Incident Overview
An aircraft traveling to Menongue was shot down by a South African special forces team using a war-booty "Strela-1" surface-to-air missile mounted on a BRDM-2 chassis. The missile struck engine number 2, causing the left wing to detach 47 seconds after impact.
Crash Details
Losing control, the aircraft dove into the ground and crashed in a dense wooded area near Luassingua, approximately 43 kilometers east of Menongue.
Casualties
All 23 occupants were killed in the crash. Among the deceased were officers from the Soviet and Angolan armies.
Official Findings
The probable cause of the accident, as stated in official findings, was that the aircraft was shot down by a missile.