1986 Mozambican Tupolev Tu-134 Crash

1986 Mozambican Tupolev Tu-134 Crash

The Mozambican presidential Tupolev Tu-134A-3 aircraft crashed just inside South African territory on 19 October 1986. The aircraft was carrying Mozambican president Samora Machel and 43 other occupants on a flight from Mbala in Zambia to the Mozambican capital Maputo when it crashed 35 nautical miles (65 km) west of its destination at Mbuzini in the Lebombo Mountains. Nine passengers and one crew member survived the crash, but President Machel and 33 others died, including ministers and officials of the Mozambique government.

While there was widespread suspicion—both nationally and internationally—that the South African government was implicated in the crash, no conclusive evidence to this effect has emerged.