my-server
← Wiki

List of aviation shootdowns and accidents during the Yugoslav Wars

This is a list of aviation shootdowns accidents, and incidents during the Yugoslav Wars. It includes helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft and unmanned aircraft losses from the Ten-Day War (1991), the Croatian War of Independence (1991–1995), the Bosnian War (1992–1995), the Insurgency in Kosovo (1995–1998), the Kosovo War (1998–1999), and the Insurgency in Macedonia (2001).

Ten-Day War (1991)

  • 27 June 1991 – A Yugoslav Air Force SOKO HO-42 (licensed-built Aérospatiale Gazelle) was shot down over Ljubljana by Slovenian forces using a Strela-2M MANPADS while delivering breads to a besieged Yugoslav Army barracks.
  • 27 June 1991 – A Yugoslav Air Force Mi-8T was shot by small arms and later downed with a Strela-2M MANPADS near Ig. Three crew died.

Croatian War of Independence (1991–1995)

  • (2) 15 September 1991 – Two An-2R (registration YU-BBN and YU-BOZ) of Privredna Avijacija Osijek were damaged beyond repair by an airstrike at Varaždin Airport.
  • (2) 19 September 1991 – Two An-2R (registration YU-BHU and YU-BOC) of Privredna Avijacija Osijek were damaged beyond repair by an airstrike at Osijek Airport.
  • 19 September 1991 – A Yugoslav NJ-22 Orao was hit by a Strela-2M MANPADS over Đakovo and crashed near Ferkusevac. The pilot, Lt. Col. Muse Begić, ejected and was taken prisoner.
  • 4 October 1991 – A Yugoslav Mi-8T was damaged by Croatian anti-aircraft guns near Donji Andrijevci and crash-landed in Bosnia. Three crew members and four passengers were captured by Croatian forces.
  • 5 October 1991 – A Yugoslav SOKO HO-42 was shot down near Konavle.
  • 9 November 1991 – A Croatian An-2R (former YU-BKB) crashed during take off from Đakovo. All five crew survived.
  • (2) 15 November 1991 – Croatian forces claimed their anti-aircraft artillery shot down two Yugoslav J-21 Jastreb ground-attack aircraft (one confirmed) during the Battle of the Dalmatian Channels.
  • 2 December 1991 – A Croatian An-2R (former YU-BOP) was shot down near Vinkovci by a 2K12 Kub (NATO: SA-6 Gainful) air defence battery during a bombing mission. All four crew were killed.
  • 7 January 1992 – A Yugoslav MiG-21 shot down an Italian Army Agusta-Bell AB-206L helicopter on an EU mission at Podrute, southwest of Varaždin.
  • 14 September 1993 – A Croatian MiG-21 was hit by a Serb 2K12 Kub over Gvozd (then Vrginmost) after a successful strike on Serb positions at Vranovina, south of Topusko. The pilot, Miroslav Peris, was killed in action when his aircraft exploded in flames near Stipan.
  • 2 May 1995 – A Croatian MiG-21 piloted by Rudolf PereÅ¡in was shot down by Serb anti-aircraft fire while on a ground support mission near Stara GradiÅ¡ka, in the course of Operation Flash. PereÅ¡in was killed in action.

Bosnian War (1992–1995)

