Incident Overview
Date: Sunday 24 February 1985
Aircraft Type: Dornier 228-100
Owner/operator: Alfred Wegener Institut
Registration Number: D-IGVN
Location: S of Dakhla –
ÿ Western Sahara
Phase of Flight: En route
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 3 / Occupants: 3
Component Affected: Dornier 228 (Polar 3)Dornier 228 (Polar 3)
Category: Unlawful Interference
On a return flight to Germany, the Dornier 228, Polar 3, was shot down by the Frente Polisario guerilillas over the Western Sahara. The aircraft was presumed to be a Moroccan spy plane due to its low altitude and position relative to Polar 2, which was flying over the same area. Morocco annexed the Western Sahara territory in 1979, and a guerrilla war continues to contest Rabat’s sovereignty within the region.On a return flight to Germany, the Dornier 228, Polar 3, was shot down by the Frente Polisario guerilillas over the Western Sahara. The aircraft was presumed to be a Moroccan spy plane due to its low altitude and position relative to Polar 2, which was flying over the same area. Morocco annexed the Western Sahara territory in 1979, and a guerrilla war continues to contest Rabat’s sovereignty within the region.
Description
The Dornier 228 named “Polar 3” was on a return flight (together with Do-228 “Polar 2”) to Germany following a South Pole expedition. Both aircraft departed Dakar around 14:45 for a flight to Arrecife, Canary Islands. Last radio contact with Polar 3 was around 17:30. While overflying the Western Sahara, 5 minutes behind Polar 2 and at a lower altitude, Polar 3 was shot down by Frente Polisario guerrillas. They probably though the plane in question was a Moroccan spy plane. The Western Sahara territory was fully annexed by Morocco in 1979. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat’s sovereignty ended in a 1991 cease-fire; a referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed.
Primary Cause
Guerrilla warfare and territorial annexation by Morocco within the Western Sahara region.Guerrilla warfare and territorial annexation by Morocco within the Western Sahara region.Share on:
