Incident Details
A Challenger aircraft departed from an airfield in the State of Apure, Venezuela, apparently destined for the United States with three people on board. While flying north of Punto Fijo over the sea, air traffic control contacted the crew, but they failed to respond. Convinced the flight was illegal, Venezuelan authorities dispatched a fighter to intercept the aircraft. The fighter shot down the Challenger, causing it to lose control and dive into the Caribbean Sea, crashing off the coast of Aruba Island.
Aftermath and Discovery
All three occupants were killed in the crash. Upon inspection of the crash site, authorities discovered more than 400 boxes containing cocaine.
Investigation Findings
The official probable cause of the accident was determined to be the aircraft being shot down by the pilot of a Venezuelan Air Force fighter.