Intrusions, Overflights, Shootdowns and Defections During the Cold War and Thereafter
Last revised: November 3rd 2024
29 July 1944 The US Army Air Force B-29 Superfortress Ramp Tramp (42-6256) was damaged by anti-aircraft gunfire during a raid on the Showa steel works at Anshan in Manchuria. Unable to make the return trip back to their base around Chengdu in China, the crew decided to divert to Vladivostok in the Soviet Union. The USSR was not at war with Japan yet, so the crew, commanded by Capt Howard R. Jarrel, was interned. The crew were allowed to escape into American-occupied Iran in January 1945. The bomber was not returned and instead used in the USSR during 1948-49 as a drop ship for underwing launching of 346P glider, a development of the German DFS 346 rocket-powered aircraft. It was also used by the Soviets in the effort to copy the B-29 as the Tu-4 Bull.
20 August 1944 The US Army Air Force B-29 Superfortress Cait Paomat (42-93829) flying from Chengdu was damaged by anti-aircraft gunfire during a raid on the Yawata Iron Works. Due to the damage sustained, the crew elected to divert to the Soviet Union. The aircraft crashed in the foothills of Sikhote Alin Range east of Khabarovsk after the crew baled out. The crew was interned and allowed to escape into American-occupied Iran in January 1945. The airframe was used by the Soviets in the effort to copy the B-29 as the Tu-4 Bull. The complete wing and engines of this aircraft were later incorporated into the sole Tu-70 Cart transport aircraft.
11 November 1944 During a nighttime raid on Omura on Kyushu Japan, the US Army Air Force B-29 Superfortress General H.H. Arnold Special (42-6365) was damaged and forced to divert toVladivostok in the Soviet Union. The crew was interned and the bomber was was not returned and instead used in the Tu-4 Bull development effort. The crew were allowed to escape into American-occupied Iran in January 1945.
21 November 1944 The US Army Air Force B-29 Superfortress Ding Hao (42-6358) was damaged during a raid on an aircraft factory at Omura Japan and forced to divert toVladivostok in the Soviet Union.The crew was interned and the bomber was was not returned and instead used in the Tu-4 Bull development effort. The crew were allowed to escape into American-occupied Iran in January 1945.
29 August 1945 Soviet pilot Zizevskii, flying a Yak-9 Frank, damaged a US Army Air Force B-29 Superfortress dropping supplies to a POW camp near Hamhung Korea and forced it to land. The crew of the B-29 was not injured in the attack.
2-16 September 1945 Soviet fighters fired on US Navy 7th Fleet air patrols in Manchurian airspace.
15 October 1945 While on a routine patrol mission, a US Navy PBM-5 Mariner was attacked by a Soviet Fighter 25 miles south of Dairen (Port Arthur) Manchuria. No damage was inflicted. The PBM-5 was investigating six Soviet transport ships and a beached seaplane in the Gulf of Chihli in the Yellow Sea. Some sources state that this happened on November 15th, not October 15th.
1946 Zelijko Cermelj, flying a Yak-3 of the Yugoslav Air Force forced down a Royal Air Force Dakota transport flying over Southern Yugoslavia, near Nis.
20 February 1946 While on a training flight, a US Navy PBM-5 Mariner from VP-26, based in Tsingtao China, made an unauthorized flight over Dairen (Port Arthur) Manchuria. As a result, Soviet fighters fired warning bursts at it, but no damage was inflicted.
22 April 1946 A US Army Air Force C-47 was shot at by four Soviet P-39 Airacobras near Vienna Austria, but managed to escape.
26 June 1946 Republic of China Air Force pilot Liu Shanben defected to the communist Chinese forces in a B-24M. He was supposed to fly from Chengdu to Kunming, but instead diverted to Yan'an.
7 August 1946 A Swedish Air Force Saab B17 was intercepted by Soviet fighters and forced to turn back when attempting to photograph the former German rocket test facility at Penemunde. Further attempts were made using the B17 over the next two years, all resulting in intercepts by Soviet fighters. Success was final achieved on July 10, 1948, when a modified P-51D Mustang was used in place of the B17.
9 August 1946 Dragomir Zecevic, flying a Yak-3 of the Yugoslav Air Force shot down a US Army Air Force C-47A (43-15376) transport of the 305th Troop Carrier Squadron, based in Capodichino Italy, over Northern Yugoslavia (Slovenia). Onboard were four American crewmembers (William Crombie, the pilot, Donald Carroll, William McNew and Joseph Hochecker) and four passengers - three Americans, two Hungarians, and one Turkish officer. Everybody on board survived and were soon released by the Yugoslavian authorities. The Turkish officer was badly wounded in the incident was released after everybody else.
19 August 1946 Vladimir Vodopivec, flying a Yak-3 of the Yugoslav Air Force shot down a US Army Air Force C-47 transport of the 305th Troop Carrier Squadron, based in Capodichino Italy, over Northern Yugoslavia (Slovenia). The crew of Harold Schreiber, Glen Freestone, Richard Clayes, Matthew Comko and Chester L. Lower were all killed.
1 or 2 December 1946 A US Army Air Force A-26 Invader piloted by George A. Curry of the US Army Air Force 45th Reconnaissance Squadron, Furth, Germany, became lost in heavy, unfavorable weather while on a mission to Amsterdam, Netherlands, and eventually landed near the village of Egyek, northeast of Budapest, Hungary. The other crewman on board was Donald G. Gelnett. The landed safely and the aircraft was flyable, but very low on fuel. The local townspeople welcomed the Americans. Soviet Air Force officers questioned the crew and were satisfied once Curry let them develop the on-board film and they saw nothing of consequence (he had kept his classified maps and town plans hidden). On 6 December an American officer arrived from Budapest with enough fuel to get the A-26 out of the field, and on the 7th they flew over to the regular Budapest airfield. After an adequate refueling there, but hampered by weather delays, the crew and aircraft returned to their home base on 12 December via Vienna, Austria.
21 February 1947 A US Air Force B-29 Superfortress (45-21768), Kee Bird, of the 46th Reconnaissance Squadron, crash landed on a frozen lake in northern Greenland after having gotten lost in the Arctic, while on a reconnaissance mission. The airplane had departed Ladd Field Alaska the day before. The crew of eleven, Howard R. Adams, Vernon H. Arnett, Burl Cowan, Talbert M. Gates, Russell S. Jordan, Robert Leader, John G. Lesman, Robert L. Luedke, Paul R. McNamara, Ernest C. Stewart and Lawrence L. Yarbrough, spent three days on the frozen lake, enduring temperatures of less than 50 degrees below zero, before being rescued by a USAF C-54. In 1994 an effort was begun by Darryl Greenamyer to recover the aircraft. In May 1995 he and his team had the aircraft ready for flight. Moving the aircraft under its own power on May 22 1995, the fuel supply for the APU spilled onto the APU, starting a fire that destroyed the aircraft.
24 February 1947 A US Air Force B-29 Superfortress, of the 28th BS disappeared, over the Bering Sea. The crew of twelve were presumed dead
29 July 1947 A DC-3 (VT-CLA) chartered by the Indonesian Government for carrying medical Malaysian Red Cross supplies from Singapore was shot down while on approach to the Yogyakarta-Maguwo Airport by an ML-KNIL (Royal Dutch Indies Army) Curtiss P-40 Warhawk. Dutch colonial authorities claimed that they had not been informed of the flight and that the aircraft didn't carry Red Cross markings. The five passengers and three crew onboard were killed.
29 December 1947 A US Marine Corps plane crashed in China and the four man crew was captured by Communist forces. They were released in July 1948.
9 February 1948 Two Turkish Supermarine Spitfires entered Bulgarian airspace at low altitude. They were shot down by small arms fire, fired by Bulgarian border guards. One crashed in the Black Sea and the pilot was killed. The other crashed 3km south of the Sozopolaresort and the pilot, Taliat Yunki Yud, was captured. He was later returned to Turkey.
March 1948 A Soviet pilot defected by flying a Yak-11 Moose from the Grozny flight school to Turkey. The pilot requested and was granted asylum in Turkey.
21 March 1948 Czechoslovak Air Force pilot Ján Ambruš defected, along with a friend who was the Chief of the Prague Fire service. They flew a light aircraft from the Vajnory airfield near Bratislava to Schwechat airfield at Vienna, Austria. Ambruš emigrated to the United States and settled in Chicago. There, he worked as an engineer, designing highways, airports, air-pollution control systems and chemical plants.
2 April 1948 Czechoslovak Air Force pilots Jaroslav Slepica and Josef Jilek defected by flying Spitfire LF.Mk IXe A722 and A732 to Lüneburg in the British zone of occupation of Germany. They were stationed at the Military Aviation Academy at Hradec Králové, near the Polish border on the Eastern side of Czechoslovakia, where they were flying instructors.
5 April 1948 A British European Airways Vickers Viking 1B (G-AIVP) circling Gatow airfield, Berlin, in preparation for landing, collided head-on with a Soviet Yak-3 fighter, which was performing aerobatics. The Soviet pilot and all 14 on board the Viking were killed.
6 April 1948 CSA Ceskoslovenské Aerolinie DC-3 OK-WDO, on a flight from Praha-Ruzyne International Airport to Bratislava-Ivanka Airport was hijacked by Vladimír Nedved, Stanislav Hunácek, František Malý and eleven others, who flew the aircraft to Neubiberg Air Base in the American zone of occupation of Germany. Six of those onboard did not participate in the hijacking and returned to Czechoslovakia.
19 April 1948 Josef Cermák and Frantisek Dvorak defected by flying M-1 Sokol OK-BKO from Klatovy airfield Czechoslovakia to the American zone of occupation of Germany.
22 April 1948 Alois Šedivý defected after flying a Czechoslovak Ministry of Transport DC-3 to Geneva Switzerland on a scheduled flight. His British wife and four children later escaped Czechoslovakia, with the assistance of the British Embassy in Prague.
4 May 1948 CSA Ceskoslovenské Aerolinie Aero C-103 (Siebel Si 204D) OK-ZDL flying from Brno to Ceské Budejovice was hijacked by Vojmír Matus, Ludmila Hoffmannová and three others, who wanted to defect. The hijackers forced the pilot, Doležal, to fly to Erding Air Base in the American zone of occupation of Germany. The two crewmembers (Doležal and Jirí Kügler) did not participate in the hijacking and returned to Czechoslovakia.
4 May 1948 A Czechoslovakia Air Force pilot defected by flying a training aircraft to American zone of occupation of Germany. The aircraft ended up running out of fuel and he landed on a road. The student pilot onboard asked to return to Czechoslovakia.
5 May 1948 Václav Šlouf defected after flying CSA Ceskoslovenské Aerolinie DC-3 OK-WDI to Paris France.
18 May 1948 Czechoslovakia Air Force pilots Vladimír Kopecek, Josef Doubrava, Jirí Mikulecký, Josef Ruprecht, Vladimír Soukup, Rudolf Šodek and three mechanics defected by flying a CSA Ceskoslovenské Aerolinie Aero C-103 (Siebel Si 204D) from Ceské Budejovice to an airfield in the American zone of occupation of Germany. After several days, the US authorities told them that they would have to fly back to Czechoslovakia. The airmen boarded the aircraft, took off and instead of flying to Czechoslovakia, instead flew to RAF Manston in the UK.
24 May 1948 Czechoslovakia Air Force pilot František Novák, a student of the Fighter Training Center, defected by flying Avia S-199 KS-10 (c/n S-199.54) from Ceské Budejovice to Neubiberg Air Base near Munich in the American zone of occupation of Germany. The aircraft was returned to Czechoslovakia on July 13, 1949.
4 June 1948 A Jugoslovenske Sovjet Transport Aviacija (JUSTA) DC-3 flying from Beograd-Dojno Polje Airport Yugoslavia to Sarajevo Airport was hijacked by one of the crew members and a passenger. The two, who wanted to defect, forced the pilot to fly to Bari Italy.
14 June 1948 Josef Bernat, Hugo Hrbácek and Karel Štastný defected by flying a Czechoslovak Air Force DC-3 to RAF Manston in the UK. Also onboard were Zdenek Sichrovský, Vlastimíl Prášek, Karel Kanda, Alois Liška, Karel Štastný’s brother with his wife, their 2 boys, and ten others. The aircraft they had taken was that used by Czechoslovak President, Klement Gottwald on his state duties and had just returned, with him, from Bratislava earlier that evening. The aircraft was returned to Czechoslovakia three months later.
17 June 1948 A Transporturile Aeriene Romano-Sovietice (TARS) DC-3 was hijacked by one or more of those onboard, who wanted to defect. The hijacker(s), forced the pilot to fly to Salzburg Airport Austia.
26 June 1948 Josef Muron, Arnošt Zábrš, Slavomil Janácek, with their British wives and Janácek’s young son defected flying a Czechoslovak Air Force Aero C-103 (Siebel Si 204D). Flying from Chrudim airbase, they headed west and belly landed the aircraft at St. Valery-sur-Somme, near Abbeville France.
30 June 1948 A TABSCO Junkers Ju 52 flying from Varna Airport Bulgaria to Sofia-Vrazhdebna Airport was hijacked by several of those onboard, who wanted to defect. The hijackers killed the pilot and flew the aircraft to Istanbul Turkey.
10 July 1948 After numerous attempts were made by the Swedish Air Force to photograph the former German rocket test facility at Penemunde with a Saab B17, they finally succeeded, using a photo-reconnaisance P-51D Mustang.
12 September 1948 A Technical and Aeronautical Exploitations (TAE) DC-3 flying from Athens-Ellinikon International Airport to Thessaloniki International Airport was hijacked by 8 of the 21 people onboard, who wanted to defect. The hijackers forced the pilot to fly the aircraft to Tetovo Yugoslavia.
4 October 1948 CSA Ceskoslovenské Aerolinie DC-3 OK-WCN, flown by Jaroslav Hájek, Ján Belopotocký, and radio operator Milan Jakubec, was hijacked by a passenger, Milan Juras, while flying on a scheduled domestic route between Brno and Prague. Ján Belopotocký and Milan Jakubec were accomplices along with the flight attendant Karol Klauz. Others onboard, wanted to defect were Jan Dinga, Jakubec’s wife, her daughter and the daughter's nanny. The aircraft landed at Munich-Rhein airfield in the American zone of occupation of Germany. In all twelve of those onboard requested political asylum in Germany. Pilot Jaroslav Hájek, Mrs Vilam Široký and her five year old son returned to Czechoslovakia. Široký's husband was the leader of the Communist party of Slovakia from 1945 to 1954 and he was currently Deputy Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia. In 1953 he became Prime Minister, a positon he held until 1963.
9 October 1948 Piotr Pirogov and Anatoly Barsov defected by flying from Kolomyia airbase to Linz Austria in a Soviet Tu-2 Bat. They requested and were granted asylum by the American occupational authorities. Barsov returned to the USSR a year later and despite being guarenteed amnesty, was executed.
19 October 1948 A US Navy plane crashed near Tsingtao China. Two crew members are held prisoner by the Communists for 19 months.
25 October 1948 A Pacific Overseas Airlines C-47 (HS-PC103) was shot down off the west coast of Sumatra, probably by Dutch fighter aircraft.
27 October 1948 An Italian Air Force P-38 Lightning (MM4175) was shot down over Yugoslavia.
10 November 1948 A Soviet aviation mechanic, Vladimir Barashkov, defected by flying a Li-2 Cab to the Japanese island of Rishiri. Despite damaging the aircraft on landing, the pilot survived and surrendered to American authorities.
16 December 1948 Republic of China Air Force pilot Yo Bo defected to the communist Chinese forces in a B-24M.
1949 Soviet pilots claimed to have downed a US Air Force B-25 Mitchell over the Black Sea, near Odessa.
1949 Polish pilot Arkadiusz Korobczynski, flying a Il-2M3 Bark, defected from Wicko Morskie Poland to Gotland Island Sweden.
1949 A Maszovlet Li-2P (HA-LIE) was hijacked by its crew, who wanted to defect. The hijackers flew the aircraft to München-Riem Airport in West Germany.
4 January 1949 A Maszovlet DC-3 flying from Pécs/Pogány Airport Hungary to Budapest-Ferihegy Airport was hijacked by 22 of the 25 people onboard, who wanted to defect. The hijackers forced the pilot to fly the aircraft to München-Riem Airport in West Germany.
22 January 1949 A US Air Force AT-6 was shot down over Greece by Communist guerrillas. The pilot, Seldon Edner was killed.
30 January 1949 A CNAC DC-3 flying from Shanghai to Qingdao, piloted by Don Hassig, C.L. Hsu, with radio operator T.Y. Waung) was hijacked by 4 of the people onboard (one of who had his wife and baby along). The hijackers forced the copilot to land the aircraft in Tainan Taiwan.
February 1949 A Republic of China Air Force pilot defected to the communist Chinese forces in a B-24M.
19 February 1949 A US observation plane was shot down near Kaesong Korea by North Korean forces. The pilot was wounded in the attack.
March 1949 Polish Navy pilot Arkadiusz Korobczynski defected with mechanic Zbigniew Kaczorowski by flying an Il-2 to Gotland in Sweden.
March 1949 Soviet pilot Sergei Sergeevich Shchirov, head of the Tashkent DOSAAF flying club in the Uzbek SSR, and Lyudmila Vilchinskaya attempted to defect in a Polikarpov Po-2 Mule. The attempt was unsuccesful and the pilot flew back to his base. Afterwards, he was summoned to Moscow and fearing arrest he attempted to cross the Soviet-Turkish border on April 7th 1949, from the Armenian SSR. After swimming across a water channel, which he mistook for the Aras River and mistakenly believing that he was already on Turkish territory, he was detained by a detachment of Soviet border troops. He was given a 25 year prison term. On September 30th 1988, he was posthumously rehabilitated
29 April 1949 A Transporturile Aeriene Romano-Sovietice (TARS) DC-3 flying from Timisoara Airport to Bucharest-Baneasa Airport was hijacked by a passenger, who wanted to defect. The hijacker forced the pilot to fly to Thessaloniki Airport Greece.
May 1949 A pilot flying a L-4 Grasshopper defected from South Korea to North Korea.
17 May 1949 A Soviet La-11 Fang flying from Mogilev airfield landed at the Tulling Swedish Air Force Base. The pilot requested and was granted asylum in Sweden.
July 1949 Efim Sperber and an unidentified pilot accomplice were detained near the Soviet-Turkish border, for attempting to hijack a plane with the aim of escaping to Israel.
September 1949 South Korean pilot Pak Yong-ju defected by flying a Stinson L-5 Sentinel to North Korea.
16 September 1949 A LOT Polskie Linie Lotnicze Li-2 flying from Gdansk-Wrzeszcz Airpor to Lódz-Lublinek Airport was hijacked by 5 passengers, who wanted to defect. The hijackers forced the pilot to fly to Nyköping-F11 AFB Sweden.
22 September 1949 Mikhail Ilyich Kossa, commander of the Soviet DOSAAF training center stationed at the Rotmistrovka airfield in the Kiev region, Ukrainian SSR attempted to defect to Turkey in a Yak-9T. He ran out of fuel and was forced to land at the Suceava airfield in Romania. He was detained there and extradited back to the USSR, where he was executed on April 20th 1950.
22 October 1949 An US Air Force RB-29 Superfortress was attacked by Soviet fighters over the Sea of Japan. There were no injuries to the RB-29's crew.
9 December 1949 A Transporturile Aeriene Romano-Sovietice (TARS) DC-3 flying from Sibiu Airport to Bucharest-Baneasa Airport was hijacked by 4 passengers, who wanted to defect. The hijackers killed an air marshall and forced the pilot to fly to Beograd-Dojno Polje Airport Yugoslavia.
16 December 1949 LOT Polskie Linie Lotnicze pilots Mieczyslaw Sadowski, Jan Konikowski and Tomasz Tomaszewski, along with 13 family members defected by hijacking the DC-3 they were flying from Katowice to Bornholm-Rřnne Airport Denmark.
14 March 1950 A Republic of China Air Force F-10 (07) (a photo reconnaissance B-25 Mitchell) was shot down by a People's Republic of China PLAAF aircraft and the crew of six was killed.
24 March 1950 Three CSA Ceskoslovenské Aerolinie DC-3s flying from Brno Turany Airport (flown by Josef Klesnil and Vít Angetter), Ostrava-Mošnov International Airport (flown by Ladislav Svetlík and Mecislav Kozák) and Bratislava-Ivanka Airport (flown by Oldrich Doležal), all headed for Praha-Ruzyne International Airport were simultaneously hijacked by Angetter, Svetlík (aided by Viktor Popelka) and Doležal and flown to Erding Air Base in West Germany. 59 of the 86 onboard the three aircraft returned to Czechoslovakia. The president of CSA, Leopold Thurner as on the DC-3 that originated in Brno, but was unaware of the hijacking until the flight landed in West Germany. Oldrich Doležal had been one of the crewmembers of the CSA aircraft hijacked on May 4th, 1948, but had returned to Czechoslovakia. This time, he stayed in West Germany with his wife and son, who had been on one of the other DC-3s. Josef Klesnil returned to Czechoslovakia, but fled to West Germany with his family three months later. Mecislav Kozák also returned to Czechoslovakia.
16 March 1950 A Republic of China Air Force P-51 Mustang was shot down by a People's Republic of China PLAAF ground fire and the pilot was killed.
2 April 1950 A Republic of China Air Force P-51 Mustang was shot down by downed by Soviet aircraft stationed in Shanghai and the pilot was killed.
8 April 1950 Soviet La-11 Fangs, piloted by Boris Dokin, Anatoliy Gerasimov, Tezyaev, and Sataev shot down a US Navy PB4Y-2 Privateer (BuNo 59645) Turbulent Turtle of VP-26, Det A. Based from Port Lyautey, French Morrocco, the Privateer was on a patrol mission launched from Wiesbaden, West Germany. According the to the American account, this incident happened over the Baltic Sea off the coast of Lepija Latvia. The Soviets claimed the aircraft was intercepted over Latvia and fired on the Soviet fighters during the interception. After the fighters engaged the Privateer, the Soviets report that it descended sharply before crashing into the sea 5-10 kilometers off the coast. Wreckage was recovered, but the crew of John H. Fette, Howard W. Seeschaf, Robert D. Reynolds, Tommy L. Burgess, Frank L. Beckman, Joe H. Danens, Jack W. Thomas, Joesph Jay Bourassa, Edward J. Purcell and Joesph Norris Rinnier Jr. were missing and presumed killed.
24 April 1950 Soviet pilot Keleinikov, operating from the People's Republic of China, claimed to have downed a US Air Force or Republic of China Air Force P-38 Lightning which crashed in the Chowshang Islands.
April 1950 Soviet pilot P. Dushin claimed to have shot down a US Air Force A-26 Invader.
April 1950 Soviet pilot V. Sidorov claimed to have shot down a US Air Force A-26 Invader.
April 1950 Soviet pilot Nikolai N. Guzhov claimed to have shot down two US Air Force F-51 Mustangs.
28 April 1950 North Korean pilot Lee Kun Soon defected by flying a Ilyushin Il-10 Beast to Pusan, South Korea.
May 1950 Soviet pilot V.S. Yefremov, flying a La-11 Fang, claimed to have shot down a US Air Force F-51 Mustang over the Chukotka Peninsula.
11 May 1950 Soviet pilot I.I. Shinkarenko claimed to have downed a US Air Force B-24 Liberator (PB4Y Privateer?). It has been reported that two Republic of China B-24s were shot down over Shanghai by Soviet MiG-15 Fagots this day.
17 May 1950 A Royal Air Force Shorts Sunderland was forced to land at Lod airport in Israel after being intercepted by Spitfires of the 105 Squadron of the Israel Air Force over Ramat David air base. The RAF crew had been issued maps that didn't show Israel and were unaware that they were flying over a sovereign state, as Great Britain had yet to recognize the state of Israel.
13 June 1950 A flight of Israel Air Force Spitfires, from the 101 Squadron, forced down a Jordanian Arab Airways DeHavilland Dragon Rapide after the aircraft attempted to fly across the Negev without permission. The aircraft was seized.
14 July 1950 A US Air Force RB-29 was shot at near Permskoye airfield in the USSR, but escaped.
24 July 1950 Lebanese Compagnie Generale des Transports DC-3 LR-AAN, flying from Jerusalem Airport to Beirut International Airport, was attacked by Israel Air Force Spitfires after it inadvertently crossed into Israeli airspace. The aircraft landed safely in Beirut, but three passengers were killed.
29 July 1950 A Republic of China Air Force P-47N Thunderbolt (126) was shot down by People's Republic of China ground fire over Xiamen and the pilot was killed.
9 August 1950 Soviet pilot Kursonov shot down a People's Republic of China PLAAF Tu-2 Bat that he mistook for a B-25 Mitchell, after it had strayed over a restricted area near Shanghai.
11 August 1950 A CSA Ceskoslovenské Aerolinie airliner was hijacked by two passengers, who wanted to defect. The hijackers forced the pilot to fly to Aichach West Germany.
4 September 1950 A US Navy F4U-4B Corsair of VF-53, piloted by Ensign Edward V. Laney, shot down a Soviet Naval Aviation Douglas A-20 Box over the Yellow Sea, southeast of the Soviet-occupied Port Arthur Naval Base in China and west of the North Korean coast. Laney was one of a four-ship Combat Air Patrol from the carrier USS Valley Forge (part of Task Force 77), which was protecting US Navy air activity against North Korea not long before the Inchon landings. The A-20 was one of two belonging to the Port Arthur-based 36th Mine-Torpedo Aviation Regiment of the Red Banner Pacific Fleet, apparently sent out on an armed reconnaissance mission. A-20s had been supplied in quantity to the Soviets on Lend-Lease during World War 2, and this unit had had extensive experience during the war as torpedo bombers . The Corsairs encountered the two A-20s about 40 nautical miles from the Chinese coast. One A-20 turned back, but the other pressed on. As the Corsairs descended, the top turret gunner on the A-20 was observed to open fire. Richard E. Downs led Laney on a firing pass, and Laney hit the A-20 with his 20mm cannon. The Soviet aircraft then crashed into the sea. The US recovered the body of one Soviet crewman, later identified as that of Genaddiy Mishin, the copilot. The other two bodies, those of Senior Lt. Karpol, the aircraft commander, and Sgt. A. Makaganov, the gunner, were never found. Mishin's body was returned to the Soviets in 1956.
8 September 1950 Two US Air Force F-80 Shooting Stars strafed a Soviet airfield near Vladivostok.
October-December 1950 A US Navy P2V Neptune of VP-6, piloted by Arthur Farwell, was intercepted at night by four Soviet MiG-15 Fagots, near Vladivostok. The Neptune's tail gunner opened fire and one MiG exploded.
6 November 1950 A US Navy bomber with twelve crew members on board was reported to have failed to return from a combat patrol over the Strait of Formosa. Its fate was never learned.
4 December 1950 Soviet MiG-15 Fagots shot down an RB-45C Tornado of the US Air Force 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, 45 miles east of Andung People's Republic of China (just across the Yalu River from Sinuiju North Korea). Soviet pilot Aleksandr F. Andrianov received credit for shooting down the aircraft. Co-pilot Jules E. Young and navigator James L. Picucci were killed in the crash. Pilot Charles E. McDonough and passenger John R. Lovell bailed out and landed south of the Yalu River. McDonough was badly burned when he landed on the Tornado's wreckage. Both were captured the next day by the North Koreans. McDonough was murdered during an interrogation by North Korean and Soviet officers two weeks later. Lovell survived brutal interrogation sessions, but was finally taken into a North Korean village, where the residents were encouraged to lynch him.
26 December 1950 Two Soviet MiG-15 Fagots, flown by S.A. Bakhev and N. Kotov shared in the downing of a US Air Force RB-29 Superfortress that was detected flying over the Tyumen'-Oola river in the Soviet Far East.
June 1951 A North Korean MiG-15 Fagot shot down in aerial combat was recovered by the Royal Navy and shipped to the United States.
4 July 1951 A US Air Force RB-45C Tornado of the 323rd Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, based in Yokota Japan, conducted a night overflight 500 miles into Manchuria. The crew of Stacy D. Naftel, Edward Kendrex and Bob Dusenberry reported that they were attacked by MiG-15 Fagots while approaching their target in Harbin People's Republic of China. They managed to escaped damage by outrunning the intercepting fighters.
6 October 1951 Soviet MiG-15 Fagot pilot Yevgeniy Pepelyayev shot down a US Air Force F-86A Sabre (49-1319) over Korea. A single 37mm cannon shell fired by the MiG-15 hit the F-86 aft of the cockpit and damaged the engine and ejection seat. Unable to eject, the American pilot belly landed the aircraft on a sand bank in the Chonchongi River, 8 miles west of Pyongwong. He was soon rescued by a US Air Force helicopter. The wreckage of the F-86 was recovered by the Soviets and shipped to Moscow for examination. Despite not being able to return the Sabre to flightworthy condition, the Soviets learned quite a bit from examining the wreckage.
13 October 1951 An Italian Air Force P-38L Lightning (MM4203) was shot down over Yugoslavia.
17 October 1951 Jugoslovenski Aerotransport (JAT) DC-3 YU-ABF flying from Ljubljana-Brnik Airport to Beograd-Dojno Polje Airport was hijacked by its pilots, who wanted to defect with their families. The pilots flew the aircraft to Zürich-Kloten Airport Switzerland.
4 November 1952 A Soviet La-11 Fang flew into Japanese airspace over the island of Hokkaido. It was intercepted by American fighter aircraft which escorted it back to Soviet territory. There was no information available about whether this episode was an escape attempt, or an incident of another kind.
6 November 1951 While conducting an intelligence gathering mission, later claimed to be a "weather reconnaissance mission under United Nations command", a US Navy P2V-3W Neptune (BuNo 124283 - not 124284 as listed in some sources) of VP-6 was shot down over the Sea of Japan, near Vladivostok, by Soviet La-11 Fangs flown by I. Ya. Lukashyev and M.K. Shchukin. The Soviet pilots reported that they intercepted the aircraft in the area of Cape Ostrovnoy approximately 7-8 miles from the shore. After they fired on the aircraft, it fell, burning, into the water and exploded 18 miles from the shore. The crew of Judd C. Hodgson, Sam Rosenfeld, Donald E. Smith, Reuben S. Baggett, Paul R. Foster, Erwin D. Raglin, Paul G. Juric, William S. Meyer, Ralph A. Wigert Jr. and Jack Lively were reported as missing.
8 November 1951 A Republic of China Air Force P-47N Thunderbolt (335) failed to return from a reconnaissance mission over Guandong, People's Republic of China.
18 November 1951 A US Air Force C-47 transport, with a crew of four, flying from Munich to Belgrade, became lost over Yugoslavia and entered Hungarian and then Romanian airspace. It was fired on by Hungarian and Romanian border guards and finally forced down by a MiG-15 Fagot piloted by Kalugin, near the Yugoslav frontier. One crew member, John J. Swift survived and was released shortly thereafter by the Romanians.
4 April 1952 A US Navy patrol bomber was damaged by gunfire from an unidentified trawler one hundred mile southeast of Shanghai People's Republic of China. On one was hurt and the plane returned safely to Taiwan.
18 April 1952 A Jugoslovenski Aerotransport (JAT) airliner flying from Beograd-Dojno Polje Airport to Ljubljana-Brnik Airport was hijacked by six passengers, who wanted to defect. The hijackers forced the pilot to fly the aircraft to Graz-Thalerhof Airport Austria.
29 April 1952 A DC-4 of Air France (F-BELI) was shot at by two MiG-15 Fagots when approaching Berlin. The aircraft was damaged and three passengers wounded. After the DC-4 landed at Berlin Tempelhof airfield on two engines, 89 bullet holes were counted in the aircraft.
11 May 1952 A pair of Soviet MiG-15 Fagots intercepted a US Navy Martin PBM-5 Marlin flying boat over the Sea of Japan. Despite attacking the flying boat six times, the MiGs inflicted only minor damage to the Marlin.
4 June 1952 An aircraft carrying the US Supreme Commissioner in Austria was forced down at a Soviet airbase by MiG-15 Fagots.
13 June 1952 A US Air Force RB-29 Superfortress (44-61810) of the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, based in Yokota Japan, was shot down by Soviet fighters over the Sea of Japan, 18 miles from the Soviet coast, near Hokkaido. Soviet MiG-15 Fagot pilots Fedotov and Proskurin reported intercepting the aircraft in the area of Valentin Bay, nine miles from the Soviet coastline. They reported that the RB-29 fired on the Soviet fighters, when intercepted. The Soviet pilots returned fire and the US plane descended, burst into flames and crashed into the water at a distance of about 18 miles from our coastline. Official US records state that the aircraft was on a classified surveillance mission of shipping activity over the Sea of Japan. The plane was followed by radar over the course of the flight until 1320 hours at which time the radar contact was lost. Empty life rafts were spotted by search aircraft the next day. Radio Moscow stated on June 16 stated that one officer survivor had been picked up by a Russian vessel about two days before. The name of the survivor was not given and efforts to confirm the report were unsuccessful. The crew of Sam Busch, Robert J. McDonnell, Roscoe G. Becker, Eddie R. Berg, Leon F. Bonura, William R. Homer, Samuel D. Service, James A. Sculley, William A. Blizzard, Miguel W. Monserrat , Danny Pillsbury and David L. Moore were all listed as missing, presumed dead.
13 June 1952 Soviet MiG-15 Fagot pilot Captain Boris Osinsky, of the 483rd Fighter Aviation Regiment, shot down a Swedish SIGINT C-47 (Tp79 79001 Hugin) piloted by Alvar Almeberg, over the Baltic, near Ventspils Latvia. Everybody on board the C-47 was killed - the only wreckage found at the time was a life raft. The C-47 was one of two, (the other being 79002 Munin, both named after Odin's ravens), together with a Ju 86 called Blondie, which supposedly belonged to the so called 6 Transportflyggruppen at F 8, which at that time had a staff of twelve. In reality they were used for SIGINT duties, the C-47s fitted out with five operator stations, the operators belonging to FRA (Försvarets Radioanstalt = the Radio Establishment of the Defense). In June 2003, Swedish searchers found the wreckage of the C-47 on the bottom of the Baltic in international waters near Gotska Sandoen island, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) east of the Swedish coastline. The wreckage was raised during the night of March 19/20 2004 and returned to Sweden.
16 June 1952 Soviet pilots N. Semernikov and I. Yatsenko-Kosenko shared in the downing of a Swedish PBY Catalina (Tp 47 47002) outside the island of Dagö. The PBY was looking for survivors of the Swedish SIGINT C-47 lost on June 13th. After taking hits in the fuselage and the engines the PBY was forced to land on the water with two of the crew of seven injured. The crew was rescued by a West German merchant ship.
26 June 1952 A Jugoslovenski Aerotransport (JAT) DC-3 flying from Zagreb/Lucko Airport to Pula Airport was hijacked by three passengers, who wanted to defect. The hijackers forced the pilot to fly the aircraft to Foligno Airport Italy.
5 July 1952 a formation of four Romanian Bf 109Ga-6s took off from Craiova for a patrol. Two of the aircraft had engine problems and returned to their base. The other two aircraft (363 and 319), piloted by Gh. Gheorghiu and Constantin Bores (Titi) began a shallow dive towards Yugoslavia. The two fighters landed on a field in Yugoslavia, with 319 suffering a right main gear collapse in the process. Both of the pilots asked for and received political asylum, while the planes were recovered and put into service with the Yugoslav Air Force. Bores eventually emigrated to Australia.
15 July 1952 A US Air Force A-26 Invader weather reconnaissance aircraft was attacked over the Yellow Sea by Soviet MiG-15 Fagots.
31 July 1952 While conducting a patrol mission, a US Navy PBM-5S2 Mariner (BuNo 59277), of VP-731, based from Iwakuni Japan, was attacked by two People's Republic of China MiG-15 Fagots over the Yellow Sea. Two crew members were killed and two were seriously wounded. The PBM suffered extensive damage, but was able to make it safely to Paengyong-do Korea.
7 August 1952 Polish Air Force pilot Edward Pytko, an instructor at the officer aviation school in Deblin, tried to escape by flying a Yak-9 to West Germany. Chased by Soviet aircraft, he ran low on fuel and was forced to land at Wiener Neustadt in the Soviet occupation zone of Austria. He was handed back to the Polish authorities who charged Pytko with high treason and executed him at Mokotów prison on August 29th 1952. The commander of Pytko's training squadron, Szczepan Scibior, was executed the day of Pytko's attempted defection.
20 September 1952 A US Navy PB4Y-2S Privateer, of VP-28, was attacked by two Chinese MiG-15 Fagots off the coast of the People's Republic of China. One of the PLAAF pilots was Zhongdao He. The USN aircraft was able to safely return to Naha, Okinawa.
7 October 1952 A US Air Force RB-29 Superfortress Sunbonnet King (44-61815) of the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron was shot down over the Kurile Islands, between Yuri Island and Akiyuri Island, by two Soviet La-11 Fang fighters, flown by Alekseyevich Zhiryakov and Lesnov. The crew of eight, Eugene M. English, John R. Dunham, Paul E. Brock, Samuel A. Colgan, John A Hirsch, Thomas G. Shipp, Fred G. Kendrick and Frank E. Neail III, were all listed as missing, presumed dead. Soviet search and rescue units recovered the body of one crewman, John R. Dunham. His remains were initially buried on Yuri Island in the Kurile chain, but were returned to the US in the 1994.
8 October 1952 Two Soviet jet fighters fired on a US Air Force C-47 en route to Berlin Germany. The C-47 escaped undamaged after taking evasive action and using cloud cover.
15 October 1952 A B-47 photo reconnaissance flight, authorized by President Truman and staged out of Eielson AFB, was flown over the Chukotsky Peninsula. It confirmed that the Soviets were developing Arctic staging bases on the peninsula from which their bombers could easily reach targets on the North American continent.
4 November 1952 A Soviet La-11 Fang flew into Japanese airspace over the island of Hokkaido. It was intercepted by American fighter aircraft, which forced it to leave Japanese airspace..
18 November 1952 Four Soviet MiG-15 Fagots intercepted near Vladivostok three US Navy F9F-2 Panthers from the USS Princeton. Soviet pilots Belyakov and Vandalov were shot down in the resulting air combat by US Navy pilot D. Middleton and E.R. Williams. The pilot of a third MiG-15, Pakhomkin, was mortally wounded but managed to make an emergencey landing on the coast.
23 November 1952 A US Navy PB4Y-2S Privateer, of VP-28, was attacked, but not damaged, by a Chinese MiG-15 Fagot off of Shanghai People's Republic of China.
29 November 1952 A Civil Air Transport C-47 (B-813 msn 26816) flying from Seoul South Korea, on a mission to pick up agent Li Chun-ying, was shot down in Jilin province, People's Republic of China. CAT pilots Robert Snoddy and Norman Schwartz were killed. CIA paramilitary officers Richard Fectau and John Downey were captured and held in China until December 12, 1971 and March 12, 1973, respectively. CAT was a CIA-run airline and the agent to be picked up was a member of a CIA Third Force team comprised five ethnic Chinese air-dropped into the Jilin region of Manchuria in mid-July 1952 and a courier (Li Chun-ying) air-dropped in September 1952. The pickup system used (the All American System) involved flying the aircraft flying at low altitude and hooking a line elevated between two poles. The line was connected to a harness in which the agent was strapped. Once airborne, the man was to be winched into the aircraft. In July 2002, the Chinese government allowed a US government team to search for Snoddy and Schwartz's bodies. This expedition brought back sufficient airplane remains to prompt a more in-depth archaeological dig in July 2004. In this dig, human remains were recovered that were later identified to be those of Robert Snoddy.
3 December 1952 South Korean pilot Kug Yong-am defected by flying Cessna L-19 51-4794 to Pyongyang North Korea.
30 December 1952 Philippine Air Lines DC-3 PI-C38 flying from Laoag Airport to Aparri was hijacked by a passenger, who wanted to defect to the People's Republic of China. The hijacker ended up killing the pilot and a flight attendant. The aircraft was intercepted by Republic of China Air Force aircraft, who forced it to land at Quemoy.
12 January 1953 US Air Force RB-29A Superfortress 44-62217 on a leaflet-dropping mission south of the Yalu River in far northern Korea near the Chinese town of Antung was shot down by a swarm of 12 enemy fighters. Russian MiG-15 pilot Khabiev was credited with the interception and downing of the RB-29A. The aircraft was assigned to the 581st Air Resupply and Communications Wing and carried a crew of 14. After the attack, B-29 aircraft commander, ordered the crew to bail out. Unfortunately, three men (Alvin D. Hart Jr., Henry D. Weese and Paul E. Van Voorhis) died during the attack, but the other 11 parachuted to the ground, were captured and taken to China for interrogation and imprisonment. In October 1954 they were put on trial and were given prison sentences ranging from 5 years to life. On August 4 1955 the surviving crew members John K. Arnold Jr., William E. Baumer, Harry M. Benjamin Jr., Howard W. Brown, Wallace L. Brown, John W. Buck, Steve E. Kiba, Elmer F. Llewellyn, Daniel C. Schmidt, John W. Thompson III and Eugen J. Vaadi were released.
18 January 1953 A US Navy P2V-5 Neptune (BuNo 127744) of VP-22, based at Atsugi Japan, was damaged by Chinese anti-aircraft fire near Swatow People's Republic of China, but was able to ditch in the Formosa Strait. Eleven of thirteen crewmen were rescued by a US Coast Guard PBM-5 Mariner, under fire from Chinese shore batteries on Nan Ao Tao island. Attempting to takeoff in 8-12 foot swells, the PBM crashed. Ten survivors out of nineteen total (including five from the P2V-5) were rescued by the destroyer USS Halsey Powell (DD 686). During the search effort a PBM-5 Mariner from VP-40 received fire from a small-caliber machine gun and the destroyer USS Gregory (DD 802) received fire from Chinese shore batteries. Dwight C. Angell, Ronald A. Beahm, Paul A. Morley, William F. McClure, Lloyd Smith and Clifford Byars were the P2V-5 crewmen reported lost.
5 March 1953 Polish Air Force pilot Franciszek Jarecki, flying MiG-15bis Fagot 346, defected to Borholm Island Denmark. The aircraft was returned to Poland March 22nd 1953 on a ship. Jarecki was given asylum in the United States.
6 March 1953 People's Republic of China PLAAF pilot Yaxiong He claimed to have shot down a US Navy F4U Corsair at Qianlidao in Qingdao.
10 March 1953 Two US Air Force F-84G Thunderjets of the 36 TFW, based in West Germany, crossed into Czechoslovakian airspace. They were intercepted by Czechoslovak Air Force pilots Jaroslav Sramek and Milan Forst, flying MiG-15 Fagots. Sramek shot down one of the Thunderjets. The pilot, W. Brown, ejected and survived. The other Thunderjet escaped by flying into the clouds.
12 March 1953 Seven airmen are killed when the Royal Air Force Avro Lincoln Mk2 (RF531/C) they were flying in, was shot down by a Soviet MiG-15 Fagot in the Berlin air corridor, near Boizenberg, 20 miles NE of Luneburg. The aircraft, from the RAF Central Gunnery School at Leconfield in Yorkshire, was on a training flight. Among the crew members were H.J. Fitz, S.V. Wyles, W.R. Mason, R.F. Stevens and K.J. Jones.
14 March 1953 The pilot of a Soviet An-2 Colt, flying from East Germany, became lost and landed in a small field near Irmelshausen West Germany. The pilot realized where he was and took off and returned to East Germany before West German border police arrived to question him.
15 March 1953 A US Air Force WB-50 Superfortress reconnaissance plane of the 38th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing was attacked by a pair of Soviet MiG-15 Fagots approximately 25 miles off the Kamchatka Peninsula, near Petropavlovsk. The WB-50 based at Forbes Air Force Base, Kansas, was temporarily operating from Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska, while assigned to the 15th WRS. After escorting the WB-50 for a short time, one Soviet pilot opened fire on the WB-50. WB-50 gunner Jesse Prim returned fire and the MiG pilot quickly broke off his attack and returned to his base.
17 March 1953 A British European Airways Viking was shot at by Soviet MiG-15 Fagots near Berlin Germany.
22 March 1953 A US Air Force B-50 was attacked by Soviet MiG-15 Fagots.
23 March 1953 Mira Slovak, flying a Czechoslovak Airlines DC-3 on a regularly scheduled flight from Praha-Ruzyne International Airport to Brno Turany Airport, overpowered the co-pilot, locked the cockpit door and dove the plane to below 1,000 feet. He flew the plane to Frankfurt West Germany, where he requested and received asylum. He later emigrated to the United States. After two years of flying as a crop duster for Central Airways of Yakima, Washington Slovak was hired by Bill Boeing Jr. to be his personal pilot. Bill Boeing Jr. purchased the racing hydroplane Miss Wahoo and Slovak drove it for several seasons. He later drove Bill Harrah’s racing hydroplane Tahoe Miss for two seasons. Slovak also flew Bill Stead’s F8F Bearcat Miss Smirnoff at the innagural Reno Air Races in 1964. In 1967 he became a pilot for Continental Airlines, flying Boeing 707s, McDonnell Douglas DC-10s and Boeing 747s.
15 April 1953 A pair of Soviet MiG-15 Fagots intercepted a US Air Force RB-50 reconnaissance plane near Petropavlovsk. The pilot of the American aircraft ignored orders by the MiGs to land and the RB-50 was shot down near Zhoopanovo.
23 April 1953 A US Navy P4M-1Q Mercator (BuNo 124369) piloted by Dick Renner and Mel Davidow, was attacked by two MiG-15 Fagots while flying off the Chinese coast near Shanghai. The MiGs made a several firing runs and the crew of the Mercator returned fire. The Mercator was not hit, and as far as the crew of the Mercator could tell, their return fire did not damage the MiGs. William Haskins, the radioman on this Mercator, was later killed in the downing of another Mercator on August 22 1956.
15 May 1953 A Soviet MiG-15 Fagot opened fire on a US Air Force WB-29 Superfortress off the Kamchatka Peninsula. The WB-29's gunners returned fire. There were no casualties.
20 May 1953 Zdzislaw Jazwinski, flying a Polish MiG-15bis Fagot 415, defected to Rřnne Airport on Borholm Island Denmark, where he landed gear up.
16 June 1953 A Republic of China Air Force P-47N Thunderbolt (335) was shot down by People's Republic of China ground fire over Dongshan Island and the pilot was killed.
19 June 1953 A US Navy PBM-5S2 Mariner from VP-46 was fired on by People's Republic of China surface ships in the Formosa Strait. No damage was inflicted.
24 June 1953 Romanian Air Force pilot Mihail Diaconu, flying a Yak-23 Flora, defected to Yugoslavia. The plane belonged to the 135th Jet Fighter Regiment based at Caransebes. The aircraft landed in good conditions in Yugoslavia, where the pilot requested political asylum. After being evaluated in Yugoslavia, in October the aircraft was flown to to the United States in a C-124 Globemaster II and further evaluated at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base as FU-599. The Yak-23 was eventually returned to Yugoslavia.
28 June 1953 A US Navy P2V-5 Neptune of VP-1 was fired on by People's Republic of China surface ships in the Formosa Strait. No damage was inflicted.
8 July 1953 A US Navy P2V-5 Neptune of VP-1 was fired on by antiaircraft artillery near Nantien People's Republic of China. No damage was inflicted.
21 July 1953 Two Chinese MiGs damaged a US Navy PBM-5 Mariner in an attack that took place over the Yellow Sea.
27 July 1953 An Aeroflot Il-12 Coach was shot down by US Air Force F-86F Sabre pilot Ralph Parr, near Kanggye, North Korea, shortly before the armistice went into effect. All 21 people on board were killed. The Soviets claimed that the aircraft was actually over the People's Republic of China when shot down.
29 July 1953 An US Air Force RB-50G Superfortress (47-145) Little Red Ass of the 343rd Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, 55th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, temporarily attached to the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron based at Yokota Air Base, Japan, was shot down south of Askold Island near Vladivostok, by Soviet pilots Aleksandr D. Rybakov and Yuri M. Yablonskii, flying MiG-17 Frescos. The RB-50's tail gunner James E. Woods was able to fire a brief burst at the MiG-17s, but the fighters were able to avoid this fire and quickly downed the plane, shooting its left wing off. The co-pilot of the RB-50, John E. Roche, was the sole survivor of the 18 man crew, though as many as seven crew members might have successfully bailed out. After spending about 12 hours in the water, an SB-29 dropped an A-3 survival raft to Roche and the RB-50's pilot, Stanley K. O'Kelley. Roche was able to crawl into the survival raft, but O'Kelley succumbed to hypothermia. After another 10 hours in the survival raft, Roche was rescued by the USS Picking (DD 685). The remains of Stanley K. O'Kelley and Francis L. Brown were later recovered on the coast of Japan. The other crew, James G. Keith, Francisco J. Tejeda, Warren J. Sanderson, Robert E. Stalnaker, Lloyd C. Wiggins, Roland E. Goulet, Earl W. Radlein Jr., Charles J. Russell Jr., James E. Woods, John C. Ward, Edmund J. Czyz, Frank E. Beyer, Donald W. Gabree, Donald G. Hill and an unnamed Russian, were never found.
August 1953 A Royal Air Force Canberra, a modified B Mk.2, suffered damage during a reconnaissance flight over the Kapustin Yar missile base in the USSR. The aircraft aborted its mission and landed in Iran.
17 August 1953 A US Air Force T-6 Texan was shot down over the Korean demilitarized zone by North Korean ground fire. One crew member was killed and one survived.
13 September 1953 Yugoslavian Air Force pilot Nikola Jakšic defected by flying a P-47D Thunderbolt to Aviano Air Base Italy, where he requested and was given political asylum.
21 September 1953 Ro Kun Suk, flying a North Korean MiG-15bis Fagot (2057, cn 2015357), defected to Kimpo Air Base in South Korea. This aircraft was test flown by the US Air Force as T2-3000 and is now on display in the US Air Force Museum. Ro Kun Suk was granted asylum in the United States and changed his name to Ken Rowe. He became an aviation engineer working for several prominent defense aviation contractors, and then spent 17 years teaching at Embry-Riddle.
October 1953 South Korean pilot Kim Sung-bai defected by flying F-51 Mustang to North Korea.
2 October 1953 A US Navy PBM-5 Mariner (BuNo 84713) of VP-50, based at NAS Iwakuni Japan, was intercepted by two People's Republic of China MiG-15 Fagots 30 miles east of Tsingtao. The MiGs made twelve firing passes, but only hit the PBM twice in the tail with 37mm cannon shells. The crew, headed by N. Hansen, was not injured and the aircraft returned safely to base. Other crewmembers were H.E. McCumber, J.B. Pierce, Billy J. McGill, Ray Cook, Dave Rinehar, W.H. Finady, I.M. Wald, Charlie Fix, C.E. Scoville, Smith and Nelson.
7 November 1953 People's Republic of China PLAAF pilot Xicai Lin claimed to have shot down a US Navy PBM-5A Mariner at Qianlidao in Qingdao. This might have been BuNo 58152, reported lost over the Yellow Sea on November 10th with a crew of 14.
18 November 1953 A US Navy PBM-5 Mariner (BuNo 84747) of VP-50 picked up an unexpected tail wind while approaching Shanghai. The airplane got close to the coast of the People's Republic of China before the crew determined their position. After the aircraft turned away from the coast, it was jumped by 2 MiG-15 Fagots. Three firing passes were made but the PBM wasn't hit.
17 December 1953 A Republic of China Air Force P-47N Thunderbolt (193) was shot down by People's Republic of China ground fire over Jejiang and the pilot was killed.
30 December 1953 Four MiG-15 Fagots overtook four US Air Force F-86 Sabres patrolling off North Korea's west coast. The leading MiG-15 fired a short gun burst that the F-86s evaded.
1954 A MiG-15 Fagot was stolen the TsGV airfield in the Hungary and landed in Yugoslavia. The pilot was arrested, but his fate is unknown.
1954/1959 A MiG-15 Fagot based at the Sarata airfield in the Odessa region, Ukrainian SSR, was flown to Turkey by aviation mechanic Vorobyov. He received asylum and remained in Turkey.
1954 An aircraft was detected intruding into Soviet airspace near Nakhodka. A flight of Soviet Tu-14T torpedo bombers on a training flight were mistaken for the intruder by Soviet MiG-15 Fagot pilot Pyotr Byvshev. The rearmost Tu-14T had a malfunctioning IFF transponder and Byvshev, mistakenly identified this aircraft as the intruder, opened fire and downed the aircraft.
4 January 1954 A US Navy P2V-5 Neptune (BuNo 127752) of VP-2 departed NAS Iwakuni in Japan and headed toward the west coast of Korea. The flight continued north across the Korean DMZ, then along the North Korean coast to the coast of China before turning south. After reporting engine difficulties, the aircraft head towards the K-13 base at Suwan. The engine difficulties might have been a result of a hostile attack on the Neptune. The aircraft reached the vicinity of K-13 before crashing, possibly the result of an additional attack by a US Navy AD-4B Skyraider on night patrol. The crew of Jesse Beasley, Fredric Prael, Rex Claussen, Gordon Spicklemier, Lloyd Rensink, Bruce Berger, James Hand, Robert Archbold, Stanley Mulford and Paul Morelli were all killed.
8 January 1954 A man in a Soviet Air Force uniform and a womann attempted to hijack an Aeroflot Li-2T flying from Tallinn-Ülemiste Airport to Leningrad-Shosseynaya Airport. The flight engineer was killed in a struggle with the hijackers, but other crew members succeeded in overpowering the two. The aircraft landed back at Tallinn.
20 January 1954 South Korean pilot Choi Mai-chong defected by flying a Cessna L-19 to North Korea.
27 January 1954 A US Air Force RB-45 Tornado flying over the Yellow Sea with an escort of F-86 Sabres was attacked by eight MiG-15 Fagots. One MiG was shot down by USAF pilot Bertram Beecroft. About the same time, a second group of F-86s was fired on by two MiG-15s, but the F-86s evaded the MiG-15s.
9 February 1954 A Republic of China Air Force P-47N Thunderbolt (267) was shot down by People's Republic of China ground fire and the pilot was killed.
10 March 1954 Zdenek Voleman of the Czechoslovak Air Force, piloting a MiG-15bis Fagot, shot down a US Navy P2V Neptune in Czechoslovak air space.
18 March 1954 A Republic of China Air Force P-47N Thunderbolt (219) was shot down by a People's Republic of China PLAAF MiG-15 Fagot and the pilot was killed.
21 March 1954 Two US Navy AD-4 Skyraiders, from VA-145 and VC-35 Det F, lauched from the USS Randolph (CVA 15) launched on a simulated strike mission against a West German airfield. They were attacked over or near the Czechoslovak border by a Czechoslovak MiG-15 Fagot. One AD-4 received damage to its tail.
29 April 1954 A RB-45C Tornado operated by the Royal Air Force narrowly escaped being was shot down by antiaircraft fire near Kiev. The mission was aborted.
9 April 1954: A US Navy P2V Neptune from VP-2 was attacked by a Chinese MiG-15 Fagot while on patrol over the Yellow Sea. The MiG made three firing passes and the crew of the Neptune returned fire. There was no apparent damage to either aircraft resulting from the encounter.
6 May 1954 One of a flight of six Civil Air Transport C-119 Flying Boxcars, flown by CIA pilots James B. Earthquake McGoon McGovern and Wallace A. Buford was hit twice by ground fire as it was about to drop ammunition to beleaguered French Foreign Legion troops at Dięn Bięn Phu Vietnam. The plane (tail number 149) staggered 75 miles southward into Laos and crashed near the Nam Het River. Besides the pilots, their were four French servicemen on board, Bataille, Rescouriou, Moussa and Jean Arlaux. Moussa and Jean Arlaux survived the crash, but Moussa died of his injuries several days later. Jean Arlaux was captured by Pathet Lao forces and finally released on October 13, 1954. Excavation at the crash site in December 2002 yielded the remains of one of the crew members.
8 May 1954 Three US Air Force RB-47E Stratojet reconnaissance planes took off from RAF Fairford in England. Two of the Stratojets flew as airborne spares and turned back before the overflight began. The remaining plane, crewed by Hal Austin, Carl Holt and Vance Heavilin, penetrated Soviet airspace near Murmansk. The plane flew over numerous Soviet air fields and naval facilities conducting photographic reconnaissance and making radar scope images of the various facilities. The RB-47E continued to Arkhangelsk before turning west and heading back to England. The USAF plane was intercepted by MiG fighters after being over Soviet territory for about 50 miles. Initially, MiG-15 Fagots were spotted, but a short time later a flight of MiG-17 Frescos appeared. The operational deployment of the MiG-17 was a significant surprise to the crew of the RB-47. When the MiG-17s climbed to approximately the same altitude as the reconnaissance plane (38,000 feet) they opened fire. The Soviet fighters each made single shooting passes at the USAF plane. The RB-47 was equipped with a tail gun controlled by the copilot and returned fire but did not hit any of the Soviet planes. One MiG was able to hit the Stratojet with several rounds and caused moderate damage to the wing and fuselage. Before the MiGs were able to shoot down the USAF plane, it crossed the border into Finland and the MiGs broke off the attack. However, during the attack the RB-47's fuel tanks were hit and the plane nearly ran out of fuel before it was met by a Boeing KC-97 tanker for in-flight refueling. The RB-47E landed safely in England a short time later.
11 May 1954 Two Republic of China Air Force P-47 Thunderbolts engaged two PLAAF MiG-15 Fagots and claimed one as damaged.
22 May 1954 In combat with Six People's Republic of China PLAAF aircraft, Republic of China Air Force pilots Chien and Yen, flying P-47 Thunderbolts, shared in the downing of a MiG-15 Fagot.
26 May 1954 A Republic of China Air Force B-17 crashed near Fujian People's Republic of China. Pilot Nie Jing Yuan, four crew members and four agents that were to be airdropped, were all killed. The People's Republic of China did not make a claim to have shot the aircraft down, so it might have suffered an accident.
3 June 1954 Sabena C-47 OO-CBY, carrying livestock from Blackbushe Airport UK to Beograd Yugoslavia, with stops in Brussels, Belgium and Munich, West Germany was, was attacked by a Soviet Air Force MiG-15 Fagot fighter over Maribor Yugoslavia. The radio operator was killed and two others onboard were wounded. The crew evaded the fighters by flying into and staying in clouds. As the hydraulics had been lost, the undercarriage was extended manually and a flapless landing was performed at Graz-Thalerhof in Austria, where the aircraft ran off the runway into rough ground.
3 June 1954 A Republic of China Air Force P-47N Thunderbolt (222) was shot down by a People's Republic of China PLAAF La-11 Fang and the pilot was killed.
22 June 1954 A Republic of China Air Force B-24 conducting an airdrop near Nanchang was intercepted by a People's Republic of China PLAAF La-11 Fang but the crew of the B-24 managed to evade the fighter and returned to base safely.
25 June 1954 Union of Burma Airways DC-3 XY-ACT, flying from Yangon-Mingaladon Airport to Akyab Airport was hijacked by Karen rebels who wanted to use the aircraft to smuggle arms. The aircraft was forced to land on a beach where the hijackers discovered the aircraft was loaded with chests of money being transported between bank branches.The hijackers offloaded the money and escaped. The aircraft tookoff from the beach and landed at Akyab.
6 July 1954 A Republic of China Air Force P-47N Thunderbolt (313) was shot down by a People's Republic of China PLAAF MiG-15 Fagot and the pilot was killed.
22 July 1954 A Cathay Pacific Airways DC-4 (VR-HEU) on a flight from Bangkok Thailand to Hong Kong, was shot down by People's Republic of China La-9 Fritz fighters near Hainan island, China. Of the 18 people on board (including 6 Americans), 10 were killed and 8 survived.
26 July 1954 Two US Navy AD-4 Skyraiders from VF-54, piloted by William Alexander and John Zarious,were launched from the USS Philippine Sea (CVA 47) to look for survivors from the Cathay Pacific DC-4 shot down four days previously. They were attacked by two Chinese La-7 Fins. A number of other VF-54 AD-4 Skyraiders and a F4U-5N Corsair of VC-3 came to the aid of the USN aircraft. One La-7 was shot down by AD-4 pilots Roy Tatham and Richard Cooks. The other LA-7 was shot down by AD-4 pilots John Damien, John Rochford, Paul Wahlstrom and Richard Ribble and the F4U-5N pilot Edgar Salsig. A Chinese gunboat also fired upon the US aircraft, but no damage was sustained.
12 August 1954 Two US training planes were shot down over Czechoslovakia. The pilots were captured and held for several months.
16 August 1954 A US Army Piper L-4 was intercepted near Vlasimi Czechoslovakia by M. Hlavica, flying a MiG-15bis Fagot.
4 September 1954 A US Navy P2V-5 of VP-19, operating from NAS Atsugi Japan was attacked 40 miles off the coast of Siberia by two Soviet MiG-15 Fagots. The aircraft ditched and one crew member, Roger H. Reid was lost. The other crew members, John B. Wayne, John C. Fischer, William A. Bedard, Frank E. Petty, Anthony P. Granera, Texas R. Stone, Paul R. Mulmollem, Ernest L. Pinkevich and David A. Atwell were rescued by a US Air Force SA-16 amphibian.
4 September 1954 A Republic of China Air Force P-47N Thunderbolt (369) crashed while on a bombing mission in Kinmen, People's Republic of China. The pilot was killed.
9 September 1954 Bulgarian fighter pilot Ilia Elensky intercept and fired upon an unknown intruder, at night. The plane he fired upon crashed in Greek territory. There was no official Greek comment on this, but Greek newspapers published memorials for dead pilots, without connecting their deaths to a specific event.
12 September 1954 A Republic of China Air Force PB4Y (12) was shot down by ground fire near Xiamen, People's Republic of China. The crew of nine were killed.
15 October 1954 A Republic of China Air Force P-47N Thunderbolt (227) failed to return from a mission over the People's Republic of China.
1 November 1954 A Republic of China Air Force P-47N Thunderbolt (380) crashed while on a bombing mission in Fujian, People's Republic of China. The pilot was killed.
7 November 1954 A US Air Force RB-29 Superfortress reconnaissance aircraft was shot down by Soviet MiG-15 Fagots, flown by Kostin and Seberyakov, over Tanfil'yev Island in the Kurile Islands. The damaged RB-29 crash-landed near Nokkegun on Hokkaido Island in northern Japan. The plane carrying a crew of eleven was conducting routine photographic reconnaissance near Hokkaido and the southern most of the disputed Kuril Islands. The plane was attacked and seriously damaged, forcing the crew to bail out. Ten crewmen were successfully rescued after landing in the sea; however, the eleventh man drowned when he became entangled in his parachute lines after landing.
17 November 1954 A Republic of China Air Force RT-33A (2) crashed into mountains in Fujian, People's Republic of China while evading a PLAAF MiG-15 Fagot. The pilot was killed.
December 1954 Israel Air Force Meteors forced a Syrian DC-3 to land at Lod airport in Israel after it intruded into Israel's airspace.
1955 A Soviet MiG-15bis Fagot, landed in West Germany due to a navigational error.
1955 A Soviet aviation mechanic defected by flying an An-2
Colt from East Germany to West Germany.
12 January 1955 Republic of China Air Force pilot Xao Long and his crew
defected to the People's Republic of China in a C-46 Commando. 19 January 1955 A US Army L-20 Beaver was shot down by
North Korean fire over the Korean demilitarized zone and the crew of two
were killed. 19 January 1955 A Republic of China Air Force F-84G Thunderjet
(315) was shot down by People's Republic of China ground fire and the pilot
was killed. 21 January 1955 A Republic of China Air Force P-47N Thunderbolt
(209) was shot down by People's Republic of China ground fire and the pilot
was killed. February 1955 A US Navy P2V sustained wing damage after
it was fired upon by People's Republic of China antiaircraft artillery,
while over the Formosa Strait. 5 February 1955 A US Air Force RB-45 Tornado of the 91st
Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron was attacked over the Yellow Sea, 40 miles
W of Pyongyang, by two North Korean or Chinese MiG-15 Fagots. An
air battle involving eight USAF F-86 Sabres and twelve MiG-15s followed.
Two MiGs were shot down by USAF F-86 Sabres flown by Charles Salmon and
George Williams, who were escorting the RB-45. 9 February 1955 While flying an antisubmarine patrol mission
from the USS Wasp (CVA 18), a AD-5W Skyraider of VC-11 Det H sustained damage
from Chinese antiaircraft artillery. The AD-5W was covering the evacuation
of Chinese Nationalists from the Tachen islands. The aircraft ditched and
the three man crew was rescued by Nationalist Chinese patrol boats. 12 February 1955 The People's Republic of China charged
that four US Air Force F-86 Sabres intruded into China's airspace off of
Manchuria. 20 February 1955 A Republic of China Air Force P-47N Thunderbolt
(142) was shot down by People's Republic of China ground fire and the pilot
was killed. 23 February 1955 Two Republic of China Air Force pilots defected
to the People's Republic of China in a PT-17. 2 April 1955 The People's Republic of China claimed that
four waves of US military aircraft conducted eigtheen sorties, intruding
into China's airspace. 14 April 1955 A Republic of China Air Force A-26 Invader,
piloted by Liu Guan Xiao disappeared while on airdrop mission over Fujian
Province. 17 April 1955 Soviet MiG-15 Fagot pilots Korotkov
and Sazhin shared in the downing of a US Air Force RB-47E Stratojet of the
4th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, flying from Eielson AFB, near Kamchatka.
