I thought the transformer exploded
Bogota – Cali is a short, scenic corridor when daylight flights glide over the Andean crest. The route spans about 300 kilometers over rugged mountains and can be completed in under an hour with a single‑aisle jet. Between the capital and Colombia’s third‑largest city, flights run frequently, making the journey a quick, everyday rhythm for residents and travelers alike.
On the morning of November 27, 1989, Boeing 727‑21 Flight 203 carried 101 passengers and six crew members. It reached the outskirts of the capital, climbed into the foothills, and crashed six minutes after takeoff. Eyewitnesses reported flames from the right side of the aircraft before the crash, and debris scattered for about five kilometers as the plane broke apart in the air.
One resident, Mario Vasquez, recalled, I heard explosions and thought a power plant transformer had failed, but then I saw the plane erupt in the sky and bodies and luggage began to fall.
That same morning, an unidentified caller to Radio Caracol claimed the aircraft had been blown up by the Medellin cocaine cartel.
Colombia faced no traditional religious or geopolitical threats then; the major violence came from drug trafficking and the groups controlling it. Some reports suggested that informants aboard the flight had betrayed the cartel leadership to authorities, provoking revenge in the form of the bombing.
In the broader context, the Medellin and Cali cartels wielded sweeping power in their areas and often clashed with the police and with each other. Widespread poverty made recruitment easy, and large‑scale violence was a common feature. The police reported about 120 looters at the crash site, a number that underscored the chaos of that day.
Yet the anonymous caller’s claim was likely not the full truth. The Cali cartel was brutal, but the era’s violence had more layers, with Pablo Escobar and the Medellin operation shaping much of the action. The ultimate motive behind the bombing remains a subject of debate among historians and investigators.
“You took the wrong one”
Five years later, a Brooklyn court sentenced the organizer of the blast, a 29‑year‑old known as Dandeni Camira, to life imprisonment. The trial occurred in the United States because much of the cocaine trafficked to North America passed through the region, and the deaths of two American citizens aboard the plane formed the basis for U.S. jurisdiction. Camira acted as a trusted hitman for the group and had begun his life of crime as a teenager in Medellin. Before the disaster, the cartel had killed hundreds, including at least forty police officers. Escobar’s violent campaigns left a trail of assassinations, including Luis Galán, a liberal reformer and presidential hopeful who was killed in 1989 as he vowed to dismantle the cartels when he took office.
Investigators say Camira helped organize the plane bombing, though he denied involvement and disputed being the killer nicknamed Fatty. He reportedly never met the witnesses who testified, and the trial itself was seen by many as a profound tragedy for all involved. In prison, Camira spoke of a longing for his family, noting the toll of separation and the weight of his choices.
There is little doubt Camira earned a reputation as a ruthless killer, yet questions remained about his exact role. A former FBI bomb expert suggested that U.S. authorities might have used the case to press for accountability, aiming to remove Escobar from the street, a move some described as a calculated step rather than a search for truth. The debates around motive and responsibility have persisted since then.
We would rather die in our homeland
By the early 1990s the Medellin cartel faced increasing pressure, and U.S. authorities employed aggressive tactics, including backing rival groups, with the objective of curbing Escobar’s influence. It is documented that Camira was later convicted on charges that remain contested, with some witnesses offering divergent accounts of the informant plot. The trial left lingering questions about who truly pulled the strings and why.
Some reports indicate that the plane explosion may have targeted a figure connected to the extradition process to the United States. The cartel’s era carried slogans about preferring Colombia’s soil to a cage in the United States, a sentiment that echoed through a system known for corruption and the harsh enforcement of its rules. In this climate, the pursuit of justice wove through street violence and international law, shaping a turbulent chapter in Colombia’s recent history. The episode underscored the high stakes of cross‑border crime and the political energy surrounding extradition debates.
In the political arena, Cesar Gaviria Trujillo, another liberal candidate, rose to the presidency after a late decision to cancel a major campaign trip. His leadership brought hopes of stronger reforms against corruption and cartel influence. The case also involved a voice recorder device used in the plot, a detail that raised questions about manipulation of witnesses amid a high‑stakes investigation. The bombing, followed by a separate blast on a Bogotá bus near the DAS headquarters, underscored the willingness of cartels to push back against extradition and left a lasting imprint on the national psyche and on international perceptions of Colombia’s struggle with organized crime.