  • 24 June 1992 – A Croatian MiG-21 was shot down over northern Bosnia while attempting to suppress the shelling of Slavonski Brod. The pilot was killed.
  • 17 July 1992 – A Serb Mi-8T was shot at by Croatian forces and crashed near Gradačac. Three crew were killed.
  • 3 September 1992 – An Italian Air Force G.222 transport aircraft of the 46ª Brigata Aerea was shot down when approaching Sarajevo airfield, while conducting a United Nations relief mission. It crashed from the airfield; a NATO rescue mission was aborted when two USMC CH-53 helicopters came under small arms fire. The cause of the crash was determined to be a surface-to-air missile, but it was not clear who fired it. Everyone on board – four Italian crew members and four French passengers – died in the crash.
  • 26 March 1993 – An E-2C Hawkeye AWACS aircraft of VAW-124, operating from USS Theodore Roosevelt, crashed over the Adriatic Sea. Five crew were killed.
  • 12 April 1993 – A French Air Force Mirage 2000C of the 5e Escadre de Chasse crashed over the Adriatic Sea during aerial refueling. The pilot was rescued.
  • 11 August 1993 – A USAF F-16C of the 23rd Fighter Squadron crashed over the Adriatic Sea due to mechanical failure. The pilot was rescued.
  • 12 February 1994 – An F-14B Tomcat of the VF-103 crashed into the Adriatic Sea after a mid-air collision with an F/A-18C Hornet, both aircraft were operating from USS Saratoga. The F-14B crew were rescued, while the F/A-18C was able to land in Italy.
  • 16 February 1994 – A USAF F-16C of the 526th Fighter Squadron crashed at Portorož in Slovenia due to engine failure. The pilot was rescued.
  • (4) 28 February 1994 – Banja Luka incident: four USAF F-16s shot down four Serb J-21 Jastrebs after the latter bombed a Bosnian ammunition factory in Novi Travnik, in violation of the no-fly zone established by NATO.
  • 27 March 1994 – A French Naval Aviation Super Étendard of the Flottille 11F, operating from aircraft carrier Clemenceau, crashed over the Adriatic Sea. The pilot was rescued.
  • 16 April 1994 – A Sea Harrier FRS.1 of 801 Naval Air Squadron, operating from the aircraft carrier HMS Ark Royal, was brought down by an Igla-1 surface-to-air missile, fired by the Army of Republika Srpska while attempting to bomb two Bosnian Serb tanks over Gorazde. The pilot, Lieutenant Nick Richardson, ejected and landed in ARBiH-controlled territory.
  • 24 April 1994 – An F/A-18C Hornet of the VFA-83, operating from USS Saratoga, crashed over the Adriatic Sea. The pilot was killed.
  • 31 July 1994 – An Antonov An-26B registration UR-26207 of Air Ukraine, operating on behalf of the United Nations, was shot down by ground fire and crashed near Saborsko, Croatia. All seven people aboard were killed.
  • 19 November 1994 – A J-22 Orao of the Republika Srpska Air Force crashed near Cazin. The pilot died.
  • / (3) 3 December 1994 – An ARBiH Mi-8MTV-1 flying towards the Bihać pocket crashed on takeoff at Lučko Airfield near Zagreb. There were no fatalities. Two other Mi-8MTV-1 owned by the ARBiH and Croatian Air Force were damaged beyond repair in the crash.
  • 15 December 1994 – A Sea Harrier FRS.1 of the 800 Naval Air Squadron, operating from the aircraft carrier HMS Invincible, crashed over the Adriatic Sea. The pilot was rescued.
  • 31 December 1994 – An Il-76TD registration EW-76836 of Bel-Air Belarusian Airlines overran the runway during bad weather at Sarajevo Airport and was damaged beyond repair. No casualties.
  • 26 January 1995 – A USAF F-16C of 510th Fighter Squadron crashed over the Adriatic Sea. The pilot died.
  • 7 May 1995 – An ARBiH Mi-8 on a medical evacuation flight from Srebrenica to Živinice was shot down by Bosnian Serb air defenses near Žepa, leaving 12 dead and 10 injured.
  • 28 May 1995 – An ARBiH Mi-8 carrying Bosnian foreign minister Irfan Ljubijankić was shot down by a Bosnian Serb 2K12 Kub air defence battery near Cetingrad, at the Bosnia–Croatia border, killing all seven crew on board.
  • 2 June 1995 – A USAF F-16C of 512th Fighter Squadron piloted by Captain Scott O’Grady was shot down by a Serb 2K12 Kub. The pilot was rescued by the US Marine Corps seven days later.
  • 10 June 1995 – A Croatian Mil Mi-24V was destroyed in a crash near Drvar, northwestern Bosnia. The aircraft's engine and some other components were salvaged.
  • 21 June 1995 – A Jaguar GR.1 of the No. 54 Squadron RAF crashed over the Adriatic Sea due to engine failure. The pilot was rescued.
  • 11 August 1995 – A USAF RQ-1 Predator s/n 94-3008 was shot down over Bosnia.
  • 14 August 1995 – A USAF RQ-1 Predator s/n 94-3002 crashed in Bosnia due to engine sensor failure.
  • 14 August 1995 – A Lynx AH Mk.7 helicopter of the 3 Regiment Army Air Corps crashed over the Adriatic Sea during a training mission. Four crew killed and one rescued.
  • 22 August 1995 – An ARBiH Mi-8T helicopter crashed near Goražde in eastern Bosnia.
  • 29 August 1995 – A USAF U-2R of the 9th Reconnaissance Wing crashed during take off at RAF Fairford, United Kingdom. The pilot was killed. The aircraft was scheduled to flew over Bosnia for a reconnaisance mission.
  • 30 August 1995 – A French Air Force Mirage 2000N-K2 of the Escadron de Chasse 2/3 Champagne was shot down over Bosnia by a 9K38 Igla MANPADS, fired by air defence units of Army of Republika Srpska during Operation Deliberate Force. Both pilots were captured by Serbian forces.
  • 8 September 1995 – A Croatian Mil Mi-24V was destroyed between Glamoč and Å ipovo in northwestern Bosnia, though it is disputed whether it was because of an accident or due to hostile fire.

