Incident Overview

Date: Friday 23 November 1973
Aircraft Type: Douglas C-47 (DC-3)
Owner/operator: Aeronautica Militare Italiana – AMI
Registration Number: MM61832
Location: Porto Marghera – ÿ Italy
Phase of Flight: Unknown
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4
Component Affected: Douglas C-47 aircraftDouglas C-47 aircraft
Category: Accident
On October 16, 1990, a Douglas C-47 aircraft, call sign ‘Argo 16’, crashed at Porto Marghera, Italy, resulting in the deaths of all four crew members. The aircraft was utilized by the Italian Air Force and the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for covert operations, primarily focused on electronic surveillance over the Adriatic Sea and interference with the Yugoslavian radar network. The incident is believed to have been a result of a potential sabotage by Mossad, the Israeli national intelligence agency, stemming from a dispute over the expulsion of five Arabs from Israel.On October 16, 1990, a Douglas C-47 aircraft, call sign ‘Argo 16’, crashed at Porto Marghera, Italy, resulting in the deaths of all four crew members. The aircraft was utilized by the Italian Air Force and the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) for covert operations, primarily focused on electronic surveillance over the Adriatic Sea and interference with the Yugoslavian radar network. The incident is believed to have been a result of a potential sabotage by Mossad, the Israeli national intelligence agency, stemming from a dispute over the expulsion of five Arabs from Israel.

Description

A Douglas C-47 operated by the Italian Air Force crashed at Porto Marghera, Italy, killing all four crew members. The airplane, call sign ‘Argo 16’ was used by the Italian Secret Service and the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in covert operations. Officially, those operations were limited to electronic surveillance over the Adriatic Sea and interference with the Yugoslavian radar network. The C-47 was also said to have been used for the repatriation of terrorists and transport of secret service agents. There are different theories as to the cause of the accident. It was widely believed the plane was sabotaged by Mossad, the Israeli national intelligence agency, in retaliation for the pro-Libyan Italian government’s decision to expel, rather than try, five Arabs who had tried to blow up an Israeli airliner. In 1990 General Geraldo Serraville, head of Gladio from 1971 to 1974, told a television programme that he thought the plane was probably sabotaged by the gladiatori who were refusing to hand over their clandestine arms. Gladio was a clandestine NATO anti-communist paramilitary organization.

Source of Information

http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argo_16http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Argo_16

Primary Cause

Sabotage by MossadSabotage by Mossad

Share on:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *