Panamanian Air Force FAP-205 crash
Encyclopedia
The Panamanian Air Force FAP-205 crash occurred in July 31, 1981 when a DeHavilland Twin Otter, owned by the Panamanian Air Force and registered as FAP-205, crashed in the Marta Hill, in the community of Coclesito in very bad weather while on final approaching to the airport and killing all 7 people, including general Omar Torrijos Herrera, who lead the country's military dictatorship between 1969 and 1981. His death caused a crisis in the country, which lasted by December 1989. The investigations about this crash was surronded by controversy and speculations about the circustances of how the plane crashed. The crash occurred short after Ronald Reagan
assumed as president of United States and 3 months after ecuadorian president Jaime Roldós Aguilera
died of similar circustances. This crash remains unsolved since 1981.
There's much controversy about how it crashed, it is known that the plane was trying to land at Coclesito in very bad weather, and it disappeared from radar between 11:55 and 12:05 in the afternoon, but the ATC didn't declare an emergency for nearly a day, because of the limited nature of Panama's radar coverage at the time. The government did know about the disappearance of the plane, but remained silent until the rescue mission was organized. But in August 1, the media begun to inform to the people about the disappearance of the plane and the government was forced to declare the physical disappearance of Torrijos. At 11:30 pm of that day, the authorities with the support of U.S military, found the crash site in Marta Hill at 3,100 feet below the sea level, but it was little to make because the plane was destroyed by the crash with the mountain and posthumous fire and all 7 people, including Torrijos, died instantly.
The news about Torrijos death caused an crisis in the military dictatorship and a national mourning around Panama
, especially in the poverty area, because Torrijos at the time of his government in the country, it gave more opportunities and advantages to them. In August 4, a state funeral was made for him in the Casco Viejo Cathedral. He was buried briefly in Casco Viejo, but later transferred to a mausoleum in the Canal Zone at Fort Amador, near Panama City
.
During the investigations, the people who live in Coclesito claimed that they heard two explosions but see nothing, because of the conditions in that day and informed to the representative Tulio Córdoba. This information led to form a rescue squadron of men and women who live in the town, in order to find the source of the explosion, but found nothing. However, they complained that the investigators didn't put importance about their testimony and it was not added in the investigation.
In addition, other people told investigators that the FAP-205 accident, was actually an assassination plot. Some say that Noriega was involved in this, because he wanted to rule the country and the National Guard of Panama. Others say that the CIA was to blame for this, because they had planned the assassination of Torrijos and Jaime Roldós with a plan called Falcon in Flight. But anyway, the researchers rejected those statements. In 1983, the inquiry who investigated the accident concluded that the plane had no mechanical failure, no residues of explosives were detected, fuel contamination was discarded and the possibility of explosion or fire in flight as well. But the major cause of this accident was controlled flight into terrain by pilot error due to poor visibility and spatial disorientation.
This last conclusion was not accepted by the public inquiry and the families of the loved ones who died in that accident. They reclaimed during the last years of the dictatorship that the investigations should be opened again and find the real cause of the FAP-205 crash, because they consider that as a big injustice. But these documents went missing during the U.S. invasion of Panama and never found.
After the fall of the military dictatorship in Panama in 1989, in pre-trial hearings in Miami in May 1991, Manuel Noriega
's attorney, Frank Rubino, was quoted as saying that"General Noriega has in his possession documents showing attempts of assassinations to him (Noriega) and Mr. Torrijos by secret agencies of the United States, such as the CIA." Those documents were not allowed as evidence in trial, because the presiding judge agreed with the U.S. government's claim that their public mention would violate the Classified Information
Procedures Act. More recently, former businessman John Perkins alleges in his book Confessions of an Economic Hit Man
, that Torrijos was assassinated by American interests, who had a bomb planted aboard his aircraft (by CIA organized operatives). The alleged motive is that some American business leaders and politicians strongly opposed the negotiations between Torrijos and a group of Japanese businessmen led by Shigeo Nagano, who were promoting the idea of a new, larger, sea-level canal for Panama. Manuel Noriega
, in America's Prisoner, claims that these negotiations had evoked an extremely unfavorable response from American circles.
However, these testimonies and quotes were not accepted in the investigation and the FAP-205 crash case was declared officialy unsolved, because of lack of proofs that could explain the theory of a bomb was inside of the plane and exploded.
was renamed Omar Torrijos International Airport, which lasted for 9 years. After the invasion of 1989 by United States, the original name was re-established. The area where the plane crashed is now part of the "Omar Torrijos National Park" which was opened in 1986 and is a big attraction to tourists for natural hikings. The rural house where Torrijos talked to the people of Coclesito and made his political reunions is now a museum and each July 31 of each year, the town of Coclesito and the PRD
pays homage to the man who gave opportunities for farmers in his administration.
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
assumed as president of United States and 3 months after ecuadorian president Jaime Roldós Aguilera
Jaime Roldós Aguilera
Jaime Roldós Aguilera was President of Ecuador from 10 August 1979 to 24 May 1981. In his short tenure, he became known for his firm stance on human rights. His death in a plane crash gave rise to speculation of involvement by the United States government in the accident.-Early life and...
died of similar circustances. This crash remains unsolved since 1981.
The story
At 10:44 am of the morning of July 31, 1981, the FAP-201 took off from the Rio Hato air base to Coclesito airport for a visit to the people who was living there. At the controls of the plane was captain Azael Adames and sub-lieutenant Victor Rangel as the co-pilot. The passengers of the flight was: general Omar Torrijos Herrera, mechanist Carlos E. Rivera, Sergeant Ricardo Machazek, the assistant of the bodyguards Jaime Correa and the dentist Teresa Ferreiro. The plane landed at Penonomé Airport at 10:55 am for a stopover, which lasted at 11:40 am. At that time, the flight was only 15 minutes from his final destination.There's much controversy about how it crashed, it is known that the plane was trying to land at Coclesito in very bad weather, and it disappeared from radar between 11:55 and 12:05 in the afternoon, but the ATC didn't declare an emergency for nearly a day, because of the limited nature of Panama's radar coverage at the time. The government did know about the disappearance of the plane, but remained silent until the rescue mission was organized. But in August 1, the media begun to inform to the people about the disappearance of the plane and the government was forced to declare the physical disappearance of Torrijos. At 11:30 pm of that day, the authorities with the support of U.S military, found the crash site in Marta Hill at 3,100 feet below the sea level, but it was little to make because the plane was destroyed by the crash with the mountain and posthumous fire and all 7 people, including Torrijos, died instantly.
The news about Torrijos death caused an crisis in the military dictatorship and a national mourning around Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, especially in the poverty area, because Torrijos at the time of his government in the country, it gave more opportunities and advantages to them. In August 4, a state funeral was made for him in the Casco Viejo Cathedral. He was buried briefly in Casco Viejo, but later transferred to a mausoleum in the Canal Zone at Fort Amador, near Panama City
Panama City
Panama is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Panama. It has a population of 880,691, with a total metro population of 1,272,672, and it is located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, in the province of the same name. The city is the political and administrative center of the...
.
Investigations and controversy
After the recovery of the bodies was made, the investigations begun by panamanian authorities and the FBI. At the beginning, investigators had some information about things at the time of the accident:- The Marta Hill has an altitude of 3,432 feet and the plane crashed at 3,100
- Visibility was low, because of bad conditions
- The crash occurred between 11:55 and 12:05 in the afternoon
- At the final moments of the flight, the pilot was trying to see the runway of the airport between the mountains
- The damage that appeared in the plane was from the impact and posthmus fire that broke out
During the investigations, the people who live in Coclesito claimed that they heard two explosions but see nothing, because of the conditions in that day and informed to the representative Tulio Córdoba. This information led to form a rescue squadron of men and women who live in the town, in order to find the source of the explosion, but found nothing. However, they complained that the investigators didn't put importance about their testimony and it was not added in the investigation.
In addition, other people told investigators that the FAP-205 accident, was actually an assassination plot. Some say that Noriega was involved in this, because he wanted to rule the country and the National Guard of Panama. Others say that the CIA was to blame for this, because they had planned the assassination of Torrijos and Jaime Roldós with a plan called Falcon in Flight. But anyway, the researchers rejected those statements. In 1983, the inquiry who investigated the accident concluded that the plane had no mechanical failure, no residues of explosives were detected, fuel contamination was discarded and the possibility of explosion or fire in flight as well. But the major cause of this accident was controlled flight into terrain by pilot error due to poor visibility and spatial disorientation.
This last conclusion was not accepted by the public inquiry and the families of the loved ones who died in that accident. They reclaimed during the last years of the dictatorship that the investigations should be opened again and find the real cause of the FAP-205 crash, because they consider that as a big injustice. But these documents went missing during the U.S. invasion of Panama and never found.
After the fall of the military dictatorship in Panama in 1989, in pre-trial hearings in Miami in May 1991, Manuel Noriega
Manuel Noriega
Manuel Antonio Noriega Moreno is a Panamanian politician and soldier. He was military dictator of Panama from 1983 to 1989.The 1989 invasion of Panama by the United States removed him from power; he was captured, detained as a prisoner of war, and flown to the United States. Noriega was tried on...
's attorney, Frank Rubino, was quoted as saying that"General Noriega has in his possession documents showing attempts of assassinations to him (Noriega) and Mr. Torrijos by secret agencies of the United States, such as the CIA." Those documents were not allowed as evidence in trial, because the presiding judge agreed with the U.S. government's claim that their public mention would violate the Classified Information
Classified information
Classified information is sensitive information to which access is restricted by law or regulation to particular groups of persons. A formal security clearance is required to handle classified documents or access classified data. The clearance process requires a satisfactory background investigation...
Procedures Act. More recently, former businessman John Perkins alleges in his book Confessions of an Economic Hit Man
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man
Confessions of an Economic Hit Man is a book written by John Perkins and published in 2004. It provides Perkins' account of his career with consulting firm Chas. T. Main in Boston. Before employment with the firm, he interviewed for a job with the National Security Agency...
, that Torrijos was assassinated by American interests, who had a bomb planted aboard his aircraft (by CIA organized operatives). The alleged motive is that some American business leaders and politicians strongly opposed the negotiations between Torrijos and a group of Japanese businessmen led by Shigeo Nagano, who were promoting the idea of a new, larger, sea-level canal for Panama. Manuel Noriega
Manuel Noriega
Manuel Antonio Noriega Moreno is a Panamanian politician and soldier. He was military dictator of Panama from 1983 to 1989.The 1989 invasion of Panama by the United States removed him from power; he was captured, detained as a prisoner of war, and flown to the United States. Noriega was tried on...
, in America's Prisoner, claims that these negotiations had evoked an extremely unfavorable response from American circles.
However, these testimonies and quotes were not accepted in the investigation and the FAP-205 crash case was declared officialy unsolved, because of lack of proofs that could explain the theory of a bomb was inside of the plane and exploded.
Aftermath
After the accident, Panama's Tocumen International AirportTocumen International Airport
Tocumen International Airport is an international airport located from Panama City, Panama. In 2006, it underwent a major expansion and renovation program in order to modernize and improve its facilities...
was renamed Omar Torrijos International Airport, which lasted for 9 years. After the invasion of 1989 by United States, the original name was re-established. The area where the plane crashed is now part of the "Omar Torrijos National Park" which was opened in 1986 and is a big attraction to tourists for natural hikings. The rural house where Torrijos talked to the people of Coclesito and made his political reunions is now a museum and each July 31 of each year, the town of Coclesito and the PRD
PRD
-Political parties:*Partido Renovador Democrático, a political party in Angola*Parti de Renouveau Démocratique, a political party in Benin*Partido Revolucionario Dominicano, a political party in the Dominican Republic...
pays homage to the man who gave opportunities for farmers in his administration.