Transporte Aéreo Rioplatense
Encyclopedia
Transporte Aéreo Rioplatense SACL was an Argentinian
cargo airline
. It operated in the 1970s and 1980s.
freighter
did not commence service with the airline until 1971. Flights with the CL-44 commenced between Buenos Aires
and Houston, on which cattle were transported, and the airline quickly established itself operating worldwide ad hoc charters, leading to the addition of three more of the aircraft type. The airline had regular flights to Houston and Miami, and to Basel
, Switzerland
from September 1976. The airline acquired its first Boeing 707
freighter from Dan-Air
in 1978, and a second one a year later. The arrival of the 707s lead to the gradual retirement from service of the CL-44s.
and Argentina collaborated with the United States
in Oliver North's
program to send arms to Iran to assist in arming Nicaragua
n contras
. Transporte Aéreo Rioplatense, which was revealed to be operated by high-ranking officials in the Argentine Air Force
, transported military equipment from Israel to Iran, in support of the latter during its war with Iraq
.
Scotsman
Stuart Allen McCafferty was hired to transport 360 tons of United States-made tank spare parts and ammunition from Tel Aviv
to Tehran
, and had a Swiss
partner, arms dealer Andreas Jenni. McCafferty allegedly approached numerous United States charter airlines, offering them US$175,000 to operate 15 flights which would carry "pharmaceuticals" between Israel and Iran, but none of them were interested. In June 1981, McCafferty travelled to Buenos Aires, where he persuaded Transporte Aéreo Rioplatense to charter him one of their CL-44 cargo aircraft.
After completing the first two round-flights from Tel Aviv to Tehran, via Larnaca
in Cyprus
, the airline was returning to Cyprus after having delivered the third tranche of cargo to Iran, when on 18 July 1981 it was shot down near the Soviet
-Turkish
border by a Su-15 of the Soviet Air Force
. After heading to towards the Turkish border, the aircraft had gone off course, and strayed into Soviet airspace
in the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, which led to the Soviets to scramble a Su-15 to intercept the aircraft. According to Soviet reports, the crew failed to respond to radio calls and visual signals from the pilots of the fighter aircraft. The crew of the CL-44 attempted to get away from the area, and the Soviet pilot directed his aircraft into the tail of the escaping aircraft, causing both aircraft to crash near Yerevan
in the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic. The Soviet fighter pilot managed to eject to safety, but the 4 occupants of the CL-44 — 3 Argentinian crew and McCafferty — died. Jenni disputed these events, claiming that the aircraft was shot down 125 miles (201.2 km) inside Turkish territory.
Transporte Aéreo Rioplatense continue to operate into the 1980s, but had ceased operations by 1989.
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
cargo airline
Cargo airline
Cargo airlines are airlines dedicated to the transport of cargo. Some cargo airlines are divisions or subsidiaries of larger passenger airlines.-Logistics:...
. It operated in the 1970s and 1980s.
History
The airline was set up in December 1969 by Carlos F. Martinez Guerrero and several of his associates. Operations commenced in July 1970, however, the first aircraft, a Canadair CL-44Canadair CL-44
The Canadair CL-44 was a Canadian turboprop airliner and cargo aircraft based on the Bristol Britannia that was developed and produced by Canadair in the late 1950s and early 1960s...
freighter
Cargo aircraft
A cargo aircraft is a fixed-wing aircraft designed or converted for the carriage of goods, rather than passengers. They are usually devoid of passenger amenities, and generally feature one or more large doors for the loading and unloading of cargo...
did not commence service with the airline until 1971. Flights with the CL-44 commenced between Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
and Houston, on which cattle were transported, and the airline quickly established itself operating worldwide ad hoc charters, leading to the addition of three more of the aircraft type. The airline had regular flights to Houston and Miami, and to Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
from September 1976. The airline acquired its first Boeing 707
Boeing 707
The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
freighter from Dan-Air
Dan-Air
Dan-Air was a leading private, independentindependent from government-owned corporations airline based in the United Kingdom....
in 1978, and a second one a year later. The arrival of the 707s lead to the gradual retirement from service of the CL-44s.
Involvement in Iran–Contra affair
IsraelIsrael
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and Argentina collaborated with the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in Oliver North's
Oliver North
Oliver Laurence North is a retired U.S. Marine Corps officer, political commentator, host of War Stories with Oliver North on Fox News Channel, a military historian, and a New York Times best-selling author....
program to send arms to Iran to assist in arming Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
n contras
Contras
The contras is a label given to the various rebel groups opposing Nicaragua's FSLN Sandinista Junta of National Reconstruction government following the July 1979 overthrow of Anastasio Somoza Debayle's dictatorship...
. Transporte Aéreo Rioplatense, which was revealed to be operated by high-ranking officials in the Argentine Air Force
Argentine Air Force
The Argentine Air Force is the national aviation branch of the Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic. , it had 14,606 military and 6,854 civilian staff.-History:...
, transported military equipment from Israel to Iran, in support of the latter during its war with Iraq
Iran-Iraq War
The Iran–Iraq War was an armed conflict between the armed forces of Iraq and Iran, lasting from September 1980 to August 1988, making it the longest conventional war of the twentieth century...
.
Scotsman
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
Stuart Allen McCafferty was hired to transport 360 tons of United States-made tank spare parts and ammunition from Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
to Tehran
Tehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, and had a Swiss
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
partner, arms dealer Andreas Jenni. McCafferty allegedly approached numerous United States charter airlines, offering them US$175,000 to operate 15 flights which would carry "pharmaceuticals" between Israel and Iran, but none of them were interested. In June 1981, McCafferty travelled to Buenos Aires, where he persuaded Transporte Aéreo Rioplatense to charter him one of their CL-44 cargo aircraft.
After completing the first two round-flights from Tel Aviv to Tehran, via Larnaca
Larnaca
Larnaca, is the third largest city on the southern coast of Cyprus after Nicosia and Limassol. It has a population of 72,000 and is the island's second largest commercial port and an important tourist resort...
in Cyprus
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
, the airline was returning to Cyprus after having delivered the third tranche of cargo to Iran, when on 18 July 1981 it was shot down near the Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
-Turkish
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
border by a Su-15 of the Soviet Air Force
Soviet Air Force
The Soviet Air Force, officially known in Russian as Военно-воздушные силы or Voenno-Vozdushnye Sily and often abbreviated VVS was the official designation of one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Soviet Air Defence Forces...
. After heading to towards the Turkish border, the aircraft had gone off course, and strayed into Soviet airspace
Airspace
Airspace means the portion of the atmosphere controlled by a country above its territory, including its territorial waters or, more generally, any specific three-dimensional portion of the atmosphere....
in the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, which led to the Soviets to scramble a Su-15 to intercept the aircraft. According to Soviet reports, the crew failed to respond to radio calls and visual signals from the pilots of the fighter aircraft. The crew of the CL-44 attempted to get away from the area, and the Soviet pilot directed his aircraft into the tail of the escaping aircraft, causing both aircraft to crash near Yerevan
Yerevan
Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
in the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic. The Soviet fighter pilot managed to eject to safety, but the 4 occupants of the CL-44 — 3 Argentinian crew and McCafferty — died. Jenni disputed these events, claiming that the aircraft was shot down 125 miles (201.2 km) inside Turkish territory.
Transporte Aéreo Rioplatense continue to operate into the 1980s, but had ceased operations by 1989.