The crew of Lacie C. Neighbors, Robert N. Brooks and Richard E. Watkins
Jr. were all presumed killed. 6 May 1955 Constantin Gornistu and Traian Cretu defected
from Romania by flying a Heinkel He-114 to Kandra, near Istanbul Turkey.
The He-114 was given back to the Romanian authorities, who had it dismantled
and returned on a ship. Traian Cretu was offered amnesty and returned to
Romania via East Germany. The amnesty proved to be a ruse and was imprisoned
and died shortly after his eventual release. Constantin Gornistu is now
is retired in Berlin. 10 May 1955 Eight US Air Force F-86 Sabres, which had just
overflown the air base at Antung in the People's Republic of China, were
attacked by twelve PLAAF MiG-15 Fagots. One F-86 Sabre was claimed
to be shot down by PLAAF pilot Xizhong Ni at Dagushan in Liaoning. USAF
pilots Robert Fulton and Burt Phythyon claimed to have each shot down a
PLAAF MiG-15 Fagot on the same day, 50 miles SW of Sinuiju. 18 May 1955 Republic of China Air Force pilot Hui Wei attempted to defect
to the People's Republic of China in a P-47 Thunderbolt, but crash landed just inside
Guangdong.. 21 June 1955 North Korean pilots Lee Un-yong and Lee Eun-song
defected by flying a Yak-18 Max to Seoul South Korea. Their aircraft is now
at the US National Air & Space Museum. 22 June 1955 A Republic of China Air Force RT-33A (7) was
shot down over Jiangxi by a People's Republic of China PLAAF MiG-17 Fresco.
The RT-33A's one crew member was killed. 22 June 1955 A US Navy P2V-5 Neptune of VP-9 (BuNo 131515),
flying a patrol mission from Kodiak Alaska, was attacked over the Bering
Strait by two Soviet MiG-15 Fagots. The aircraft crash-landed on
St. Lawrence Island after an engine was set afire. Of the eleven crew members,
including pilot Richard F. Fischer, co-pilot David M. Lockhard, Donald E.
Sonnek, Thaddeus Maziarz, Martin E. Berg, Eddie Benko, David Assard and
Charles Shields, four sustained injuries due to gunfire and six were injured
during the landing. The USA demanded $724,947 in compensation; the USSR finally
paid half this amount. 4 July 1955 Four Republic of China Air Force F-84G Thunderjet
engaged four People's Republic of China PLAAF MiG-15 Fagots, downing
one. 16 July 1955 A Republic of China Air Force F-84G Thunderjet
(118) was shot down by People's Republic of China ground fire near Kinmen,
killing the pilot. 27 July 1955 An El Al Airlines Lockheed 049 Constellation
(4X-AKC), flight 426, flying from London to Tel Aviv, via Vienna and Istanbul,
strayed into Bulgarian airspace, likely due to strong winds in very bad
weather. The aircraft was being flown by Pilot Stanley Hinks, First Officer
Pini Ben-Porat, Flight Engineer Sidney Chalmers and Radio Operator Raphael
Goldman. The aircraft was intercepted in early morning darkness at 17,500
feet by Bulgarian MiG-15 Fagot fighters, flown by Boris Vasilev Petrov
and Konstantin Krumov Sankiyski, and was shot down near Petrich, Bulgaria.
The aircraft crashed near the Strumitza River, close to the Yugolsav and
Greek borders in southwestern Bulgaria. All fifty-one passengers and seven
crew members aboard were killed, including six American nationals. 18 August 1955 A US Air Force LT-6 utility/training aircraft
was shot down by North Korean ground fire after the aircraft inadvertently
overflew the DMZ into North Korea. The pilot was wounded and the observer
was killed. The pilot and the body of the observer were returned by the
North Koreans on August 23, 1955. 15 October 1955 Republic of China Air Force F-86 Sabre
pilot Tzu-Wan Sun shot down a People's Republic of China PLAAF MiG-15 Fagot. 7 November 1955 Polish Air Force pilot Kozuchowski from the
31st Fighter Squadron in Lask defected by flying Lim-2 (MiG-15bis Fagot)
1919 to Sweden. He crash-landed in the Swedeish province of Halland. 7 November 1955 An An-2 Colt carrying Polish UN
observers along the Korean DMZ was shot down by South Korea. 1956 Four Czechoslovak Air Force MiG-15bis Fagots
intercepted a Dutch DC-6 over Bratislava. 1956 A Soviet MiG fighter was reported to have defected
to the West. 1956 A Soviet pilot attempting to defect to Austria in a Tu-2 Bat
was intercepted by MiG-15 Fagots. 10 January 1956 The People's Republic of China charged
that two US military aircraft intruded into Chinese airspace over Manchuria. 15 January 1956 A Hungarian Air Force pilot defected to Austria in a
MiG-15 Fagot. The aircraft crashed upon landing. 21 January 1956 Hungarian Air Force pilot Sandor Magyar,
flying a MiG-15bis Fagot, shot down a Soviet MiG-17PF Fresco.
Magyar later escaped to the West and settled in the United States. He changed
his name to Mike Edwards and after serving in the US Air Force, for many
years operated a hobby shop in Seattle, Washington. 7 April 1956 A Hungarian Air Force pilot defected to Italy in a
MiG-15 Fagot. The aircraft was later returned to Hungary. 14 April 1956 One MiG-15 Fagot was claimed when
four Republic of China Air Force F-84G Thunderjets engaged four MiG-15 of
the People's Republic of China PLAAF. 22 June 1956 People's Republic of China PLAAF MiG-17 Fresco
pilot Minh Lu shot down a Republic of China Air Force B-17 during a
nighttime interception over Jiangxi Province. The B-17's pilot Ye Zheng
Min and ten other aircrew were killed. July 1956 Four Polish officer cadets from the Air Training
Centre in Deblin defected by flying two Yak-18 Max trainers to Austria. 4-9 July 1956 The USSR claimed that US military aircraft
intruded up to 200 miles into Soviet airspace in the Baltic region. 13 July 1956 Malev Hungarian Airlines Li-2T HA-LIG was
hijacked by seven passengers who wanted to defect. The hijackers forced the pilot
to fly to Ingolstadt Air Base West Germany. 17 July 1956 Poland complained that US military aircraft
had intruded into Polish airspace on June 20th near Zgorzelec and July 10th
near Gubin. 20 July 1956 One MiG-15 Fagot was claimed when four
Republic of China Air Force F-84G Thunderjets engaged four MiG-15 of the
People's Republic of China PLAAF. 21 July 1956 Four Republic of China Air Force F-84G Thunderjets
engaged three MiG-15 Fagots of the People's Republic of China PLAAF.
RoCAF pilot Ouyangi-Fang claimed two victories. 21 July 1956 Republic of China Air Force pilot I-Fang Ouyang
claimed two MiG-15 Fagots as shot down when four RoCAF F-86 Sabres
engaged three MiG-15 of the People's Republic of China PLAAF. 15 August 1956 Republic of China Air Force pilot Gang Huang defected
to the People's Republic of China in AT-6 Texan 106. 22 August 1956 While on a patrol mission from Iwakuni Japan,
a US Navy P4M-1Q Mercator of VQ-1 (BuNo 124362) disappeared after a nighttime
attack by People's Republic of China PLAAF pilot Zhongwen Song, 32 miles
off the coast of Wenchow China and 180 miles north of Formosa. There were
no survivors of the 16 crew members. The bodies of two crew members, James
Ponsford and Albert Mattin, and some wreckage were recovered by the USS
Dennis J. Buckley (DDR 808). The bodies of two other crew members, Jack
Curtis and William Haskins, were recovered by the Chinese and returned to
the US. The remains of the other crew members, Donald Barber,Warren Caron,
James Deane, Francis Flood, William Humbert, Milton Hutchinson, Harold Lounsbury,
Carl Messinger, Wallace Powell, Donald Sprinkle, Leonard Strykowsky and
Lloyd Young, were never found. 10 September 1956 A US Air Force RB-50G Superfortress, on its
inaugural operational ELINT mission, as part of Airborne Communication Reconnaissance
Program (ACRP), was lost over the Sea of Japan. The crew of 16, Lorin C. Disbrow, Raymond D.
Johnson, Rodger A. Fees, Paul W. Swinehart, William J. McLauglin, Theodorus
J. Trias, Pat P. Taylor, John E. Beisty, Peter J. Rahaniotes, William H.
Ellis, Richard T. Kobayashi, Wayne J. Fair, Palmer D. Arrowood, Harry S.
Maxwell Jr., Bobby R. Davis and Leo J. Sloan, were all presumed to be killed.
It is suspected that the aircraft was lost due to a powerful storm, Typhoon
Emma, which was in the area. 23 September 1956 Polish Air Force pilot Zygmunt Gosciniak flying
Lim-2 (MiG-15bis Fagot) 1919 defected from Poland to Bornholm Island Denmark,
where he made a wheels up landing. 4 October 1956 People's Republic of China PLAAF pilot Zhao
De An shot down a Republic of China Air Force F-84 over Shantou. 13 October 1956 Four passengers who wanted to defect attemped
to hijack Malev Hungarian Airlines Li-2 HA-LID, which was flying from Szombathely
Airport to Zalaegerszeg-Andráshida Airport. In a stuggle, one hijacker was killed
and two were seriously injured. The aircraft returned and landed at Szombathely
Airport. 31 October 1956 An Egyptian MiG-15 Fagot shot down
by an Israel Air Force Mystere IVA was recovered in the Sinai by Israeli
forces. The aircraft is now displayed at Hatzor Air Force Base. 10 November 1956 A Republic of China Air Force C-46 Commando 362
was shot down over Jejigxi by a People's Republic of China PLAAF MiG-19 Farmer,
killing the crew of nine. Reportedly, the transport was conducting an airdrop,
supporting a CIA-backed insurgents in the People's Republic of China. 11 December 1956 The USSR formally protested that three
US Air Force B-57s had intruded into Soviet airspace near Vladivostok. 1957 A Soviet MiG fighter was reported to have defected
to the West. 1957 Czechoslovak Air Force pilot E. Ptacek, flying a MiG-17PF Fresco
intercepted a Belgian Convair 240, 340 or 440 in Czechoslovak air space. 21 January 1957 A Republic of China Air Force A-26 Invader
flown by Zhang Wen Yi conducted a leaflet dropping raid on Shanghai. A People's
Republic of China PLAAF MiG-17F Fresco unsucessfully attempted to
intercept the A-26. During the intercept, the MiG-17's pilot used up an
excessive amount of fuel and crashed short of the Hongqiao air base, seriously
injuring the pilot. 15 April 1957 A Republic of China Air Force RF-84F Thunderflash
crashed while being pursued by a People's Republic of China PLAAF MiG, killing
the pilot. 14 May 1957 An Czechoslovak Air Force MiG-15bis Fagot,
(UF-90) flown by an Egyptian pilot, Abdel Moneim el-Shennawy, landed at Schwechat
airport, near Vienna Austria. The pilot told Austrian authorities that after
taking off from Pardubice airfield, about 80 miles east of Prague, on a training
flight,his aircraft suffered an electrical failure and lost his compass. After
becaming disoriented, he overshot the border and was forced to land at Schwechat
after almost running out of fuel. The pilot was arrested by Austrian authorities
and held for a few days. He was then returned, with his aircraft, to Czechoslovakia. 12 June 1957 Four US Navy AD-6 Skyraiders from VA-145 launched
from the USS Hornet (CVA 12) and overflew the coast of the People's Republic
of China. They encountered antiaircraft fire and one aircraft sustained
slight damage. 1 July 1957 A Republic of China Air Force P-47 (699) was
shot down People's Republic of China ground fire and the pilot was killed. 27 July 1957 Czechoslovakia complained that US Air Force
had intruded deep into Czechoslovak airspace and ignored signals from Czechoslovak
aircraft trying to turn them back. 5 November 1957 A Republic of China Air Force A-26 Invader
was hit by ground fire north of the Dachen Islands. Pilot Wang Wei Duo,
trainee pilot Kong Xiang Zhang and navigator Li Fun Quan survived the the
enusing crash landing, but radioman Chen Ting Bin and observer Zhang Ming
Qing were killed. Three survivors were captured were released to Macau in
August 1958 and returned to the Republic of China soon thereafter. Wang
Wei Duo returned to the People's Republic of China on a visit in September
1990 and met one of his former prison guards. Kong Xiang Zhang was killed
in the crash of a China Airlines YS-11 airliner (B-156) he was flying on
August 12th 1970. 7 November 1957 A Polish Air Force Lim-2 (MiG-15bis Fagot) 1919,
piloted by Kozuchowski defected to Sweden, belly landing on Halland Island. 11 November 1957 Mystere IVA fighters of the 101 Squadron
of the Israel Air Force intercepted a Jordanian C-47 inside Israeli airspace
and forced it to land. December 1957 A BOAC DC-4 was intercepted by Albanian MiG-15
Fagots and forced to land. 23 December 1957 A US Air Force T-33 (51-4413), with one
crew member on board, was shot down over Albania by Albanian MiG-15 Fagots.
24 December 1957 A US Air Force RB-57 was shot down over
the Black Sea by Soviet fighters. 16 February 1958 A Korean National Airlines DC-3, flying
from Busan-Gimhae (Pusan) International Airport to Seoul-Gimpo (Kimpo)
International Airport was hijacked by eight passengers who wanted to defect.
The hijackers forced the pilot to fly to Pyongyang-Sunan Aiport North Korea. 18 February 1958 An RB-57A (5642/52-1431) operated by the
Republic of China Air Force was shot down over Shandong, People's Republic
of China by a People's Liberation Army Naval Air Force MiG-15 Fagot.
The pilot Guang-Huia Chao was killed. This aircraft was one of ten specially
modified for the US Air Force for Heart Throb missions. Originally used
for overflights of the Soviet Far East, in September 1957 two of these aircraft
had been transfered from the USAF to the Republic of China Air Force for
overflights of the People's Republic of China. 6 March 1958 A US Air Force F-86 Sabre fighter was shot
down by AAA fire over North Korea when it accidentally flew across the DMZ
into North Korea. The pilot bailed out and was returned uninjured by North
Korea. 13 March 1958 Wang Guo Shan, flying a People's Republic
of China PLAAF MiG-17PF Fresco, attempted to intercept a Republic
of China Air Force B-17 over Guangdong Province. After an unsuccessful intercept,
Wang attempted to return to Shuixi airfield on the Leizhou pennisula north
of Hainan Island. However, the airfield was fogged in and he crashed on
approach and was killed. On the same night, a People's Republic of China
PLAAF MiG-15bis Fagot flown by Yang Yu Jiang crashed while taking
off to act as a radio relay for the intercept and Yang was killed. 9 April 1958 A Cubana de Aviación Vickers Viscount, flying
from Havana-José Martí International Airport to Santa Clara Airport was
hijacked by passengers who wanted to defect. The hijackers forced the pilot
to fly to Mérida-Rejon Airport Mexico. 9 April 1958 Four onboard a Cuban C-46 defected by flying
to Miami. 10 April 1958 An officer attemped to hijack a Republic of
Korea Air Force C-46, flying from Daegu (Taegu) International Airport to Seoul-Gimpo
(Kimpo) International Airport, as he wanted to defect to North Korea. He was
shot and killed by a crew member and the aircraft landed at Pyongtaek. 13 April 1958 A Cubana de Aviación DC-3, flying from
Havana-José Martí International Airport to Santa Clara Airport was hijacked
by three crew members and twelve othere, who flew the aircraft to Miami International
Airport. 21 April 1958 Two Republic of China Air Force B-17s and
one RB-69 conducted a near-simultaneous penetration of the airspace of the
People's Republic of China. One B-17, flown by Chen Zhang Xiang was intercepted
by a People's Republic of China PLAAF MiG-17PF Fresco, flown by Li
Shun Xiang near Nangchang. The B-17 managed to evade the MiG-17. Li returned
to base, refueled and then took off again. On his second attempt at intercepting
the B-17, he seriously damaged the aircraft. Chen managed to fly the badly
damaged B-17 back to his base at Hsinchu on Taiwan. 18 May 1958 Indonesian Air Force (Angatan Udara Republik
Indonesia or AURI) F-51D Mustang pilot Ignatius Dewanto shot down a Civil
Air Transport A-26B Invader (44-35221) that had already been damaged by
anti-aircraft fire. The A-26 had just bombed the Ambon Island airstrip in
the Moluccas, in support of a revolt in Sulawesi aimed at overthrowing the
President Sukarno. The CIA pilot, Allen Pope and his navigator Harry Rantung,
were captured by Indonesian forces. Pope was held captive for nineteen months
before being brought to trial in a military court. He was accused of six
bombing raids that killed twenty-three Indonesians, including seventeen
members of the Indonesian armed forces. Pope was found to be guilty and
sentenced to death. The death penalty was not carried out and he was released
in 1962. 29 May 1958 A Belgian Air Force RF-84F Thunderflash violated
East German airspace and was forced to land at Damgarten by Soviet MiG-17
Frescos. After two weeks of captivity, the pilot was released. Two
weeks after this, the aircraft was returned, dissassembled, via road transport. 17 June 1958 A Republic of China Air Force RF-84F Thunderflash
(5609) crashed near Fujian People's Republic of China while being pursued
by PLAAF MiG-15bis Fagots, killing the pilot. 27 June 1958 A US Air Force C-118, reportedly on a regular
supply flight from Wiesbaden West Germany to Karachi Pakistan, via Cyprus
and Iran, crossed the Soviet border near Yerevan Armenia. Soviet MiG-17P
Fresco pilots G.F. Svetlichnikov and B.F. Zakharov shot the aircraft
down 30 km south of Yerevan. Five crew members parachuted to safety and
four other survived the crash landing on a half-finished airstrip. The crew
of Dale D. Brannon, Luther W. Lyles, Robert E. Crans, Bennie A. Shupe, James
T. Kane, James N. Luther, James G. Holman, Earl H. Reamer and Peter N. Sabo
were captured and later released by the Soviets on July 7, 1958. This aircraft
was reported to be the personal aircraft of Allen Dulles, then director
of the Central Intelligence Agency. The C-118 had carried senior CIA aides
to Europe on an inspection trip, and it was in Turkey when it was diverted.
26 July 1958 A US Air Force RB-47, flying from Iran, was
intercepted by Soviet fighters over the Caspian Sea 130 miles east-southeast
of Astara. The RB-47 evaded the fighters and fled to safety. 29 July 1958 Four F-84G Thunderjets from the Republic of
China Air Force 1st Wing in Tainnan were on patrol near Nan Ao Island when
four People's Republic of China PLAAF 54th Regiment MiG-17 Frescos
attacked. PLAAF pilots Gao ChangJi and Zhang YiLing were credited with each
shooting down a F-84. PLAAF pilot Zhao De An claimed a kill, but this was
not substantiated. 14 August 1958 Republic of China Air Force F-86F Sabre
pilots Ping-Chun Chin and Chung-Li Li each shot down a People's Republic
of China PLAAF MiG-17 Fresco. Hsien-Wu Liu shared a MiG-17 with Fu-The
Pan. One F-86F (307) failed to return from this engagement. 21 August 1958 A Republic of China Air Force B-17 flown
by Li De Feng survived five intercepts by People's Republic of China PLAAF
MiG-17PF Frescos. 25 August 1958 Republic of China Air Force F-86 Sabre pilots
Tien-En Chiang and Hsu-Hsiang Ku each shot down a People's Republic of China
PLAAF MiG-17 Fresco. 2 September 1958 A US Air Force C-130A Hercules (56-0528)
of the 7406 CSS, flying from Adana Turkey, was shot down near Sasnashen,
Soviet Armenia, about 55 kilometers northwest of the Armenian capital of
Yerevan by Soviet MiG-17 Fresco pilots Gavrilov, Ivanov, Kucheryaev
and Viktor Lopatkov. The C-130 was a Sun Valley SIGINT aircraft.
The remains of John E. Simpson, Rudy J. Swiestra, Edward J. Jeruss and Ricardo
M. Vallareal were returned to the US on September 24, 1958. The remains
of the other crew members, Paul E. Duncan, George P. Petrochilos, Arthur
L. Mello, Leroy Price, Robert J. Oshinskie, Archie T. Bourg Jr., James E.
Fergueson, Joel H. Fields, Harold T. Kamps, Gerald C. Maggiacomo, Clement
O. Mankins, Gerald H. Medeiros and Robert H. Moore were recovered in 1998.
5 September 1958 A passenger attempted to hijack Aeroflot
Il-14P CCCP-L2048, flying from Leningrad-Shosseynaya Airport to Tallinn-Ülemiste
Airport,as he wanted to defect. The hijacker started a fire in the cabin, forcing
the crew to make an emergency landing at Jőhvi, Estonia. The hijacker died in the
fire, but the other 16 people onboard escaped. 8 September 1958 Republic of China Air Force F-86 Sabre
pilots Ping-Chun Chin, Yi-Chien Li, Chin-Chung Liang, Chung-Tsi Yu and Wai-Ming
Chu each shot down a People's Republic of China PLAAF MiG-17 Fresco,
while Hsien-Wu Liu shot down two MiG-17s. PLAAF pilot Zhang Yi Lin shot
down an F-86. 10 September 1958 The People's Republic of China complained
that a US Navy P5M-1 and a US Air Force U-2 had violated Chinese airspace. 18 September 1958 Republic of China Air Force F-86 Sabre
pilots Wan-Li Lin, Yang-Chung Lu, Che-Shing Mao, Tzu-Wan Sun, Kuang-Hsing
Tung and Hsin-Yeh Liu each shot down a People's Republic of China PLAAF
MiG-17 Fresco over Haicheng in Guangdong Province. PLAAF pilot Chang
Zhu You shot down an F-86. 22 September 1958 The People's Republic of China complained
that a US military aircraft had intruded into Chinese airspace. 24 September 1958 Republic of China Air Force F-86 Sabre
pilots Jing-Chuen Chen, Chun-Hsein Fu, Jie-Tsu Hsia, Shu-Yuen Li, Ta-Peng
Ma, Hong-Yan Sung and Yi-Chiang Chien each shot down one People's Republic
of China PLAAF MiG-17 Fresco, except Chien, who shot down two. Tasi-Chuen
Liu shared a MiG-17 with Tang Jie-Min and Hsin-Yung Wang shared a MiG-17
with Yuen-Po Wang. In this air battle, one of the AIM-9B Sidewinder missiles
fired by the F-86s hit a MiG-17, but its warhead did not explode. The MiG-17
recovered safely to its base and the missile was safely extracted. The missile
was delivered to the Soviet Union and from there was sent to the Toropov
engineering office to be copied. The end product of this process being the
Vympel K-13 (AA-2 Atoll), long the most prolific Soviet air-to-air missile. 29 September 1958 Three crewmen were killed and two were
captured when a Republic of China Air Force C-46 Commando was shot down
over the People's Republic of China. The captured crewmembers were released
on June 30th, 1959. 30 September 1958 The USSR charged that a US miltary aircraft
had intruded into Soviet airspace three times in the region of the Chuktosk
Penninsula and Ratmanov Island. 2 October 1958 Five crewmen were killed when a Republic
of China Air Force C-46 Commando (199) was shot down by ground fire over
Kinmen Island, People's Republic of China. 3 October 1958 Four People's Republic of China Mig-17 Frescos
made one pass over Quemoy airfield, People's Republic of China. Republic
of China Air Force C-46 Commando 297 was hit in the fuel tank and set on
fire but was able to force land on the airfield. The navigator and radio
operator of the C-46 were both injured. The aircraft was later repaired
and made its way back to Taiwan under its own power. 7 October 1958 The People's Republic of China charged that
eight US vessels had invaded Chinese territorial waters in the area of Fukien
and that US military aircraft flew thirteen sorties in the area in the same
time period. 10 October 1958 Republic of China Air Force F-86F Sabre
pilots Nai-Chun Chang, Teng-Chung Ting, Chuan-Hsu Yeh and Cheng Lu each
shot down a People's Republic of China PLAAF MiG-17 Fresco. One F-86F
was damaged by debris from an exploding MiG-17. The pilot bailed out and
was taken captive. He was released on June 30th, 1959. 19 October 1958 Israel Air Force fighters attempted to
force down a Jordanian DC-3 airliner that the Israelis claimed was flying
over Wadi Ramon, in the Negev. The fighters crossed into Jordanian airspace
and possibly Saudi airspace, but the Jordanian airliner escaped. 22 October 1958 Cubana de Aviación DC-3A CU-T266,
flying from Cayo Mambi Airport to Moa-Orestes Acosta Airport, was
hijacked by three passengers. The hijackers forced the pilot to land at a
rebel airstrip at Mayarí Arriba. The other 11 onboard were released and the
aircraft was hidden under camouflage. It and another DC-3 hijacked on
November 6, 1958, were destroyed in an airstrike by Cuban Air Force A-26 Invader
923 on November 12, 1958. 25 October 1958 Two men attempted to hijack an Aeroflot An-2,
Colt while it was on the ground at Nizhniye Kresty Airport. The hijackers
demanded to by flown to the United States. After negotiations failed, the hijackers
were overwhelmed by police forces. 31 October 1958 A US Air Force RB-47 Stratojet was attacked
by Soviet fighters over the Black Sea. The crew of three were not injured
and the aircraft returned safely to base. 1 November 1958 Cubana de Aviación Vickers 755D Viscount CU-T603,
flying from Miami International Airport to Varadero Airport, was hijacked. The
aircraft ran out of fuel and crashed while trying to land Preston Airport, in
an area controlled by anti-government forces. 17 of the 20 onboard were killed. 7 November 1958 A US Air Force RB-47 Stratojet was attacked
by Soviet fighters, east of Gotland Island over the Baltic Sea. The crew
of three were not injured and the aircraft returned safely to base. 6 November 1958 Cubana de Aviación DC-3A CU-T8, flying from
Manzanillo-Sierra Maestra Airport to Holguín-Frank Pais Airport,was
hijacked by several passengers. The hijackers forced the pilot to land at a
rebel airstrip at Mayarí Arriba. The others onboard were released and the
aircraft was hidden under camouflage. It and another DC-3 hijacked on
October 22, 1958, were destroyed in an airstrike by Cuban Air Force A-26 923
on November 12, 1958. 17 November 1958 A US Air Force RB-47 Stratojet was attacked
over the Sea of Japan by Soviet fighters. The crew of three were not injured
and the aircraft returned safely to base. 15 December 1958 Two Republic of China Air Force B-17s
and one RB-69 conducted a near-simultaneous penetration of the airspace
of the People's Republic of China. One of the B-17s was intercepted by a
People's Republic of China PLAAF MiG near Nanchang, but managed to evade
the MiG. 27 March 1959 A US military aircraft flying at over 20,000
feet in one of the Berlin air corridors was buzzed by Soviet fighter aircraft.
The Soviets claimed that all flights in the Berlin air corridors had to
stay below 10,000 feet. April 1959 Dominican Air Force pilot Juan de Dios Ventura Simó,
flying a de Havilland Vampire, defected to Puerto Rico. 6 April 1959 Vautours of the Israel Air Force intercepted
an unidentified airliner. 10 April 1959 A Compagnie Haitienne de Transports Aériens
(COHATA) DC-3, flying from Les Cayes Airport to Port-au-Prince-Mais Gate Airport
was hijacked by six rebels. The hijackers killed the pilot and forced the copilot
to fly to Santiago Airport Cuba. 16 April 1959 An Aerovías Cubanas Internacionales C-46, flying
from Havana-José Martí International Airport to Isla De La Juventud-Siguanea Airport
with 22 onboard, was hijacked by four passengers who wanted to defect. The hijackers
forced the pilot to fly to Miami International Airport. 25 April 1959 A Cubana de Aviación Vickers Viscount, flying
from Varadero-Juan Gualberto Gomez Airport to Havana-José Martí International Airport
with 12 onboard, was hijacked by four passengers (two men and two women) who wanted
to defect. The hijackers forced the pilot to fly to Key West International Airport. 27 May 1959 Mystere IVA fighters of the 109 Squadron of
the Israel Air Force, piloted by Yosef Tzuk and Ya'acov Yariv, intercepted
a Lebanese Air Force Savio Marchetti SM.79 transport and forced it to land
at Haifa, after it entered Israeli airspace. 29 May 1959 A Republic of China Air Force B-17 (835) piloted
by Xu Yin Gui was shot down by a People's Republic of China PLAAF MiG-17PF
Fresco piloted by Jiang Zhe Lun near Yangjiang People's Republic
of China. The B-17's crew of fourteen was killed. On the same night, People's
Republic of China PLAAF fighter pilots attempted unsuccesfully to intercept
over Guangdong Province a second Republic of China Air Force B-17 flown
by Li De Feng. 30 May 1959 A UN operated C-47 was intercepted by Mystere
IVA fighters of the 109 Squadron of the Israel Air Force and forced to land
at Lod airport in Israel. 1 June 1959 Aerolineas Nacionales Curtiss C-46 TI-1022,
flying from San José-La Sabana Airport to a farm airstrip near Volcán, instead
landed elsewhere in Costa Rica were a cargo of arms was loaded on the aircraft.
It then tookoff and headed to Nicaragua to deliver the arms to those staging
an uprising against President Somoza. The aircraft was intercepted and shot
down by a Nicaraguan Air Force P-51 fighter plane and crashed, reportedly killing
all onboard. 16 June 1959 While flying a patrol mission over the Sea
of Japan, a US Navy P4M-1Q Mercator of VQ-1 (BuNo 122209) was attacked 50
miles east of the Korean DMZ by two North Korean MiG-17 Frescos.
During the attack, the aircraft sustained serious damage to the starboard
engine and the tail gunner Eugene Corder was seriously wounded. The pilots
of the Mercator, Donald Mayer and Vincent Anania were awarded the Distinguished
Flying Cross for bringing the badly damaged aircraft safely back to Miho
AFB Japan. Vincent Anania was the father of Elizabeth Anania, who was married
to Senator John Edwards. 5 July 1959 Four Republic of China Air Force F-86 Sabres
battled 24 People's Republic of China PLAAF MiG-17 Frescos, over
the Straits of Taiwan, claiming two. 8 July 1959 A Jugoslovenski Aerotransport (JAT) airliner,
flying from Tivat Airport to Beograd-Dojno Polje Airport with 27 onboard,
was hijacked by a passenger who wanted to defect. The hijacker forced the
pilot to fly to Bari-Palese Airport Italy. 19 July 1959 The People's Republic of China charged that
a US Navy aircraft intruded into Chinese airspace while flying over Pingtan
and Paichuan Islands off the coast of Fukien Province. 9 September 1959 Super Mysteres of the Israel Air Force
intercepted an Egyptian Vickers Viscount airliner. 7 October 1959 A Republic of China Air Force RB-57D (53-3978,
5643), flown by Wang Ying Chin, was shot down near Beijing People's Republic
of China by a SA-2 Guideline missile. Chin was killed. 2 October 1959 A Cubana de Aviación Vickers Viscount, flying
from Havana-José Martí International Airport to Santiago-Antonio Maceo Airport
with 40 onboard, was hijacked by three passengers who wanted to defect.
