1981 Armenia mid-air collision
| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 18 July 1981 |
| Summary | Mid-air collision |
| Site | near Yerevan, Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic |
| Total fatalities | 4 |
| Total survivors | 1 |
| First aircraft | |
 Canadair CL-44 of TAR at Basle Airport in October 1976. The same aircraft was involved in the 1981 collision. |
|
| Type | Canadair CL-44 |
| Operator | Transporte Aéreo Rioplatense |
| Registration | LV-JTN |
| Flight origin | Tehran, Iran |
| Destination | Larnaca, Cyprus |
| Passengers | 1 |
| Crew | 3 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Second aircraft | |
 An Su-15 |
|
| Type | Sukhoi Su-15 |
| Operator | Soviet Air Force |
| Crew | 1 |
| Survivors | 1 |
The 1981 Armenia mid-air collision occurred on 18 July 1981 when a Soviet Sukhoi Su-15 crashed into the tail of a Transporte Aéreo Rioplatense Canadair CL-44 commercial transport which had strayed into Soviet airspace in the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic. The 3 crew and 1 passenger on the Argentine aircraft died; the Soviet pilot was able to eject to safety. It is unclear whether the collision was intentional; the Soviet pilot said it was a deliberate attempt to down the enemy aircraft, while Western aviation experts examining his account believed he misjudged a turn and subsequently invented a story of self-sacrifice.
As part of the Iran–Contra affair, Israel and Argentina collaborated with the United States to send arms to Iran to assist in arming Nicaraguan contras. Transporte Aéreo Rioplatense, which was revealed to be operated by high-ranking officials in the Argentine Air Force, transported military equipment from Israel to Iran, in support of the latter during its war with Iraq.
Scotsman Stuart Allen McCafferty was hired to transport 360 tons of United States-made tank spare parts and ammunition from Tel Aviv to Tehran, and had a Swiss partner, arms dealer Andreas Jenni. McCafferty allegedly approached numerous United States charter airlines, offering them US$175,000 to operate 15 flights which would carry "pharmaceuticals" between Israel and Iran, but none of them were interested. In June 1981, McCafferty travelled to Buenos Aires, where he persuaded Transporte Aéreo Rioplatense to charter him one of their CL-44 cargo aircraft.
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Wikipedia