Date & Time:
Oct 3, 1983 at 0900 LT
Type of aircraft:
Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)
Operator:
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Supply
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
El Aguacate - El Aguacate
Country:
Nicaragua
Region:
Central America
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
1
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
1
Circumstances:
A U.S.-registered Douglas C-47 transport plane was engaged in a military operation to supply a right-wing rebel group that was fighting Nicaragua's revolutionary Sandinista government. The aircraft flew at a low altitude in the area of Wanawás to drop supplies. While manoeuvering in the area, a soldier of the Sandinista Popular Army fired a portable Strela-2M missile (also known as SA-7). The missile hit the left hand engine but did not explode. The cabin filled with smoke, forcing the pilot to carry out a forced landing. The crew initially survived but the co-pilot died of his injuries on 26 October 1983.
Source: ASN
Source: ASN
Probable cause:
Shot down by a surface-to-air missile.
