2007 Mogadishu TransAVIAexport Airlines Il-76 crash
EW-78849, the aircraft involved in the accident, is seen here at Polonia International Airport in 2005.
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| Occurrence summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 23 March 2007 |
| Summary | Suspected shootdown |
| Site | Mogadishu |
| Passengers | 4 |
| Crew | 7 |
| Fatalities | 11 |
| Injuries (non-fatal) | 0 |
| Survivors | 0 |
| Aircraft type | Ilyushin Il-76TD |
| Operator | TransAVIAexport Airlines |
| Registration | EW-78849 |
The 2007 TransAVIAexport Airlines Il-76 crash refers to an Ilyushin Il-76 cargo aircraft operated by that Belarusian airline that crashed in the outskirts of Mogadishu, Somalia, on 23 March 2007, during the Battle of Mogadishu. The plane was carrying repair equipment and humanitarian aid. According to a spokesperson for the transport ministry of Belarus, the aircraft was shot down. However, the Somali government insisted that the crash was accidental. A crew of eleven on board the aircraft perished in the accident.
On 9 March 2007, a Transaviaexport Ilyushin Il-76TD, registration EW-78826, that was about to complete an Entebbe–Mogadishu flight carrying Ugandan peacekeepers and equipment, made a successful emergency landing at Mogadishu International Airport after having been struck by a rocket propelled grenade and catching fire on approach to the airport of destination. The rocket had apparently been fired from a boat while the plane passed over it at a height of 150 metres (490 ft). A crew of nine Belarusian were aboard the aircraft, along with six UPDF soldiers; all of them resulted unharmed. Islamist militia claimed the attack, saying that African Union peacekeepers were their target, as they were seen as invading troops; Somali officials denied such attack, and said the incident was due to the aircraft experiencing a technical failure.
There had been a report with unverified claims circulating on the internet stating that the aircraft had actually been carrying a secret load of infantry fighting vehicles for Ugandan troops. This report also claimed that these vehicles saved all occupants on board.
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Wikipedia