SOACHA — 1989 · Major Tragedy
The Bombing of Avianca Flight 203
On 27 November 1989 Avianca flight 203, a Boeing 727 from Bogotá to Cali, crashed over Soacha about five minutes after take-off when a bomb exploded on board. All 107 people on the plane and three people on the ground were killed. The attack was carried out by the Medellín cartel, which is believed to have targeted presidential candidate César Gaviria, who had not boarded the flight at the last minute. It was one of the deadliest attacks in the cartel's violent campaign against the state. A cartel associate was convicted in the United States in 1994 for his role in the bombing.
- Date
- 1989
- Place
- Cundinamarca, Colombia, Soacha, CO
- Category
- Major Tragedy
- Case Status
- Solved
- Coordinates
- 4.5794, -74.2168 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 27 November 1989Avianca 203 exploded and crashed over Soacha.
- November 1989The attack was attributed to the Medellín cartel.
- December 1994A cartel associate was convicted in the United States.
Sources
- US DOJ OIG — Avianca bombing oig.justice.gov ↗
- Colombia One — Colombia remembers Avianca plane attack, 35 years on colombiaone.com ↗
- Wikipedia — Avianca Flight 203 en.wikipedia.org ↗
- US DOJ Office of the Inspector General
- Colombia One
- Wikipedia
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.