Draft:2015 Aruba Challenger 601 crash
| Occurrence | |
|---|---|
| Date | January 29, 2015 |
| Summary | shootdown |
| Site | southeastern coast of Aruba |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Canadair CL-601 Challenger |
| Operator | Dinama Aircorp Inc. |
| Registration | N214FW |
| Flight origin | Apure, Venezuela |
| Destination | unknown |
| Crew | 3 |
| Fatalities | 3 |
On January 29, 2015, a Canadair CL-601 Challenger aircraft was shootdown in the sky over Aruba. It crashed on the southeastern coast of Aruba, killing all 3 people on board.[1] The Venezuelan Air Force claimed responsibility for the downing.[2] It was reported that the plane was transporting drugs from Colombia.[3] This plane crash was the largest in the history of Aruba.
Background
In 2013, Dinama Aircorp Inc. was founded in Delaware, and two weeks later it acquired the Canadair CL-601 Challenger aircraft,[4] registration number N214FW. As it turned out later, more than 200 aircraft were registered at the same address where Dinama Aircorp was registered, one of which was seized by the Dominican Republic. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the airline's owner is Konrad Kulatz, a lawyer from Fort Lauderdale.[5] Challenger operated flights for two Colombian drug kingpins, Dicson Penagos-Casanova and Juan Gabriel Rios-Sierra, who joined forces to supply cocaine to several cartels in the United States.[3] According to FlightAware, the plane was flying from Florida to Mexico.
Accident
On January 29, 2015, the plane takeoff from the runway in the state of Apure, Venezuela.[1] Information about where the plane was going remained unknown. Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino said the plane ignored the signals during takeoff.[6] The plane was escorted by military jets of the Venezuelan Air Force.[7] According to Vladimir Padrino, the plane disobeyed orders and was "annulled" 25 miles northeast of the Josefa Camejo military base.[6] Eyewitnesses recorded a video of the plane crash: suddenly the plane burst into flames and flew upward for a while[8] until it crashed off the coast of Aruba. All 3 people on board were killed. At 6:45 a.m., Aruba police received a call about a plane crash on the southeastern coast of Aruba, a popular tourist destination.[7] 400 packages of drugs,[9] mostly cocaine,[1] were found at the crash site.[5]
Investigation
Aruban officials have launched an investigation into the crash. Aruban Justice Minister Arthur Dowers demanded confirmation from Venezuela on whether military jets fired at the plane before it crashed.[7] Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino confirmed the information.[10]
At the crash site, investigators found 400 packages of drugs, mostly cocaine.[1][9][5]
References
- ^ a b c d Ranter, Harro. "Unlawful Interference Canadair CL-600-2A12 Challenger 601 N214FW, Thursday 29 January 2015". asn.flightsafety.org. Retrieved 2024-12-26.
- ^ Globe, The Boston; Dowdell, Kelly Carr and Jaimi. "A Boston Globe Spotlight report: Secrets in the sky - Part One". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2024-12-26.
- ^ a b Walker, Clarence (2020-09-10). "Secret Drug Operations: Millions Paid to Exploit Aviation Rules - Cartels (Use) U.S. Airplanes to Transport Narcotics Into America - NewsBlaze News". Retrieved 2024-12-26.
- ^ "faa registry - Aircraft Inquiry - Federal Aviation Administration". registry.faa.gov.
- ^ a b c "Part 1 of 2: Secrets in the sky". Retrieved 2024-12-26.
- ^ a b Editorial, Reuters. "Venezuela confirms shooting down small plane near Aruba". Reuters. Archived from the original on 2015-09-24. Retrieved 2024-12-26.
{{cite news}}:|first=has generic name (help) - ^ a b c "Plane Crashes Near Aruba After Pursuit by Military Jets (Published 2015)". 2015-01-30. Archived from the original on 2023-01-29. Retrieved 2024-12-26.
- ^ cedric wever (2015-01-29). Plane crash in Aruba. Retrieved 2024-12-26 – via YouTube.
- ^ a b "Venezuela: Military Says It Downed Plane Near Aruba". The New York Times. 2015-01-30.
- ^ Reuters (2015-01-30). "Venezuela Confirms Shooting Down Small Civilian Plane Near Aruba". Newsweek. Retrieved 2024-12-27.
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