2001 Peru shootdown

Last updated
2001 Peru shootdown
Cessna-A185F-N5159R.jpg
A Cessna A185F, similar to the aircraft shot down
Shootdown
Date20 April 2001
SummaryShot down by Cessna A-37 Dragonfly of the Peruvian Air Force
Site Pebas District, near the Peru-Brazil border, Peru
Aircraft
Aircraft type Cessna A185F
Operator General aviation
Registration OB-1408
Flight originIslandia, Peru
Destination Iquitos, Peru
Occupants5
Passengers4
Crew1
Fatalities2
Injuries1
Survivors3

On 20 April 2001, the Peruvian Air Force (FAP) shot down a civilian floatplane, killing American Christian missionary Veronica "Roni" Bowers and her infant daughter Charity. [1]

Contents

While flying into the Loreto Region of Peru, Bowers, her daughter Charity, husband Jim, and six-year-old son Cory were being followed by a United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) observation plane. The Peruvian Air Force was operating as part of the Air Bridge Denial Program. The CIA did not attempt to identify the tail number of the church-owned plane per procedure.

Roni Bowers and her daughter, Charity Roni browers.JPG
Roni Bowers and her daughter, Charity

Events leading to death

In a video released by the CIA, the CIA observers were recorded discussing whether the Cessna A185E (with Peruvian registration OB-1408), which had departed the town of Islandia; near the Brazilian border, [2] is a "bandido" (drug plane) or an "amigo" (friendly). A CIA officer told Peruvian Air Force official that it may have been possible to have the plane land in Iquitos for inspection. The FAP pilot warned the Cessna for not having an authorized flight plan, but the pilot did not hear it because he was on a different frequency. As the Dragonfly prepared to open fire, a CIA officer said that the plane "doesn't fit the profile", and another CIA official said, "Ok, I understand this is not our call, but this guy is at 4,500 feet and he is not taking any evasive action. I recommend we follow him. I do not recommend phase 3 [shooting the plane down] at this time."

A Peruvian official asked if "phase 3" was authorized, and the CIA official replied asking if he was "sure it's a bandido". The Peruvian official replied in the affirmative, and the CIA officer responded, "If you're sure." The CIA pilot said, "This is bullshit" and "I think we're making a mistake." The second CIA officer said, "I agree with you." The Dragonfly approached, at which point the pilot of the Bowers's plane made contact with the Iquitos control tower, noting that the FAP has showed up, and that he was not sure what they wanted.

In the confusion, the CIA piloted noted that the pilot of the Bowers's plane was in contact with the tower, but at 15:55 the Dragonfly opened fire with a minigun. [2] The pilot can be heard yelling, "They're killing me! They're killing us!" The CIA officer said, "Tell them to terminate!" and another officer was heard saying "No! Don't shoot! No más! [No more!]" The plane is was on fire, and the CIA observed it crash into the Amazon River, in the Pebas District, and turn upside down.

A CIA officer remarked on the recording that if the FAP had a helicopter in the area, that they should get it there to rescue the passengers. The CIA pilot observed a boat in the river attempting to rescue the plane's occupants, and one officer said, "Get good video of this." [3]

In the years since the shootdown, many have said that the CIA "ordered" the Peruvian Air Force to shoot down the plane, [4] when this is not the case. [3]

Bowers and her seven-month-old daughter were killed in the shooting. The pilot, Kevin Donaldson, was shot in the leg but managed to land the plane. Roni's husband and her son were not injured. [5] [6]

Aftermath

After the event, the US government temporarily suspended the practice of advising foreign governments on shooting down planes over Peru and Colombia. It also paid compensation of $8 million to the Bowers family and the pilot. [7] The program was discontinued in 2001.

According to a statement released by the CIA, its personnel had no authority either to direct or prohibit actions by the Peruvian government, and CIA officers did not shoot down any airplane. In the Bowers case, CIA personnel protested the identification of the missionary plane as a suspect drug trafficker. [8]

A report by the Central Intelligence Agency Office of Inspector General found that the agency had obstructed inquiries into its involvement in the shooting. [9] Pete Hoekstra (the highest ranking Republican on the United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence), who published these findings in November 2008, criticized the CIA for the "needless" deaths. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peruvian Armed Forces</span> Combined military services of Peru

The Peruvian Armed Forces are the military services of Peru, comprising independent Army, Navy and Air Force components. Their primary mission is to safeguard the country's independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity against any threat. As a secondary mission they participate in economic and social development as well as in civil defence tasks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Korean Air Lines Flight 007</span> Plane shot down by the Soviet Union in 1983

Korean Air Lines Flight 007 (KE007/KAL007) was a scheduled Korean Air Lines flight from New York City to Seoul via Anchorage, Alaska. On September 1, 1983, the flight was shot down by a Soviet Sukhoi Su-15 interceptor aircraft. The Boeing 747 airliner was en route from Anchorage to Seoul, but owing to a navigational mistake made by the crew, the airliner drifted from its planned route and flew through Soviet prohibited airspace over underground silos with intercontinental ballistic missiles. The Soviet Air Forces treated the unidentified aircraft as an intruding U.S. spy plane, and destroyed it with air-to-air missiles, after firing warning shots. The South Korean airliner eventually crashed into the sea near Moneron Island west of Sakhalin in the Sea of Japan, killing all 246 passengers and 23 crew aboard, including Larry McDonald, a United States representative. It is the worst Korean Airlines disaster. The Soviet Union found the wreckage under the sea two weeks later on September 15 and found the flight recorders in October, but this information was kept secret by the Soviet authorities until 1992, after the country's dissolution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cessna 152</span> Two-seat tricycle gear general aviation airplane

The Cessna 152 is an American two-seat, fixed-tricycle-gear, general aviation airplane, used primarily for flight training and personal use. It was based on the earlier Cessna 150 incorporating a number of minor design changes and a slightly more powerful engine with a longer time between overhaul.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cenepa War</span> Brief territorial conflict between Ecuador and Peru in early 1995

The Cenepa War or Third Ecuadorian-Peruvian War, also known as the Alto Cenepa War, was a brief and localized military conflict between Ecuador and Peru, fought over control of an area in Peruvian territory near the border between the two countries. The two nations had signed a border treaty following the Ecuadorian–Peruvian War of 1941, but Ecuador later disagreed with the treaty as it applied to the Cenepa and Paquisha areas, and in 1960 it declared the treaty null and void. Most of the fighting took place around the headwaters of the Cenepa River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cessna A-37 Dragonfly</span> American light attack aircraft developed from the T-37 Tweet basic trainer

The Cessna A-37 Dragonfly, or Super Tweet, is a light attack aircraft designed and produced by the American aircraft manufacturer Cessna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cessna T-41 Mescalero</span> US built military training aircraft series developed from Cessna 172

The Cessna T-41 Mescalero is a military version of the popular Cessna 172, operated by the United States Air Force (USAF) and Army, as well as the armed forces of various other countries as a pilot-training aircraft. The T-41A, used by the USAF for introductory training of pilot candidates with little or no flying experience, was a commercial off-the-shelf 172 with few modifications. Upgraded versions of the T-41 with more powerful engines and more specialized equipment were based on the Cessna 175, including the T-41B for the Army, T-41C for the USAF Academy, and the T-41D for the U.S. Military Aid Program. The single-engine piston T-41 entered service in the 1960s and was mostly withdrawn by the USAF by 1995, but some remain in limited military service today, and some military surplus examples are flown by civil owners.

This is a list of aviation-related events from 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peruvian Air Force</span> Air warfare branch of Perus military

The Peruvian Air Force is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with defending the nation and its interests through the use of air power. Additional missions include assistance in safeguarding internal security, conducting disaster relief operations and participating in international peacekeeping operations.

Brothers to the Rescue is a Miami-based activist nonprofit organization headed by CIA agent José Basulto. Formed by Cuban exiles, the group is widely known for its opposition to the Cuban government and its former leader Fidel Castro. The group describes itself as a humanitarian organization aiming to assist and rescue raft refugees emigrating from Cuba and to "support the efforts of the Cuban people to free themselves from dictatorship through the use of active non-violence". Brothers to the Rescue, Inc., was founded in May 1991 "after several pilots were touched by the death of" fifteen-year-old Gregorio Perez Ricardo, who "fleeing Castro's Cuba on a raft, perished of severe dehydration in the hands of U.S. Coast Guard officers who were attempting to save his life."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mission Aviation Fellowship</span>

Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) is an Evangelical Christian organization that provides aviation, communications, and learning technology services to more than 1,000 Christian and humanitarian agencies, as well as thousands of isolated missionaries and indigenous villagers in the world's most remote areas. There are three major operational centers – Nampa, Idaho; Ashford, England; and Cairns, Australia. These centres provide operational support to programs in the Americas, Africa and Asia Pacific regions. In 2010, MAF served in more than 55 countries, flying 201,710 passengers with a fleet of some 130 aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Colombian Air Force</span> Air warfare branch of Colombias military

