Gulfstream II crashes (shotdown?) in Mexico near Cancun.

[con-pilot]

Details sketchy. Authorities claim 3.2 tons of cocaine on board. First link in Spanish. No word on the crew.

http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/450941.html

http://www.airliners.net/discussions....main/3626088/

[MarcJF]

Any English link available?

[HowlingWind]

Any English link available?

Here's a translation from Reuters (http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSN2435638420070924).

[rusty sparrow]

here's how google translates it:

Airplane loaded with drugs in Yucatan falls

When trying to land, the airship crashes in near mounts leaving its step more than 132 bulks of cocaine http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/img/2007/09/Est/avionyuc1_int.jpgThe airship was practically broken in its fall (Photo: NTX)

http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/imag/boton-imprimir.jpg (http://66.249.91.104/translate_c?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&langpair=es%7Cen&u=http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/vi_450941.html&prev=/language_tools)http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/imag/boton-envia.jpg (javascript:abriramigo('http://foros.eluniversal.com.mx/mail/envia_amigo_enviar.php?p_id_nota','450941','notas','Cae_avi% C3%B3n_cargado_con_drogas_en_Yucat%C3%A1n');)- TO (http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/450941.html#) A (http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/450941.html#) TO + (http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/450941.html#) http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/imag/notasrel.gifIt transported 3,2 tons of cocaine airplane fallen in Yucatan (http://66.249.91.104/translate_c?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&langpair=es%7Cen&u=http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/notas/450943.html&prev=/language_tools) 14:24
They see the Army well and they think that it must fight the narcotics detective (http://66.249.91.104/translate_c?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&langpair=es%7Cen&u=http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/primera/29641.html&prev=/language_tools)
They find two bodies in narcograve in Michoacán (http://66.249.91.104/translate_c?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&langpair=es%7Cen&u=http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/estados/66010.html&prev=/language_tools)

Yasmín Rodriguez/Correspondent
The Universal one
Tixkokob, Yucatan
Monday 24 of September of 2007
14:06 an airplane of a unknown air line was forced to descend the first hours from this Monday in mounts near this municipality and that finally crashed leaving its step more than 132 bulks of drug, cocaine, according to confirmed military elements. Shortly after the obligatory landing the airplane was guarded by elements of the Mexican Army, Federal Police of Ways and the PGR and was between mounts leaves from its fuselage and its turbines in where key N987SA was ***reflxed mng.
Versions not yet confirmed indicated that the airplane could have Colombian origin and that was forced to land by military elements that detected their flight through radar.
In the place of the facts, three kilometers inside of the municipality and between several ranchería, was the main tail of the airplane and a part of the fuselage that was practically broken in its fall. Also throughout this reduction it left to pieces of its main wings as well as seats and the 132 bulks correctly packed of cocaine.
Neighbors of this municipality showed that he was from the dawn of today when they listened to noises of motors of airplanes and helicopters, in which seemed to be a persecution.
The airplane of blue and white color with red bands was steeply in positions found when falling in these mounts. The Mexican Army unfolded an operative one in the place in where an investigation of these facts would begin.
The unofficial versions did not indicate if they had stopped after this forced landing of the airship with drugs.

rcr

[Avman]

Reported to be GII N987SA (c/n 172).

[er340790]

at the current UK street price (allegedly) for cocaine, 3.2 tons of the stuff would buy 5 or 6 new Gulfstreams @ list price.

[MSP Aviation]

I've never seen wreckage so "clean" before. That one fuselage section looks like it sheared at a bulkhead, the interior is so intact it could almost be a display cross-section.

[con-pilot]

Also from the pictures it appears that the gear was down and the flaps were in landing position. No fire, but still no word on the crew.

I'll call some of my friends still with the DOJ in a day or two and see what I can find out.

[ORAC]

Flight International: Gulfstream II carrying cocaine crashes in Yucatan peninsula, Mexico
By Barbara Cockburn

An aircraft loaded with four tonnes of cocaine crashed on 24 September in Mexico's Yucatan peninsula, according to news sources.

The aircraft, said to be a Gulfstream II, crashed after being chased by military helicopters, in a jungle area in the state of Yucatan as soon as it entered Mexican airspace.

The aircraft was reconfigured to carry cocaine instead of passengers and had, according to reports, flown in from Colombia. No-one was found onboard when authorities arrived at the scene.

[antic81]

How do Military Helicopters keep up with a Gulfstream II??

[Dave Gittins]

None of the news reports suggest it was shot down .. looks more like it crashed trying to land somewhere unsuitable.

Is a 3.2 tonne payload right for a Gulf II ???

[ORAC]

Gets even more interesting. Was he lost? Did his ground handlers not turn up and illuminate a strip for him?

.......The jet went down in the town of Tixkokob in the state of Yucatan, Mexico, 160 miles from beach resort Cancun.

Witnesses said they had seen military helicopters following it until it crashed Tixkokob assistant police chief Ernesto Hernandez said: "The plane was flying over the town for almost two hours. That's why we called the army.".........

It was registered to Donna Blue Aircraft in Coconut Creek, Florida, according to a search of its identification number on the US Federal Aviation Administration's website. But there was no company with that name listed in Coconut Creek........

[con-pilot]

Is a 3.2 tonne payload right for a Gulf II ???

From what I've been told that much weight exceeds the zero fuel weight.

[CaptW5]

I don't think that type of operator would bother too much with THAT detail....:hmm:

[con-pilot]

I don't think that type of operator would bother too much with THAT detail....

