Wham Musician Goes Berserk, Sends Jetliner Into Nose Dive

A Portuguese backup musician with the touring British pop group Wham went berserk and forced his way into the cockpit of a Chinese domestic airliner, sending the plane into a nose dive until he was subdued, officials said today.

Some witnesses reported the man, identified only as Mr. Oliveira, stabbed himself in the stomach with a small knife before barging into the cockpit of the jetliner Monday on a flight from Peking to Canton.

A British Embassy spokesman said the popular British duo of Andrew Ridgeley and George Michael were not aboard the aircraft.

Diplomats said passengers reported that the plane plunged into a nose dive after the man forced his way into the cockpit shortly after takeoff from Peking. The crew brought the aircraft under control after the man was subdued by passengers and crew.

The plane returned to Peking and offloaded the man before continuing to Canton.

Portuguese Ambassador Antonio da Costa Lobo said Oliveira was under observation in a Peking hospital.

“I spent some time talking to him, just to see how he was,” Costa Lobo said in a telephone interview. “He seemed lucid and he is not in a serious condition.”

A Portuguese Embassy official said she understood that the man “had a mental problem,” but was unable to provide any further information.

Ridgeley, Michael and others of the Wham party flew to Canton on a later flight.

Wham and an entourage of more than 100 people arrived in China last week for two unprecedented rock concerts. More than 10,000 people attended a Sunday night performance in Peking’s Workers Gymnasium.