The Colombian Air Force is the air force of the Republic of Colombia. The Colombian Air Force is one of the three institutions of the Military Forces of Colombia charged, according to the 1991 Constitution, with working to exercise and maintain control of Colombia's air and to defend its sovereignty, territorial integrity and constitutional order. It is one of the largest air forces in the Americas and has increased its activity due to important roles in the fight against narco-terrorism. Its main force includes 21 IAI Kfirs as defense fighters and 12 Cessna A-37 Dragonfly plus 24 Embraer 314 Super Tucano for counterinsurgency.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1994 Black Hawk shootdown incident</span> US friendly fire incident over Iraq

The 1994 Black Hawk shootdown incident, sometimes referred to as the Black Hawk Incident, was a friendly fire incident over northern Iraq that occurred on 14 April 1994 during Operation Provide Comfort (OPC). The pilots of two United States Air Force (USAF) F-15 fighter aircraft, operating under the control of a USAF airborne warning and control system (AWACS) aircraft, misidentified two United States Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters as Iraqi Mil Mi-24 "Hind" helicopters. The F-15 pilots fired on and destroyed both helicopters, killing all 26 military and civilians aboard, including personnel from the United States, United Kingdom, France, Turkey, and the Kurdish community.

The following activities were or are supposed to have been carried out by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Peru.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illegal drug trade in Peru</span>

The illegal drug trade in Peru includes the growing of coca and the shipment of cocaine to the United States. In an example of the balloon effect, dramatic falls in coca cultivation in the late 1990s saw cultivation move to Colombia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Air Bridge Denial Program</span>

The Air Bridge Denial (ABD) Program is an anti-narcotics program operated by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency in Colombia and Peru. Starting in the 1990s, it targets traffickers transporting illicit drugs through the air by forcing down suspicious aircraft, using lethal force if necessary. The program was suspended in April 2001 when a legitimate civilian aircraft was shot down in Peru and two U.S. citizens were killed. It was restarted in Colombia in August 2003 after additional safeguards were established.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1999 F-117A shootdown</span> 1999 aviation accident

On 27 March 1999, during the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, a Yugoslav Army unit shot down a Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk stealth ground attack aircraft of the United States Air Force by firing a S-125 Neva/Pechora surface-to-air missile. It was the first ever shootdown of a stealth technology airplane. The pilot ejected safely and was rescued by U.S. Air Force Pararescuemen conducting search and rescue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1996 shootdown of Brothers to the Rescue aircraft</span> Downing of two unarmed aircraft in Cuba

On 24 February 1996 a Cuban Air Force Mikoyan MiG-29UB shot down two unarmed Cessna 337 Skymaster aircraft operated by Brothers to the Rescue, an organization opposed to the Cuban government. The Organisation of American States (OAS) reported that no warning was given; Cuban government sources said "These people knew what they were doing. They were warned", and that the aircraft had entered Cuban airspace. All the occupants of the aircraft were killed: Carlos Costa, Armando Alejandre, Jr., Mario de la Peña, and Pablo Morales. A third Cessna involved escaped. Previous similar flights had released propaganda leaflets over Cuba.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">UAV FAP</span> Peruvian unmanned aerial vehicle

The UAV FAP is an unmanned aerial vehicle developed by CIDEP of the Peruvian Air Force. It primarily serves military reconnaissance and disaster response purposes.

References

  1. Ripley, Amanda (29 April 2001). "A Mission Interrupted". Time. Archived from the original on January 11, 2007. Retrieved 2008-09-13.
  2. 1 2 "02. Cessna A185E, OB-1408" (PDF). mtc.gob.pe (in Spanish). Peruvian Ministry of Transport and Communications. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-05-02.
  3. 1 2 "CIA Video of Missionary Plane Shootdown". ABC News. 3 February 2010. Retrieved 2010-02-03.
  4. "Roni and Charity Bowers". mpp.org. Marijuana Policy Project. Archived from the original on 2008-09-18. Retrieved 2008-09-13.
  5. Robertson, Gary D. (6 July 2002). "Able to Forgive, Not Forget, Peru Air Attack". The Washington Post. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
  6. "Veronica "Roni" Bowers". infoplease.com. Archived from the original on 2001-06-10. Retrieved 2008-09-13.
  7. Sugden, Joanna (4 February 2010). "Veronica Bowers: the long fight for justice". The Times. Archived from the original on 2011-06-04. Retrieved 2018-04-18.
  8. "Statement from the CIA on the 2001 Peru Shootdown". ABC News. 3 February 2010. Archived from the original on 2016-10-10.
  9. 1 2 Colvin, Ross (21 November 2008). "CIA faulted in shooting down of missionary plane". Reuters. Retrieved 2019-04-18.