The hijackers forced the pilot to fly to Miami International Airport. 12 October 1959 Polish Air Force pilot Andrzej Krajewski
defected with his pregnant wife and three-year-old daughter by flying from
Grudziadz Aeroklub Poland to a military field near Rřnne, Bornholm Island Denmark. 12 October 1959 Flying from Ghedi Airport near Brescia on a training flight,
Italian Air Force F-84F Thunderstreak pilot Ernesto De Majo (flying MM53-6642) got separated from his
flight leader Ugo Zenoglio and ended up in Czechoslovak airspace. He was intercepted
by Czechoslovak Air Force pilots Jaroslav Bureš and Josef Faix, flying a MiG-17PF Fresco
and MiG-19P Farmer, respectively. The Czechoslovak pilots lead the F-84F
to a landing at Hradec Králové Airport. The pilot was flown back to Italy, via Zurich
Switzerland, on October 31st 1959. After a thorough inspection, the dismantled F-84F
was returned in a rail car to Italy. 20 October 1959 A formation of two West German Air Force F-84G Thunderstreaks
(DD-107 52-6546 and DD-108 51-9517) flying from Memmingen Air Base, flown by Helmuth Kraus and
Rolf Hofmann, strayed into Czechoslovak air space. Thinking they were near their base,
they began to descend and crashed into tree tops near Mariánské Lázne. Both pilots managed to
eject before their aircraft crashed and they parachuted to safety. The pilots were captured by
members of the Czechoslovak border patrol and held in secret for three weeks. The two pilots
were released at the Waidhaus-Rozvadov crossing on December 2nd, 1959. 19 November 1959 Mystere IVA fighters of the Israel Air
Force intercepted a Lebanese DeHavilland Dragon Rapide inside Israeli airspace
near Nahariya and forced it to land at Haifa. 2 December 1959 Panair do Brasil Lockheed L-049 Constellation PP-PCR,
flying from Rio de Janeiro-Santos Dumont Airport to Belém/Val-de-Cans International Airport,
with 44 onboard, was hijacked by two Brazilian air force officers as part of an attempt to
overthow President Juscelino Kubitschek. After the coup d'état failed, the hijackers forced
the pilot to fly the aircraft to Buenos Aires Argentina. 1960 North Korean pilot Chong Nak-Hyok defected to South Korea in a MiG-15
Fagot. 12 January 1960 Wang Wenping, flying a MiG-15 Fagot
(0651), attempted to defect from the People's Republic of China, but the
aircraft exploded on landing at Yilan, Taiwan. 16 February 1960 Four Republic of China Air Force F-86
Sabres engaged 20 PLAAF MiG-17 Frescos, over the Straits of Taiwan,
claiming one as shot down. 25 March 1960 A Republic of China Air Force RB-69A (7101/BuNo
140442/54-4040) crashed into a hill near Kusan, South Korea, during a low
level ferry flight from Hsinchu, Taiwan to staging area in Kunsan, South
Korea. All 14 aircrew on board were killed. 2 April 1960 Iraqi Air Force pilot Abbud Salim Hasan defected
by flying a Hawker Hunter to Syria. 12 April 1960 Three crew members and one passenger requested
asylum after flying to Miami International Airport from Havana-José Martí International
Airport on a Cubana de Aviación Vickers Viscount. 1 May 1960 A CIA Lockheed U-2C (Article 360, 56-6693),
flown by Francis Gary Powers from Peshawar Pakistan, was shot down by an
SA-2 Guideline missile, near Sverdlovsk, USSR. Recent evidence says
that Powers was shot down by the first of three missiles fired by a battery
commanded by Mikhail Voronov. A Soviet MiG-19 Farmer pilot, Sergei
Safronov, was shot down and killed by another SA-2 Guideline fired
later in the incident. Powers bailed out and parachuted to safety. He was
then taken captive and later tried in a Soviet court. After serving some
time in prison, he was released, in exchange for Soviet spy Rudolf Abel
on February 10th, 1962 in Berlin. 20 May 1960 A US Air Force C-47 returning home to Wheelus
AFB Libya from a trip to Copenhagen Denmark was intercepted by Soviet fighters
which fired warning shots to force the aircraft to land in northern East
Germany. The C-47, carrying four crew and nine passengers, landed safely
in a meadow near the village of Kluetz, about 15 miles inside the East-West
German border and 25 miles from the city of Schwerin. On May 25th, after
a relatively uneventful stay, the crew and passengers were released by the
Soviet authorities and flew in the C-47 to Wiesbaden West Germany. 1 July 1960 A US Air Force ERB-47H Stratojet (53-4281)
of the 38th Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, 55th Strategic Reconnaissance
Wing, flying over the Barents Sea was downed by Soviet pilot Vasili Poliakov,
flying a MiG-15 Fagot. Co-pilot Bruce Olmstead and navigator John
McKone survived and were taken captive. The pilot, Bill Palm and ELINT operators
Eugene Posa, Oscar Goforth and Dean Phillips were killed. Olmstead and McKone
were released from Soviet captivity on January 25th, 1961. Bill Palm's remains
were returned to the US on July 25, 1960. Eugene Posa's remains were recovered
by the Soviets, but never returned to the US. 5 July 1960 A Cubana de Aviación Bristol 175 Britannia 318,
flying from Madrid-Barajas Airport to Havana-José Martí International Airport,
with 40 onboard, was hijacked by two crewmembers who wanted to defect. The
hijackers forced the pilot to fly the aircraft to Miami International Airport. 17 July 1960 A Cubana de Aviación Vickers Viscount, flying
from Havana-José Martí International Airport to Miami International Airport,
with 56 onboard, was hijacked by the pilot who wanted to defect. The pilot to
flew the aircraft to Kingston-Palisadoes International Airport Jamaica. 28 July 1960 A Cubana de Aviación DC-3, flying to
Camagüey-Ign Agramonte International Airport, with 14 onboard, was hijacked by
the pilot and two passengers who wanted to defect. The pilot flew the aircraft
to Miami International Airport. 29 October 1960 A Cubana de Aviación DC-3, flying from
Havana-José Martí International to Airport Nueva Gerona Airport, with 37 onboard,
was hijacked by the copilot who wanted to defect. An air marshall was killed
in the ensuing struggle. In the end, the copilot flew the aircraft
to Key West International Airport. There, he and ten passengers requested
political asylum. 24 November 1960 Afghan Air Force pilot Abdus Samad Fazli, flying
a Piper Cub defected to Pakisan. 8 December 1960 A Cubana de Aviación airliner, flying from
Cienfuegos Airport to Havana-José Martí International Airport, with 17 onboard,
was hijacked by five passengers who wanted to defect. A gun battle broke out
and the airplane crashed, killing all onboard. 1961 A pilot flying a Su-9 Fishpot defected from
the Soviet Union to Abadan, Iran. The aircraft was taken to the United States
for evaluation and the pilot received asylum in the United States. 1 January 1961 A Cubana de Aviación Bristol 175 Britannia 318,
flying to Havana-José Martí International Airport, was hijacked by two passengers
who wanted to defect. The hijackers forced the pilot to fly to New York City. 19 January 1961 An Egyptian pilot flying a Yak-11 Moose
defected to Israel. 30 January 1961 The USSR protested that a US reconnaissance
aircraft had intruded into Soviet airspace off the Arctic island of Vize. 15 February 1961 A Republic of China Air Force PB4Y (423)
was shot down by Burmese Hawker Sea Fury fighter aircraft, near the Thai-Burmese
border, killing the crew of five. Two other crewmembers were taken prisoner.
This aircraft was carrying supplies for Chinese Kuomintang forces fighting
in northern Burma. March 1961 During a overflight of the People's Republic
of China by a Republic of China U-2, flown by Tai-Yow Wang, more than thirty
Chinese fighters attempted unsuccesfully to intercept the U-2. 4 March 1961 Cuban pilot Rafael del Pino Diaz, flying a
T-33, shot down a US Beechcraft AT-11. 17 April 1961 Cuban Hawker Sea Fury pilots Douglas Rudd
Mole and Enrique Carreras Rojas and T-33 pilots Alvaro Prendes Quantana,
Alberto Fernandez, Rafael del Pino Diaz, each shot down a CIA A-26C Invader
operating in the Bay of Pigs invasion.. 18 April 1961 Cuban T-33 pilot Alvaro Prendes Quantana
shot down a CIA A-26C Invader operating in the Bay of Pigs invasion. 19 April 1961 Cuban T-33 pilots Alvaro Prendes Quantana
and Enrique Carreras Rojas, each shot down a CIA A-26C Invader operating
in the Bay of Pigs invasion. 20 April 1961 A US aircraft was fired on by North Korean
aircraft. The pilot was killed when the aircraft crashed while attempting
an emergency landing south of Seoul. 3 July 1961 A Cubana de Aviación DC-3, flying from
Varadero-Juan Gualberto Gomez Airport to Havana-José Martí International Airport,
was hijacked by 14 passengers who wanted to defect. The hijackers forced the pilot
to fly to Miami International Airport. 2 August 1961 A Republic of China Air Force RF-101A Voodoo
was shot down by ground fire near Fukien People's Republic of China. The
pilot Wu Paotze was captured. 4 August 1961 Iranian Airways DC-4 EP-ADK, returning to Tehran
from a cargo flight to Beirut was attacked by Soviet fighters after it strayed
into Soviet airspace. The aircraft sustained damage to the left wing and
both outboard engines. The crew of three made a safe wheels-up landing on
the southwest coast of the Caspian Sea. 9 August 1961 A Cubana de Aviación C-46, flying from
Havana-José Martí International Airport to Nueva Gerona Airport,
was hijacked by five passengers who wanted to defect. A gun battle broke
out and the pilot, a hijacker and an air marshall were killed. The copilot
conducted an emergency landing in a sugar cane field near Havana. The
four remaining hijackers escaped. September 1961 An Air Courier C-47B was shot down by UN
aircraft over Kolwezi in the Congo. 14 September 1961 The US State Department protested that
two US civil airliners had been harrassed by Soviet aircraft over Germany.
In one case, a Soviet fighter flew 20 feet off the wing of a Pan American
airliner in the Berlin air corridor. In the second case, a Soviet fighter
crossed 100 feet in front of another Pan American airliner. 14 September 1961 Two West German Air Force F-84F Thunderstreaks
piloted by Peter Pfefferkorn and Hans Eberl, flying from Lechfeld Air Base in Bavaria
became lost and entered East German air space. Despite 42 Soviet and East German
scrambling, they weren't intercepted and landed at Berlin-Tegel Airport in West Berlin.
This created an international incident, as West German aircraft were prohibited from
flying into West Berlin. Unable to fly the aircraft back to West Germany, they were
stripped for parts and buried on the south side of the airport. The pilots were
arrested by the French authorities controlling Tegela and only returned home five
weeks later. 15 September 1961 Shao Hsi-yen and Kao Yu-tsung, flying
a Xian Y-5 (An-2) Colt, defected from Shandong People's Republic of China
to Jeju-do Island South Korea and then reached Taiwan on October 7th. Both pilots
later served in the Republic of China Air Force and retired with ranks of colonel.
Shao eventually emigrated to the United States. 30 October 1961 A specially modified Soviet Tu-95V
Bear A (5800302), flying from Olenegorsk Air Base, dropped the largest
nuclear weapon every tested, the 58 megaton RDS-220 Tsar Bomba. This
three stage weapon was actually a 100 megaton bomb design, but the uranium-238
fusion stage tamper of the tertiary (and possibly the secondary) stages was replaced
with one of lead, to limit the yield. The Tu-95V was accompanied by a Tu-16 Badger
instrumentation aircraft (3709). The test was conducted over Novaya Zemlya, in the Barents
Sea. A US Air Force JKC-135A Stratotanker instrumentation aircraft, 55-3127,
was loitering nearby to monitor the test, close enough that the paint on the aircraft was
scorched by the heat of the bomb's fireball. Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev had announced the
upcoming test on October 17th, 1961 and the KC-135A had been hurriedly modified
by the US Air Force Big Safari office to monitor the test, in operation Speed
Light Bravo. 6 November 1961 Fourteen crew members were killed when
Republic of China Air Force RB-69A (7099/BuNo 140440/54-4039) conducting
a low level penetration flight was shot down by a SA-2 Guideline
missile over Shantung province People's Republic of China. 5 December 1961 US Air Force F-102s out of Galena Alaska
made the first intercept of a Soviet aircraft in Alaskan air space, a Soviet
Tu-16 Badger. 8 January 1962 A Sabena Belgian Airlines Sud Caravelle,
carrying 19 passengers and 8 crewmembers, was forced to land at Grozny in
the Caucasus region of the Soviet Union by four MiG fighters. The Caravelle
was on a flight from Tehran Iran to Istanbul Turkey and, encountering bad
weather and with a faulty compass, inadvertantly penetrated far into Soviet
airspace. The passengers were flown to Brussels on January 11th in a Soviet
aircraft and the Caravelle returned home the next day. 8 January 1962 A Republic of China Air Force RB-69A (7097/BuNo
140438/54-4038) crashed into the Korea Bay while conducting an ELINT and
leaflet dropping mission. All fourteen crew on board were killed. 20 January 1962 Bulgarian Air Force pilot Milush Solakov
crashed a MiG-17 Fresco reconnaissance near the Gioia del Colle Italy
NATO Jupiter missile base. The pilot survived, requested and was granted political
asylum. 27 February 1962 South Vietnamese pilot Nguyen Van Cu
defected to Cambodia in a Douglas A-1H Skyraider (Bu 134485) after a failed
coup attempt. March 1962 During a overflight of the People's Republic
of China by a Republic of China U-2, flown by Tai-Yow Wang, a Chinese missile
guidance radar locked on to the U-2. The pilot took evasive action and escaped
without harm. 3 March 1962 Liu Cheng-Sze, piloting a MiG-15bis Fagot,
defected from Luqiao air base in Zhejiang People's Republic of China to Taoyuan
Air Force Base in the Republic of China. Liu was rewarded 1,000 taels
(approximately 50 kg) of gold, and the position of deputy director of a Republic
of China Air Force radio station. He was honorably discharged with a rank of colonel.
His aircraft is now on display at Pintung Air Force Base. 23 March 1962 United States Army soldier Bobby Joe Kesey deserted and
defected by flying from Marathon Florida to Cuba in a Piper PA-24 Comanche. Kesey requested
political asylum in Cuba, but was denied. He stayed in Cuba for 49 days, after which he was
extradited to the United States. There, he was tried and sentenced to five years in prison,
of which he served two and was released for exemplary behavior. 12 May 1962 Indonesian Air Force (AURI) C-47 T-440 flyinng
off Kaimana, West Papua, was intercepted by Dutch Navy SP-2H Neptune 207, after
the C-47 had dropped paratroopers. The SP-2H fired on the aircraft, causing a fire
on the left wing of the C-47. The aircraft ditched at sea and all crew members were
rescued. 28 May 1962 In Operation Coldfeet, Maj. James Smith, USAF
and Lt. Leonard A. LeSchack, USNR parachuted from CIA B-17G N809Z (44-83785
c/n 32426) into the abandoned Soviet arctic ice station NP 8. After searching
the station, they were retrieved using a Fulton Skyhook system installed
on the B-17, piloted by Connie Seigrist and Douglas Price, on June 1st.
24 June 1962 Japanese Air Force Technical Sergeant Takahashi
attempted to defect to China by stealing T-33A 81-5361 at Matsushima AB.
His attempt failed when he crashed on takeoff and was injured. 17 July 1962 A Soviet fighter jet crossed with 300-400
feet of the nose of a US Federal Aviation Administration DC-3 in the Berlin
air corridor. The fighter then took up position on the wing tip of the US
aircraft. 30 July 1962 Cuba complained that a US military aircraft
from Guautanamo Bay Naval Air Station had made repeated intrusions into
Cuban airspace over the coast of Oriente Province. August 1962 A RF-101A Voodoo of the Republic of China Air
Force was lost near Fukien, People's Republic of China. 1 August 1962 A Republic of China Air Force RB-69A was
shot down over People's Republic of China, killing the crew of thirteen. 18 August 1962 Two Iraqi Air Force Il-28 Beagles, on a bombing mission
against Iraqi Kurdish insurgents were shot down by Turkish Air Force F-84F Thunderstreaks
after the Iraqi aircraft strayed into Turkish air space. 4 September 1962 Cuban Air Force instructor Jose Diaz Vasquez,
flying a Zlin 326 Master-Trainer, defected to Naval Air Station Key West in the United States.
His trainee, Edel Ramirez Santos asked to return home. 9 September 1962 A Republic of China Air Force U-2A (Article
378, 56-6711), flown by Chen Huai Sheng was shot down by a SA-2 Guideline
missile over the People's Republic of China, 15 Km south of Nunchang. Sheng
survived bailing out but died later in the hospital, after being captured. 24 September 1962 A US Air Force RB-47H, piloted by John
Drost, was intercepted over the Baltic Sea by a Soviet MiG-19 Farmer.
2 October 1962 Royal Saudi Air Force pilots Rashad Sisha Mecca and
Ahmed Hussein Ikka, along with flight engineer Omar defected by flying a C-123
Provider to Egypt, where they were given political asylum. 3 October 1962 Royal Saudi Air Force pilots Aly El-Azhari and Abdul
Wahab defected by flying a training plane to Egypt, where they were given political
asylum. 8 October 1962 Two Royal Saudi Air Force pilots defected by flying
to Egypt. 10 October 1962 It is believed that CSA Czechoslovak
Airlines Il-14P OK-MCT crashed near Slakov after colliding with a US Air
Force reconnaissance balloon. 27 October 1962 A US Air Force U-2A (Article 343, 56-6676)
of the 4080th Strategic Reconnaissance Wing, piloted by Rudolf Anderson,
was shot down by a SA-2 Guideline missile over Cuba. Anderson was
killed when shrapnel punctured his pressure suit, causing the suit to decompress
at altitude, after the cockpit has already decompressed. He was posthumously
awarded the Air Force Cross. 29 October 1962 A US Air Force air sampling aircraft flying
over the Arctic Ocean intruded into Soviet airspace, due to a navigational
error. 4 November 1962 A Russian-flown MiG-21 Fishbed intercepted
two US Air Force F-104C Starfighters from the 479th Tactical Fighter Wing
on a reconnaissance sortie near Santa Clara Cuba, but the F-104s disengaged
and retired northward. 12 November 1962 Jordanian Air Force pilot Sahl Mohamed Hamza
defected to the United Arab Republic (Egypt or Syria) in a De Havilland DH.114 Heron. 13 November 1962 Two Jordanian Air Force pilots defected by flying
Hawker Hunters to the United Arab Republic (Egypt or Syria). December 1962 Mossad agent Jean Thomas, along with two accomplices,
was hung in Egypt after trying to induce Egyptian Air Force pilot Adib Hanna to defect
to Israel with a MiG-21 Fishbed. 12 March 1963 Portuguese Air Force pilot Jacinto Soares Veloso defected
by flying a T-6 Texan from Mozambique to Dar es Salaam Tanganyika, where he joined the Mozambique
Liberation Front. 15 March 1963 Two Soviet reconnaissance aircraft intruded
into US airspace over Alaska to a depth of 30 miles. The aircraft entered
US airspace over Kuskokwin Bay and flew in US airspace for about 30 minutes. 16 March 1963 Royal Lao Air Force pilot Chert Saibory defected
by flying a T-28 Trojan to North Vietnam. May 1963 Soviet MiG-17F Fresco pilot Steapnov, of
the 156th IAP, shot down an Imperial Iranian Air Force Aerocommander 560.
The IIAF crew members and a Colonel of the US Special Forces, were all killed. 17 May 1963 A US Army OH-23 Raven helicopter was shot down
over the Korean demilitarized zone. The crew of two were captured and not
returned until a year later. 1 June 1963 Tingze Xu, a pilot in the Republic of China
Air Force 43 Squadron, defected to the People's Republic of China in a F-86F
Sabre (F-86272, 52-4441). In doing so, he took off from Hsinchu, Taiwan
and landed at Longtian, Fujian province PRoC. The aircraft is now on display
in the Military Museum of Chinese People's Revolution in Beijing. 14 June 1963 A Republic of China Air Force RB-69A (7105/BuNo
141233/54-4041) was shot down near Nanchang People's Republic of China,
killing the crew of fourteen. The aircraft was shot down by a PLAAF MiG-17PF
Fresco flown by Wang Wenli. Some accounts say this incident happened
on June 19th or 20th. July 1963 US Air Force Airman Roberto "Robert" Ramos Michelena
defected to Cuba in a T-34 Mentor. July 1963 Polish pilot Ryszard Obacz defected with his
wife and two sons by flying a TS-8 Bies trainer to West Berlin. 19 July 1963 A Mirage IIICJ of the Israel Air Force 101
Squadron, piloted by Joe Aloni (Placek), forced a USAF RB-57 overflying
Israel to land at Lod Airport. The RB-57 was released after the US government
apologized for a "navigational error". 6 August 1963 A US Army "LT" was lost over North
Korea. This was possibly a US Air Force C-130 on a Jilli mission,
dropping leaflets off the coast of North Korea. September 1963 A Czechoslovak MiG-21 Fishbed, flown
by Jan Foks, shot down an aircraft intruding into Czechoslovak air space. 1 November 1963 A Republic of China Air Force U-2C (Article
355, 56-6688), flown by "Robin" Yeh Chang Yi was shot down by
a SA-2 Guideline missile over Jiagxi, People's Republic of China.
The aircraft had been on a mission to photograph the Lanzhou nuclear weapons
plant and the Jiayuguan missile test site. After overflying these sites,
the aircraft was approaching the coast of China when it was shot down. After
evading one missile, a second tore off the aircraft's right wing. Yeh survived
and was released from captivity into Hong Kong on November 10, 1982. He
was refused entry into the Republic of China and eventually was admitted
to the United States. 20 November 1963 US Air Force U-2 (Article 350, 56-6683)
crashed off the southwest coast of Florida while returning from Cuban overflight.
Pilot Joe Hyde was killed. 20 November 1963 Soviet pilot V.P. Pavlovskii shot down
an Iranian civilian L-26B. 30 November 1963 Iraqi Air Force pilot Abdel Rahim al-Salim Zuher
defected to the USSR by flying through Iranian airspace and landed in Baku, Azerbaijan SSR.
The type of aircraft he flew is not known, but may have been a de Havilland Vampire. 19 January 1964 Egyptian Air Force pilot Mahmud Abbas Hilmi
defected from el-Arish Air Base to Hatzor Air Base in Israel in his Let C.11 (Yakovlev
Yak-11 Moose). His aircraft was sent to the UK in 1976, in exchange for a
North American AT-6D Texan and was flown there as G-KYAK. After being sold, it flew
in France as F-AZHQ and it now flies in Germany as D-FMAX. 24 January 1964 A US Air Force T-39 Sabreliner, based in
Weisbaden West Germany, was shot down by a Soviet fighter over Thuringia,
about 60 miles inside East Germany while on a training flight. The crew
of three, Gerald Hannaford, John Lorraine and Donald Millard were killed. 7 March 1964 Theo van Eijck, of the Dutch Naval Air Arm MLD
stole a Grumman S-2 Tracker at RAF Hal Far in Malta and flew to Libya. He was
trying to defect to Egypt, but did not have enough fuel to reach his destination
in Alexandria. After flying over Benina Airport, he landed on a short airstrip near
Benghazi. The pilot requested and was granted political asylum in Libya. A year
later he agreed to return to the Netherlands and spent a year in prison. The aircraft
was returned to the MLD afterwards. 10 March 1964 A US Air Force RB-66 Destroyer from the 10
TRW, based at Toul-Rosieres France, was shot down over East Germany by Soviet
MiGs. The aircraft was shot down near Gardelegen, after straying out of
one of the Berlin air corridors. The three crew members, David Holland,
Melvin Kessler and Harold Welch parachuted to safety and were released several
days later. 20 March 1964 Cuban Mil Mi-4 Hound crew members
Guillermo Santos and Andres Izaguirre shot dead the pilot of the helicopter,
Jose Garciawho and flew it to Naval Air Station Key West. 23 March 1964 Republic of China Air Force pilot Liang Teh
Pei was killed when his U-2C (Article 356, 56-6689) came apart while over
the Taiwan Straits. 27 March 1964 A Let C-11 (Yak-11U) Moose being ferried
from Czechoslovakia to Egypt force landed in Cyprus. The aircraft was shipped
to the UK and entered the civil register as G-AYAK. 10 April 1964 A Polish Air Force Il-28 Beagle cn 56219
strayed into Czechoslovak air space. It was intercepted near Prague by Czechoslovak
Air Force MiG-19PM Farmer 1002 flying from Ceské Budejovice. The MiG-19
collided with the left wing of the Il-28 and both crashed. The two crew of the
Il-28 and the pilot of the MiG-19 were all killed. 11 June 1964 A Republic of China Air Force RB-69A (7047/BuNo
135612/54-4037) was shot down near Yantai, Shantung Peninsula, killing the
thirteen crewmembers. This night time interception was made by a People's
Republic of China PLAAF MiG-17F Fresco, aided by an Iluyshin Il-28
Beagle, which dropped flares. 7 July 1964 A Republic of China Air Force U-2G (Article
362, 56-6695), flown by "Terry" Lee Nan Lee was shot down over
Fujian, People's Republic of China by a SA-2 Guideline missile. Lee
was killed. 15 July 1964 A Soviet Tu-16 Badger crashed in the
Sea of Japan near the USS Bennington, USS Cunningham and USS Eversole. August 1964 Soviet MiG-17F Fresco pilot Pechenkin,
of the 156th IAP, shot down an Imperial Iranian Air Force Aerocommander
560. 3 September 1964 An Indonesian Air Force C-130B (T-1307),
one of three on a low level night mission to drop Rapid Response Troop (Pasukan Gerak Tjepat,
PGT) paratroopers over the Malaysian pennisula, crashed in the Straits of Malacca. It has been
reported that it was shot down or crashed avoiding interception by a Royal Air Force Javelin FAW.9
of 60 Squadron from from RAF Tengah. 26 September 1964 Two Czechoslovak Air Force MiG-21F-13
Fishbeds, flown by Stefan Bolcha and Vaclav Ohem, took off from Žatec
Airport for a training excercise over East Germany. They were intecepted by a
Soviet MiG-21F-13, piloted by Maj. Umjarov, who fired a Vympel K-13 Atoll
missile. The missile hit Ohem's aircraft (0111) and he safely ejected. 20 October 1964 Austrian Air Force pilots Adolf Erdler
and Johann Kemettinger, flying Saab J29 Tunnans 29559 and 29627 from Hörsching base
near Linz got lost in bad weather and strayed into Czechoslovak air space. They
ended up making emergency landings in a field near Orech, about fourteen kilometers
from Prague. One aircraft overturned on landing and the pilot had to be extracted.
The pilots and their aircraft, were returned to Austria on October 21st 1964. 14 November 1964 A US Air Force aircraft was attacked over
the Korean DMZ. 27 November 1964 A Republic of China Air Force U-2C, flown
by "Johnny" Wang Shichuen, narrowly avoided being shot down while
photographing the Lanzhou nuclear weapons plant in the People's Republic
of China. Several SA-2 Guideline missiles flew by so close to the
aircraft that the pilot was temporarily blinded. 18 December 1964 A RF-101A Voodoo (5654) of the Republic
of China Air Force was shot down by a PLANAF J-6 over Wenzhou in Zhejiang
Province of the People's Republic of China. The pilot, Hsieh Hsiangho was
taken captive by fishermen after bailing out over the ocean. He was released
from captivity in July 1985. 19 December 1964 John W. Mecom Oil Co. C-82A Packet N128E,
flying from Amman Airport to Benghazi-Benina International Airport was shot
down 25 miles east of Alexandria by a missile fired by an Egyptian Air Force
MiG-21 Fishbed. The Packet's pilots had ignored warning signals, warning
shots and instructions to land at Cairo. The aircraft was destroyed and both
pilots were killed. 1964-1965 A CIA operated P-3 Orion (149669, 149673 or 149678)
is rumored to have shot down a MiG over the People's Republic of China with
a AIM-9 Sidewinder missile. These three P-3s conducted low-level nocturnal
intelligence gathering missions over the PRoC. 1965 A number of Syrian MiG-17 Frescos landed in
Israel by mistake. At least three aircraft and five pilots were returned
to Syria. The remaining aircraft were flight tested by the Israel Air Force
and one or more were shipped to the United States for further testing. 10 January 1965 A Republic of China Air Force U-2C (Article
358, 56-6691), flown by "Jack" Chang Liyi, was shot down over
the People's Republic of China, southwest of Beijing by a SA-2 Guideline
missile. The aircraft was on a mission to photograph the Paotow nuclear
weapons plant. Chang survived and was released from captivity into Hong
Kong on November 10, 1982. He was refused entry into the Republic of China
and eventually was admitted to the United States. The wreckage of the U-2
is now on display in the Military Museum of Chinese People's Revolution
in Beijing. March 1965 While flying over the People's Republic of China,
Republic of China Air Force U-2 pilot "Charlie" Wu Tse Shi, was
intercepted by a MiG-21 Fishbedin a zoom climb. The MiG fired two
missiles which missed. 7 March 1965 Gerhard Scharneck, a pilot in the German
Democratic Republic Air Force defected by flying a Yak-18 a Max
from Cottbus GDR to Bornholm Island Denmark. 18 March 1965 A RF-101C Voodoo (5656) of the Republic of
China Air Force was shot down near Shantou in Guangdong Province in the
People's Republic of China by a PLAAF pilot Gao Chang Ji, flying a MiG-19
Farmer. The Voodoo pilot Chang Yupao was killed. 28 April 1965 US Air Force ERB-47H Stratojet 53-4290 of the 55th
Strategic Reconnaissance Wing (43290), was damaged in an attack by two North
Korean MiG-17 Frescos over the Sea of Japan. The B-47s tail gunner
returned fire, shooting down one MiG-17. The B-47 made an emergency
landing at Yokota AB Japan, with two engines inoperative and severe structural
damage. The crew of Hobart Mattison, Henry E. Dubuy, Robert J. Rogers, Robert
C. Winters, George V. Back and Joel J. Lutkenhouse, escaped injury. 18 May 1965 A US Army aircraft was shot down by North Korean
ground fire. 27 June 1965 A Republic of China Air Force C-123B Provider
was shot down over South Vietnam by the Viet Cong. 31 August 1965 A Republic of China Air Force C-123B Provider
was reported to have been shot down over the South China Sea. 11 September 1965 A US Air Force RB-57F, operated by Pakistan
Air Force 24th Squadron, was damaged by an SA-2 Guideline missile
over India while it was beginning its descent towards Peshawar from Ambala.
The missile exploded near the RB-57F, causing extensive structural damage,
but the aircraft was able to make a successful forced landing at Peshawar.
The aircraft was repaired by Pakistan and later returned to the USA. 22 October 1965 Republic of China Air Force U-2C (Article
352, 6685) crashed off the northwest coast of Taiwan and pilot "Pete"
Wang was killed. 11 November 1965 Li Hsien-pin, flying a Harbin H-5 (Il-28)
Beagle (0195) defected from Jianqiao air base People's Republic of China
to Taoyuan Air Force Base in the Republic of China, with crewmembers Li Tsai-wang
and Lien Pao-sheng. The aircraft crashed on landing and Lien Pao-sheng was killed.
Their aircraft is now on display in the Republic of China Air Force Museum. 14 December 1965 A US Air Force RB-57F of the 7407 Support
Squadron at Wiesbaden West Germany, was lost over the Black Sea, near Odessa.
Pilot Lester L. Lackey and crew member Robert Yates were presumed killed.
Recent investigations indicate that there might not have been any Soviet
activity related to this loss. The crew probably perished from an oxygen
system failure, since it took over an hour for the aircraft to spiral down
from altitude and fall into the Black Sea. After 7 or 8 days spent searching
for the aircraft, only small bits and pieces of wreckage were ever found. 10 January 1966 A HU-16 of the Republic of China Air Force
was shot down by People's Republic of China PLAAF MiG-17 Fresco over Matsu whilst
transporting defectors to Taiwan. 27 March 1966 Cubana de Aviación Ilyushin Il-18B CU-T831, flying
from Santiago-Antonio Maceo Airport to Havana-José Martí International Airport was
hijacked by the flight engineer who wanted to defect to the United States. The pilot
fooled him by landing at Havana. On seeing an Aeroflot plane on the tarmac, the
hijacker realised he had been fooled, shot the captain dead and tried to initiate
takeoff. The copilot then shut down the engines. The hijacker jumped onto the tarmac
and fled. He was caught some days later. April 1966 Two Soviet pilots attempted to defect to West Berlin from
the German Democratic Republic in a Yak-18 Max. While attempting to land on Lake
Wannsee, the plane crashed and both pilots were killed. 6 April 1966 Soviet pilots Boris Kapustin and Yuri Yanov, flying from
Finow Flugplatz near Eberswalde, East Germany were killed after their Yak-28P Firebar
suffered a catastrophic engine failure and crashed in Lake Stößensee in British Zone of West Berlin.
Their bodies, along with the wreckage, were raised from the lakebed by Royal Navy divers.
The aircraft's engines and Skip Spin radar were taken to RAF Gatow and inspected
by British and American engineers. The bodies of the two pilots were returned to the USSR
and they were both posthumously awarded the Order of the Red Banner. The first engine was
recovered on 18 April 1966 and the second a week later. The wreckage was returned to the Soviets
on May 2nd 1966. 12 April 1966 US Navy KA-3B Skywarrior BuNo 142653 disappeared
after departing Naval Air Station Cubi Point, in the Philippines, on a return
flight to the USS Kitty Hawk. The aircraft was shot down by a PLANAF J-6
piloted by Laixi Li over the Luichow Peninsula in Kuangtung Province, Hainan
Island in the People's Republic of China. The crew of Kenneth Pugh, Reuben
Harris, Larry Jordon and William Glasson were killed. Kenneth Pugh's remains
were returned by the People's Republic of China on December 16, 1975. 11 May 1966 South Korea Air Force F-5A Freedom Fighters intercepted a Soviet
An-8 Camp flying near North Korea. This An-8 was likely an environmental
monitoring aircraft, taking air samples from the nuclear test conducted
by the People's Republic of China two days earlier. 7 July 1966 A Cubana de Aviación Ilyushin Il-18B, flying
from Santiago-Antonio Maceo Airport to Havana-José Martí International Airport was
hijacked by nine passengers who wanted to defect. The hijackers forced the pilot
to fly to Jamaica. 16 August 1966 Munir Redfa, flying MiG-21F-13 Fishbed, 546
defected from Iraq to Israel. The pilot defected because as an Aramean, an adherent of
the Chaldean Catholic Church, he was denied promotion in the military. The defection
was prearranged with the Israeli intelligence service, Mossad, as Operation Diamond.