Insurgency in Kosovo and Kosovo War (1995–1999)

Insurgency in Kosovo (1995–1999)

  • 1 December 1997 – The Kosovo Liberation Army claimed to have shot down a Yugoslav Cessna 310 near Pristina using Strela-2M MANPADS. Local observers disputed this claim and attributed the crash to bad weather.

NATO bombing of Yugoslavia (1999)

  • (2) 24 March 1999 – Two Yugoslav Air Force MiG-29 were shot down near Belgrade and over Kosovo by two USAF F-15C with AIM-120 AMRAAM missiles.
  • 24 March 1999 – A Royal Netherlands Air Force F-16AM J-063 flown by Major Peter Tankink shot down a Yugoslav MiG-29, flown by Lt. Col. Milutinović, with an AMRAAM missile. The pilot of the stricken jet ejected safely. This marked the first air-to-air kill made by a Dutch fighter since World War 2.
  • 24 March 1999 – A Yugoslav J-22 Orao crashed into a hillside upon returning from a combat sortie on the first night of the conflict with NATO. The pilot, Lt. Col. Života Đurić, was killed.
  • (2) 26 March 1999 – Two Yugoslav MiG-29s were shot down by two USAF F-15C with AMRAAM missiles near Tuzla, Bosnia.
  • 27 March 1999 – 1999 F-117A shoot-down: An American F-117A Nighthawk stealth bomber was shot down over Belgrade by a Soviet made S-125E Neva (NATO: SA-3 Goa). The pilot ejected safely and the plane's wreckage was recovered by Serbian special forces. It remains the only stealth aircraft ever to be shot down by a surface-to-air missile.
  • 17 April 1999 – A USAF RQ-1 Predator s/n 95-3017 was lost over Bosnia.
  • 26 April 1999 – A US Army AH-64A Apache attack helicopter crashed in northern Albania, injuring both crew.
  • 2 May 1999 – A USAF F-16CG was shot down by an S-125 Neva air defence system near Nakučani in western Serbia. Its pilot, Lt. Col. David Goldfein, 555th Fighter Squadron commander, managed to eject and was later rescued in a combat search-and-rescue (CSAR) mission. The remains of this aircraft are on display in the Yugoslav Aeronautical Museum, Belgrade International Airport.
  • 2 May 1999 – A US Marine Corps McDonnell Douglas AV-8B Harrier II of VMA-231 crashed in the Adriatic Sea during final approach to USS Kearsarge. The pilot ejected safely.
  • 4 May 1999 – A lone Yugoslav MiG-29 flown by Lt. Col. Milenko Pavlović attempted to intercept a large NATO formation that was returning to base, having just bombed the pilot's hometown Valjevo. It was engaged by a pair of USAF F-16CJs from the 78th Fighter Squadron, and shot down with an AMRAAM, killing the pilot. The falling wreckage was also hit by a Strela-2M mistakenly fired by the Yugoslav Army.
  • 5 May 1999 – A US Army AH-64A Apache attack helicopter crashed in northern Albania, killing both crew.
  • 13 May 1999 – A USAF RQ-1 Predator s/n 95-3019 was lost over Kosovo.
  • 19 May 1999 – A USAF RQ-1 Predator s/n 95-3021 was lost over Kosovo.
  • 11 June 1999 – A Lockheed Hercules C.1 of the No. 47 Squadron RAF with 9 crew members aboard crashed during a night takeoff at Kukës air base in Kukës, northern Albania. Although no crew were injured, much of the aircraft was destroyed.
  • unknown date 1999 – A US Army RQ-5 Hunter was shot down by a Yugoslav Mi-8 using its door gunner's 7.62 mm machine gun. It was the first RQ-5 loss during the campaign.

Insurgency in Macedonia (2001)

  • 17 March 2001 – A Macedonian Mi-17's rotor blades struck a pole at Popova Å apka and crashed. A crew member was killed, two seriously injured and 19 passengers has minor injuries.

See also

References

Citations

Bibliography