engined Convair 440 that flew for All Nippon Airways, not NJA.
Lockheed L-1049G Super Constellation & Boeing 377 Stratocruiser
Aero Commander 500
On the left.
Beechcraft C35 Bonanza
Registration JA3088, c/n D-3325.
North American F-86 Sabre
North American T-6G Texan
Serial 52-0025, c/n 182-490. This airframe was involved in (but possibly not destroyed by?) a mid-air collision with fellow T-6 52-0016 on 26 June 1956.
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