While on a training mission, he changed course and crossed Jordan. When he entered
Israeli airspace, he was met by two Israeli Air Force Mirage IIICJs (one being flown by Ran Pecker,
commander of the 119 Squadron), which escorted him to a landing at Hatzor Air Base. With Radfa’s
assistance, Israeli test pilot Dani Shapira conducted a detailed evaluation of the aircraft and
it was also used as a reserve inteceptor during the 1967 Six Day War. Later, the aircraft was
shipped to the United States for further flight testing as Have Doughnut. The aircraft
was eventually returned to Israel and is now in display in the Israel Air Force Museum.
Following this defection, at least two more Iraqi pilots defected to Jordan in their
MiG-21F-13 Fishbeds. Jordan granted them political asylum but returned the aircraft to
Iraq. 30 October 1966 Super Mysteres of the Israel Air Force
intercepted a Lebanese DC-7. 1967 A US Air Force ERB-47H Stratojet of the 55th Strategic
Reconnaissance Wing, flying over Iran, near the Soviet border, was reported
to have been hit by a Soviet surface-to-air missile. The damaged aircraft
managed to reach the mountains north of Tehran, but crashed before being
able to land, killing the entire crew. 13 January 1967 Twelve People's Republic of China PLAAF
MiG-19 Farmers fought four Republic of China Air Force F-104G Starfighters
over the Straits of Taiwan. One MiG-19 was claimed by Hu Shih-Lin and one
by Bei-Puo Shih. One F-104G (64-17779) failed to return to base. 13 March 1967 An Aeroflot An-2P Colt was stolen at
Tuapse by a former Soviet Air Force and Aeroflot pilot who intended to defect to
Turkey. The aircraft was intercepted by a Yak-28P Firebar and eventually shot
down over the Black Sea by a MiG-17 Fresco. 21 May 1967 US Army Major Richard Harwood Pierce defected to Cuba
with his four year old sone Richard Pierce Jr. in a Cessna 150. Pearce was granted asylum
in Cuba, but returned to the US in 1979. 22 May 1967 Vasily Ilych Epatko flying a Soviet MiG-17 Fresco from
East Germany, ejected near Dillingen West Germany. Upon landing, he requested and was granted
aylum in the United States. 5 June 1967 It has been reported that six Algerian MiG-21F-13
Fishbeds were captured after they mistakenly landed at El-Arish Air
Force Base in the Sinai after it had been captured by Israeli forces. One
aircraft is reported to have been destroyed by its pilot after landing. Of
the five remaining aircraft, four were given to the United States. One of
the captured Algerian pilots requested and was granted political asylum in
the west, while the rest were repatriated. June 1967 It has been reported that a Egyptian MiG-17 Fresco
was captured in damaged condition by Israeli forces when they overran Bir
Gif Gafa Air Force Base in the Sinai. 28 June 1967 Soviet pilot O.G. Stepanov forced an Iranian
L-20 to land. 22 August 1967 A Republic of China Air Force C-123B Provider
was reported to have been shot down over the South China Sea. 9 September 1967 A Republic of China Air Force U-2C was
shot down over Jiaxing, People's Republic of China and pilot "Tom"
Hwang Lung Pei was killed. 22 October 1967 Manfred Ramminger, a KGB-agent in West Germany,
entered Neuburg air base with his Polish driver Josef Linowski and West German Air Force
pilot Wolf-Diethard Knoppe, using Knoppe's base security pass. Together,
they stole an AIM-9 Sidewinder air-to-air missile from the base's ammunition depot and transported
it down the runway on a wheelbarrow to Ramminger's Mercedes sedan, parked outside the base. To fit
the missile into his car, Ramminger broke the rear window and covered the protruding part of the
missile with a carpet. In order not to attract attention of the police, he then marked the protrusion
with a piece of red cloth, as required by law. Once he got to his home in Krefeld, Ramminger then
dismantled the missile. When done, he packed all of the pieces into a box, except the fuse, which he
gave directly to his KGB contact. He took the box to the post office and shipped it, by air mail,
directly to Moscow. In order to avoid any problems with the German or Soviet customs,
Ramminger declared the content of the parcel as being for “low-grade export.” Due to the weight of
the parcel, it cost him $83.88 to ship the parcel. Ramminger and his accomplices were all arrested
in late 1968. In October 1970, Ramminger and Linowski were each sentenced to four years in prison,
while Knoppe was sentenced to three years and three months in prison. Ramminger was released in
August 1971 in a prisoner exchange. 25 October 1967 A North Yemen Air Force Il-14P Crate
(1148, ex-YE-AAE) landed by mistake at Lodar in South Yemen. The crew and
at least three high-ranking Soviet officers were taken into custody. The
airplane was ferried to RAF Khormaksar after some repairs by an Empire Test
Pilot School crew from Farnborough. It was later moved to the dump and adorned
with graffiti. 1968 The pilot of a MiG-17 Fresco defected from
Cuba to Homestead Air Force Base in the United States. 1968 Armee de l'Air Mirage IIIs intercepted and escorted US Air Force
KC-135R Burning Light 59-1514, which was attempting to monitor French nuclear
tests at Mururoa Atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago of French Polynesia. 25 May 1968 A Soviet Tu-16 Badger, piloted by Andrey Pliyev,
buzzed a group of US Navy vessels, including the USS Essex (CVS-9), off the coast of northern
Norway. Shortly after a third low pass over the Essex, the Soviet bomber banked
and one wing tip hit the sea. The plane then cartwheeled and exploded. There
were no survivors from the crew of six. 1 July 1968 A Seaboard World Airlines DC-8-63CF (N8631)
carrying 214 US troops to Vietnam, from McChord Air Force Base, Washington,
via Yokota Air Force Base, Japan was forced to land at Burevestnik Air Base on Iturup
(Etorofu) Island in the Kuril Island chain by Soviet MiG-17PF Fresco fighters.
Pilot Joseph Tosolini was warned by a Japan Self-Defense Force radar site on the northern
island of Hokkaido that he had strayed off course and was headed for the Soviet Union. The
warning came too late, as the aircraft had already been intercepted by MiGs flown
by Yu.B. Alexandrov, V.A. Igonin, I.F. Evtoshenko and I.K. Moroz. The DC-8 crew were:
Ralph Neary, Captain and SWA Director of Flight, acting as check pilot, Joseph Tosolini,
Captain Henry Treger, First Officer, Laurence Guernon, Navigator, Ed Acree, Chief Flight Engineer,
acting as check engineer, Earl Scott, Engineer, Bill Eastwood, check captain, Craig Randall,
maintenance official and flight attendants Terry Carr, Liberty Chang, Patricia O'Dell,
Nancy Cuddy, Margaret Nelson, Nancy Jacquier, Nancy Gorman and Patricia Parlette. Two days
later, after the Soviets received an apology for the incident, the aircraft
and passengers were released. Before taking off, the passengers and crew had to push
the aircraft back from the parking spot. 1 August 1968 The pilots of nine Syrian MiG-17 Frescos
and three MiG-21 Fishbeds defected to Iraq. 12 August 1968 Two Syrian MiG-17F Frescos piloted
by Walid Adham and Radfan Rifai landed at Betzet in northern Israel by mistake.
The pilots were returned to Syria two years later (probably December 7th 1969),
as part of a prisoner exchange. The MiGs were transported to Ramat-David AFB
and underwent a series of tests and a special ground team tested their technical
aspects. The aircraft were flight tested by Israeli pilots Danny Shapira and Ehud
Hankin, in order to discover their secrets. After this, the aircraft were supplied
to the United States as Have Drill and Have Ferry. 15–17 August 1968 The pilots of nine Syrian MiG-17
Frescos and three MiG-21 Fishbeds defected to Iraq after a failed
coup d'état. 11 September 1968 An Air France Sud Aviation SE-210 Caravelle III
(F-BOHB), flight 1611, crashed into the Mediterranean Sea near Nice France. All 95
aboard theaircraft were killed. The probable cause was attributed to a fire of unknown
origin in the rear of the cabin. There has been speculation that the plane was hit by a
surface-to-air missile, since there was a naval missile training zone nearby. Circumstantial
evidence has surfaced over the years supporting this theory. 1969/1970 A group of Armenian aircraft modellers planned to fly to Turkey from
Arzni Armenia in a homemade aircraft they had constructed. They were captured by state security
authorities before departure and sentenced to various terms of imprisonment. 1969 A Soviet Su-9 Fishpot, piloted by N. Kravets,
fired two missiles at a US reconnaisance balloon, but only succeeded in
shooting off the lower half of the sensor pod. Another Su-9 then destroyed
the balloon. 7 March 1969 East German Air Force pilot Hauptmann Gerhard
Scharnetzki defected from Cottbus Air Base East Germany to Rřnne Airport on
Bornholm Island Denmark in a Yak-18A Max (11). 15 March 1969 A US helicopter, evacuating wounded from
a firefight in the Korean DMZ crashed, killing 5 crewmen, 2 US infantrymen
and a South Korean infantryman. 15 April 1969 While flying an ELINT/COMINT collection mission
over the Sea of Japan, a US Navy EC-121M of VQ-1 (BuNo 135749) was attacked and shot
down by a Vympel K-13 (AA-2 Atoll) missile fired from a North Korean MiG-21PFS Fishbed-F,
flying from Hoemun Airfield North Korea. The EC-121M had take off from Naval Air Station
Atsugi Japan as Deep Sea 129 and was 90 miles off the coast of Korea at the time
of the attack. All 31 crew members, James H. Overstreet, James L. Roach,
John Dzema, John H. Potts, Dennis B. Gleason, Louis F. Balderman, Peter
P. Perrottet, Richard H. Kincaid, John H. Singer, Dennis J. Horrigan, Robert
F. Taylor, Frederick A. Randall, Robert J. Sykora, Stephen J. Tesmer, Norman
E. Wilkerson, Hugh M. Lynch, Marshall H. McNamara, Gene K. Graham, Laverne
A. Greiner, David M. Willis, Richard E. Smith, Gary R. Ducharme, Ballard
F. Connors Jr., John A. Miller Jr., Stephen C. Chartier, Philip D. Sundby,
Bernie J. Colgin, Richard Prindle, Timothy H. McNeil, Richard E. Sweeney
and Joseph R. Ribar, were all killed in the attack. Two bodies and some
wreckage was recovered by search vessels. 16 May 1969 Republic of China Air Force U-2 pilot Hsieh
Chang was killed his aircraft crashed south of Cheju Island, Korea. 26 May 1969 Republic of China Air Force pilots Wang Tianming
and Zhu Jingrong defected to the People's Republic of China in a T-33. The
aircraft is now on display in the Military Museum of Chinese People's Revolution
in Beijing. 5 June 1969 A US Air Force RC-135E (62-4137) on a Rivet
Amber mission disappeared with its 19-man crew while on a flight from
Shemya AFB to Eielson AFB. Structural failure associated with the fuselage
radome appears to be the likely cause of this loss. 5 June 1969 A Swedish Red Cross DC-7B (SE-ERP) was shot
down by a Nigerian Air Force MiG-17 Fresco during a supply flight from
Fernando Po to Biafra, killing the crew of four 15 July 1969 A Salvadorian Air Force R4D-1 (101) was damaged
by gunfire from Hondurian F4U-4 Corsair near El Poy.The airplane managed
to return to Ilopango AFB El Salvador where a crash-landing was made. 17 August 1969 A US Army OH-23 Raven of the 59th Aviation
Company was shot down over the Korean demilitarized zone. The crew, Malcolm
Loepke, Herman Hofstatter and one other, were captured by the North Koreans
and released 108 days later. 5 October 1969 Eduardo Jimenez, flying a MiG-17 Fresco,
defected from Cuba to Homestead Air Force Base in the United States. The aircraft
was later returned to Cuba. Ten years later, on June 11th 1979, Jimenez hijacked
Delta Air Lines Flight 1061 and forced it to fly him back to Havana. 9 November 1969 A US Air Force D-21B UAV was launched on a mission to
overfly the Lop Nor nuclear test site in China. The D-21B failed to return and in February 1986
was discovered to have self-destructed over Siberia in the USSR. 1970 Armée de l'Air Mirage IIIs intercepted and escorted a US Air Force
KC-135R Burning Light, which was attempting to monitor French nuclear tests at
Mururoa Atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago of French Polynesia. 20 February 1970 A US Air Force D-21B UAV was launched on a mission to
overfly the Lop Nor nuclear test site in China. The D-21B returned and ejected its film
pod over the Pacific ocean. The pod's parachute failed and the pod was lost. 3 May 1970 A Soviet Su-15 Flagon intercepted
a US Air Force RC-135C Burning Pipe. 18 May 1970 Several Cuban MiG-21 Fishbeds overflew
the Bahamas to send a pointed message to the Bahamian government, which
was holding fourteen Cuban fisherman it claimed had been fishing in its
waters. The fishermen were soon released. 10 June 1970 A Soviet MiG-19 Farmer intercepted
a US Air Force RC-135C Burning Pipe. 26 June 1970 Alitalia Douglas DC-8-43 I-DIWL (cn/msn 45682/220),
enroute from Tehran to Beirut as Flight 713 was approaching Syrian airspace 70 minutes
after takeoff when the crew was told that Syrian airspace was closed. The crew requested
vectors to Beirut and was told to fly to Damascus and turn direct to Beirut. While flying
at 29,500 feet the left wing the left wing was hit be an air-to-air missile, which pierced
with wing, but did not detonate. The flight dropped 3,250 feet and the pilot had to shut
down the #1 engine. Since Damascus Airport was closed, an emergency landing was carried
out at Beirut. At the time Flight 713 was hit, a battle between Syrian and Israeli fighter
aircraft was going on nearby. 15 July 1970 A Polish Air Force MiG-21 Fishbed,
flown by Henrik Osierda, shot down a Czechoslovak Air Force Su-7BKL Fitter
flown by Frantisek Kuzik. 11 September 1970 A Soviet Su-15 Flagon intercepted
a Greek Air Force C-47 that had crossed into Soviet airspace in the area
of Sevastopol. The pilot of the Su-15 flew up alongside and rocked his wings,
signalling "follow me". The C-47 complied and landed at Bel'bek
airbase. The Greek pilot, Michalis Maniatakis had stolen the aircraft from Kania
airbase on Crete to flee from junta-controlled Greece. Maniatakis requested
political asylum in the USSR. 17 November 1970 US Air Force KC-135T Combat Jaw 55-3121,
was intercepted by two Soviet MiG-17 Frescos in international air space
over the Pechora Sea, south of the nuclear testing site on Novaya Zemlya, near
Vaygach Island. The Soviet pilots joined the KC-135T in close formation and fired
their cannons, attempting to get the USAF aircraft to leave the area. The commander
of the US aircraft ignored this provocation and continued the mission. 25 November 1970 A US Air Force delegation evaluated a
Shenyang J-5A (MiG-17F Fresco) supplied by the Cambodian Air Force
at Phu Cat Air Base in Vietnam as Have Privilege. USAF pilots Wendell
Shawler and William Gilbert both flew the aircraft. 13 September 1971 A Hawker Siddeley HS-121 Trident 1E (256)
of the People's Republic of China PLAAF was shot down over Mongolia. Reportedly
Lin Biao, the Chinese Minister of Defense, was onboard, fleeing Beijing
after a failed coup. All nine people onboard were killed. 1 October 1970 A US Army helicopter was fired on by North
Korean gun positions along the Korean DMZ. 21 October 1970 A US Air Force U-8 (Beech L-23 Seminole) was lost over the USSR
(Armenia). The crew of 4 were all rescued. 17 November 1970 A US Air Force KC-135R Briar Patch,
piloted by James W. Jones, was intercepted by Soviet MiG-17 Frescos,
while conducted a SIGINT flight over international waters near Vaygach Island.
One of the MiG-17s fired warning shots, but the KC-135R ignored them and
continued on its mission. The MiGs continued to escort the KC-135R, but
did not fire on it again. 3 December 1970 North Korean pilot Pak Sun-kok defected by
flying a MiG-15 Fagot to Gangwon Province South Korea. 1971 A US Air Force C-130 Hercules was reported to have
crashed near the Soviet border, in Iran. 4 March 1971 A US Air Force D-21B UAV was launched on a mission to
overfly the Lop Nor nuclear test site in China. The D-21B returned and ejected its film
pod over the Pacific ocean. The pod's parachute deployed, but the midair recovery failed.
A US Navy destroyer attempted to recover the pod from the sea, but failed and the pod sank. 20 March 1971 A US Air Force D-21B UAV was launched on a mission to
overfly the Chinese Lop Nor nuclear test site. The D-21B failed to return and was found
to have crashed in Yunnan province of China. The wreckage of this UAV is now on display
in the China Aviation Museum. 1 April 1971 West German Army Aviation pilot Hans-Dieter
Reinkensmeier defected to Erfurt airfield East Germany in Cessna 172H D-EJWU
and requested political asylum. 18 August 1971 Iraqi Air Force pilot Farhad Ibrahim, flying
a newly delivered Su-7BMK Fitter-A defected by flying to Ahwaz Airport,
in Iran. 20 August 1971 Pakistani Air Force pilot Matiur Rahman,
flying a Lockheed T-33 attempted to defect and join the separatists
fighting in Bangladesh. His attempt was foiled by the other pilot onboard, Rashid
Minhas and both pilots were killed in the ensuing crash.
19 December 1971 A Czechoslovak Air Force MiG-15 Fagot, piloted by Fiedler, intercepted a Zlin Z-226T Trener (OK-MUA) attempting to escape to West Germany. The Zlin's pilot, former CSA Czechoslovak Airlines pilot Ladislav Bezák, had his wife and four children in the back seat of the aircraft. Fiedler was ordered to shoot the Zlin down, but he refused to do so after spotting the children in the back seat. After Fiedler fired signal flares and warning burst, Bezak performed some vigorous maneuvering and climbed into the clouds. He and his family safely landed in Nuremberg West Germany.
29 June 1972 US Air Force RC-135U Combat Sent 63-9792, was intercepted by a Russian Tu-128 Fiddler over the Kara Sea.
16 August 1972 King Hassan of Morocco was returning from a state visit to France in Royal Air Maroc (RAM) Boeing 727-2B6 CN-CCG when it was intercepted by three Royal Moroccan Air Force F-5A Freedom Fighters. The F-5A pilots opened fire on the 727 in an assassination attempt, as part of an attemped coup d'état by Minister of Defense and Chief of Staff of Morocco's military forces Mohammed Oufkir. After eight passengers on the 727 were killed and 40 injured, King Hassan radioed the F-5 pilots and fooled them into believing that the King had been killed, causing them to break off their attack. Two of the aircraft's engines were destroyed, but The 727 was able to land safely at Rabat on the remaining operative engine. After learning that the King was not injured, the F-5 jets returned and strafed the 727 and VIP terminal at Rabat Airport. The Moroccan government reported three were killed in the attack on the terminal. One F-5 ran out of fuel after the attack and the pilot ejected, being captured immediately afterwards. One landed at Kenitra Air Base and tried to comandeer a helicopter, in order to flee to Gibraltar, where he asked for political asylum. His request was turned down, and he was arrested after being returned to Morocco.
7 September 1972 A flight of Turkish Air Force F-100 Super Sabres entered Soviet airspace at low altitude near Leninaken Armenia. A Soviet Su-15 Flagon was scrambled from Sadar airbase to intercept the fighters. The Su-15 proved to be incapable of intercepting the F-100s, as its radar lacked look-down/shoot-down capability, necessary for use against the low flying F-100s. As a result, the F-100s escaped unscathed back to Turkey.
1973 The US Air Force acquired four MiG-21F-13 Fishbeds from Indonesia for use in the Have Idea and later Constant Peg programs.
19 January 1973 Soviet pilot Yuri Nikolaevich Safronov defected by flying a L-29 Maya from the Adjikabul training airfield in Azerbaijan SSR to a dirt airfield near Salyan Iran.
21 February 1973 While flying from Benghazi Libya to Cairo Egypt as Flight 114, a Libyan Arab Airlines Boeing 727-224 (5A-DAH) strayed off course in cloudy weather after passing Sidi Barrani and continued past Cairo. Over the Israeli-controlled Sinai desert the aircraft was intercepted by two F-4E Phantom II fighters of the Israel Air Force 201 Squadron. The fighter pilots tried to get the airliner to land at the Israeli air base at Bir Gifgafa by exchanging hand signals with the airliner's pilots, rocking their wings and finally firing across the nose of the Libyan plane. The airliner lowered its wheels but raised them again and banked in an apparent attempt to escape. The fighter pilots then attacked the 727, hitting the right hand wingtip with cannon fire. A fire erupted and the airliner crew attempted to make a belly landing in the desert, but crashed. Of the 9 crew members and 104 passengers on board, 8 crew members and 100 passengers were killed. The Israel government later issued an apology and paid $3 million in compensation for this incident.
21 March 1973 Libyan fighter aircraft intercepted and attacked a US Air Force C-130B-II.
27 May 1973 Soviet aviation mechanic Yevgeny Vronsky, defected by flying Sukhoi Su-7 Fitter 52 from East Germany, ejecting near Wolfenbüttel West Germany. Having minimal piloting skills obtained on a simulator, he performed the entire flight in afterburner and did not retract the landing gear after takeoff. The wreckage of the aircraft was returned to the Soviet Union, but West German authorities let Vronsky stay in their country.
21 June 1973 An Iranian Aero Commander crossed into Soviet airspace 100 miles southwest of Baku. Three Soviet Su-15 Flagons were scrambled from Nasosnaya airbase to intercept the aircraft. The Aero Commaner was intercepted and forced to land at Nasosnaya. The crew of the Aero Commander had intended to fly from Tabriz to Parsaabad but had become lost.
26 June 1973 Venezuelan Air Force pilot Aristides Gonzalez Salazar and crewmember Carlos Ramirez Madero defected in an English Electric Canberra B(I) to Cuba.
26 June 1973 Aeroflot pilot Pyotr Vasiliev stole a light passenger plane from the Rostov airfield, intending to fly to Turkey. He ran out of fuel over the Black Sea near the Turkish coast, but the pilot managed to glide to the coast, where he made an emergency landing 250 meters from the shore, 43 km from the Trabzon airport. He requested and was granted political asylum in Turkey.
26 July 1973 Oberlerchner JOB-15-150 OE-CAP, flown by Johan Weiser and Al Winter entered Czechoslovak air space and was intercepted by Czechoslovak Air Force L-29 Maya 3248, flown by Miroslav Rícka, near Satov. The Austrian aircraft maneuvered unexpectedly and its right wing collided with the left wing of the L-29. The Rícka parachuted to safety, but the two pilots in the Austrian aircraft were killed.
10 August 1973 Israel Air Force Mirage IIICJs intercepted a Middle East Airlines Caravelle soon after it took off from Beirut and forced it to land at Lod airport in Israel. There, the Israeli authorities searched the aircraft for George Habash, the leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. However, Habash was not on board and the airliner was released.
2 September 1973 An Austrian Scheibe SF 25B Falke entered Czechoslovak air space and was intercepted by a Czechoslovak Air Force L-29 Maya. The two aircraft collided near Strmilov and the two pilots in the Austrian aircraft were killed.
4 October 1973 A Soviet Tu-16 Badger overflew the USS John F. Kennedy (CVA-67) in the Norwegian Sea. While attempting to escort the bomber away from the area, a US Navy F-4 Phantom II collided with it. The Tu-16 safely returned to its base and the F-4 landed at Bodř Norway.
6 October 1973 Israeli forces captured an damaged Mi-8 Hip in the Sinai Penninusla during the Yom Kippur War and flew it back to Israel.
7 November 1973 South Vietnamese pilot Ho Duy Hung defected by flying UH-1H Iroquois 60-139 from Da Lat South Vietnam to North Vietnam.
23 November 1973 Republic of China Air Force pilot Chi-Hsien "Denny" Huang was killed when U-2R (68-10335) crashed near Taiwan.
25 November 1973 Greek Air Force pilot Dimitrios Zelios landed at Brindisi Airport in southwest Italy and asked for political asylum.
28 November 1973 Soviet MiG-21SM Fishbed pilot Gennadii N. Eliseev intercepted an Imperial Iranian Air Force RF-4E Phantom II in Soviet airspace. After an unsuccessful attempt at firing a Vympel K-13 (AA-2 Atoll) missile at the Phantom, Eliseev destroyed the Phantom by ramming it. The Phantom's crew of IIAF pilot Major Shokouhnia and USAF backseater Saunders parachuted to safety and were captured by Soviet border guards. They were released 16 days later.
1974/1975 A Somali Air Force pilot defected to Ethiopa in a Cessna 150.
27 February 1974 A Soviet An-24 Coke reconnaissance aircraft, low on fuel, made an emergency landing at Gambell Airfield in Alaska. The crew remained on the aircraft overnight and were provided with space heaters and food. The next day they were refueled and departed for home.
March 1974 The crew of a Soviet Border Guards Mi-4 Hound on a scout mission along the USSR-People's Republic of China border became lost and crossed the border into China south of Belesha. The helicopter ran out of fuel and landed in the PRoC. The three crew members were imprisoned in China until December 1975, when the crew and the helicopter were returned to the USSR.
9 May 1974 Two US helicopters received North Korean ground fire along the Injin River.
23 May 1974 A Turkish Air Force F-100 Super Sabre intruded into Soviet airspace in the Caucasus region. A Soviet Su-15 Flagon was scrambled from an airbase near Kyuradamir Azerbaijan, but was not directed towards the target by ground control, as the F-100 had entered the area defended by a surface-to-air missile battery. A missile was fired at the F-100, but it escaped when the missile malfunctioned.
17 October 1974 Three Soviet Su-15 Flagons from Bel'bek airbase intercepted a US reconnaisance balloon over the Black Sea. One Su-15 managed to shoot off the balloon's sensor pod with a missile.
1975 Soviet fighters intercepted 16 US reconnaisance balloons, destroying 13 of them. Su-15 Flagons were responsible for five of the downed balloons.
April 1975 Two South Vietnamese pilots defected by flying a UH-1H Iroquois to North Vietnam.
8 April 1975 South Vietnamese pilot Nguyen Thanh Trung, bombed the presidential palace in Saigon and defected to North Vietnam in a F-5E Tiger II.
10 April 1975 A Czechoslovak Air Force MiG-15bisSB Fagot intercepted a Cessna 172.
16 July 1975 A Polish Zakladu Uslug Agrolotniczych (ZUA) An-2R Colt (SP-WKW) was shot down by a Czechoslovak L-29 Delfin (Maya) trainer while attempting to escape to Austria.
1976 A Syrian pilot, flying a MiG-23 Flogger, defected to Iraq.
1976 A Soviet Su-11 Fishpot, piloted by N. Kravets, intercepted a US reconnaisance balloon and destroyed the sensor pod.
1976 The US Air Force acquired six MiG-21F-13 Fishbeds, one MiG-21U Fishbed and two MiG-17F Frescos from Indonesia for use in the Constant Peg program.
10 March 1976 Lao Air Force pilot Chaisin Chinthenam defected by flying a C-47 to Thailand.
2 April 1976 A Soviet Su-15 Flagon flown by P.S. Strizhak was scrambled from Sokol airbase on Sakhalian Island to interecept a US Air Force RC-135 reconnaisance aircraft that had intruded to within 100 km of the island. After take-off, the Su-15 was redirected by ground control to intercept a Japanese Martime Self-Defense Force P-2 Neptune. The P-2 was flying over the Sea of Japan at 6,500 feet near the southern tip of Sakahalian Island. Approaching within 4 miles of the P-2, the Su-15 followed it on a parallel course. The Su-15 pilot inadvertantly fired a missile at the P-2 and had to quickly break radar lock on the P-2. The missile passed near the P-2's right wing and self-destructed safely.
12 April 1976 Israel Air Force fighters intercepted a Saudi Arabian Air Force C-130 that had strayed into Israel's airspace. The aircraft was forced to land at Ben Gurion airport and the crew of 36 was held for two hours before being released.
14 June 1976 Mahmoud Musleh Yasin, a Palestinian pilot in the Syrian Air Force, Mahmoud Musleh Yasin, defected by flying to Iraq in a MiG-23 Flogger.
25 July 1976 A Finnish Cessna 150 Aerobat intruded into Soviet airspace. A Soviet Su-15TM Flagon was scrambled from Afrikanda airbase to intercept the Cessna. The Cessna then landed at the Soviet reserved airfield at Alakurtti, where the pilot refueled the aircraft using a spare can of fuel. After taking off, it headed eastwards. The Su-15 spotted the Cessna through a break in the clouds, but was unable to intercept it. Two more Su-15TMs and a MiG-15UTI were directed to intercept the Cessna, but were unable to find it. The Cessna flew on for another 190 miles before making a forced landing in the woods of the Karelian Penninsula. The aircraft flipped over on its back, but the pilot and his passenger managed to get out of the aircraft. They were apprehended by local residents.
27 July 1976 Syrian Air Force pilot Abdul Qadar Al-Termanini, the “October war” hero, defected by flying to Iraq in a MiG-21 Fishbed.
4 August 1976 A Tu-95RTs Bear crashed 124 nm SE of Newfoundland Canada, killing the crew of F.E. Garynychev, A.I. Krasnosyel'skih, A.F. Bychkov, V.A. Poznyak, N.F. Vail'yev, L.I. Skorokhodov, Ye.N. Lebedev, M.N. Trifonov, V.I. Gibalev, V.A. Fedyahsov, A.I. Tranyenko and V.M. Korkbabchuk.
24 August 1976 A pair of Turkish Air Force F-100 Super Sabres entered Soviet airspace. Three Soviet Su-15 Flagons were scrambled from Kyurdamir and Scandar airbases to intercept the F-100s. The Su-15s were directed by ground control to not pursue the F-100s, as they had entered the area defended by a surface-to-air missile battery. Missiles were fired at the F-100s and one was shot down. The Turkish pilot ejected safely and landed in Turkish territory. The wreckage of his aircraft also landed in Turkish territory.
6 September 1976 Victor Belenko, a Soviet PVO pilot, flying a MiG-25 Foxbat, defected and landed at Hakodate Japan. After examination by Japanese and US intelligence officials, the aircraft was shipped back to the Soviet Union on a freighter on November 12. Belenko was given asylum in the United States.
26 September 1976 Soviet pilot Valentin Zosimov defected by flying a An-2 Colt to the Ahar airfield, near Tabriz Iran. At the direction of the Shah of Iran, Mohammed Reza Pahlavi, the plane and the pilot were returned to the USSR in order to avoid deterioration of Soviet-Iranian ties. Subsequently, Zosimov was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
1977 An Imperial Iranian Air Force F-4E Phantom II was reported to have damaged a Soviet MiG-25R Foxbat over Iran with an AIM-7 Sparrow missile. The damaged Soviet aircraft managed to make it back over the Soviet border before crashing.
1977 During the Ogaden War Ethiopian Air Force pilot Afeworki Mekonnen defected by flying English Electric Canberra Mk.52 354 to Hargeisa air base in Somalia. He eventually received political asylum in Canada in 1980.
1977 Rhodesian pilot Jurick Goldwasser flew to Botswana, where he requested and received politcal Asylum.
21 June 1977 Two Ethiopian pilots defected to Kassala Sudan in their Northrop F-5A Freedom Fighters. The jets were later returned to Ethiopia.
7 July 1977 Fan Yuanyan, flying a Shenyang F-6 (MiG-19 Farmer) (3171) defected from Jinjiang People's Republic of China to Tainan in the Republic of China.
14 July 1977 A US Army CH-47 Chinook was downed over the Korean demilitarized zone by a North Korean MiG-21 Fishbed. The CH-47's co-pilot Glenn Schwanke was captured and the other three crew members, Robert Haynes, Joesph Miles and Ronald Wells, were killed. Schwanke was released after 57 hours of captivity.
24 July 1977 The pilot of an Ethiopian F-5E Tiger II is credited with having shot down a Corps Aeronautico della Somalia MiG-21 Fishbed.
