Incident Overview
Date: Thursday 8 December 1988
Aircraft Type: Douglas DC-7CF
Owner/operator: US Agency for International Development, opb T & G Aviation
Registration Number: N90804
Location: Western Sahara –
ÿ Western Sahara
Phase of Flight: En route
Status: Substantial, repaired
Casualties: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants:
Component Affected: Aircraft engines and wing sections.Aircraft engines and wing sections.
Category: Unlawful Interference
Two T&G Aviation DC-7 aircraft were struck by 9K32 Strela-2 shoulder-fired missiles by the Polisario forces while flying on airway Red 975 at an altitude of 11,000 feet. The lead aircraft lost an engine and part of a wing, while the second aircraft sustained damage but landed safely in Sidi Ifni, Morocco.Two T&G Aviation DC-7 aircraft were struck by 9K32 Strela-2 shoulder-fired missiles by the Polisario forces while flying on airway Red 975 at an altitude of 11,000 feet. The lead aircraft lost an engine and part of a wing, while the second aircraft sustained damage but landed safely in Sidi Ifni, Morocco.
Description
Two T&G Aviation DC-7 planes were to be flown from Senegal to Morocco for a locust control mission there. Both aircraft were following their flight plan on airway Red 975 at an altitude of 11,000 feet and were flying 1.5 miles apart. Both aircraft were attacked and hit by 9K32 Strela-2 shoulder-fired, surface-to-air missiles (also known as SA-7) fired by the Polisario. The lead aircraft (N284) lost one of its engines and part of a wing and crashed. The second aircraft (N90804) lost an engine and suffered other damage, but it was able to land at Sidi Ifni, on the Moroccan coast. Polisario soldiers thought the DC-7s were Moroccan military C-130 aircraft.
Primary Cause
The attack by the Polisario forces resulted in significant damage to the aircraft.The attack by the Polisario forces resulted in significant damage to the aircraft.Share on:
