In 1988, the President of Botswana visited Angola on a special plane, and as soon as he arrived at the border, an Angolan MiG-21 fighter plane fired two missiles at the special plane!
In 1988, in southern Africa, Botswana President Masire planned to travel to neighbouring Angola for a summit of regional leaders, and he chose to travel to Angola on a luxury BAE-125-800 plane, a high-end British-built twin-engine aircraft with comfortable seats, which was the ideal means of transportation for him and his entourage to Angola.
At 9 a.m. local time, President Masire happily bid farewell to his people and embarked on this adventure, but he did not know that he would face a life-or-death test.
Angola was in the midst of a civil war at the time, with fierce confrontations between Soviet-backed government forces and U.S.-funded rebels, the situation was chaotic, and border guards were on high alert for any flying objects.
At about 11 a.m., radar detected an unidentified aircraft entering the airspace, and in a tense atmosphere, fighter jets took off urgently, and President Masire's plane was flying towards this dangerous airspace.
The pilot received the order and flew towards the target at full speed, but due to nervousness and miscalculation, he did not confirm the target and fired an air-to-air missile directly at the special plane, and at this moment, the lives of President Masire and the people on board were in danger.
The missile hit the engine on the right side, and the entire nacelle shook violently. President Masire's plane began to spiral out of control, and the plane kept tilting to the right, making the crew's efforts appear helpless and vulnerable at this critical moment.
The test pilot struggled to control in a tense situation, but the right engine was scrapped, the right wing was badly damaged, and the plane almost lost control.
Suddenly, the plane's radar showed that a second missile was approaching, and President Masire's heart tightened, and the crew was so nervous that they could almost hear the sound of a heartbeat.
Just as the missile was about to hit, a miracle happened, the missile suddenly deviated from course and passed over the wing, causing no more damage. At this moment, as if blessed by the gods, President Masire and everyone on the plane felt an inexplicable relief.
At this time, they had entered Angolan airspace, but the plane was still unstable, and the co-pilot saw through the window that a river appeared on the ground, next to a small airport, and the crew immediately contacted the tower to request emergency landing.
When the special plane landed safely on the runway, everyone on board breathed a deep sigh of relief, from being hit by a missile to making a forced landing, the whole process took only a short 6 and a half minutes, but it seemed like a long life for them.
As soon as President Masire set foot on Angolan soil, he really felt the moment of life and death that had just passed, and he hurriedly contacted the Botswana government to express his anger and condemnation of the accident.
The President of Angola pledged to investigate responsibility thoroughly, suspended the combat operations of border guards to avoid accidental injury to civilians, and sent a special plane to return Masire and his party to Botswana safely.
Although the incident brought tensions between the two countries, the joint efforts of both sides allowed the incident to calm down without causing long-term damage to bilateral relations.
Back in Botswana, people called Masire "President of Miracles", and everyone on the plane was full of emotion, and the fragility and preciousness of life were deeply rooted in their hearts at this moment.
This thrilling aerial adventure is not only an accident, but also a microcosm of the changing history of this land in southern Africa, and it also makes people think more deeply about peace and war, life and death.
In this troubled land, people will cherish peace even more and strive for a more stable and prosperous future.
Source: Chronicles of Nations: Botswana, The Angolan Civil War and Its Impact on U.S.-Soviet Relations
