Accidents
Missionary pilot blamed in Peruvian shootdown
With the final report by a joint Peruvian-U.S.

With the final report by a joint Peruvian-U.S. investigation due before the end of last month, conflicting reports are emerging from a variety of sources, most of which place the blame on the pilot of the missionary-operated Cessna 185 shot down by Peruvian military jets on April 20.

The single-engine floatplane was shot down by two Peruvian Cessna A-37s near the village of Huanta, Peru, about 70 min flying time east of Islandia on the Amazon River. The shootdown came after the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism (ABWE) pilot allegedly strayed from Peruvian airspace and back again, triggering an alert by the crew of a U.S. manned drug surveillance aircraft. Minutes after being intercepted by two Peruvian jets, at least one pilot opened fire on the Cessna 185.