1981 Armenia mid-air collision

Scotsman Stuart Allen McCafferty was hired to transport 360 tonnes (360,000 kg; 790,000 lb) of American-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 (equivalent to $586,000 today) to operate 15 flights which would carry "pharmaceuticals" between Israel and Iran, but none of them were interested.[3][1][2] Before this incident, the Soviet Union had requested that Israel explain to it what was being transported on these cargo flights from Tel Aviv down the Turkish-Soviet border to Tehran.The Soviet fighter pilot managed to eject to safety, but the four occupants of the CL-44 – three Argentine crew and McCafferty, who had chartered the aircraft – died.[1][2] It is unclear whether the collision was intentional;[3] the Soviet pilot said it was a deliberate attempt to down the enemy aircraft, while Western aviation experts examining his account believed he misjudged a turn and subsequently invented a story of self-sacrifice.
The incident occurred near the intersection of the borders of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkey. (Armenia, unlabelled, is the central area shown in light brown.)
Mid-air collisionDelibrate ram attackYerevanArmenian Soviet Socialist RepublicCanadair CL-44Transporte Aéreo RioplatenseRegistrationTehranLarnacaCyprusSukhoi Su-15Soviet Air Defense ForcesScotsmanTel Avivarms dealerairspaceAzerbaijan Soviet Socialist RepublicAir Defense ForcesNATO reporting nameThe Bulletin (Bend)LondonThe AgeAviation Safety NetworkJames ObergAviation accidents and incidentsPushkin Tu-104 crashPakistan International Airlines Flight 326Garuda Indonesian Airways Flight 206Aer Lingus Flight 164Austral Líneas Aéreas Flight 901Aeroflot Flight 498Dan-Air Flight 240Somali Airlines Flight 40Aeroméxico Flight 230Panamanian Air Force Twin Otter crashBarrington Tops Cessna 210 disappearanceG-ASWI ditchingGulf of Sidra incidentFar Eastern Air Transport Flight 103Aeroflot Flight 811Aeropesca Colombia Flight 221Zheleznogorsk mid-air collisionEastern Air Lines Flight 935Indian Airlines Flight 423Iranian Air Force C-130 crashNLM CityHopper Flight 431Aeroméxico Flight 110Aeroflot Flight 3603Inex-Adria Flight 1308Soviet UnionAeroflot Flight Sh-88Aeroflot Flight 4225Aeroflot Flight 8641Aeroflot Flight 411Sukhumi Dranda Airport runway collisionAeroflot Flight E-46Aeroflot Flight 5463Korean Air Lines Flight 007Aeroflot Flight 601Aeroflot Flight 3352Aeroflot Flight 3519Aeroflot Flight 7841Zolochiv mid-air collisionAeroflot Flight 5143Aeroflot Flight 101/435Aeroflot Flight F-77Aeroflot Flight 2306Aeroflot Flight 6502Aeroflot Flight N-528Aeroflot Flight U-505Aeroflot Flight 699Aeroflot Flight 29674Aeroflot Flight 3739Soviet Air Force Il-76 crashSoviet Air Force Ilyushin Il-76 crashAeroflot Flight 37577Aeroflot Flight 6246Navoiy Aeroflot An-24 crashAeroflot Flight 8556Yugavia Flight S-519Azerbaijani Mil Mi-8 shootdownPost-Soviet statesC-130 shootdown incidentKuban Airlines Flight 5719Belavia Flight 1834Russian Mil Mi-24 shootdownArmenian SSR