A Skyvan with a dark past

[cherry blossom]

I hesitate to post such a horrible story but it does involve an aircraft and the Pope, so it might be of interest. Briefly a Short Skyvan was located at Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which had been used to drop people into the sea during Argentina's "Dirty War". The flight logs are intact and have been used as evidence in prosecutions. The link with the Pope is that one of the victims was his friend.

Skyvan PA-51 ‘death flight’ plane to be repatriated

Skyvan PA-51 used during the 1976-1983 military dictatorship to fly detainees to their death, including three members of Madres de Plaza de Mayo human rights group, will return to Argentina in the coming weeks before being put on display at ex-ESMA Navy Mechanics School.

batimes.com.ar

‘No one can deny it now’: death flight plane to be returned to Argentina

Flight logs revealed how 12 people were thrown out to their deaths into the Atlantic during the years of dictatorship

www.theguardian.com

Argentina 'death flight' pilots sentenced for deaths including pope's friend

The country’s largest-ever trial culminated in first judgment against pilots who threw opponents of military regime into ocean during 1976-83 dictatorship

www.theguardian.com