10 September 1977 A squadron of Cuban MiG-21MF Fishbeds under the command of Rafael del Pino overflew Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic to press for the release of the merchant ship Capitan Leo, which, enroute to Angola, had violated Dominican waters and been interned by the authorities. The plan was to bomb Puerto Plata and Santiago de los Caballeros the next day if the Dominican government didn't release the ship, but after hurried negotiations it did.
21 September 1977 The US Air Force acquired from Egypt 11 MiG-23MS Flogger Es and one MiG-23BN Flogger F as Have Pad. The aircraft were shipped to the United States in two C-5A Galaxies.
1978 The US Air Force is reported to have acquired 16 MiG-21MF Fishbed Js from Egypt. It is further reported that in addition, at one point the USAF acquired 2 Su-22 Fitters and 2 MiG-21U Fishbeds from Egypt.
20 April 1978 A Korean Air Lines Boeing 707-321B (HL-7429, flight 902) flew over Murmansk while on a Anchorage-Paris flight, due to a navigation error. A Soviet PVO Su-15TM Flagon from Afrikanda airbase, piloted by Alexander Bosov, intercepted it and fired an air-to-air missile at the airliner. The missile blew off part of the 707's wing and showered the fuselage with shrapnel, killing two passengers. The pilot of the 707, Captain Kim Chang Ky, reported that when he caught sight of' the Soviet interceptor he reduced speed, lowered his landing gear, and flashed his navigation lights on and off, all ICAO procedures signifying willingness to follow the Soviet interceptor. After his airliner was damaged, he descended through clouds to lower altitude and in doing so, he became separated from the Soviet interceptor. Three Yak-29P Fiddlers from Monchegorsk airbase, two MiG-25P Foxbats from Letneozyorsk airbase and four Su-15TM Flagons from Poduzhem'ye airbase were then scrambled to find the inturder. For more than an hour the airliner flew at an altitude of several thousand feet across the snow-covered terrain, seeking a safe landing place. The Soviets had no idea where the airliner was. Several approaches to possible landing sites where aborted when obstructions were spotted at the last moment. Finally, after nightfall, the crew found a frozen lake bed, Lake Korpijärvi, just west of Kem, and let down smoothly, skidding to a safe landing. Of the 97 passengers and 12 crew on board, two passengers were killed. After being detained by Soviet authorities for a short period, the crew and passengers were released.
19 May 1978 Two mechanics employed by CIPA (Centrul de Instruire a Personalului Aeronautic; Center for Aeronautical Personnel Training) at the Baneasa airport in Bucharest Romania, Viorel Nicolae and George Florescu, stole a Britten Norman BN-2-A27 Islander (YR-BNK). This aircraft had been produced under license by IRMA (Intreprinderea de Reparatii Material Aeronautic; Enterprise for Aeronautical Material Repairement, now called Romaero) and was one of the aircraft of this type allocated to Aviasan, a nation-wide emergency medical flying service. Consequently, it sported large Red Cross signs on the fuselage and wings. After the Islander took off, a pair of Romanian MiG-21 Fishbeds from the 91st Fighter Regiment at Deveselu were scrambled, but due to a misunderstanding on the radio, they instead intercepted and forced down a Romanian An-2 Colt. Two other Romanian MiG-21 Fishbeds from the 93rd regiment at Giarmata (near Timisoara) did intercept the Islander and order it to land at the Arad airport. However, the MiG-21s were low on fuel and had to return to their base. The Islander then continued on and crossed Hungary from south-east to north-west before landing in a field in Austria near Vienna. The landing gear was slightly damaged in the off-field landing. Several workers from IRMA were sent to Austria to dismantle the aircraft and it was returned to Romania in a truck. Viorel Nicolae and George Florescu were allowed to apply for political asylum and settled in Melbourne, Australia..
23 May 1978 Czechoslovak Air Force pilot Ferdinand Ivan, flying a MiG-15bisSB Fagot, forced an Austrian Air Force Agusta-Bell AB-204B (4D-BT) to land after it had intruded into Czechoslovak air space. The helicopter was later returned to Austria.
21 July 1978 Four Imperial Iranian Army CH-47C Chinooks penetrated 15-20 km into Soviet airspace in the Turkimenistan Military District. They were first intercepted by Soviet MiG-23M Flogger pilot A.V. Dem'janov, who mistakenly identified them as Soviet helicopters. The helicopters were intercepted a little later by MiG-23M pilot V.I. Shkinder. He fired two R-60 (AA-8 Aphid) missiles, shooting down one Chinook, killing eight crew members. He then fired his GSh-23L 23mm cannon at another Chinook, forcing it to land near Gjaurs. The four crew members of this helicopter survived, but were captured by Soviet border guards. The remaining two Chinooks escaped back into Iranian airspace. Shortly thereafter, the Soviets allowed the damaged Chinook (5-4092) to be repaired by Iranians. This helicopter and its four crew members were then allowed to return home.
3 September 1978 An Air Rhodesia Vickers Viscount 782D (VP-WAS), on a flight from Kariba to Salisbury was shot down by a SA-7 Grail surface-to-air missile fired by Zimbabwe Peoples Revolution Army (ZIPRA) guerrillas, shortly after take-off. Of the 56 people on board, 38 died in the crash and ten more were killed by guerrillas, after having survived the crash.
1979 Egypt supplied examples of the MiG-23 Flogger and Su-20 Fitter to the People's Republic of China.
12 February 1979 An Air Rhodesia Vickers Viscount 748D (VP-YND), on a flight from Kariba to Salisbury was shot down by a SA-7 Grail surface-to-air missile fired by Zimbabwe Peoples Revolution Army (ZIPRA) guerrillas, shortly after take-off. All 59 people on board were killed.
15 April 1979 Yan Wenchang flying a Shenyang F-6 (MiG-19 Farmer) was killed in a crash near Haiphong while attempting to defect from the People's Republic of China to Vietnam.
23 August 1979 A MiG-17 Fresco (002) operated by the US Air Force in the Constant Peg program was lost in a spin and the pilot, Hugh Brown, was killed.
23 December 1979 A Cessna 185 Skywagon coming from Iran entered Soviet airspace 100 miles southwest of Maryy Turkmenia. A Soviet Su-15 Flagon was scrambled to intercept the Cessna but was unable to find the aircraft. Three more Su-15s and a MiG-23M Flogger were also scrambled, but ground control did not direct them to intercept. In its search, the first Su-15 passed directly over the Cessna, scaring the crew, who decided to make an emergency landing to avoid being shot down. The Cessna landed on a highway 121 miles west of Maryy and the crew was arrested by border guards.
1980 A Soviet Tu-95 Bear, flying from the USSR to Cuba entered US airspace and passed very close to Langley AFB in Virginia (it could be seen from the control tower). The aircraft was intercepted by F-15s from the US Air Force 1st TFW and escorted out of US airspace.
8 February 1980 A Linhas Aereas de Angola Yak-40 Codling was shot down near Matala Angola. It is believed to have been shot down by a Zambian Air Force Shenyang J-6 (MiG-19 Farmer). The 19 passengers and crew were all killed.
20 February 1980 A Soviet Su-17M2 Fitter, piloted by A. Seleznev, separated from the group during a flight over the Kola Peninsula and approached the Soviet-Norwegian air border, believed to be the result of a failure of navigation equipment. The aircraft was intercepted and landed at a Soviet airfield..
23 March 1980 A French Aéronavale Breguet 1150 Atlantic that was flying over the Mediterranean Sea off the Libyan coast was fired on by two Libyan Mirage 5 fighters.
10 May 1980 Two Cuban MiG-21 Fishbeds attacked the Bahamian patrol vessel HMBS Flamingo, which had arrested four Cuban fishing vessels. Cuba admitted this attack to be in error and paid indemnity.
8 June 1980 A TAAG Angola Airlines Yak-40FG Codling (D2-TYC) was shot down by a MiG-19 Farmer, possibly of the Zambian Air Force.
12 June 1979 Nicaraguan National Guard pilot Armangal Lara Cruz defected by flying a Cessna O-2 (FAN-320) to Costa Rica.
27 June 1980 An Itavia (Aero Transporti Italiani) DC-9-15 (I-TIGI), flight 870, crashed into the Tyrrhenian Sea near the island of Ustica, about 80 miles southwest of Naples. All 81 persons aboard the aircraft were killed after it experienced severe damage in flight, broke up, plummeted to the sea, and then sank into several thousand feet of water. Accident investigators concluded that it was damaged by an explosion, probably of external origin. It has been theorized that its loss was associated with a Libyan MiG-23MS Flogger, found on July 18, crashed on the northern side of Mount Sila in the Italian province of Calabria. The pilot of the Libyan aircraft was Ezedin Koal.
5 August 1980 The crew of an Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force defected by flying a Fokker F27 Fellowship to Iraq.
16 September 1980 As many as 15 Libyan fighters intercepted US Air Force RC-135U Combat Sent (64-14847) of the 55 Strategic Reconnaissance Wing over the Gulf of Sidra. Accounts differ as to whether the Libyan fighters open fire on the aircraft before being chased away by US Navy fighters.
21 September 1980 Five Libyan Mirage 5 fighters intercepted a US Air Force RC-135 flying 200 miles off the Libyan coast. Three US Navy F-14A Tomcats flying from the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) managed to force the Libyans to leave the area.
28 October 1980 The crew of an Ariana Afghan DC-10 hijacked the airplane during a Delhi to Kabul flight.
11 February 1981 The pilot of a Libyan MiG-23 Flogger defected to Maleme Air Base, Crete Greece. The aircraft was returned to Libya on 14 February.
26 February 1981 Afghan Air Force pilot Jamal ud Din defected with his crew to Pakistan on board a Mil Mi-8T Hip (285), during a post-maintenance flight test from Kandahar Air Base.
March 1981 Two South African Air Force Mirage F1AZs intercepted a Zimbabwean Army CASA C-212 and forced it to land in South Africa after it strayed into South African airspace.
26 April 1981 The three crewmembers of a Mi-8 Hip defected from Afghanistan to Quetta Airport, Pakistan.
3 May 1981 The pilot of a Czechoslovak L-39 Albatros defected to Austria.
8 July 1981 Adriano Francisco Bomba, flying a MiG-17 Fresco defected from Mozambique to Air Force Base Hoedspruit South Africa. The aircraft was intercepted by two South African Air Force Mirage F1AZs that escorted it to landing. The aircraft was returned to Mozambique in November 1981.
9 July 1981 Two Hungarian Air Force pilots defected to Italy flying MiG-21 Fishbeds.
18 July 1981 A Soviet Su-15TM Flagon, flown by Valentin Kalyupin, rammed and destroyed a Canadair CL-44 (LV-JTN) belonging to the Argentine company Transportes Aereo Rioplatense over Soviet Armenia, thirty miles southeast of Yerevan, not far from the Iranian border. The CL-44 had just completed the third of twelve scheduled flights from Tel Aviv to Tehran via Larnaca, Cyprus, carrying the aircraft tires and other spares bought from Israeli arms dealers. Killed in the crash of the CL-44 were the pilot Hector Cordero, along with crew members Jose Burgueno, Hermete Boasso and Stuart McCafferty. Cordero, Burgeueno, and Boasso were Argentinians, while McCafferty was from the UK. The Soviet Su-15 pilot, Kalyuppin, parachuted to safety.
13 August 1981 Huang Zhicheng flying F-5F Tiger II 5361 defected from the Republic of China to the People's Republic of China. When his attention to defect became clear, his student pilot Hsu Chiu-ling in the back seat ejected and landed in Taiwan. Zhicheng landed the aircraft at Fuzhou. The aircraft is now on display in the China Aviation Museum at Datangshan.
19 August 1981 US Navy F-14A Tomcats, of VF-41, flown by Henry Kleeman (RIO David Venlet) and Lawrence Muczynski (RIO James Anderson), flying from the USS Nimitz, each shot down a Libyan Su-22 Fitter over the Gulf of Sidra.
26 August 1981 North Korean forces fired a surface-to-air missile at a US Air Force SR-71 that was flying near the Korean DMZ. The missile missed the SR-71.
30 September 1981 The pilot of a Vietnam Air Force UH-1H Iroquois (69-15690) defected to the People's Republic of China. This helicopter is now on in the China Aviation Museum at Datanghsan.
November 1981 South African Air Force Mirage F1CZ pilot Johann Rankin shot down an Angolan MiG-21 Fishbed.
2 December 1981 An Iraqi Air Force pilot defected to Iran by flying a MiG-23 Flogger to Vahdati Air Base. Later that day, the aircraft was destroyed in an Iraqi Air Force strike, using rockets fired by Su-20 Fitters.
26 January 1982 An Alyemda Boeing 707-348C (7O-ACJ) flying a cargo of military supplies from Libya to Damascus Syria was attacked by an Iraqi or Israeli fighter. The crippled freighter managed to land at Damascus, but was damaged beyond repair. The airframe was later repurposed as "The Plane" restaurant.
12 February 1982 LOT pilot Czeslaw Kudlek defected by hijacking his flight and set course for West Berlin. The security officials onboard only became suspicious when three East German and Soviet fighter aircraft came up alongside the plane in East German airspace. The security officials were overpowered by the passengers. The pilot first he headed for Schönefeld airport in East Berlin, and when the fighter aircraft saw this, they left. At Schönefeld, Kudlek flew over the control tower, crossed East Berlin and landed in Tempelhof in West Berlin. On board were 19 family members and friends, who all requested asylum.
21 February 1982 A Cuban MiG-21PFMA Fishbed crashed into the sea and its pilot was killed after he lost control while maneuvering at slow speed while attempting to intercept a light aircraft that had violated Cuban airspace.
8 March 1982 The crew of a Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force F-4E Phantom II defected to Saudi Arabia, where they received asylum.
8 March 1982 Two Nicaraguan Air Force pilots defected to Honduras in a stolen military transport aircraft.
1 April 1982 Polish pilots Andrzej Kumor, Andrzej Malec and Jerzy Czerwinski, along with their families, defected by flying an An-2 Colt to Vienna Austria.
30 April 1982 LOT An-24V SP-LTG flying from Wroclaw-Strachowice was hijacked after the two security men aboard were overpowered and disarmed. The hijackers demanded that the plane be flown to West Berlin. After landing at Tempelhof Airport 36 passengers requested political asylum in West Berlin. The hijackers were sentenced to terms ranging from 2 to 4 years for endangering air traffic.
3 May 1982 An Algerian Government Gulfstream II (7T-VHB) en route from Cyprus to Tehran with the Algerian foreign minister onboard was shot down near Qotur Iran by fighter aircraft.
June 1982 The pilot of a Polish Yak-12 Creek defected to Austria.
5 October 1982 South African Air Force Mirage F1CZ pilot Johann Rankin shot down an Angolan MiG-21 Fishbed while on a reconnaissance flight over SWAPO bases.
16 October 1982 Wu June-Chien, flying a Shenyang F-6 (MiG-19 Farmer) defected from the People's Republic of China to South Korea. He was later granted asylum in the Republic of China.
16 October 1982 Iran Air 727 pilot Keyhan Jafankhr requested political asylum after landing in Austria.
19 October 1982 A pilot flying a An-2 Colt defected from Poland to Sweden. The aircraft was later returned to Poland.
21 October 1982 A MiG-23 Flogger (023) operated by the US Air Force in the Constant Peg program was lost due to an in-flight fire and the pilot, Mark Postai, was killed.
22 November 1982 LOT An-24V SP-LTK flying from Wroclaw-Strachowice was hijacked when one of the two security guards aboard the Warsaw-bound flight demanded that the aircraft be flown to West Berlin. Shortly after landing at Tempelhof Airport, the hijacker left the aircraft and was fired at by the other security guards aboard. He returned the fire and was wounded in the right foot.. He and four other passengers requested political asylum in West Berlin.
December 1982 An Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force (IRIAF) F-5E Tiger II (73-0976/3-7056), flown by N. Dehkharghani, was damaged by Iraqi air defences while on a mission over northern Iraq. The pilot was forced to make a belly landing in a field near Kirkuk and the aircraft was captured by Iraqis. This F-5E was inspected by Soviet technicians before being put to a permanent display at the military museum in Zawra Park, in Baghdad.
1983 A pilot flying a F-5E Tiger II defected from Iran to Turkey. The aircraft was later returned to Iran.
8 February 1983 Two Polish Air Force pilots defected by flying a Mi-2 Hoplite to the Karlsmann naval base on the island of Tärnö in Sweden. The helicopter was later returned to Poland.
25 February 1983 Lee Ung-Pyong flying a MiG-19 Farmer defected from North Korea to South Korea. He received a reward of approximately $1.4 million.
23 March 1983 A pilot flying a An-2 Colt defected from Poland to Everod Airfield, Kristianstad Sweden. The aircraft was later returned to Poland.
22 April 1983 Li Dawei flying a U-6A Beaver (8018/54-1725) defected from the Republic of China to the People's Republic of China. The aircraft is now on display in the Military Museum of Chinese People's Revolution in Beijing.
May 1983 An An-2 Colt, flying from Latvia SSR, landed on the island of Gotland Sweden. The pilot requested and was granted political asylum in Sweden.
3 May 1983 A Czechoslovak pilot defected by flying a L-39 Albatross to Austria.
27 May 1983 A pilot flying a Shenyang F-6 (MiG-19 Farmer) was killed when his airplane crashed while he was attempting to defect from the People's Republic of China.
10 July 1983 Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force pilot Iraj Fazeli flying a F-5E Tiger II from Tabriz Iran defected to Van Turkey.
10 July 1983 The crew of a Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force F-4E Phantom II defected to Turkey.
7 August 1983 Sun Tianjing, flying an experimental Chengdu F-7II (045), defected from Dalian People's Republic of China to K16 airbase in South Korea. The aircraft was found to be fitted with British GEC-Marconi Type 226 HUDAWAC (Head-Up Display And Weapon Aimming Computer) and Skyranger airborne radar. Sun was flown to Taiwan and later emigrated to Canada.
1 September 1983 An off-course Korean Air Lines Boeing 747-230B (HL-7442, flight 007) enroute from Anchorage Alaska to Seoul South Korea entered Soviet airspace over the Kamchatka Penisnsula and flew in Soviet airspace for the next 2.5 hours. Initially, a MiG-23 Flogger was scrambled to intercept the intruder, but the pilot was unable to find the 747. Later, two Su-15 Flagons were scrambled to attempt an interception of the 747. After finding the 747 over Sakhalin Island, two Kaliningrad R-98 (AA-3 Anab) missiles fired by a Su-15 piloted by Gennadi N. Osipovich. All 23 crew and 246 passengers (including US Congressman Lawrence McDonald from Georgia) were killed. At the time of the intercept, a US Air Force RC-135 reconnaisance aircraft was also reported to be in the area.
8 September 1983 Three Beech Barons and one Cessna 404, all equipped to carry bombs, took off from Ilopango Airbase in El Salvador and headed for targets in Nicaragua. One Baron turned back due to engine problems. The crew of the Cessna 404 was supposed to attack government buildings in Managua Nicaragua, but instead dropped two 250 kg. bombs on the Augusto C. Sandino International Airport. The bombs damaged the hangar used by Aerolíneas Nicaragüenses S.A. (Aeronica), destroying four military trucks. The aircraft then crashed in the area of ??the control tower, damaging the passenger terminal. Uut of 40 people who were waiting in the terminal for their flight, one died and four more received burns. The Cessna's pilots, Agustin Roman Maradiaga and Sebastian Mueller were killed in the crash.
9 September 1983 A Nicaraguan Sandinista People's Army 37-mm anti-aircraft gun shot down a Cessna U206F carrying Costa Rican registration TI-AGN near El Castillo Nicaragua. The Cessna had been delivering cargo to the Contra group that was fighting Nicaragua's Sandinista government. The Cessna's crew of Jose Maria Robelo and Henry Casco were killed.
14 September 1983 Two Turkish Air Force F-100F Super Sabres of 182 Filo "Atmaca" violated the Iraqi airspace. An Iraqi Air Force Mirage F-1EQ intercepted the aircraft and fired a Matra Super 530F-1 missile hitting F-100F 56-3903, which crashed in the Zaho valley near the border between Turkey and Iraqi. The plane's pilots reportedly survived and were returned to Turkey.
3 October 1983 An unmarked Douglas DC-3C was involved in an operation to supply a Contra group that was fighting Nicaragua's Sandinista government. While the aircraft was flown at a low altitude in the area of Wanawás Nicaragua, a soldier of the Nicaraguan Sandinista People's Army (Fausto Palacias) fired a SA-7 Grail surface-to-air missile at the aircraft. The missile hit the left hand engine but did not explode. The pilot Alberto Amador Alvarez carried out a sucessful forced landing, but the co-pilot Hugo Reinaldo Aguilar died of his injuries on 26 October 1983. Some sources say that the two pilots and flight mechanic Jaime Lau Ramirez all parachuted safely from aircraft.
14 November 1983 Wang Xuezheng, flying Shenyang F-5 (MiG-17 Fresco) 83065, defected from Daishan Zhejiang People's Republic of China to the Republic of China. Wang was interecepted as he approached Taiwan by two Republic of China F-5E Tiger II fighters. As he was running short of fuel, the pilots of the F-5Es helped guide Wang to the Chiang Kai-shek International Airport, which was still under construction. He landed there before running out of fuel.
20 November 1983 Mohammed Nabi Korinzay, flying a Su-7BM Fitter, attempted to defect from Afghanistan to Pakistan. He was killed when his airplane crashed while he was attempting to land at Dal Bandin Air Base, Pakistan.
4 December 1983 In retaliation for surface-to-air missiles fired at two US Navy F-14 Tomcats on December 3rd, an airstrike on Syrian anti-aircraft guns located around the village of Hammana, east of Beirut was planned for the next day. The attack was planned to include 28 aircraft from the USS Independence and USS John F. Kennedy, which were scheduled to attack at 11am, but last minute orders from Washington DC resulted in the strike being rescheduled for 6:30am. The early launch forced the pilots to attack with the rising sun directly in their eyes. Then, a morning ground haze obscured the targets they were sent to destroy and the pilots had to fly low into the intense fire of the anti-aircraft guns in an attempt to spot the targets. Early in the strike, a US Navy A-7E Corsair II of VA-15 was shot down. The pilot managed to safely eject over the Mediterranean and was rescued by US Navy helicopters. Another A-7E from VA-15 was hit by a missile, but the pilot was able to land safely on the USS Independence. However, the aircraft was so badly damaged that it could not be repaired. A bit later US Navy A-6E Intruder (BuNo 152915) from VA-85 was hit by an SA-7 Grail or SA-9 Gaskin surface-to-air missile in the engine right after dropping its bombs, while still in a dive at 1.800 feet. The pilot of the Intruder, Mark Lange and the bombardier/navigator, Robert Goodman ejected. Lange's parachute did not open fully and he was fatally injured. Goodman broke three ribs and injured a shoulder and a knee during his parachute landing. He was was captured by Syrian troops and held in a prison for a month, until the Rev. Jesse Jackson went to Damascus and obtained his release. After the A-6 was shot down, Edward Andrews, the commander of the CVW-6, returned to the area in the A-7E Corsair II he was piloting, to attempt to find the A-6's crew. Upon reaching the area where the A-6 had came down, he circled until the Syrian anti-aircraft guns opened fire. Andrews attacked the positions with 20mm canon-fire, but during his last pass his aircraft received a direct hit from a SA-7 Grail surface-to-air missile. Andrews managed to pilot his aircraft to the Mediterranean near Beirut, where he safely ejected and he was quickly rescued by US Navy helicopters.
1984 A pilot flying a Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force F-5E Tiger II defected to Saudi Arabia. The aircraft was later returned to Iran.
1984 The crew of an Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force F-4 Phantom II defected to Saudi Arabia.
11 January 1984 US Army OH-58D helicopter 72-21202 of 101 AVN GP/229 AVN BN flying from San Lorenzo to Aguacate Honduras was damaged by by Nicaraguan Sandinista People's Army anti-aircraft fire. The crew managed to make an emergency landing in Honduras, just 200 meters from Nicaraguan territory. The American pilot, CW2 Jeffry C Schwab, took cover in a ditch with two passengers, but was killed by hostile fire.
24 March 1984 Douglas DC-3 N62WS, carrying a load of weapons for a Contra group that was fighting Nicaragua's Sandinista government crashed in a mountainous area of Ciudad Quesada, Costa Rica on the slope of Mount Vlerio. The crew of pilot Bayardo Gutierrez, co-pilot Renato Torrealba, flight mechanic Castillo and four others were all killed.
25 March 1984 Afghan Air Force pilot Said Mohammad Hashim, flying a MiG-17 Fresco was killed when his airplane ran out of fuel and crashed while he was attempting to defect from the Afghanistan to Mushcab Air Base, Pakistan.
26 April 1984 US Air Force pilot Robert "Bobby" Bond, vice-commander of the Air Force Systems Command, was killed when he attempted to eject from a MiG-23BN Flogger F after he lost control, while flying over the Nellis AFB ranges.
9 May 1984 A pair of Honduran Air Force UH-1B helicopters flying from El Tigre Island, headed for Amapala base, for an unknown reason violated Nicaraguan airspace. They were fired on by the Nicaraguan Sandinista People's Army near Punta Cosigüina Nicaragua. One of the helicopters, 928, piloted by Honorato Arzu was hit and crashed. The eight people on board were killed.
16 July 1984 A pilot flying a Mi-25 Hind defected from Afghanistan to Miran Shah Pakistan.
25 July 1984 A pilot flying a An-2 Colt defected from Poland to Everod Airfield, Kristianstad Sweden. The aircraft was later returned to Poland.
9 August 1984 A Soviet fighter pursuing an Airbus 310 jetliner intruded thirty miles into Swedish airspace, at one point closing to within about a mile of the airliner, which was unaware of the fighter. Radio intercepts showed that the Su-15 Flagon fighter had armed and locked on its air-to-air missiles. The Soviets, on October 21, officially denied that any such thing had happened and claimed the jet was fifty miles from where the Swedish radars showed it.
27 August 1984 A Douglas C-47 flying from El Aguacate Airport Honduras, carrying supplies for a Contra group that was fighting Nicaragua's Sandinista government, was shot down by a a fired a SA-7 Grail surface-to-air missile fired by Nicaraguan Sandinista People's Army soldier Fanor Medina Leighton. The aircraft crashed near near Jinotega Nicaragua, killing all eight people on board, including pilot José Luis Gutierrez, co-pilot Glenn Sinclair and flight mechanic Giustino Espinosa.
30 August 1984 Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force pilot Rahman Nageeb flying F-4E Phantom II 3-6552 defected to Iraq. His radar intercept officer was taken as a prisoner of war and later repatriated to Iran.
1 September 1984 Three Cessna 337 Skymasters and a Hughes 500 helicopter flying from Aguacate airbase in Honduras and operated by the Contra fighting Nicaragua's Sandinista government, attacked a Nicaraguan military facility in the town of Santa Clara. 5 people were killed and 2 more were injured in the attack. The helicopter was shot down by anti-aircraft fire and fell on the outskirts of Santa Clara. The three people on board, US citizens Dan Herbert Parker and James Powell, along with Contra Marcos Pozo were all killed. Both Americans were Vietnam War veterans taking part in CIA special operations.
22 September 1984 Haji Fakir, flying an An-26 Curl defected from the Afghanistan to Miranshah Air Base, Pakistan.
15 October 1984 Two Libyan Mirage 5 fighters intercepted a French Aéronavale F-8E(FN) Crusader of 12.F squadron, flying from the aircraft carrier Foch (R-99) off the Libyan coast during Operation Mirmillon.
1985 Egypt supplied two Su-20 Fitter-Cs (c/n 72410 and 72412) to West Germany for evaluation. The aircraft were registered as 98+61 and 98+62 in the Luftwaffe.
20 February 1985 A pilot flying a Shenyang F-6 (MiG-19 Farmer) defected from the People's Republic of China to South Korea.
28 June 1985 The crews of two Aghan Mi-24 Hind-Ds defected from Afghanistan to Pakistan. The helicopters were later transfered to the United States for evaluation.
21 July 1985 Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force pilot Mehdi Babaie and two crewmen defected to Iraq in Boeing CH-47 Chinook 5-4089.
25 July 1985 A Hughes 500 helicopter piloted by pilot Miguel Mendes, with the leader of the Contras fighting Nicaragua's Sandinista government, Eden Pastor Gomez, on board, suffered an engine failure and crashed near the Costa Rican village of Veracruz de Pital, 20 km from the Nicaraguan border. Those on board were injured, but survived.
24 August 1985 Xiao Tianjun, flying an Harbin H-5 (Il-28 Beagle), attempted to defect from Ji'ao Shandong People's Republic of China to Iksan South Korea. During emergency landing in a field, the aircraft's navigator Sun Wuchun was killed, along with a South Korean citizen on the ground. The radio operator/tail gunner Liu Shuyi refused to defect and South Korea returned him to China along with the ashes of Sun Wuchun. Xiao reached Taiwan on September 20th where he was awarded 3,000 taels (approximately 150 kg) of gold and a rank of colonel in the Republic of China Air Force.
28 September 1985 Czechoslovak Air Force pilot Z. Piskaty, flying a L-39ZA, intercepted a US Army AH-1S Cobra.
29 September 1985 South African Air Force Impala Mark II pilots Leon Mare and Pine Pienaar each claimed to have shot down an Angolan Mi-25 Hind helicopter.
30 September 1985 South African Air Force Impala Mark II pilots Kevin Truter and Nefie van den Heever each claimed to have shot down an Angolan Mi-25 Hind helicopter. Impala pilot Wayne Westoby claimed to have shot down a Mi-17 Hip and a Mi-25 Hind.
December 1985 UNITA forces captured two Mi-24 Hinds in Angola. The aircraft were reported to have been transfered to South Africa for evaluation.
23 December 1985 Sandinista Air Force pilot Salvador Blanco Lacayo defected to Honduras in an An-2 Colt.
1986 Egypt supplied a MiG-17 Fresco to the United States.
4 February 1986 Two Israel Air Force F-15s intercepted a Libyan Gulfstream II business jet enroute to Damascus, east of Cyprus and forced it to land at Ramat David air base. Intelligence information had led the Israelis to believe that top Palestinian leaders were on board. After searching the aircraft for four hours, none were found and the aircraft was released.
21 February 1986 Zhen Baozhong, flying a Shenyang F-6 (MiG-19 Farmer) (3283) defected from Shenyang airport People's Republic of China to Suwon Air Base South Korea. He reached Taiwan on Aprile 30th and was granted asylum in the Republic of China.
24 March 1986 Two US Navy F-14A Tomcats intercepted two Libyan MiG-25 Foxbats over the Gulf Sidra. An agressive maneuvering fighting ensued, but neither side fired any weapons and eventually the MiG-25s departed. A number of SA-5 Gammon ground-to-air missiles were also fired at US Navy aircraft on that day, but none hit their targets. A number of Libyan navy vessels were also detected approaching US Navy vessels and were attacked by US Navy aircraft.
3 April 1986 Two Cuban MiG-21MF Fishbeds intercepted two C-130 Hercules over Angola, which were reportedly carrying cargo to UNITA. They shot down one and the other escaped, seriously damaged. According to South Africa (and the International Air Transport Association) they actually shot down a civilian C-130 registered to the TAAG, the Angolan government airline.
15 April 1986 In response to a bombing of a disco in West Berlin frequented by American soldiers on April 5th, Operation El Dorado Canyon was launched. This involved nighttime airstrikes on Libyan targets by US Air Force and Navy aircraft. In the course of the airstrikes, a US Air Force F-111F (70-2389), flown by Fernando Luis Ribas-Dominicci and and Paul Lorence was shot down and the crew was killed.
Late 1986 A Kuwaiti airliner, en route from Damascus to Teheran, safely made an emergency landing in the Soviet Union, at Yerevan, when a sudden storm shut down all airfields in Iran. The Boeing 727 had turned around and headed back west, but was too short of fuel to reach any airfields in Turkey. The crew desperately radioed to the Soviet air traffic control facility in Armenia. Once permission had been granted, the airliner crossed the Soviet border near Dzhulfa and made a safe landing at Yerevan. The plane was serviced and fueled and took off the following morning.
August 1986 It was reported that at least three Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force pilots defected to Iraq in F-4E Phantom IIs. The three aircraft were inspected by US technicians as part of Operation Night Harvest, an attempt to determine Iran's capability to manufacture spare parts for their US-purchased aircraft.
28 August 1986 A Nicaraguan Sandinista People's Air Force C-47 was shot down near Siuma Nicaragua by Contra forces, using a SA-7 Grail surface-to-air missile. It was reported that the crew of two were killed in the ensuing crash.
