History Main / DeathFlight

* When Indonesia occupied East Timor, suspected guerillas and independence supporters were thrown out of helicopters to their deaths by Indonesian forces. Multiple {{deadly euphemism}}s were coined to describe the practice, such as "taking a bath in the sea".

-->-- ''Series/DangerFive''

** ''Film/AViewToAKill'': When an investor tries to leave a meeting on Max Zorin's zeppelin, he realizes it's airborne -- and [[DarkActionGirl Mayday]] drops him to his death with a SurpriseSlideStaircase. Zorn then asks if [[ImpliedDeathThreat anyone else wants to drop out]].

* During the ten-year Bougainville conflict, the military of Papua New Guinea disposed of tortured rebels (living or dead) by throwing them out of aircraft into the sea.

A method of murder commonly associated with extrajudicial killings perpetrated by authoritarian regimes, a death flight involves someone being dropped from an airborne vehicle high in the air, often into remote wilderness areas or large bodies of water. The benefits of this method of killing are obvious: it combines murder and [[DisposingOfABody body disposal]] in one fell swoop. The bodies are often not discovered before the elements, wildlife and decomposition can make work of them, and even if they are, it's not always easy to determine who killed them -- or if they were even murdered in the first place. The identity of the victim and even the time of death can also be obfuscated given the right circumstances. Not only that, but the purpose of these flights is generally not immediately obvious to those not in the know (unless they happen to witness people falling out, of course). There are still risks and drawbacks, however, such as (usually) having to log a flight plan, the possibility of interception ''en route'', or even sufficiently resourceful prisoners managing to turn the tables on their captors and send ''[[HoistByHisOwnPetard them]]'' [[KarmicDeath plummeting to their deaths]].

** BigBad Xykon once killed Roy by levitating off of the flying [[{{dracolich}} undead dragon]] the two were fighting on and then blowing said dragon up with Meteor Swarm.

* ''LightNovel/InAnotherWorldWithMySmartphone'': Touya faces off against a Phrase monster with SuperToughness that makes it invulnerable to just about any sort of attacks anyone attempts to inflict via weapons or magic. Before going to fight it, Touya rides on his flying base directly above where the monster is located. Then later, he activates the Gate spell, which can be used to travel to any location he's been to before. The Gate opens up exactly where Touya was while flying earlier, and the monster plummets thousands of feet and shatters to its demise on impact.

* During Argentina's infamous UsefulNotes/NationalReorganizationProcess, a.k.a. the [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirty_War Dirty War]], many of those "disappeared" by the government were drugged into a stupor, loaded onto aircraft, and then dropped into either the Río de la Plata or the Atlantic Ocean.

* During Argentina's infamous [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirty_War Dirty War]], many of those "disappeared" by the government were drugged into a stupor, loaded onto aircraft, and then dropped into either the Río de la Plata or the Atlantic Ocean.

* In the Democratic Republic of the Congo under Mobutu (or as it was called when he was in power, Zaire), many people were killed by being dropped from helicopters into the country's many rivers and lakes.

* In the Democratic Republic of the Congo under Mobutu (which during his rule was called Zaire), many people were killed by being dropped from helicopters into the country's many rivers and lakes.

* In the Democratic Republic of the Congo under Mobutu, many people were killed by being dropped from helicopters into the country's many rivers and lakes.

** ''Film/AViewToAKill'': When an investor tries to leave a meeting on Max Zorin's zeppelin, he realizes it's airborne -- and [[DarkActionGirl Mayday]] drops him to his death with a SurpriseSlideStaircase.

* ''VideoGame/PrimalCarnage'': The ''Pterandon'''s secondary attack is to swoop down and [[KidnappingBirdOfPreygrab a human with its talons]]. Then, it flies up to a sufficient height and drops them to their death via fall damage (it can also sometimes kill by dropping them in an AcidPool, into a BottomlessPit, or into the path of another dinosaur). In order to escape, another human has to shoot the ''Pteranodon'' before it reaches a fatal height.

* In ''ComicBook/TheBoys'', when Homelander starts to lose it, he awards a lucky family a brand-new car they won in a raffle, and he lifts the car with them inside of it to make their reward more special. He then goes on a rant about their belief in God, and as they float several thousand feet in the air, he lets go and sees the car drop all the way to the ground.

One variant is the use of deception rather than force, tricking someone into boarding an aircraft and then throwing them off at the right opportunity. In more fantastic settings, characters able to fly under their own power may do this without a vehicle. Another popular variation is ''threatening'' to do this as a form of HighAltitudeInterrogation. Yet another involves jumping or {{teleportation}} rather than flight.

