Algerian Government Airliner Shot Down Over Iraq (7T-VHB)

Incident Overview An Algerian government aircraft was completing an official flight from Algiers to Tehran with an intermediate stop in Nicosia when it was shot down over Iraq. The aircraft was carrying 14 occupants: four crew members, one journalist, and nine members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Algeria. The delegation was en route to Tehran to participate in peace talks concerning the Iran-Iraq war. ## Sequence of Events While cruising at an altitude of 37,000 feet over Iraqi airspace, the crew received instructions from air traffic control to leave Iraqi airspace and divert to Ankara. A few minutes later, the aircraft was shot down by the pilot of an Iraqi MiG-25PD. The aircraft lost control, entered a dive, and crashed in mountainous terrain near Qatur. The aircraft was destroyed, and all 14 occupants were killed. Among the fatalities was Mohammed Seddik Benyahia, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Algeria.