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Venezuelan Air Force shoots down Brazilian plane; man is found lifeless on the aircraft. Understand the reasons for the slaughter and the country's official statement about what happened.
The Bolivarian Air Force of Venezuela (FANB) shot down a Brazilian plane that invaded the neighboring country's airspace without authorization. According to information from the Venezuelan military, the aircraft required the activation of the “Early Warning Plan”, with coordinated actions on the ground and in the air. As a result, Venezuela shoots down a Brazilian plane and a man was found dead on the plane.
Understand why the Venezuelan Air Force shoots down a Brazilian plane
The military located on radar the illegal entry of a small plane that was flying at low altitude, “in flagrant violation of national sovereignty”. The Brazilian plane located still in flight was declared a hostile target, did not identify itself, turned off the transponder locator and hid the identification plates, which led to interdiction and aerial interception.
According to Domingo Hernández Lárez, Strategic Operational Commander of the Venezuelan Air Force, before shooting down the Brazilian plane, the military tried to persuade the pilot and instructed a guided landing, but they were ignored. The suspected aircraft also tried to evade the fighters, performed evasive maneuvers and forced a landing in a field area, in the municipality of Turén, in the state of Portuguesa, northwest of the country.
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According to Lárez in his publication on the social network drug trafficking.
The Venezuelan Air Force shoots down a Brazilian Piper Seneca 2 plane, with registration PR-Rp, a common identification among Brazilian aircraft. The practice of using cloned license plates for illicit activities is common among criminal groups.
When can a plane be shot down?
Venezuela shoots down a Brazilian plane, but the situations that regulate when a plane can be shot down in Brazil are very specific. We are talking about the shooting down of aircraft outside of war times, so these situations do not apply in the event of an armed conflict.
Since 1998, it has been foreseen in the Brazilian Aeronautical Code the possibility of shooting down aircraft considered hostile. In 2004, a presidential decree, known as the Slaughter Law, regulated the situations in which this can happen.
According to national regulations, only aircraft (such as aircraft and helicopters) that are considered hostile or suspected of trafficking narcotic substances and related drugs may be shot down. This is because they can pose a threat to public safety, but felling is only a last resort.
What steps should be followed in these cases?
Before this happens, a roadmap is followed by the aeronautical authorities. Once the suspicious aircraft has been identified, in general terms, the following steps are followed:
- Inquiry: The aircraft is intercepted to have its identity and attitude confirmed. At this stage, FAB pilots can use radio signals, visual or otherwise, to communicate with the target.
- Intervention: Attempts are made to have the suspected aircraft change its route so that it can land and be checked on the ground by authorities.
- Persuasion: If the pilot still does not cooperate, more intense measures are used to make him obey the orders given by the FAB. To do this, warning shots are fired with tracer ammunition, which is more noticeable to the naked eye, showing the firepower of the aircraft that is making the intercept.
- Undoing: If none of the previous measures show results, the aircraft will be considered hostile and will be shot down. At this moment, shots will be fired with the aim of causing damage and preventing the flight from continuing.
