On May 19, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi tragically lost his life in a helicopter crash in the Islamic Republic’s East Azerbaijan province. Sputnik has compiled a list of high-profile air crashes involving head of states, along with information on the possible involvement of Western powers in some of these catastrophes.
April 10, 2010
Polish President Lech Kaczynski tragically perished in a plane crash near the Russian city of Smolensk. A subsequent investigation conducted by Warsaw officials determined that the accident was a result of errors made by the crew and inadequate flight planning. The aircraft involved in the disaster was a Tu-154.
April 6, 1994
President of Rwanda Juvenal Habyarimana and Burundi President Cyprien Ntaryamira tragically lost their lives after their plane transporting them was shot down by a surface-to-air missile. The culprits were never identified. This event served as a catalyst for one of the most brutal chapters in recent history - the genocide of the Tutsi people, who were wrongly held responsible for the assassination of the Rwandan leader. It is estimated that nearly 1 million lives were lost in the ensuing ethnic violence. The aircraft involved in the disaster was a Dassault Falcon 50.
August 17, 1988
President of Pakistan Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq died in a plane crash along with the US Ambassador to Islamabad and the Pakistani intelligence chief who was responsible for supporting Afghan militants. The exact cause of this accident also remains a mystery, since the plane’s black box was never found. The aircraft involved in the disaster was a Lockheed C-130 Hercules.
July 31, 1981
Panama revolutionary leader General Omar Torrijos tragically died in a plane crash. Despite allegations by global public opinion, including the Soviet Union, that the United States was involved, the exact cause of the crash remains unresolved. This suspicion arose due to Torrijos having previously been successful in stripping Washington of its control over the Panama Canal, which it had held since 1903.
The aircraft involved in the disaster was a De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter.
January 24, 1974
Togolese President Gnassingbe Eyadema survived a plane crash. He claimed that the accident was actually an act of sabotage, following his decision to abandon talks with French companies over phosphate mines. He believed his survival was a result of divine intervention, and subsequently ordered the construction of a monument at the crash site.
The aircraft involved in the disaster was a Douglas C-47.
April 13, 1966
Iraqi President Abdul Salam Mohammed ʿArif al-Jumayli tragically died in a plane crash near Basra. Some investigators suggested that the crash may have been the result of sabotage by Baath sympathizers. The aircraft involved in the disaster was a de Havilland DH.104 Dove 1.
February 17, 1959
Turkish Prime Minister Adnan Menderes miraculously survived a plane crash while en route to London in order to finalize an agreement on Cyprus with the United Kingdom and Greece. The investigation into the crash was unable to determine the cause of the accident. The aircraft model involved in the disaster was a Viscount Type 793
March 17, 1957
Philippine President Ramon del Fierro Magsaysay, accompanied by several journalists, perished in a plane crash on his journey back to Manila. The sole survivor of the crash, Nestor Mata, went on to become a well-known journalist in the Philippines. The aircraft involved in the disaster was a Douglas C-47 Skytrain
September 7, 1940
Jose Felix Estigarribia Insaurralde, the 34th President of Paraguay and a prominent war leader, along with his spouse Julia Miranda Cueto, tragically died in a plane crash while en route from Altos to his residence in San Bernardino. The aircraft involved in the disaster was a Potez 25 TOE.