* In the ''Anime/TenchiMuyo'' one-off movie ''Daughter of Darkness'', Ryoko becomes both suspicious and jealous of the mysterious newcomer Mayuka, who claims to be Tenchi's daughter, and eventually conducts an aerial kidnapping in an attempt to get inforamtion. When Mayuka seems unable to answer her questions, Ryoko drops her, but she wakes up shortly after, unharmed, on Tenchi's roof. The scene [[OnceMoreWithClarity is revisited at the end]], revealing that Ryoko relented and caught Mayuka before she hit the ground.

* In ''ComicBook/TheBoys'', when Homelander starts to lose it, he awards a lucky family a brand new car they they won in a raffle, and he lifts the car with them inside of it to make their reward more special. He then goes on a rant about their belief in God, and as they float several thousand feet in the air, he lets go and sees the car drop all the way to the ground.

* ''Film/TheGoodShepherd'': Edward Wilson Jr.'s fiancee, Miriam, happens to be a Soviet spy who seduces him into unknowingly giving her information about the Bay of Pigs invasion. While Edward Jr. is in Congo for their wedding waiting for her, the CIA catches Miriam and throws her out of the plane.

** ''Film/AViewToAKill'': When an investor tries to leave a meeting on Max Zorin's zeppelin, he realizes it's airborne -- and Mayday drops him with a SurpriseSlideStaircase.

* ''Film/PacificRim'': Attempted by Otachk after Gypsy Danger [[TheGlovesComeOff freezes her tail off]], she even slams the mech against some buildings on her way up. However, Gypsy Danger slices her in two before she can drop them and the robot is able to use it's chest turbine to slow its decent and survive the fall.

* ''Series/ReturnOfUltraman'': A recurring tactic for Ultraman Jack to finish off his kaiju opponents is the Ultra Lifter, a move which might have inspired the Seismic Toss from ''Pokemon'', but in this case the outcomes are fatal. The move consist of Jack grabbing his enemies, flying into the air, and either dropping or throwing them from great height, which he uses to great effect against GiantFlyer Terochilus (Jack have to spin in circles while grabbing the monster's legs, to disorientate Terochilus long enough and prevent it from flying), Meteorite Monster Zagoras (which Jack lifts into the air and sends it crashing headfirst into it's own meteorite, resulting in a fiery explosion that destroys both) and ArcVillain Alien Nackle (who gets lifted hundreds of meters into the stratosphere and flung over Jack's shoulders -- Nackle lands ''on his head'').

* Averted in ''[[VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoIV Grand Theft Auto IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony]]'' where Luis throws a Perez Hilton expy out of a helicopter and then catches him in midair at the last minute, parachuting both of them to safety. All to punish the poor slob for [[DisproportionateRetribution slandering Gay Tony.]] The tabloid journalist survives. [[BringMeMyBrownPants His pants do not.]]

** BigBad Xykon once killed Roy by levitating off of the flying undead dragon the two were fighting on and then blowing said dragon up with Meteor Swarm.

** According to legend, the Greek playwright Aeschylus was killed by an eagle (or vulture) when it dropped a tortoise on him, mistaking his bald head for a rock.

* ''ComicBook/TheAuthority'': Engineer once got tackled in mid-flight by an ComicBook/IncredibleHulk expy who refused to let go of her, was invulnerable to her guns, and was slowing crushing the life out of her. To kill him, she flew up out of Earth's atmosphere until he died from a lack of oxygen.

* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTellius'': After Micaiah's attack on the Laguz Alliance, Tibarn, knowing how close she is to Sothe, takes him hostage by grabbing him and flying over a deep canyon, threatening to drop Sothe in order to force Micaiah to halt.

* ''Film/TheWhispererInDarkness'': In what is a very [[spoiler:DownerEnding]], [[spoiler:poor little Hannah is yanked out of the biplanes cockpit by one of the Mi-go and dropped screaming to her death]]. This pushes the main character [[DespairEventHorizon over the edge]] and he [[spoiler:crashes the plane in an attempted [[HeroicSacrifice Heroic Sacrifice]]]]

* In '''''{{ComicBook/Deadpool}}''''', Evil Deadpool has hijacked a private jet and disposes of the wealthy businessman whom the jet belonged to in this manner.

'''Evil Deadpool:''' I don't need ''you.''\\
''Next panel is of the businessman being thrown out of the plane...''

-->'''Juliet Forrest:''' Will two hundred dollars be enough in advance, Mr. Reardon?
-->'''Rigby Reardon:''' Two hundred, I'd shoot my grandmother.
-->'''Juliet Forrest:''' That won't be necessary.
-->'''Rigby Reardon:''' Never can tell. In my last case, I had to throw my own brother out of an airplane.

-->'''Margolo:''' Falcon! Don't hurt him!
-->'''Falcon:''' Oh ''I'' won't hurt him! ''The sidewalk will!''

-->'''Tarquin:''' I promise he only missed it for a few seconds.

-->''And if you're a commie the NAP cannot stop me\\