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Brothers to the Rescue


From 1991 until 2001 the Cuban exile group Hermanos al Rescate (Brothers to the Rescue) used Skymasters, among other aircraft, to fly search and rescue missions over the Florida Straits looking for rafters attempting to cross the Straits to defect from Cuba and, when they found them, dropped life-saving supplies to them. Rescues were coordinated with the US Coast Guard, who worked closely with the group. They chose Skymasters because they offered better visibility of the waters below (with the high wing), were reliable and easy to fly for long duration missions (their average mission was approximately 7 hours long) and they added a margin of safety with twin engine centerline thrust.

In 1996, two of the Brothers to the Rescue Skymasters were shot down by the Cuban Air Force (FAC) over international waters. Both aircraft were downed by a MiG-29, while a second jet fighter, a MiG-23 orbited nearby.

The first plane was downed at exactly 23°29N 082°28W, 9 NM outside Cuban territorial airspace. It carried U.S. registration number N2456S. On board were Command Pilot Carlos Costa ("Seagull Charlie") and his observer, Pablo Morales, a former rafter who had joined the group to try to help save others. Both were instantly killed by the explosion from the Soviet-built R-73 air-to-air missile that was used to down the plane (a second missile of the same type downed the second plane as well) .

The second plane was downed at 23°30.1N 082°28.6W, 10 NM outside Cuban territorial airspace. The aircraft carried the U.S. registration number N5485S, was flown by Mario de la Pena ("Seagull Mike") and his observer, Armando Alejandre, Jr. (a Vietnam veteran). As with the first plane, both were instantly killed.

After the attack, the Cuban pilots responsible for the shootdown had two stars painted on the side of their two-seat MiG-29UB, below the cockpit, to celebrate their kills. The pilots responsible were the twin brothers, El Teniente (LTC) Colonel Lorenzo Alberto Perez Perez and his "Guy in Back" was El Teniente Colonel (LTC) Francisco Perez Perez. Both were charged in the United States for their role in the attack.