Mozambican Tupolev Tu-134 air disaster
Sections from the wreckage are now part of the memorial Samora Machel Monument
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| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 19 October 1986 |
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain |
| Site |
Mbuzini, Lebombo Mountains, South Africa 25°54′41″S 31°57′26″E / 25.91139°S 31.95722°ECoordinates: 25°54′41″S 31°57′26″E / 25.91139°S 31.95722°E |
| Passengers | 35 |
| Crew | 9 |
| Fatalities | 34 |
| Survivors | 10 |
| Aircraft type | Tupolev Tu-134A-3 |
| Operator | Mozambique Air |
| Registration | C9-CAA |
| Flight origin | Maputo, Mozambique |
| 1st stopover | Lusaka International Airport, Zambia |
| Last stopover | Mbala Airport (MMQ),Zambia |
| Destination | Maputo International Airport (MPM), Mozambique |
On 19 October 1986, the governmental Tupolev Tu-134 jetliner carrying Mozambican president Samora Machel was on a flight from Mbala, Zambia to the Mozambican capital Maputo, when it crashed 35 nautical miles (65 km) west of its destination, at Mbuzini, South Africa. On board were also 43 other occupants; nine passengers and one crew member survived the crash, but President Machel and 33 others died, including ministers and officials of the Mozambican government.
A board of enquiry blamed the captain for failing to react to the Ground Proximity Warning System. Others have claimed that the crew had set the VOR receivers to the wrong frequency, causing them to receive signals from a different airport, or even that a false beacon had been set-up to lure the plane off course. While there was widespread suspicion that the South African government was involved in the crash, no conclusive evidence has emerged.
The crash happened in the last years of South Africa's apartheid government. South Africa at the time funded a large number of rebel organisations in neighbouring countries to avoid having communist governments in neighbouring countries. The country was under heavy sanctions due to the international community's pressure to abolish apartheid. South Africa was also known for an elaborate security apparatus that was highly effective in its work against terrorist and military threats.
South Africa's State Security Council (SSC) meeting in January 1984 minuted a discussion of their Mozambican working group, which included General Jac Buchner and Major Craig Williamson, where assistance to the rebel RENAMO was discussed as a means of overthrowing the Communist FRELIMO government of Mozambique. The TRC later included this minute as circumstantial evidence in their inconclusive report.
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