US embassy cable - 05BOGOTA335

Disclaimer: This site has been first put up 15 years ago. Since then I would probably do a couple things differently, but because I've noticed this site had been linked from news outlets, PhD theses and peer rewieved papers and because I really hate the concept of "digital dark age" I've decided to put it back up. There's no chance it can produce any harm now.

PLAN COLOMBIA/COLOMBIAN ARMY BLACKHAWK GOES DOWN IN SOUTHERN NARINO

Identifier: 05BOGOTA335
Wikileaks: View 05BOGOTA335 at Wikileaks.org
Origin: Embassy Bogota
Created: 2005-01-13 20:14:00
Classification: UNCLASSIFIED
Tags: SNAR PTER MOPS CO
Redacted: This cable was not redacted by Wikileaks.
This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.


 
UNCLAS BOGOTA 000335 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR INL AND WHA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SNAR, PTER, MOPS, CO 
SUBJECT: PLAN COLOMBIA/COLOMBIAN ARMY BLACKHAWK GOES DOWN IN 
SOUTHERN NARINO 
 
1. AT APPROXIMATELY 0020 ON JANUARY 13, A PLAN 
COLOMBIA/COLOMBIAN ARMY UH-60 BLACKHAWK HELICOPTER WITH 20 
TROOPS CRASHED DUE TO BAD WEATHER APPROXIMATELY 36 MILES 
NORTHEAST OF TUMACO IN THE DEPARTMENT OF NARINO, ON 
COLOMBIA'S PACIFIC COAST. THERE WERE NO SURVIVORS. 
 
2. THE HELICOPTER WAS CARRYING TROOPS FROM THE PLAN COLOMBIA 
SUPPORTED COUNTER DRUG (CD) BRIGADE CONDUCTING A NIGHT 
ASSUALT ON A COLOMBIAN REVOLUTIONARY ARMED FORCES (FARC) 
CAMP. The FARC WERE PROTECTING A COCAINE HCL LAB. THE 
HELICOPTER CRASHED APPOXIMATELY 8 MILES FROM THE OBJECTIVE. 
THE TROOPS WERE CONDUCTING THE OPERATION TO SECURE THE AREA 
FOR AERIAL ERADICATION PROGRAM AIRCRAFT OUT OF TUMACO. 
 
3. THE FARC WESTERN FRONT OPERATES IN THE AREA WHERE THE 
CRASH OCCURRED.  HOWEVER, THERE IS NO INDICATION AT THIS 
TIME THAT THE HELICOPTER WAS HIT BY ENEMY FIRE. 
 
4. NAS BOGOTA PERSONNEL ARRIVED AT THE CRASH SITE EARLY ON 
JANUARY 13 TO PROVIDE ASSISTANCE AND INVESTIGATE THE 
ACCIDENT. 
WOOD 

Latest source of this page is cablebrowser-2, released 2011-10-04