On March 23, 2007, an Ilyushin II-76 (registration EW-78849) operated by TransAviaExport Airlines was involved in an aviation accident near Mogadishu, Somalia during takeoff. 11 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: Shot down by rebels located on a boat. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 1 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
An aircraft on a ferry flight from Mogadishu to Minsk was shot down shortly after takeoff. A missile struck the left wing, which detached, and the aircraft crashed on a beach, killing all 11 occupants.
Incident
The aircraft was departing Mogadishu on a ferry flight to Minsk with an intermediate stop in Djibouti City. On board were four technicians of the operator and seven crew members, all returning to Belarus after recovering materials and instruments from another aircraft (registration EW-78826) that had been damaged beyond repair at Mogadishu Airport on March 9.
Shortly after takeoff, during the initial climb, the aircraft was hit by a missile that struck the left wing between engines number one and two. An explosion occurred and the aircraft caught fire. The crew initiated a turn when the left wing detached. The wing crashed in the sea, while the out-of-control aircraft crashed on a beach near the airport. All 11 occupants were killed.
Investigation
The official investigation determined the probable cause: the aircraft was shot down by rebels located on a boat.