 Polar 2 in June 2008. | |
| Shootdown | |
|---|---|
| Date | 24 February 1985 (1985-02-24) |
| Summary | Shoot-down |
| Site | |
 | |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Dornier 228-100 |
| Operator | Alfred Wegener Institute |
| Registration | D-IGVN |
| Flight origin | Dakar-Yoff Airport, Senegal |
| Destination | Lanzarote Airport, Canary Islands |
| Occupants | 3 |
| Crew | 3 |
| Fatalities | 3 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Polar 3 was aDornier 228 owned and operated by theAlfred Wegener Institute that was shot down south ofDakhla, Western Sahara by guerrillas of thePolisario Front on 24 February 1985.
Polar 2 andPolar 3 were the first German airplanes to reach theSouth Pole when they landed there in December 1984 and were returning from a five-month mission to theAntarctic, having been based at theGondwana Station.[1] While in Antarctica,Polar 2 was damaged and the bulk of the survey work had to be carried out byPolar 3.[2]
Polar 3 (FL 90) andPolar 2 (FL 110) were two survey-and-research airplanes of theAlfred Wegener Institute returning from a mission inAntarctica. On 24 February, at approximately 14:45 local time, the two planes took off fromDakar,Senegal bound forLanzarote Airport, Canary Islands. Their cruise height was 2750 m (approximately 9,000 ft).[3][4] The two planes' ultimate destination was theDornier aircraft facility nearOberpfaffenhofen in Bavaria, Germany.
The last radio contact made withPolar 3 occurred at approximately 16:30GMT. At some point thereafter, it wasshot down south of Dakhla by Polisario guerillas. Allegedly, they had mistaken it for a Moroccan spy plane. All three of thePolar 3's crew members – pilot Herbert Hampel, co-pilot Richard Möbius (both 47) and mechanic Josef Schmid (28) – were killed.Polar 2, five minutes ahead ofPolar 3, escaped unharmed. The bodies of thePolar 3 crew were eventually recovered five days later.[5]
The German government did not recognize Morocco's claim to Western Sahara at the time, remaining neutral in the conflict. They heavily criticized this incident.[4]
Polisario admitted to shooting downPolar 3 but pointed ultimate blame at Morocco for the incident, claiming Morocco used Dornier 228s as spy planes. Polisario fighters had mistaken this particular 228 as a Moroccan spy plane and were unaware Morocco had opened the airspace over the combat region. The year prior, Polisario had shot down three airplanes, two Moroccan and one Belgian.[4]
Morocco denied the use of Dornier 228 planes.[4] The question was also raised as to why the air traffic control inDakar directed the plane over the disputed and potentially dangerous Western Sahara territory rather than the safe airspace to the west over the Atlantic Ocean.[4]
Polar 3 was a special version of the Dornier 228-101. The plane had been equipped with a combined wheel and ski landing gear, allowing it to land on snow as well as on hard surfaces. The plane had modified generators on board, additional tanks and de-icing equipment for propellers and wings. It was also specially insulated for use in polar regions.[6]
Polar 2 and3 weighed almost seven tons and could be used for survey missions as well as for transport and search and rescue missions.
The scientific equipment the plane carried was used for measuring themagnetic andgravity field of the Earth,surface conductivity, surface temperatures, ice thickness andtopographic layouts below the ice surface.[6]