31 August 1986 Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force pilots Ahmed Murad Talibi and Hassan Nagafi Habibullah defected to Iraq in a Grumman F-14A Tomcat, equipped with at least one Hughes AIM-54A Phoenix missile. Upon landing, US technicians took control of the aircraft. Hassan Nagafi Habibullah, the radar intercept officer did not wish to defect and became an Iraqi prisoner of war. The F-14A and two of the F-4E Phantom IIs that had defected in August 1986 were flown to Saudi Arabia and destroyed there. The remaining F-4E was not deemed airworthy and was abandoned at Tallil air base in Iraq. The wreckage of this F-4E was still present after American troops siezed Tallil air base in 2003.
2 September 1986 The crew two Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force F-4 Phantom IIs defected to Iraq.
5 October 1986 A Corporate Air Services C-123 Provider (HPF821, previously N4410F) departed San Salvador-Ilopango Airport loaded with 70 Soviet-made AK-47 rifles and 100,000 round of ammunition, rocket grenades and other supplies. It flew along the Nicaraguan coastline and entered Nicaraguan airspace near the Costa Rican border. Nearing San Carlos, the plane descended to 2,500 feet while preparing to drop its cargo. While doing so, it was shot down by a Nicaraguan Sandinista People's Army soldier, using a SA-7 Grail surface-to-air missile. CIA pilots Wallace "Buzz" Sawyer and William Cooper and crewmember Freddie Wilches were killed in the crash. Loadmaster Eugene Hasenfus parachuted to safety and was taken prisoner. He was later released in December 1986.
20 October 1986 Zheng Caidian, flying a Shenyang F-6 (MiG-19 Farmer) defected from Yantai People's Republic of China to Seoul Air Base in South Korea. The pilot later reached Taiwan, where he was graned asylum.
23 October 1986 A pilot flying a MiG-21 Fishbed defected from Afghanistan to Pakistan.
March 1987 Forces in Chad captured a Libyan Mi-25 Hind. The helicopter was transfered to France and later the United States for evaluation.
2 March 1987 A Libyan Air Force C-130 Hercules was commandeered and flew to Egypt, where two of the five crew onboard requested asylum.
4 March 1987 A pilot flying a Mi-2 Hoplite defected from Czechoslovakia to West Germany.
10 March 1987 An Aero Express C-47A (N49454) was shot down by a Honduran Air Force Dassault Super Mystere B2 near Palamital Honduras. The aircraft had used the fake callsign HK-313. The C-47 had departed Guatemala City at 09:39 local time with a flight plan to El Estor, Guatemala. Shortly after takeoff the pilot radioed El Estor and said he was returning to Guatemala City, but instead turned towards Honduras. The C-47 ignored radio calls from the Honduran Air Force and did not respond to hand signals from the Super Mystčre once inside Honduran airspace.
11 March 1987 An attempt was made to hijack Cubana de Aviación An-24 Curl CU-T1262 to Miami.
29 March 1987 Three Libyan Air Force pilots defected to Egypt in a CH-47 Chinook.
30 March 1987 Pakistan Air Force F-16 pilot Abdul Razzaq shot down a Afghan or Soviet An-26 Curl over the Pakistan-Afghanistan border area.
16 April 1987 Pakistan Air Force F-16 pilot Badar-ul-Islam shot down a Afghan or Soviet Su-22 Fitter over the Pakistan-Afghanistan border area.
17 May 1987 The USS Stark (FFG-31), operating in the Persian Gulf during the Iran-Iraq war, was struck by two Exocet anti-ship missiles fired from a modified Iraqi Air Force Dassault Falcon 50 YI-ALE. The frigate did not detect the incoming missiles with radar and warning was given by a lookout only moments before the missiles struck. The first missile penetrated the ship's hull on the port side. Its warhead failed to detonate, but the missile spewed flaming rocket fuel in its path. The second missile entered the hull at almost the same point, and left a large gash before exploding in the crew's quarters. Thirty-seven sailors were killed and twenty-one were injured
27 May 1983 A Soviet An-2 Colt landed in Sweden.
28 May 1987 West German 19-year old private pilot Mathias Rust flew a rented Cessna 172 Skyhawk (D-ECJB) from Helsinki, Finland to Moscow, and landed in Red Square. He wasn't shot down because the two Soviet interceptor pilots who were shadowing him were reluctant to open fire on the small plane. After serving 18 months in a Soviet prison, Rust was released. Soviet Air-defense commander Koldunov was removed from his position because of this incident.
28 May 1987 Two Lebanese Air Force Fouga Magisters were intercepted by Israel Air Force fighters and forced to land at Ramat David air base. The trainers were detected flying near Israeli airspace, but it turned out that they were searching for a yacht in distress. The aircraft were refueled and released. An Israeli patrol boat subsequently found and aided the yacht.
28 May 1987 Cuban Brigadier General Rafael Del Pino Díaz defected to the United States in an Aerocaribbean Cessna 402, with his third wife, his daughter, and his son Ramsés. Diaz was an ex-Cuban Air Force MiG-23 Flogger pilot.
Summer 1987 The US Air Force acquired 12 brand-new Shenyang F-7Bs from China for use in the Constant Peg program. They are reported to have been designated YF-110Cs. At the same time, all the remaining MiG-21F-13 Fishbeds originally acquired from Indonesia were retired.
16 June 1987 Beech 56TC Baron N666PF was hit by a SA-7 Grail surface-to-air missile fired by Nicaraguan Sandinista People's Army soldier Jose Manuel Rodriguez. The crew of Juan M Gomez, Guillermo Gomez and Alvaro Carrasco were injured in a crash landing 6 kilometers inside of Honduras.
25 June 1987 A Shenyang F-7B (045) operated by the US Air Force in the Constant Peg program was lost due to an engine failure and the pilot, Ricardo Cazessus ejected safely.
16 July 1987 Three Libyan Air Force pilots defected to Egypt in a Mil Mi-8 Hip.
22 July 1987 A SA-7 Grail surface-to-air missile fired by a Nicaraguan Sandinista People's Army soldier struck an unmarked Hughes 500 helicopter over the town of Playa Hermosa. The helicopter had flown into Nicaragua from the direction of Honduras.
August 1987 Czechoslovak Air Force pilots Z. Ouda and Nemeth, flying MiG-23ML Floggers, intercepted a Cessna 182.
21 August 1987 An Ethiopian Air Force pilot defected by flying a helicopter to Sudan, where he received political asylum.
28 August 1987 A MiG-23BN Flogger F (022) operated by the US Air Force in the Constant Peg program was lost after the pilot, Herbert Carlisle lost control and ejected.
13 September 1987 A Soviet Su-27P Flanker of the 941st IAP, flown by Vasiliy Tsymbal, intercepted a Lockheed P-3B Orion of the 333 squadron of the Royal Norwegian Air Force, flown by Jan Salvesen, over the Barents Sea. While maneuvering below the P-3B, the Su-27P collided with the outboard right propeller of the Orion. The impact shattered a fin tip of the Su-27P and caused fragments of the propeller to puncture the P-3B's fuselage, causing a decompression. Because of the damaged propeller, the Orion experienced severe vibrations and the outboard right engine was shut down. The aircraft disengaged and returned safely to their bases. Tsymbal was expelled from the Communist Party three days later, but was reinstated after a day. Shortly thereafter he was awarded the Order of the Red Star. The Orion's pilot emerged from the incident with no blemishes to his service record and the Soviet Union officially apologized to Norway.
26 September 1987 Romanian pilot Marian Smighelski, a student pilot in his third year at the Flight Academy at Boboc defected in a L-39ZA Albatross. To escape detection, he dove to treetop level and crossed the eastern part of Bulgaria from north to south without any incident. After entering Turkish airspace, he landed on a dirt road near Edirne. On roll-out, he had to veer off into a field because a car was parked on the side of the road and this damaged the aircraft. The aircraft was later dismantled and returned to Romania. The pilot was later granted asylum in the United States.
27 September 1987 Angolan MiG-23 Flogger pilot Chao Gondin shared in the downing of a South African Air Force Mirage F1 with Alberto Ley Rivas. Rivas claimed a second South African Air Force Mirage, possibly on the same date.
3 October 1987 The crews of two Mi-4 Hounds defected from Afghanistan to Chihal Pakistan. The helicopters were returned.
19 November 1987 Liu Zhiyuan flying a Shenyang F-6 (MiG-19 Farmer) (40208) defected from Longxi airport, Zhangzhou People's Republic of China to Ching Chuan Kang Air Base in Taichung Republic of China.
6 December 1987 Cessna 172 N1073Y piloted by US citizen Jameson Giordano Denby was shot down by Nicaraguan Sandinista People's Army ground fire near San Juan del Norte Nicaragua. The aircraft made an emergency landing and the pilot was arrested. He was charged with performing a reconnaissance flight in the interests of the Contras fighting Nicaragua's Sandinista government.
23 December 1987 Aerolíneas Nicaragüenses S.A. (Aeronica) Douglas DC-6BF YN-BFO, on a carge flight from Managua Augusto C. Sandino International Airport to Panama City Tocumen International Airport was hit in the right wing by ground fire and a FIM-43 Redeye surface-to-air missile. The pilots executed a water landing in the San Juan River in Nicaragua. The six people on board were injured but survived.
30 December 1987 Lebanese Air Force pilot Majed Karamah defected to pro-Syrian Druze militia by flying a SA.342L Gazelle from Beirut to the Shouf.
23 January 1988 A Douglas DC-6 flying from Islas Del Cisne Airport Honduras was was shot down while dropping military supplies and food to Contras fighting Nicaragua's Sandinista government 25 miles east of San Carlos, a small town on the shores of Lake Nicaragua, and about four miles north of the Costa Rican border.. The aircraft had dropped 11 loads of weapons, food, ammunition and clothing, each weighing about 800 pounds. In addition, two people had parachuted with the cargo. Soon afterward, a SA-7 Grail surface-to-air missile fired by a Nicaraguan Sandinista People's Army soldier hit one of the engines on the right wing, but the plane continued flying for 20 miles. It was then struck by a second missile and four minutes later crashed. Seven of the eight crew onboard, including pilot Donaldo Umberto Frizionis, co-pilot Benjamin Sánchez and flight engineer Didier Augusto Guido were killed. The sole survivor of the crash was Nicaraguan loadmaster Alejandro Sanchez Herrera.
10 March 1988 A Soviet MiG-31 Foxhound intercepted US Air Force RC-135S Cobra Ball 61-2663, which was attempting to observe Soviet ballastic missile warhead reentries, in the Kura test range, at Klyuchi, on the Kamchatka Pennisula.
May 1988 Three days in a row, Norwegian pilot Andreas Sommers penetrated 2-3 km into Soviet airspace flying a Cessna 152. Soviet fighters were unable to intercept him before he returned to Norwegian airspace.
17 May 1988 Pakistan Air Force F-16 pilot A. Hameed Qadri shot down two Soviet Su-22 Fitters over the Pakistan-Afghanistan border area.
30 June 1988 Zimbabwe Air Force pilot Gary Kane stole a Bell 412 helicopter in an abortive attempt to rescue alleged South African agents from prison.
July 1988 Two pilots flying MiG-29 Fulcrums defected from Syria to Turkey.
3 July 1988 An Iran Air Airbus A300B2-203 (EP-IBU), flight IR655, flying from Bandar Abbas to Dubai within the Amber 59 air corridor, was shot down over the Strait of Hormuz by two SM-2 Standard surface-to-air missiles fired by the USS Vincennes. At about the time the Airbus took off, the Vincennes' radar picked up a brief Identification Friend or Foe (IFF) mode 2 response, which led to the mistaken identification of the Airbus as a hostile Iranian F-14 aircraft. The USS Vincennes issued 7 challenges on the Military Air Distress (MAD) frequency (243 MHz), addressed to 'Iranian aircraft', 'Iranian fighter' or 'Iranian F-14'. These messages were followed by three challenges on the International Air Defense (IAD) frequency, unfortunately while the IR655 pilot was busy talking to Air Traffic Control. A number of the AEGIS radar operators on the Vincennes misread the displays and reported that the incoming plane was descending with an increasing speed. This fact, and the fact that the aircraft didn't respond to the challenges led to the decision to launch two missiles against the perceived hostile target. All 290 passengers and crew onboard the Airbus were killed.
12 July 1988 Somali Air Force pilot Ahmed Mohamed Hassan defected by flying a MiG-17F Fresco to Djibouti.
4 August 1988 Pakistan Air Force F-16 pilot Akhtar Imam Bokhari shot down a Soviet Su-25 Frogfoot piloted Alexander Vladimirovich Rutskoy over the Pakistan-Afghanistan border area. Rutskoy ejected and landed in a forest. He evaded capture for five days, walking 28 km in hot weather, without food, before he was taken prisoner by the Afghan mujahideen. He was then handed over to Pakistani authorities. On August 20th, 1988 he was released and returned to the USSR.
8 August 1988 An Angolan MiG-23 Flogger pilot fired two R-60 (AA-8 Aphid) missiles at a British Aerospace 125 Series 800 (OK-1) carrying the President of Botswana, J.K. Quett Masire, and his staff to a meeting of the Front Line States in Luanda Angola. One missile hit the right hand engine of the business jet, blowing it off the airframe. The second missile locked on to and hit the falling engine. The pilot of the business jet was incapicated when the cabin steward was blown forward, onto him. The co-pilot, Arthur Ricketts, made a successful emergency landing on a bush strip at Cutio Bie.
8 August 1988 A pilot flying a MiG-21 Fishbed defected from Afghanistan to Parachinar Pakistan.
September 1988 A Czechoslovak Air Force Mi-24 Hind attempted to intecept an Austrian Air Force PC-6 Turbo Porter that had strayed into Czechoslovak air space over southern Moravia. The PC-6 managed to evade the Mi-24 and escaped back to Austria.
12 September 1988 Pakistan Air Force F-16 pilot Khalid Mahmood shot down two Soviet MiG-23MLD Floggers over the Pakistan-Afghanistan border area.
28 September 1988 Soviet MiG-23MLD Flogger pilots Vladmir Astakhov and Boris Gavrilov each shot down an Iranian AH-1J Cobra that had trespassed into Afghan airspace using Vympel R-24 (AA-7 Apex) missiles.
3 October 1988 A Soviet MiG-31 Foxhound intercepted US Air Force RC-135S Cobra Ball 61-2662, which was attempting to observe Soviet ballastic missile warhead reentries, in the Kura test range, at Klyuchi, on the Kamchatka Pennisula.
3 November 1988 Pakistan Air Force F-16 pilot Khalid Mahmood shot down an Afghan Su-22 Fitter over the Pakistan-Afghanistan border area.
16 November 1988 A Soviet MiG-31 Foxhound intercepted US Air Force RC-135S Cobra Ball 61-2662, which was attempting to observe Soviet ballastic missile warhead reentries, in the Kura test range, at Klyuchi, on the Kamchatka Pennisula. This intecept also inlcuded a three hour escort of 61-2662 by a Soviet Tu-16 Badger.
20 November 1988 Pakistan Air Force F-16 pilot Muhammad Abbas Khattak shot down a Soviet An-26 Curl over the Pakistan-Afghanistan border area.
8 December 1988 Nicaraguan Sandinista People's Army pilot Edwin Estrada Leiva, flying a Mi-25 Hind defected to Honduras.
8 December 1988 Captain Asadullah, flying a MiG-21MF Fishbed defected from Afghanistan to Miram Shah Air Base, Pakistan.
10 December 1988 Pakistan Air Force fighters shot down a Ariana Afghan Airlines An-26 Curl over Parachinar Pakistan. The airliner was on a domestic flight from Khost Airport to Kabul Airport Afghanistan when it apparently got lost. All 25 onboard the An-26 were killed.
14 December 1988 An Angolan pilot flying MiG-21bis Fishbed C340 was forced to land, due to fuel starvation after a navigation error, in an open field in South West Africa (Namibia). The aircraft was taken to South Africa and was restored by Atlas Aviation. Until September 2017 it was displayed at Swartkops Air Force Base, Pretoria South Africa. On 15 September 2017, the aircraft was returned to Angola in an Angolan Il-76 cargo plane.
4 January 1989 US Navy F-14A Tomcats, of VF-32, flown by Joseph Connelly (RIO Leo Enwright) and Hermon Cook (RIO Steven Collins), flying from the USS John F. Kennedy, each shot down a Libyan MiG-23MF Flogger over the Gulf of Sidra.
31 January 1989 Pakistan Air Force F-16 pilot Khalid Mahmood shot down a Soviet An-24 Coke over the Pakistan-Afghanistan border area.
11 February 1989 Lin Xianshun flying F-5E Tiger II 5120 defected from the Republic of China to the People's Republic of China. At the end of his flight, his aircraft ran out of fuel and he ejected over Guangdong province. The aircraft was destroyed in the ensuing crash and the remains are now in the China Aviation Museum at Datangshan.
April 1989 A pilot flying a MiG-23ML Flogger defected from Syria to Turkey.
26 April 1989 A pilot flying a Mi-25 Hind defected from Sudan to Aswan Egypt.
20 May 1989 Alexander Zuyev flying a MiG-29 Fulcrum defected from the Soviet Union and landed at Trabzon Turkey. The aircraft was returned to the USSR and Zuyev was given asylum in the United States. He was killed on June 10, 2001 in the crash of a Yak-52 near Seattle, Washington USA.
29 May 1989 Somali Air Force pilot Sheikh Ibrahim Yusuf defected by flying an An-26 Curl to Djibouti.
3 July 1989 Mohammed Hamid, flying a Mi-25 Hind defected from Afghanistan to Kica Air Base Pakistan.
6 July 1989 Jan Pahrand, flying a Su-22M-4K Fitter, defected from Afghanistan to Peshawar Pakistan.
4 July 1989 A Soviet MiG-23 Flogger, piloted by Colonel Skurigin, took off from an airbase near Kolobzreg on the coast of the Baltic Sea in Poland, on a training flight. After take-off the pilot realized he was losing engine power. The pilot ejected and landed safely by parachute. The engine then regained power and the aircraft flew away to the West, guided by the autopilot. The fighter left the airspace of the East Germany and entered West German airspace where it was intercepted by a pair of USAF F-15s. The F-15s were denied permission to fire on the MiG and had to let it fly away. Eventually, after flying 900 km, the MiG-23 ran out of fuel and crashed into a house near Kortrijk, Belgium. An 18-year old man in the house was killed.
14 August 1989 The pilot of a MiG-17F Fresco was killed in a crash while attempting to defect from Hungary to Udine Italy.
6 September 1989 Jiang Wenhao flying a Shenyang F-6 (MiG-19 Farmer) (40307) defected from the People's Republic of China to the Republic of China. He landed his aircraft on Kinmen Island, an island under control of the Republic of China, but just off the coast of the Fujian Province of the People's Republic of China to the Republic of China. From there, he was first tranported by a naval transport ship to the Pescadores Islands on September 7th, reaching the Pescadores at the dawn. From there, a Republic of China Air Force Beechcraft 1900 transport aircraft flew Jiang to Taipei on September 8th. It was found that his aircraft was outfitted with an anti-defection system. If the system detected that the aircraft had strayed away from its predetermined routes, and if the signals were not responded within thirty seconds, the system would automatically cut the fuel supply and shut down every system onboard unless the pilot returned to the predetermined route. Jiang defeated this system by selecting Kinmen Island as his destination, as the island is close to the mainland and well within the allowed range of the predetermined routes.
29 September 1989 Jalal Uddin flying MiG-21 Fishbed 957 defected from Bagram Air Base Afghanistan to a Pakistani Air Force base in Peshawar. Jalal requested and received political asylum in Pakistan.
11 October 1989 Abdel Bassem flying a MiG-23MLD Flogger defected from Syria and landed at Meggidio Israel. The Israel Air Force evaluated the aircraft, which is now displayed in the Israel Air Force Museum.
20 October 1989 two Syrian Air Force MiG-21bis Fishbed flew 12 miles into Turkish air space and shot down a Turkish Britten-Norman BN-2A-3 Islander (TC-KUN) conducting photo mapping over Hatay of a forested area near the border with Syria. All five aboard the Islander were killed. The MiG-21bis pilots had disregarded orders and the Syrian Government apologized to the victims of the "painful incident".
20 October 1989 Afghan pilots flying MiG-21bis Fishbed 957 and Su-22M4 Fitter 804 defected from Afghanistan to Peshawar Pakistan.
.29 October 1989 A Afghan pilot flying a MiG-21bis Fishbed defected from Afghanistan to Peshawar Pakistan.
2 November 1989 Republic of China Air Force pilot Lin Xianshun defected to the People's Republic of China, flying F-5E Tiger II 5120. He ejected 80 km inside Guangdong province. The remains of his aircraft are on display in the China Aviation Museum at Datangshan.
13 July 1990 Israeli Air Force pilot Haggai Mori attempted to defect to Syria in a Dornier Do 28 (032). After being interctpted by Syrian aircraft and forced out of Syrian air space, he committed suicide by crashing into the western slope of the Golan Heights.
25 August 1990 A People's Republic of China Shenyang J-6 (MiG-19 Farmer) crossed the border into the USSR and landed at Knevichi, a Soviet Naval Air Force base near Vladivostok. The plane and its pilot were forcibly returned to the People's Republic of China on August 30, 1990.
11 November 1990 A Royal Saudi Air Force pilot defected by flying a F-15 Eagle to Sudan. Saudi Arabia paid $40 million for the return of the aircraft three months later.
February 1991 United States forces captured Mi-24 Hinds, Mi-17 Hips, MiG-21 Fishbeds, MiG-25 Foxbats, Su-25 Frogfoots and MiG-29 Fulcrums, most in damaged condition, in Iraq during Operation Desert Storm.
20 March 1991 Cuban pilot Orestes Lorenzo Perez, flying a MiG-23BN Flogger F, defected to a Naval Air Station Key West in Florida while on a training mission. On 19 December 1992 Perez flew back to Cuba in a Cessna 310, landing the coastal highway east of Havana. His wife Victoria and their two sons, Reyneil, 11, and Alejandro, 6, were waiting there for him. They boarded the Cessna and Perez flew them safely back to the United States.
28 March 1991 Germany supplied two Su-22M-4 Fitters, (cn 30914 and 31203) a MiG-29 Fulcrum and six MiG-23ML Floggers (cn 0390324019, 0390324033, 0390324051, 0390324254, 0390324618 and 0390324250) to the United States Air Force. The aircraft were obtained when East Germany merged with West Germany.
24 April 1991 Soviet pilot Irek Irshakovich Gimatov deflected by flying a Mi-8 Hip from Erebuni airfield near Yerevan Armenian SSR to Erzrum Turkey. The helicopter was returned to the USSR, but the pilot was given asylum in Turkey.
23 May 1991 The pilots of two MiG-23BN Flogger Fs, defected from Ethiopia to Dijibouti.
26 May 1991 The pilots of seven Mi-8 Hips, a L-39 Albatros, two An-12 Cubs, three MiG-23BN Flogger Fs, three Mi-24 Hinds and three Mi-35 Hinds defected from Ethiopia to Dijibouti after the fall of the Mengistu government. The aircraft were all returned to Ehthopia on August 8.
19 June 1991 Five Cubans defected by flying to Miami International Airport in an An-2 Colt crop duster.
25 October 1991 Yugoslavian Air Force pilot Rudolf Perešin defected by flying a MiG-21R Fishbed to Austria. He later fought on behalf of Croatian forces in the Yugoslav Civil War, ultimately dying after being shot down in 1995.
7 November 1991 Germany supplied two Mi-14 Hazes to the United States for evaluation. The helicopters were obtained when East Germany merged with West Germany.
4 January 1992 A Yugoslav Air Force pilot defected by flying a MiG-21bis Fishbed to Zhelyavka air base in Croatia.
4 January 1992 Cubana de Aviación pilot German Pompa defected by flying Mi-8 Hip CU-H407 with 33 friends and relatives onboard from Varadero Cuba to Tamiami Airport in Florida. All onboard all requested asylum.
24 April 1992 A US Air Force C-130H Hercules of the 310th Airlift Squadron, operating from Howard Air Force Base in Panama conducting surveillance as part of Operation Furtive Bear, was attacked by two Peruvian Su-22 Fitters. Six of the fourteen US crew members onboard the C-130 were injured. Crew member Joseph C. Beard, Jr., was sucked from the cabin at 18,500 feet and Ronald Hetzel sustained severe injuries.
25 October 1991 Yugoslavian Air Force pilots Ivica Ivandic and Ivan Selak defected by flying two MiG-21bis Fishbeds to Croatia. Both later fought on behalf of Croatian forces in the Yugoslav Civil War.
4 Februay 1992 Cuban pilot Luis Rodriguez attemped to defect by flying an An-2 Colt with eight others onboard to Florida. The aircraft ran out of fuel and ditched in the Straits of Florida. All onboard perished.
15 May 1992 Two Yugoslav Air Force pilot defected by flying MiG-21bis Fishbeds from Užice airfield to Zagreb and Split Croatia.
8 July 1992 A pilot flying a MiG-23 Flogger defected from Libya to Maleme Air Base, Crete Greece. The aircraft was returned to Libya on February 14.
29 December 1992 Aerocarribean pilot Carlos Cancio defected by flying Antonov An-26 Curl CU-T110 to Miami International Airport with 53 people onboard. 48 of the passengers requested asylum. The Co-pilot, security guard and three others returned to Cuba.
17 September 1993 Cuban Air Force pilot Enio Ravelo Rodriguez, flying MiG-21MF Fishbed 672, defected to Naval Air Station Key West in Florida. The pilot asked for and received asylum in the United States. A Cuban pilot flew the aircraft back to Cuba on September 24th.
20 September 1993 A Orbi Georgian Airways Tu-134A (65809) was hit by ground fire or missile fired by Abkhazian rebels while taking off from the Sukhumi-Babusheri Airport. The aircraft was badly damaged, but there were no fatalities.
21 September 1993 A Transair Georgia Tu-134A (65893) was shot down by Abkhazian rebels using a surface to air missile fired from a boat, while approaching the Sukhumi-Babusheri Airport. The aircraft crashed into the Black Sea and the 22 passengers and 5 crewmembers onboard were killed.
22 September 1993 A Transair Georgia Tu-154B (85163) on a flight from Tbilisi was shot down by Abkhazian rebels while approaching the Sukhumi-Babusheri Airport. The crashed on the runway and caught fire, killing the 100 passengers and 8 crewmembers onboard.
23 September 1993 A Transair Georgia Tu-134A (CCCP-65001) was struck by mortar or artillery fire from Abkhazian rebels while passengers were boarding at the Sukhumi-Babusheri Airport. The airliner caught fire and burned out, killing one crewmember.
24 September 1993 Cuban Air Force pilot Leonidas Basulto Serrano, flying MiG-23ML Flogger 242, defected to the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay. The pilot asked for asylum in the United States. The aircraft was returned to Cuba on September 27th.
17 March 1994 An Islamic Republic of Iran Air Force C-130H (5-8521), enroute from Tehran to Moscow was shot down by Armenian forces with a missile. The aircraft crashed near Stepanaket, Armenia killing the 13 crew and 19 passengers.
12 June 1994 Cuban pilot Ariel Corral defected by flying an An-2 Colt crop duster, with his sister Yenima Zambrano and brother-in-law Frank Beads onboard, to Key West Florida.
October 27-29, 1994 A US Navy aircraft carrier battle group led by the USS Kitty Hawk discovered and tracked a Han-class nuclear attack submarine of the People's Republic of China PLA Navy. In response, the PLA Air Force sent fighters toward the US aircraft tracking the submarine. Although no shots were fired by either side, China followed up the incident with a warning, issued to the US Naval Attache over dinner in Beijing, that the PLA would open fire in a future incident.
17 December 1994 A US Army OH-58A Kiowa (71-20796), on a training flight near the Korean demilitarized zone, strayed off-course and was shot down over North Korea. One crew member, David Hilemon, was killed. The North Koreans turned over his body to U.S. authorities five days after the shoot-down at the Panmunjom truce village. The other crew member, Bobby W. Hall II, was taken captive by the North Koreans and released 13 days later.
1995 It has been reported that the US Air Force acquired two Sukhoi Su-27 Flankers.
10 February 1995 Peruvian Su-22 Fitters 014 and 017 (flown by Victor Manuel Maldonado-Begaza and Enrique Caballero Orrego) and Cessna A-37B Dragonfly 125 (flown by Hilario Valladares and Gregorio Mendiola) were shot down by Mirage F1JA FAE807 and FAE806 (piloted by Raul Banderas and Carlos Uzcategui, respectively) and Ecuadorian Kfir C.2 FAE905 (piloted by Mauricio Mata) during the Cenepa War.
20 March 1995 Hungarian Air Force MiG-29 Fulcrum pilot Colonel Laszlo Uhrin intercepted a Cessna 172 Skyhawk entering Hungarian airspace from Slovak airspace. When the MiG-29 appeared on his wingtip, the Cessna pilot immediately realized he was in trouble and signaled the fighter by waggling his wings. Colonel Uhrin directed the Cessna to Budapest Ferihegy International Airport, where it landed safely. It turned out that the Cessna pilot had planned to fly to Debrecen Hungary but he hadn't received clearance to enter Hungarian airspace.
3 August 1995 Ilyushin Il-76TD Candid RA-76842, operated by Airstan was intercepted by a Taliban Air Force MiG-21 Fishbed and was forced to land at the Kandahar Airport. The aircraft was transporting 30 tons of weapons from Albania to the forces of besieged Afghan President Burhanuddin Rabbani. The crew of seven was held captive for a year, but were allowed access to the aircraft, so as to maintain it. On August 16th 1996, they took advantage of the absence of three of their six guards and overpowered the remaining guards. The pilot was able to start the engines and the aircraft, with all seven of the crew aboard, quickly taxied to t he runway. The Taliban tried to block the runway with a fire truck but the crew was able to conduct a short takeoff, enabling them to avoid the obstacle. The aircraft was able to quickly exit Taliban controlled airspace and flew to the United Arab Emirates.
24 February 1996 Three US civilian registered (N2456S, N5485S and N2506) Cessna 337s, operated by the Brothers to the Rescue on a humanitarian search and rescue mission, were intercepted by Cuban MiG-29UB Fulcrum-B 900 and a MiG-23ML Flogger over the Florida Straits. The MiG-29UB, piloted by Lorenzo Alberto Peréz Peréz, shot down N2456S and N5485S, while N2506 escaped. Crew members Armando Alejandre, Jr., Mario de la Pena, Carlos Costa and Pablo Morales were all killed.
23 May 1996 Li Chol Su flying a MiG-19 Farmer defected from North Korea to Suwon Air Base South Korea. He received an award of approximately $560,000.
8 July 1996 Cuban military officer Jose Fernandez Pupo defected by hijacking a Cuban An-2 Colt and forced it to land at the US Naval base at Guantanamo Bay. Some of the other passengers onboard also requested asylum.
16 August 1996 Adel Given Ulloa, Leonardo Reyes and Jose Roberto Bello defected by forcing Aerotaxi pilot Adolfo Perez Pantoja to fly a PZL-104 Wilga to Fort Meyers. The aircraft ran out of fuel and was forced to ditch in the Straits of Florida. All onboard were rescued and taken to the United States, where the three hijackers requested asylum.
8 October 1996 A Turkish Air Force F-16D (91-0023) of 192 Filo violated Greek airspace near Chios island and was intercepted by a Greek Air Force Mirage 2000EGM of the 331 Squadron, 114 Figher Wing. The Mirage fired a Matra R.550 Magic II missile which hit and destroyed the F-16D. The Turkish pilot died, while the co-pilot ejected and was rescued by Greek forces. The incident was confirmed by Turkish Defence Minister Ismet Yilmaz in response to a parliamentary question in August 2012.
22 October 1996 The pilot of a Sudanese Air Force Shenyang J-6 (MiG-19 Farmer defected by flying to Saudi Arabia. The aircraft was returned.
4 March 1997 Albanian Air Force pilots Dajci Agron and Ardian Elezy defected to Italy in Shenyang FT-2 (MiG-15UTI Fagot) after refusing orders to attack a group of rebels. They were intercepted by an Italian F-104S Starfighter and escorted to Lecce-Galatina airbase in western Italy. The aircraft was later returned to Albania.
4 April 1997 A Canadian Armed Forces CH-124 Sea King helicopter shadowing the Russian merchant ship Kapitan Man 5 nm north of Port Angeles, Washington was illuminated by a laser fired from the ship. The Canadian pilot of the helicopter, Patrick Barnes and a US Navy officer onboard the helicopter, Jack Daly, both experienced suffered burns to their retinas after the laser was fired.
1998 Moldova sold six MiG-29A Fulcrum-As (cn 2960516761, 2960512124, 2960512140, 2960516753, 2960516755 and 2960516766) one MiG-29B Fulcrum-B (cn 50903012038) and fourteen MiG-29S Fulcrum-Cs (cn 2960717940, 2960717456, 2960717469, 2960717473, 2960721907, 2960710828 2960717458, 2960717459, 2960717464, 2960707750, 2960707753, 2960721930, 2960721940 and 2960721945) to the United States.
