From 20 to 23 September 1993, during the Sukhumi massacre, separatists in

Sukhumi Sukhumi (russian: Суху́м(и), ) or Sokhumi ( ka, სოხუმი, ), also known by its Abkhaz name Aqwa ( ab, Аҟәа, ''Aqwa''), is a city in a wide bay on the Black Sea's eastern coast. It is both the capital and largest city of ...

, Abkhazia blocked

Georgian Georgian may refer to: Common meanings * Anything related to, or originating from Georgia (country) ** Georgians, an indigenous Caucasian ethnic group ** Georgian language, a Kartvelian language spoken by Georgians **Georgian scripts, three scrip ...

troops' overland supply routes as part of the war in Abkhazia. In response, the Georgian government used Sukhumi Babushara Airport to ferry supplies to troops stationed in Sukhumi. Abkhaz forces attacked the airport in an attempt to further block the supply routes. During the siege of the airport, five civilian airliners belonging to

Transair Georgia Transair Georgia was an airline based in Georgia. Incidents In late-September 1993, three Transair Georgia aircraft were destroyed by Abkhazian rebels over the course of three days, leaving a total of 136 people dead. The first aircraft (a T ...

and Orbi Georgian Airways were hit by missiles allegedly fired by separatists in Sukhumi. Over 150 people died in the attacks.

20 September

Two Orbi Georgian Airways' Tupolev Tu-134As (registration 4L-65808 and ''65809'') were destroyed by Abkhaz small arms fire or missiles with no casualties.

21 September

A Transair Тu-134А-3 (built in 1975 with registration ''65893'' and factory number 5340120) was flying to Sukhumi from

Sochi International Airport Sochi International Airport (russian: Международный Аэропорт Сочи; ) is an airport located in Adler District of the resort city of Sochi, on the coast of the Black Sea in the federal subject of Krasnodar Krai, Russia. So ...

. The

crew A crew is a body or a class of people who work at a common activity, generally in a structured or hierarchical organization. A location in which a crew works is called a crewyard or a workyard. The word has nautical resonances: the tasks involved ...

consisted of captain Geras Georgievich Tabuev, first officer Otar Grigorievich Shengelia, and navigator Sergey Alexandrovich Shah, as well as two flight attendants; G. K. Kvaratskhelia and O. I. Morgunov. Тhe 22 passengers were mainly journalists. At 16:25, at an altitude of , the aircraft was hit on approach to Sukhumi-Babusheri Airport by a

Strela 2 The 9K32 Strela-2 (russian: Cтрела, "arrow"; NATO reporting name SA-7 Grail) is a light-weight, shoulder-fired, surface-to-air missile (or MANPADS) system. It is designed to target aircraft at low altitudes with passive infrared homing guid ...

surface-to-air missile. The missile had been fired from an Abkhaz boat commanded by Toriy Achba. The plane crashed into the

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal mediterranean sea of the Atlantic Ocean lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bounded by Bulgaria, Georgia, Rom ...

, killing all five crew members and 22 passengers. Other sources reported 28 people onboard (six crew members and 22 passengers).

22 September

An Orbi Georgian Airways

Tu-154 The Tupolev Tu-154 (russian: Tyполев Ту-154; NATO reporting name: "Careless") is a three-engined, medium-range, narrow-body airliner designed in the mid-1960s and manufactured by Tupolev. A workhorse of Soviet and (subsequently) Russian ...

B aircraft (built in 1976 with registration ''85163'' and factory number 76А-163) flying from

Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million p ...

and carrying civilians and internal security forces was on approach to Sukhumi-Babusheri Airport when it was struck by surface-to-air missiles. The plane crash-landed on the airstrip; the ensuing fire killed 108 of the 132 passengers and crew, making the incident the deadliest aviation disaster to occur in Georgia. Georgian media claimed that the flight was carrying refugees, but there was no factual evidence to back up these claims. Another Tu-154 was attacked later in the evening, but landed safely.

23 September

Passengers were boarding a Transair Tu-134A (built in 1975 with registrations CCCP-65001 and factory number 42235) at Sukhumi when it was struck by rockets from an Abkhaz

BM-21 Grad The BM-21 "Grad" (russian: БМ-21 "Град", lit= hail) is a self-propelled 122 mm multiple rocket launcher designed in the Soviet Union. The system and the M-21OF rocket were first developed in the early 1960s, and saw their first com ...

rocket launcher. It caught fire and burned, leaving one crew member dead. The aircraft was due to operate a Sukhumi-Tbilisi service. On the same day, an ORBI Tu-154 (registration 85359) was reportedly destroyed by mortar or artillery fire.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Transair Georgia Airliner Shootdowns Airliner shootdown incidents Abkhaz–Georgian conflict War crimes Aviation accidents and incidents in Georgia (country) Aviation accidents and incidents in 1993 1993 in Georgia (country) Accidents and incidents involving the Tupolev Tu-134 Accidents and incidents involving the Tupolev Tu-154 Transair Georgia accidents and incidents 1993 in Abkhazia 20th-century aircraft shootdown incidents September 1993 events in Asia