The 2001 Peru shootdown was an incident on 20 April 2001, in which the Peruvian Air Force shot down a civilian floatplane, killing American Christian missionary Veronica "Roni" Bowers and her infant daughter Charity. While flying into the

Loreto Region Loreto () is Peru's northernmost department and region. Covering almost one-third of Peru's territory, Loreto is by far the nation's largest department; it is also one of the most sparsely populated regions due to its remote location in the Ama ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

, Bowers, her daughter Charity, husband Jim, and six-year-old son Cory were being followed by a United States'

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

(CIA) observation plane. The Peruvian Air Force was operating as part of the

Air Bridge Denial Program The Air Bridge Denial (ABD) Program is an anti-narcotics program operated by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency in Colombia and Peru. Starting in the 1990s, it targets traffickers transporting illicit drugs through the air by forcing down suspi ...

. The CIA did not attempt to identify the tail number of the church-owned plane per procedure.

Events leading to death

In a video released by the CIA, the CIA observers can be heard discussing whether the Cessna A185E (with Peruvian registration OB-1408), which had departed the town of Islandia; near the Brazilian border, is a "bandido" (drug plane) or an "amigo" (friendly). A CIA officer then tells a Peruvian Air Force (FAP) official that it may be possible to have the plane land in

Iquitos Iquitos (; ) is the capital city of Peru's Maynas Province and Loreto Region. It is the largest metropolis in the Peruvian Amazon, east of the Andes, as well as the ninth-most populous city of Peru. Iquitos is the largest city in the world th ...

to check. The FAP plane then issues a warning to the plane for not having an authorized

flight plan Flight plans are documents filed by a pilot or flight dispatcher with the local Air Navigation Service Provider (e.g. the FAA in the United States) prior to departure which indicate the plane's planned route or flight path. Flight plan format is ...

, but the pilot did not hear it because he was on a different frequency. As the Dragonfly prepared to open fire, a CIA officer can be heard saying that the plane "doesn't fit the profile", and another CIA official says, "Ok, I understand this is not our call, but this guy is at 4,500 feet and he is not taking any evasive action. I recommend we follow him. I do not recommend phase 3 hooting the plane downat this time." Later, a Peruvian official asks if "phase 3" is authorized, and the CIA official replies asking if he is "sure it's a bandido". The Peruvian official replies in the affirmative, and the CIA officer says, "If you're sure." The CIA pilot then says, "This is bullshit" and "I think we're making a mistake." The second CIA officer says, "I agree with you." The

Dragonfly A dragonfly is a flying insect belonging to the infraorder Anisoptera below the order Odonata. About 3,000 extant species of true dragonfly are known. Most are tropical, with fewer species in temperate regions. Loss of wetland habitat threate ...

approached, at which point the pilot of the Bowers' plane makes contact with the Iquitos control tower, noting that the FAP has showed up, and he is not sure what they want. In the confusion, the CIA plane notes that the pilot Bowers' plane is in contact with the tower, but at 15:55 the Dragonfly opened fire with a minigun. The pilot can be heard yelling, "They're killing me! They're killing us!" The CIA officer says, "Tell them to terminate!" and another officer is heard saying "No! Don't shoot! No más! o more! At this point, the plane is already on fire, and the CIA observed the plane crash into the

Amazon River The Amazon River (, ; es, Río Amazonas, pt, Rio Amazonas) in South America is the largest river by discharge volume of water in the world, and the disputed longest river system in the world in comparison to the Nile. The headwaters of t ...

, in the

Pebas District Pebas District is one of four districts of the province Mariscal Ramón Castilla in Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the S ...

, and turn upside down. A CIA officer remarks that if the FAP has a helicopter in the area, they should get it there to rescue them. The CIA plane then observes a boat in the river attempting to rescue the plane's occupants, and one officer says, "Get good video of this." Over the intervening several years since the incident, many had stated that the CIA "ordered" the Peruvian Air Force to shoot down the plane, when this is not the case. Bowers and her seven-month-old daughter were killed in the shooting. The pilot, Kevin Donaldson, was shot in the leg but managed to land the plane. Roni's husband and her son were not injured.

Aftermath

After the event, the

US government The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a feder ...

temporarily suspended the practice of advising foreign governments on shooting down planes over Peru and Colombia. It also paid compensation of $8 million to the Bowers family and the pilot. The program was discontinued in 2001. According to a statement released by the CIA, its personnel had no authority either to direct or prohibit actions by the Peruvian government, and CIA officers did not shoot down any airplane. In the Bowers case, CIA personnel protested the identification of the missionary plane as a suspect drug trafficker. A report by the CIA's

inspector general An inspector general is an investigative official in a civil or military organization. The plural of the term is "inspectors general". Australia The Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security (Australia) (IGIS) is an independent statutory off ...

(CIA-OIG) found that the agency had obstructed inquiries into its involvement in the shooting. Peter Hoekstra (the highest ranking Republican on the

United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence The United States House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI), also known as the House Intelligence Committee, is a committee of the United States House of Representatives, currently chaired by Adam Schiff. It is the primary committ ...

), who published these findings in November 2008, criticized the CIA for the "needless" deaths.

References

External links

Final report
{{Aviation accidents and incidents in 2001 2001 in Peru 21st-century aircraft shootdown incidents Aviation accidents and incidents in 2001 Aviation accidents and incidents in Peru Drug-related deaths in Peru Peru–United States relations Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Peru Military history of Peru