1998 A Su-22 Fitter operated by the US Air Force was lost after the pilot Robert "Woody" Nolan was forced to eject.
15 January 1998 At 2:50pm, a Russian Su-27P Flanker, flown by Andrey Oleynik, was scrambled to intercept an unidentified radar target over the Kaliningrad region. After intercepting the aircraft, he identified it as a Estonian registered Aero L-29 Delfin (ES-YLE). Irish pilots Mark Jeffries and Clive Davison were staging the L-29 from Tallinn Estonian to Cambridge England via Kaunas and Gdansk. At the time of the interception they were 20 km inside Russian territory. After being commanded to follow the Su-27P, the crew of the L-29 tried to escape, but were intercepted by another Su-27P with V. Shekoorov at the controls. Eventually, the crew of the L-29 contacted Russian air traffic control and were told to land at the Kaliningrad-Khrabrovo airport. After landing, the crew was arrested and questioned. They claimed that strong headwinds had increased their fuel consumption and this necessitated their attempt to cut through Russian airspace.
4 March 1998 A pilot flying a MiG-15bis Fagot defected from Albania to El Galatina Italy.
17 June 1998 Alili Messaoud flew a Mi-8 Hip from Blida Air Force Base Algeria to Formentera island and then to Ibiza, Spain to escape the Algerian Civil War. The helicopter was subsequently returned to Algeria while the pilot asked for political asylum that was not granted because of Algerian pressures, however he was granted a resident visa each year continuing to the present.
30 September 1998 Muhammad Khan, an Afghan pilot flying supplies to the Northern Alliance, defected by flying an An-32, with four others onboard, to the Kabul Airport, then held by the Taliban.
10 October 1998 A Lignes Aeriennes Congolaises Boeing 727-30 (9Q-CSG) was shot down with a SA-7 Grail surface-to-air missile fired by rebel forces about three minutes after leaving Kindu Democratic Republic of the Congo for Kinshasa. All 41 on board the aircraft were killed after the pilot tried to carry out an emergency landing into dense jungle.
23 March 1999 A Zimbabwean Air Force British Aerospace Hawk was shot down by Mistral missiles fired by the Rwandan forces in the Second Congo War.
10 August 1999 A Pakistan Navy Air Arm Breguet 1150 Atlantic (91) on a surveillance mission over southeastern Pakistan was shot down by two Indian Air Force MiG-21 Fishbeds after it was reportedly to have strayed into Indian airspace near Ran of Kutch. The sixteen crewmembers onboard were killed.
29 August 1999 A Corporate Jets Learjet 35A (N350JF) being ferried from Naples to Lanseria via Nairbobi strayed off course and flew deep inside an Ethiopian no-fly zone. Ethiopian military forces thought the plane was Eritrean and decided to shoot it down using an anti-aircraft battery, killing the crew of two.
27 April 2000 A US Air Force US Air Force RC-135, was intercepted by two People's Liberation Army Air Force Shenyang J-8 Finbacks in international air space over the East China Sea.
28 August 2000 Two People's Republic of China J-8 Finbacks intercepted a US Air Force RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft operating in international airspace at 28,000 feet over the East China Sea. The Chinese jets closed to within two miles of the American aircraft.
19 September 2000 Nine Cubans attempted to defect by flying an An-2 Colt crop duster to Florida. The aircraft ran out of fuel and was forced to ditch in the Straits of Florida. Eight of those onboard were rescued and one died.
17 October 2000 Two Russian aircraft, a Su-24 Fencer and a Su-27 Flanker overflew the carrier USS Kitty Hawk at about 200 feet of altitude. At the time, the Kitty Hawk was in the midst of an underway replenishment n the northern Sea of Japan, between the island of Hokkaido and the Russian mainland. Following the overflight, the Russian pilots e-mailed pictures of their overflight to the Kitty Hawk's web site. Russian aircraft also overflew the Kitty Hawk on October 12th and November 9th.
1 April 2001 A US Navy EP-3E Aries II (BuNo 156511) of VQ-1, with a crew of 24, was damaged in a mid-air collision with one of two intercepting People's Republic of China PLANAF J-8 II Finbacks off the coast of Hainan Island. The EP-3E made an emergency landing at an airbase in Lingshui China. The pilot of the J-8 II (81192) involved in the collision, Wang Wei, ejected and was lost at sea. Wang Wei was a pilot in the 25th Regiment of the 9th Division of the People's Liberation Army Navy Air Force, based at Lingshui. The pilot of the second J-8 II, Zhao Yu, returned safely to base. On April 11th the USN crew of Shane Osborn (pilot), John Comerford (co-pilot), Richard Bensing, Steven Blocher, Bradford Borland, David Cecka, Shawn Coursen, Jeremy Crandall, Josef Edmunds, Brandon Funk, Scott Guidry, Jason Hanser, Patrick Honeck, Regina Kauffman, Nicholas Mellos, Ramon Mercado, Richard Payne, Kenneth Richter, Marcia Sonon, Jeffery Vignery, Wendy Westbrook, Rodney Young, Mitchell Pray (USMC) and Curtis Towne (USAF) was released and flew home on a chartered Continental Air Micronesia Boeing 737. The EP-3E was disassembled and returned to the US in a Polyot An-124 Condor in July 2001.
8 June 2001 A Transafrik Boeing 727 (S9-BOG) was struck in the center engine by a missile while approaching the Luena Airport in Angola. The crew managed to carry out a succesful emergency landing.
22 July 2001 A Pakistan Airlines Boeing 747 en route from Islamabad Pakistan to Manchester UK strayed into Russian air space. The airliner's crew had not requested permission to fly through Russian air space and did not respond to air traffic controllers' communications. A MiG-29 Fulcrum intercepted the airliner and forced it land at Moscow's Sheremetyevo airport. Following an investigation into why the airliner had illegally entered Russia's 150 kilometer (93 mile) air border zone, the airliner was allowed to depart for Manchester later in the day.
4 October 2001 A Sibir Airlines Tu-154M (RA-85693) enroute from Tel Aviv to Novosibirsk as Flight 1812 was shot down by a Ukraine Defence Force surface to air missile. A S-200V missile battery participating in an excercise near the coastal city of Theodosii in the Crimea region fired a 5V28 missile that missed the target drone it was aimed at and homed in on the airliner. The missile exploded above the airliner, causing serious damage that resulted in a decompression of the passenger cabin and a fire. The aircraft entered an uncontrolled descent and crashed into the Black Sea, killing all 66 passengers and 12 crew onboard.
12 November 2002 Cubana de Aviacion pilot Nemecio Alonso and seven relatives defected by flying in an An-2 Colt to Key West International Airport Florida.
3 March 2003 Four North Korean fighter aircraft, two MiG-29 Fulcrums and what appeared to be two MiG-23 Floggers intercepted US Air Force RC-135S Cobra Ball 61-2663 over the Sea of Japan, about 150 miles off North Korea coast. At one point one of the fighters locked on to the RC-135 with its radar. The RC-135 broke off its mission and returned to its home station at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa.
19 March 2003 Cubana de Aviación DC-3 CU-T1192 was hijacked to Key West Florida.
22 March 2003 Two Russian Air Force fighters scrambled to intercept a US Air Force U-2 flying in the proximity of Russia's border with Georgia in the Caucasus. The Russian fighters were ordered to prevent the violation of the country's airspace by the U-2, which was flying at a distance of 20-30 km from the Russian-Georgian border in Georgia's airspace. It was reported that this was the third flight of the American reconnaissance aircraft along the Russian-Georgian border within a month. Two previous reconnaissance flights were reported to have taken place on February 27 and March 7.
31 March 2003 Cubana de Aviación An-24 CU-T1294 was hijacked to Key West Florida.
1 April 2003 A C-47 operated by Aerotaxi/Empresa Nacional de Servicios Aereos (CU-T1192) was hijacked over Cuba and flown to Naval Air Station Key West Florida. There, it was seized by local authorities as part of a lawsuit by the ex-wife of a Cuban double agent who had posed as a defector to infiltrate groups opposed to communist rule in Cuba. Eventually, it was sold at public auction for $12,500 on June 2nd 2003.
8 May 2003 A Rockwell Sabreliner 40A (N250EC), operating on behalf of the Congolese government, was damaged by rebel ground fire while on approach to the Bunia Airport in the Congo (Democratic Republic). The aircraft, carrying Congo's Human Rights Minister Ntumba Luaba, landed safely at Entebbe.
4 July 2003 Two Indonesian F-16s intercepted US Navy F-18s maneuvering over Bawean Island in the Java Sea. The F-18s were providing air cover for a task force of an aircraft carrier, two frigates and a tanker traveling in the area. The F-18s maneuvered into position and achieved radar lock-on before the F-16s left the area.
15 November 2004 A US Navy EP-3E Aries II, was detected 6 miles off the Russian Black Sea coast at an altitude of 6,500 feet. The aircraft was intercepted by a Su-27 Flanker of the Russian 4th Air Force. When the Su-27 approached, the EP-3E turned and flew away from the area.
1 March 2005 A US Navy P-3 Orion and a US Air Force U-2 reconnaissance aircraft intruded on closed Israeli airspace, forcing the postponement of the launch of the new Long Range Artillery (LORA) missile. The launch was succesfully carried out on March 3rd.
4 July 2005 An American RQ-7 Shadow-200 UAV reportedly crashed 60 kilometers (about 38 miles) inside Iranian territory in Ilam province.
25 August 2005 An American Silver Arrow Hermes UAV was reported to have crashed 200 kilometers (125 miles) inside Iranian territory in the Khoram Abad area.
10 October 2005 Cuban pilot Rene Gonzalez defected by flying an An-2 Colt to Naval Air Station Key West.
9 March 2007 A Transaviaexport Airlines Ilyushin Il-76TD (EW-78826) chartered to fly Ugandan peace keeping forces and equipment to Somalia sustained substantial damage after being hit by a missile while on approach to Mogadishu International Airport in Somalia. The airplane landed safely and after coming to rest, the nine crew members evacuated through the emergency hatch in the flight deck, while the Ugandan troops evacuated through the starboard door.
23 March 2007 A Transaviaexport Airlines Ilyushin Il-76TD (EW-78849) was hit by one or more of three missiles fired at it while taking off from the Mogadishu International Airport in Somalia. The airplane crashed and eleven people onboard were killed.
9 February 2008 A Russian Air Force Tu-95 Bear was reported to have briefly violated Japanese airspace over an uninhabited island just south of Tokyo. The three-minute overflight of Sofugan in the Izu island chain ended following warnings by Japanese air force fighter aircraft.
10 February 2008 A Russian Air Force Tu-95 Bear buzzed the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz twice at an altitude of approximately 2000 feet while another Tu-95 circled about 50 nautical miles away. The Chief of US Naval Operations said the flyover "was nonprovocative in the sense that it was a very predictable flight, [with] early detection and then we just followed it in."
18 March 2008 A Georgian Army Hermes 450 UAV serial number 551 was shot down over the border between Gali and Ochamchire districts of the secessionist Abkhazia region of Georgia. The wreckage of the UAV came down near the village of Primorskoe.
20 April 2008 A Russian MiG-29 Fulcrum shot down a Georgian Army Hermes 450 UAV serial number 553 over Gagida in the Gai district of the secessionist Abkhazia region of Georgia. The Russian MiG-29 was tracked on radar as having taken off from the Gudauta air base in Abkhazia and having flown on to Russia and landed there after the attack. A United Nations report released on May 26th confirmed this report.
4 May 2008 Two Georgian Army Hermes 450 UAVs were shot down over the Ochamchira district of the secessionist Abkhazia region of Georgia. It was reported that both were shot down by SA-11 Gadfly missiles.
8 May 2008 It was claimed that a Georgian Army Hermes 450 UAV was shot down from an altitude of 5,000 feet over the village of Gudava, in the Ochamchir district of the secessionist Abkhazia region of Georgia at around 5:10pm Moscow time.
10 May 2008 A Sudanese Air Force MiG-29SE Fulcrum, piloted by a former Russian Air Force officer, was shot down by Darfur Justice and Equality Movment (JEM) rebel fighters. The pilot ejected, but his parachute failed to open and he was killed. The aircraft crashed into a suburb of the capital of Sudan, Khartoum.
12 May 2008 Two Georgian Army Hermes 450 UAVs were shot down over the secessionist Abkhazia region of Georgia. This was reported shot down from an altitude of 19,700 feet at 2:16pm by a surface-to-air missile, over the Rep Sheshelet Ochamchira district. The second was reported show down at 3:07pm over the village of Achigvara Ochamchira. The wreckage of the first of these two UAVs, serial number 554, cn 104, was shown to journalists the next day.
23 February 2010 Two Iranian fighter aircraft intercepted Air Kyrgyzstan flight QH454 traveling from Dubai United Arab Emirates to Bishkek Kyrgyzstan with 119 passengers onboard and forced it to land at Bandar Abbas airport in Iran. There, authorities forcibly removed two passengers from the plane. One of the passengers was Abdolmalek Rigi, a leader in the Sunni militant movement Jundallah, travelling with a forged Afghan passport. He was executed June 20th 2010 in Evin Prison in Tehran for his alleged role in terrorist attacks in Iran.
21 February 2011 Libyan Air Force pilots Ali al Rabti and Abdullah al Salheen, flying Mirage F1s 502 and 508, defected to Malta after being ordered to bomb anti-Gaddafi protesters in Benghazi. Both of the pilots requested political asylum. On March 1st, Malta denied landing rights to a Libyan aircraft carrying pilots assigned to fly the Mirages back to Libya. The two defecting pilots returned to Libya on September 19th. The Mirages were returned to Libya on January 24th 2012.
5 December 2011 A US Air Force RQ-170 Sentinel unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was captured by Iranian forces near the city of Kashmar in northeastern Iran.
21 June 2012 Hassan Hamada, flying a Syrian Air Force MiG-21 Fishbed, defected to King Hussein Air Base in Mafraq, Jordan.
22 June 2012 A Turkish Air Force RF-4E Phantom II 77-0314 of 173 Filo, piloted by Gokhan Ertan and Huseyin Aksoy, was shot down by Syrian air defenses after briefly entering Syrian air space. The aircraft crashed into Syrian territorial waters west of Om al-Tuyour village in Lattakia province. A Turkish Air Force CN-235, searching for the crew, was also fired upon.
6 October 2012 Eritrean Air Force pilots Yonas Woldeab and Mekonnen Debesay defected to Saudi Arabia in the President’s IAI Astra 1125. The pilots flew at a low altitude across the Red Sea into Saudi Arabian airspace, where they were intercepted by two Royal Saudi Air Force F-15 Eagles and escorted to the King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz Airport in Jizan, where they sought political asylum. Eritrean Air Force pilot Rahwa Gebrekristos was sent on April 8th 2013 to retrieve the aircraft, but also defected.
6 October 2012 A UAV operated by Hezbollah and launched from Lebanon was intercepted in Israeli airspace by an Israeli Air Force F-16 fighter. The UAV was shot down over the northern Negev by the second of two Python IV air-to-air missiles fired at it.
1 November 2012 A US Air Force MQ-1 Predator surveillance UAV flying in international airspace some 16 miles off Iran was intercepted by two Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps Air Force Su-25 Frogfoot aircraft. The Iranian aircraft opened fire on the MQ-1 and made several firing passes on it, but the MQ-1 was not hit and safely returned to base.
4 December 2012 It was reported that Iranian forces captured a US ScanEagle UAV that had violated its airspace over the Persian Gulf.
12 April 2014 US Air Force RC-135U Combat Sent 64-14849, was intercepted by a Russian Su-27 Flanker in international air space over the Sea of Okhotsk.
23 April 2014 While operating in the Black Sea, the USS Donald Cook (DDG-75) had a Russian Su-24 Fencer made 12 low altitude passes on it, coming as low as 500 feet.
17 July 2014 A Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200ER (9M-MRD), enroute from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur as flight MH17 was shot down near Hrabove Ukraine by a Buk 9M38 (SA-17 Grizzly) surface to air missile fired by Russian forces. All 298 passengers and crew were killed.
18 July 2014 A US Air Force RC-135V Rivet Joint was threatened by Russian fighter aircraft over the Baltic Sea and fled to the safety of Swedish air space.
19 August 2014 A US Navy P-8A Poseidon, was intercepted by People's Liberation Navy Air Force Shenyang J-11BH in international air space 135 miles east of Hainan Island. The Chinese fighter reportedly performed a barrel roll around the P-8.
November 2014 A Portugese Air Force P-3C CUP+ Orion was intercepted by a Russian Su-27 Flanker in international air space over the Baltic Sea.
7 April 2015 A US Air Force RC-135U Combat Sent, was intercepted by a Russian Su-27 Flanker in international air space over the Baltic Sea.
20 May 2015 A US Air Force RC-135, was agressively intercepted by a Russian Su-27 Flanker in international air space over the Black Sea.
September 2015 A US Air Force US Air Force RC-135, was intercepted by two People's Liberation Army Air Force Chengdu JH-7s in international air space 80 miles east of China's Shandong province.
25 January 2016 A US Air Force RC-135U Combat Sent, was agressively intercepted by a Russian Su-27 Flanker in international air space over the Black Sea.
14 April 2016 A Russian Su-27 Flanker performed a barrel roll around a US Air Force RC-135U Combat Sent, in international air space over the Baltic Sea.
P>21 April 2016 A US Navy P-8A Poseidon was intercepted by Russian MiG-31 Foxhound in international airspace near the Kamchatka Pensinsula.29 April 2016 A Russian Su-27 Flanker performed a barrel roll around a US Air Force RC-135U Combat Sent, in international air space over the Baltic Sea.
May 2016 A US Navy EP-3E Aries II, was intercepted by two People's Liberation Army Air Force Shenyang J-11s in international air space over the South China Sea.
8 June 2016 A US Air Force US Air Force RC-135V Rivet Joint, was intercepted by a People's Liberation Army Air Force Chengdu J-10 in international air space over the East China Sea.
7 September 2016 A Russian Su-27 Flanker intercepted a US Navy P-8A Poseidon operating over the Black Sea. The Su-27 initially maintained a 30-foot separation distance, but then closed to within 10 feet of the P-8A.
25 November 2016 A Russian Su-30 Flanker intercepted a US Navy P-8A Poseidon operating over the Black Sea. The Su-30 flew within 5 feet of the P-8A, forcing the P-8A through its jet wash, causing a 15-degree roll and violent turbulence.
25 January 2017 A US Air Force RC-135U Combat Sent, was intercepted by a Russian Su-27 Flanker in international air space over the Black Sea.
9 February 2017 US Navy P-3C Orion had a close encounter with a People's Liberation Navy Air Force KJ-200 AWACS over Scarborough Shoal in the South China Sea.
April 2017 Two Russian Tu-95 Bear bombers were intercepted by US Air Force F-22 Raptors, about 100 miles from Kodiak Island Alaska. The Russian bombers were escorted for 12 minutes.
9 May 2017 A US Navy P-8A Poseidon was intercepted by Russian Su-30 Flanker over the Black Sea.
17 May 2017 A US Air Force US Air Force WC-135C Constant Phoenix, was intercepted by two People's Liberation Army Air Force Chengdu Su-30MKKs in international air space over the East China Sea. The Chinese Su-30s reportedly came within 150 feet of the US aircraft, with one of the fighters flying inverted directly above the American aircraft.
6 June 2017 A Norwegian Air Force P-3C Orion was intercepted by Russian MiG-31 Foxhound over the Barents Sea.
6 June 2017 A US Air Force B-52H Stratofortress was intercepted by Russian Su-27 Flanker over the Baltic Sea.
19 June 2017 A US Air Force RC-135U Combat Sent was intercepted by a Russian Su-27 Flanker in international air space over the Baltic Sea.
21 June 2017 A Polish Air Force F-16C fighter intercepted a Tu-154, carrying Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, over the Baltic Sea. After a Russian Su-27 Flanker intervened, the F-16 departed.
5 September 2017 A Su-27UB Flanker operated by the US Air Force was lost near Area 51 due to a landing gear extension issue. The crew was forced to eject and the pilot, Eric Schultz, was killed after his ejection seat malfunctioned. A second crewmember parachuted to safety.
25 November 2017 A US Navy P-8A Poseidon was intercepted by Russian Su-30 Flanker over the Black Sea.
3 May 2018 A US Air Force C-130 operating from Camp Lemonnier in Djibouti was illuminated by a laser fired from a Chinese base in Djibouti. Two of the crewmembers of the C-130 were reported to have been injured.
17 September 2018 A Russian Air Force Ilyushin Il-20M Coot reconnaissance aircraft was shot down by Syrian forces using an S-200 surface-to-air missile system. The aircraft crashed into the Mediterranean Sea off Latakia-Khmeimim Air Base, Syria and the crew of 15 were killed. According to a Russian official, about the same time four Israeli F-16 jets were in the same area, targeting Latakia.
27 February 2019 An Indian Air Force Mil Mi-17V5 Hip was accidently shot down by an Indian surface to air missile at Budgam, near Srinagar, killing the 6 IAF personal on board, and a civilian on the ground.
27 February 2019 An Indian Air Force Mikoyan MiG-21 Fishbed piloted by Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was shot down by Pakistan Air Force F-16. The aircraft crashed on the Pakistani side of Line of Control. The pilot was captured and later released.
20 June 2019 Iranian air defences shot down a US Navy RQ-4A Global Hawk BAMS-D surveillance UAV operating in international air space over the Strait of Hormuz. A US Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft was reported to be operating nearby, but wasn't intercepted.
20 November 2019 An Italian Air Force RQ-9 Reaper surveillance UAV was lost over Tripoli Libya.
21 November 2019 A US Air Force RQ-9 Reaper surveillance UAV was shot down over Tripoli Libya by the Libyan National Army.
8 January 2020 A Ukraine International Airlines 737-800 was shot down soon after departing Tehran Iran. The aircraft was hit by two 9K331 surface to air missiles fired by Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Tor-M1 (SA-15 Gauntlet). The 176 passengers and crew were killed.
17 February 2020 A US Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft from Patrol Squadron 45 (VP-45), flying in international airspace over the Philippine Sea was illuminated by a laser fired from a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy ship.
9 March 2020 A pair of Russian Tu-142M Bear maritime patrol aircraft flew over a ice flow base camp that was supporting a U.S. Navy Ice Exercise (ICEX) involving multiple US Navy submarines. US Air Force F-22 Raptors and Canadian Armed Forces CF-18s intercepted the Tu-142s and escorted them out of the area.
15 April 2020 A US Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft flying in international airspace over the Mediterranean Sea was intercepted by a Russian Su-35 Flanker. The Russian aircraft reportedly conducted a high-speed inverted maneuver in front of the Poseidon, coming as close as 25 feet from the nose of the US aircraft.
26 May 2020 Two Russian Air Force Su-35S Flankers (one being RF-81867) intercepted a US Navy P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft operating in international airspace over the eastern Mediterranean Sea. For 65 minutes, the Russian pilots simultaneously flew close to each wing of the P-8A, restricting the P-8A’s ability to safely maneuver.
28 August 2020 A US Air Force B-52H Stratofortress was intercepted by two Russian Su-27 Flankers over the Black Sea. The Su-27s crossed within 100 feet of the B-52’s nose many times and boxed it in, restricted the bomber’s ability to maneuver.
28 August 2020 A US Air Force B-52H Stratofortress was intercepted by a Russian Su-27 Flanker over the Baltic Sea. The Su-27 entered Danish air space before returning to Russia's Kaliningrad enclave.
8 September 2020 Russian Navy Su-27 Flankers intercepted a US Air Force RC-135V Rivet Joint and a Swedish Air Force Gulfstream IVSP S102B Korpen over the Baltic Sea.
9 September 2020 Russian Su-27 Flankers intercepted a US Air Force RC-135V Rivet Joint over the Black Sea.
9 September 2020 Two Russian MiG-31 Foxhound intercepted Norwegian Air Force Falcon 20 and P-3 Orion aircraft over the Barents Sea.
12 September 2020 Royal Air Force Eurofighter Typhoons intercepted two Russian Tu-142M aircraft off the coast of Scotland.
14 September 2020 Russian Su-35 Flankers and MiG-31 Foxhounds intercepted a US Air Force B-1B bomber over the Sea of Okhotsk and Bering Sea.
14 September 2020 Russian Tu-160 Blackjacks RF-94108 and RF-94102 escorted by MiG-31 Foxhounds conducting a flight over the Barents and Norwegian seas were intercepted by Royal Norwegian Air Force F-16 fighters.
15 September 2020 Two Russian Su-27 Flankers and two Su-30SM Flankers intercepted three US Air Force B-52H bombers over the Black Sea.
16 September 2020 Russian Tu-160 Blackjacks RF-94101 and RF-94111 conducted an 8-hour flight over the Baltic Sea with a Su-35 Flanker escort. During this flight, they were intercepted by Danish, Italian, German, Swedish, and Polish fighters.
23 May 2021 Ryanair flight FR4978, 737-800 SP-RSM, flying from Athens Greece to Vilnius Lithuania was ordered by air traffic control, while in Belarus airspace, to divert and land at Minsk Belarus. Reportedly, there had been a threat that there was a bomb onboard. The aircraft was escorted to landing in Minsk by a Belarus MiG-29 Fulcrum. Once the aircraft has landed at Minsk Belarus KGB agents foricbly removed two passengers, opposition journalist Roman Protasevich and his companion Sofia Sapega, who were arrested. After a search of the aircraft, it departed more than six hours later for Vilnius. Besides the two passengers removed, five other passengers did not reboard and remained in Minsk. Roman Protasevich was sentenced May 3rd 2023 to eight years in prison for "inciting social hatred", organizing mass riots, and organizing and running extremist groups which called for the overthrow of the Lukashenko government. On May 22nd 2023, it was announced that Protasevich had been pardoned. On May 6th 2022, Sofia Sapega was sentenced to six years in prison for "inciting social hatred". On June 7th 2023, she was pardoned.
7 July 2021 Two Russian Navy Su-30SM Flankers (including RF-33783) intercepted US Navy P-8A Poseidon 169348 over the Black Sea near Crimea.
12 February 2021 Russian Air Force fighters intercepted a US Navy P-8A Poseidon over the Mediterranean Sea in international airspace.
13 February 2021 A US Navy P-8A Poseidon operating over the Mediterranean Sea in international airspace was intercepted by Russian Air Force fighters.
17 February 2021 A Royal Australian Air Force P-8A Poseidon transiting the Arafura sea was illuminated by a laser fired from a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy ship.
11 January 2022 A US Navy P-8A Poseidon operating over the South China Sea, in international airspace, was intercepted by a Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force J-16 fighter. The fighter jet crossed 300 feet in front of the P-8, forcing it to fly through fighter's wake turbulence.
29 April 2022 A US Navy P-3 operating over the East China Sea was intercepted four times over the course of five hours by a Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force JH-7, J-10 and J-16 fighters. At one point, one of the fighters jet passed within 75 feet of the P-3.
24 May 2022 A US Navy P-3 was intercepted over the East China Sea by a Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force JH-7 fighter that approached to within 10-15 feet of the P-3.
26 May 2022 A Royal Australian Air Force P-8A Poseidon conducting maritime surveillance over the South China Sea region was intercepted by a Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force J-16 fighter. Flying close to the side of the P-8, the fighter released flares. The J-16 then accelerated and cut across the nose of the P-8 and released chaff countermeasures, which were ingested into the engine of the P-8 aircraft. Foreign object debris (FOD), such as chaff, can harm or even destroy an engine.
8 June 2022 Over the course of five hours, a US miliary aircraft was intercepted over the East China Sea by four Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force JH-7 fighter that approached to within 40 feet of the US aircraft.
23 June 2022 A US Navy P-8A Poseidon was intercepted over the South China Sea by at least two Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force J-16 fighters that approached to within 40 feet of the P-8.
22 August 2022 A US Air Force RQ-9 Reaper surveillance UAV was shot down over Benghazi Libya by the Libyan National Army.
29 September 2022 Two Russian Air Force Su-27 Flankers intercepted Royal Air Force RC-135W Rivet Joint ZZ664 over the Black Sea. After shadowing the RC-135W for a total of around 90 minutes, the pilot of one of the Su-27s misunderstood an order given to him by a ground control intercept (GCI) operator and fired an air-to-air missile from beyond visual range that failed to lock on to its target and missed the RC-135W. The pilot of the Su-27 then released a second air-to-air missile that malfunctioned and fell into the sea. After this incident, RAF RC-135Ws operating over the Black Sea were escorted by RAF Eurofighter Typhoons.
21 October 2022 Ruben Martinez, a Cuban pilot defected to the USA by flying an Empresa Nacional de Servicios Aéreos-ENSA An-2 Colt CU-A1885 from El Cedro, Cuba to Dade-Collier Training and Transition Airport in the Everglades. 24 days later, on November 14th, the aircraft crash-landed and overturned in the Everglades, about 15 miles west of the Opa-locka Executive Airport. The two occupants were not injured.
27 November 2022 Russian forces fired a SA-22 Greyhound missile at a US Air Force RQ-9 Reaper surveillance UAV operating over Syria. The missile missed the RQ-9.
21 December 2022 A US military aircraft was intercepted over the South China Sea by a Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force J-16 fighter that flew in front of and within 20 feet of the nose of US plane, forcing it to take evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision.
30 December 2022 A Royal Air Force RC-135W Rivet Joint operating in international airspace over the Black Sea, escorted by two RAF Typhoon fighters, was intercepted by Russian fighters. The Russian fighters maneuvered to within 100 feet of the RC-135W.
11 January 2023 A US Navy P-8A Poseidon was intercepted over the South China Sea by a Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force J-16 fighter that approached to within 30 feet of the P-8.
7 February 2023 A US Navy P-8A Poseidon was intercepted over the South China Sea by a Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force J-16 fighter that approached to within 20 feet of the P-8.
15 February 2023 A US military aircraft was intercepted over the South China Sea by a Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force J-11 fighter that approached to within 70 feet of the US aircraft.
22 February 2023 A US Air Force RQ-9 Reaper surveillance UAV operating in international airspace over the Black Sea was intercepted by Russian fighters. The Russian fighters maneuvered to within 100 feet of the RQ-9.
2 March 2023 A US military aircraft was intercepted over the South China Sea by a Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force JH-7 fighter that approached to within 50 feet of the US aircraft.
14 March 2023 Two Russian Air Force Su-27 Flankers intercepted a US Air Force RQ-9 Reaper surveillance UAV operating in international airspace over the Black Sea. The Su-27s flew in front of the Reaper, dumping fuel on it, before one collided with the propeller of the RQ-9. Once the propeller was damaged, the US Air Force operators of the RQ-9 purposely crashed the UAV into the Black Sea.
5 May 2023 A Russian Air Force Su-35 Flanker intercepted a Polish Border Guard Let 410UVP-E20 Turbolet aircraft in international airspace over the Black Sea, approximately 60 kilometers east of Romanian airspace. The Su-35 was reported to have crossed the flight path of the Let 410, just 5 m (16 feet) ahead of its nose.
25 May 2023 A US Air Force RC-135 reconnaisance aircraft was intercepted over the South China Sea by a Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force J-11 fighter that flew in front of the nose of RC-135, forcing it to fly through fighter's wake turbulence.
11 June 2023 A US military aircraft was intercepted over the East China Sea by a Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force J-11 fighter that approached to within 25 feet of the US aircraft.
16 June 2023 A Russian Air Force Su-35 Flanker harassed a US Army MC-12W surveillance aircraft over Syria.
12 July 2023 A US military aircraft flying over the East China Sea was intercepted by a Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy Air Force Su-30MK2 Flanker that fired eight flares 900 feet from the US aircraft.
10 August 2023 A US military aircraft was intercepted by a Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force J-11 fighter that closed to within 50 feet and performed a barrel roll around the US aircraft.
21 September 2023 A US Navy P-8A Poseidon was intercepted over the South China Sea by a Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force J-16 fighter that approached to within 50 feet of the P-8.
24 October 2023 A Chinese People's Liberation Army Air Force J-11 fighter made a night time interception of a US Air Force B-52H operating in international air space over the South China Sea. The fighter was observed flying below and in front of the B-52, closing to within 10 feet of the bomber.
29 October 2023 Royal Canadian Navy CH-148 Cyclone, flying from the frigate HMCS Ottawa, was intercepted twice by Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy Air Force J-11 fighters. The first incident was over international waters outside of 34 miles from the Paracel Island chain in the northern part of the South China Sea. The second was also over international waters outside of 23 miles from the Paracels. In the first of the interceptions, the fighters circled within 100 feet of the helicopter and fired flares in front of it.