A Thai plane takes a low-flying detour over the center of the capital.

A chartered jumbo jet flew dangerously low over downtown Tokyo last month, missing Tokyo Tower by only 200 meters, sources said.

The Orient Thai Airlines plane from Bangkok was heading to Haneda airport after flying in over Tokyo Bay in the pre-dawn hours of Sept. 19.

But the Boeing 747 veered off course and made an unauthorized pass over the Kinshicho district in Sumida Ward, Tokyo Station in Chiyoda Ward-and the 333-meter Tokyo Tower in Minato Ward.

The five-minute detour was at an altitude of 400 to 600 meters, the sources said.

The empty charter jet was to pick up passengers later in the day at Haneda airport and fly to Phuket in Thailand, the sources said.

The plane approached with clear visibility over Tokyo Bay at an altitude of 1,200 meters. At 12:14 a.m., the pilot received clearance for a visual landing from the Haneda air traffic controller.

At 12:15, the pilot got final clearance to land, but the jet did not turn toward Haneda.

Instead, the pilot flew north, reaching air space above the mouth of Arakawa River at 12:17 a.m. The plane then turned left, flying over tall buildings in the downtown Nihonbashi and Shinagawa districts before landing at Haneda airport at 12:24 a.m.

The captain made no radio contact with the control tower during the time the flight was off course, the sources said.

Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport officials said nothing illegal had taken place. But the ministry is investigating because, says a ministry official, ``It is very unusual for a jet plane to fly over downtown Tokyo at a low altitude.

``We will hear details from those concerned to avoid a recurrence,'' the official added.

Orient Thai Airlines officials told the ministry that the crew members did not have a clear understanding of what was forbidden when flying over Japan. The airline suspended the pilot following the incident.(IHT/Asahi: October 19,2004) (10/19)