Albania–Yugoslav aircraft incident (1967)

The Albanian–Yugoslav aircraft incident (1967) took place in the early morning of July 17, 1967. Božidar Vujović, a young First Lieutenant of the Yugoslav Air Force, took off from Ladvjeci aerodrome in the city of Kraljevo, Yugoslavia (now Serbia). He was piloting a Republic F-84G Thunderjet and was part of the 98th Fighter Bomber Regiment. His mission was a training flight from Ladvjeci to the Kumanovo military polygon in the Socialist Republic of Macedonia, then part of Yugoslavia and today known as North Macedonia. Flying alongside him was fellow young pilot Ratomir Slavić.

Background

Due to a navigational error, Božidar found himself over Albania, closing in on Rinas aerodrome. Meanwhile, Ratomir had become separated from him due to a misunderstanding and ended up in Sofia, the capital city of Bulgaria. The pilots had lost their orientation during their group flight. At that time, Rinas Aerodrome was home to the 7594 Fighter-Bomber Regiment, and two MiG-19s were scrambled to intercept the intruder. The crew of an IL-28 bomber, which typically did not fly at night, led by their commander, Bajram Hitaj, from Vlora, was also dispatched to intercept the intruder. The Albanian Air Force pilots who confronted the Yugoslav pilot were Koço Biku and Roland Sofroni, with Mahmut Hysa and Gezdar Veipi providing backup.

Incident

Upon realizing his mistake and understanding the potential consequences, Božidar attempted to escape the area. However, the MiG-19s closed in from both sides and signaled him to follow them down by firing a few cannon rounds. Božidar obeyed the signals and landed at Rinas Airbase at 7:30 a.m. After extensive negotiations with Yugoslav authorities and the Yugoslav embassy in Tirana, the pilot was released, and the plane was returned to the Yugoslav Air Force.

Aftermath

The incident garnered international attention and led to diplomatic discussions between Yugoslavia and Albania. Although the incident ended relatively peacefully, it highlighted the dangers of navigation errors during military flights and the need for clear communication between the involved countries to avoid such incidents.