I certainly agree with that statement. And to be honest I don't think one could tell any difference in the performance of the aircraft as well. As zero fuel weight tends to more of a structural limitation rather than a that of performance.

Of course if the wings come off because of overloading the structure it would tend to affect the performance of the aircraft somewhat. :p

[Double Zero]

Wouldn't that sort of snag be more noticed ( & terminal ) at take-off for reasons of

A; takeoff not happening,
B; wing loading / fallings off ?

Maybe someone - probably not Mexican but a touch further North - has decided ' no more Mr Nice Guy '...

As the structure, as previously described, is so surgically cut maybe it was used as a test for the 747 Laser Thingie !

As for the crew getting away ? :eek:

[JetFixer]

I translated this article from the todays local paper "Diario de Yucatan"

Police Secrecy

A mystery surrounds to the case of the airplane with drugs at Tixkokob

Third person stopped: a Colombian who was on the high ground.


In spite of the tight police secrecy that surrounds to the case of the narco airplane at Tixkokob. Some new details were revealed yesterday that fortify the hypothesis that it indicates that the narcotics traffickers had contacts in Quintana Roo as in Yucatan as much.

The authorities arrested a third person, apparently a Colombian, who had taken shelter in high ground at Tixkokob near the place where the airplane crash landed than three tons of cocaine destined for Cancún.

The South American, one the crew of the airplane - the other a woman, was taken from the scene at seven at night with the face covered to the facilities of the PGR in Mérida. Where there are also two yucatecans who were arrested yesterday after acting suspiciously near the crash site.

It was known that the soldiers of the Army acted practically single handedly in the operation of the seizure, without the aid of federal or state police, in order to ensure there was no infiltration.

[ihoharv]

somebody else's take on N987SA
http://pimpinturtle.com/2007/09/26/cia-plane-crashes-in-yucatan-carrying-32-tons-of-cocaine.aspx
Sept. 26, 2007 -- SPECIAL REPORT -- Plane that crashed in Yucatan with 3.2 tons of cocaine was CIA rendition aircraft
WMR has learned from knowledgeable European sources that a Gulfstream II that crash landed 1.3 miles from Tikokob in Yucatan, Mexico after being chased by Mexican military helicopters for flying illegally into Mexican airspace was one of the planes chartered to the CIA for the renditioning of kidnapped prisoners. The crash landing took place on September 24. The tail number of the Gulfstream is N987SA.
Mexican soldiers found no bodies at the crash site but did discover 132 bags containing 3.3 metric tons of cocaine. The origination of the Gulfstream's flight is unknown but it was destined for Cancun when it crash landed. Police later said they had arrested one passenger who was on board the plane.
The operator of the Gulfstream is Donna Blue Aircraft, Inc. of Coconut Creek, Florida. Its address, according to the Florida Division of Corporations, is 4811 Lyons Technology, Coconut Creek, Florida 33073.
On June 10, 2006, WMR reported that the N987SA Grumman G-1159, Gulfstream II, was operated by S/A Holdings LLC and had been involved in the renditioning of prisoners to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

[FLEXJET]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/mcclatchy/20070929/wl_mcclatchy/20070928bcmexicoplane_attn_national_foreign_editors_ytop

[forget]

http://www.airliners.net/search/photo.search?aircraft_genericsearch=&airlinesearch=&countrysearch=&specialsearch=&daterange=&keywords=+N987SA&range=&sort_order=&page_limit=15&thumbnails=&calccount=1217464&truecount=true&engine_version=6.0

[hawkerjet]

My research shows that the Tail number N987SA belongs to a GI, turboprop, not a GII. In the picture you can clearly see the tail section and spey engines and leaves no doubt this is a Gulfstream jet, so maybe a little tail number change for this special flight.:8
I stand corrected, it was a typo on the FAA page. It is a GII This is what is on the first page.
N987SA
DONNA BLUE AIRCRAFT INC (COCONUT CREEK FL)
Aircraft Grumman Academe (twin-turboprop) (G159/L)
Origin Fort Lauderdale Executive (KFXE)
Destination Cancun Int'l (MMUN)
This is what is on the 2nd page:
Aircraft Registration (N987SA)
Aircraft Summary
Summary Owner Airworthiness Serial Number
1975 GRUMMAN AMERICAN AVN. CORP. G-1159
Fixed wing multi engine
(22 seats / 2 engines) DONNA BLUE AIRCRAFT INC
COCONUT CREEK, FL
(Corporation) Standard/Transport 172
Aircraft Details
Engine Weight Speed Mode S Code
ROLLS-ROYC SPEY MK 511SR
Horsepower: 1140 (Turbo-jet) Over 20,000lbs 441mph 53343266
Registration Details
Status Certificate Issue Date Airworthiness Date Last Action Date
Assigned 2007-08-31 1975-11-11 2007-08-31
:sad:

[forget]

I'd question your research. :) A GII has had that number for years.

http://pimpinturtle.com/2007/09/26/cia-plane-crashes-in-yucatan-carrying-32-tons-of-cocaine.aspx

[hawkerjet]

You need to read my whole post.
I stated later ( in red even) that there was a discrepancy between aircraft description and even included both in my post.
A little quick on the trigger, are you?

[forget]

hawkerjet. You need to get a :mad: grip. You'd posted bollox and I took the trouble to point this out. My post was milli-seconds behind your correction. Hence the overlap. Next time you post we'll give you a week or so to add your amendemnts before we comment. :ugh:

[hawkerjet]

No need to give me a week or so when you'll be milli seconds behind. Why don't you relax and give the sarcasm a week off.
My last post on the matter....