Investigation Summary
On August 9, 1974, Buffalo 461 was performing a scheduled logistics flight between Ismailia, Egypt, and Damascus, Syria, with a stopover in Beirut. To avoid Israeli airspace, the flight followed a convoluted route over the Mediterranean before turning inland toward Damascus. The aircraft was painted in high-visibility United Nations white and blue livery and was operating under an ICAO flight plan. At 12:46 p.m. local time, the crew reported their position over the Dakweh Beacon in Lebanon. Damascus Air Traffic Control cleared the flight to the Damascus VOR to maintain 8,000 feet and cross 'Mike Echo Zulu' at 10,000 feet or above. However, the aircraft was reportedly at 11,000 feet when it was targeted by a Syrian missile battery located at an airfield approximately 14 miles from the Lebanese border. A witness on the ground reported seeing three separate missile engagements: the first caused the aircraft to smoke, the second struck the left wing causing a fire and a steep dive, and the third struck the cockpit area at low altitude, causing the airframe to disintegrate before impact. A Canadian Board of Inquiry later investigated the incident but faced significant hurdles, including the lack of flight recorders and evidence that Syrian authorities had erased approximately two and a half minutes of ATC communication tapes.
Final Conclusions
The Canadian Board of Inquiry, led by LCol J.A. Cann, concluded that the aircraft was destroyed by three surface-to-air missiles launched from a Syrian airfield. The board was unable to definitively determine if the attack was a result of a tragic identification error by Syrian air defense personnel or a deliberate act intended to pressure the United Nations regarding Israeli overflights of Syrian territory. The incident led to the establishment of August 9 as National Peacekeepers' Day in Canada.
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Systems & Failure Modes
SA-2 Surface-to-Air Missile (Suspected)
A Soviet-designed high-altitude air defense system. While witness testimony regarding a 'second stage' ignition suggested the SA-2, the official Board of Inquiry confirmed only that the aircraft was struck by three Syrian surface-to-air missiles.
UN Livery
The aircraft was painted in distinctive United Nations blue and white to identify it as a non-combatant peacekeeping asset.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft was the 16th Buffalo built and had its first flight in 1968.
- 02The flight was operating as United Nations Flight 51, a routine supply run for UNEF II.
- 03The aircraft carried no flight data recorder (FDR) or cockpit voice recorder (CVR).
- 04Investigators found that two and a half minutes of ATC communication tapes had been erased by Syrian authorities.
- 05The incident remains the deadliest single day for Canadian peacekeepers.
- 06The four military passengers killed alongside the crew were MWO Gaston Landry, MWO Cyril Korejwo, Corporal Michael Simpson, and Corporal Morris Kennington.
Safety Actions & Advisories
National Peacekeepers' Day
In 2008, the Canadian government officially established August 9 as National Peacekeepers' Day to commemorate the sacrifice of the 'Buffalo Nine' and all Canadian peacekeepers.
Known Controversies & Unanswered Questions
Intentionality of the Attack
Reference ↗The Canadian Board of Inquiry could not determine if the Syrian missile battery fired due to a misidentification or if the attack was a deliberate political act to pressure the UN over Israeli flights.
ATC Tape Erasure
Reference ↗Investigators discovered that Syrian authorities had erased 150 seconds of the Damascus Air Traffic Control tapes covering the period of the shoot-down.