DRUG WAR OVER PERU

'Are You Sure It's A Bandito?'

USA Today listens to the cockpit tape of CIA drug-spotters trying to stop
Peruvian officials from shooting down a civilian plane. They learned later
it was carrying missionaries.

By Jack Kelley, USA Today

WASHINGTON - The three CIA crewmembers aboard a U.S. surveillance aircraft
that first spotted an American missionary floatplane over the Amazon River
repeatedly questioned whether the civilian aircraft was carrying drug runners.

The CIA crew then tried in vain to stop a Peruvian jet from shooting down
the missionary plane, according to a tape of the cockpit conversation.

"Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" one of the CIA crewmembers can be heard
screaming on the 45-minute CIA plane tape, played for USA TODAY.

Missionary Veronica Bowers, 35, and her 7-month-old daughter, Charity, died
in the incident last Friday. The pilot of their plane, Kevin Donaldson, 42,
was injured. Bower's husband Jim, 38, and their son Cory, 6, escaped unharmed.

Peruvian officials have said they mistook the Cessna 185, which belonged to
the Association of Baptists for World Evangelism, based in New Cumberland,
Pa., for a drug-trafficking plane.

The three CIA contract employees, who spoke English, were accompanied by a
bilingual Peruvian military liaison officer. The liaison was in contact
with a Peruvian military base as the U.S. crew looked for drug runners.

The tape says, the U.S. crew repeatedly asked the Peruvian military officer
if he was sure the missionary plane was carrying drugs.

"Are you sure this is a bad guy?" a CIA crewmember asks as they follow the
floatplane, which was flying west in the Amazon region.

"No," the Peruvian officer responds. But he radios the military base in
Pucallpa, Peru, for permission to fire anyway.

"But he's not taking any evasive action," a CIA crewmember says. "To ID the
tail number is very important."

A Peruvian Air Force A-37 jet, sent up to intercept the civilian plane,
then reports the tail number, and the Peruvian liaison officer relays the
number to the base. Without waiting for a response, the officer again asks
for permission to go to "Phase 3," an attack by the fighter jet.

"Phase 3 authorized," the Peruvian military base responds.

"Jeez!" the CIA pilot says.

"Is Phase 3 authorized OK?" repeats the Peruvian liaison officer. "OK," the
base says.

"OK?" the CIA pilot asks. "Are you sure it's a bandido? Are you sure it's a
fact?"

After a few more seconds of back and forth, the CIA pilot says, "I think
we're making a mistake." His co-pilot adds, "I agree with you."

Seconds later, the Peruvian fighter jet begins spraying the floatplane with
bullets.

The tape records missionary pilot Donaldson telling a civilian airport
tower in Spanish, "They're killing us."

"Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" the CIA pilot yells.

The Peruvian officer tells the air force jet, "No more."

"God!" the CIA pilot says.

The funeral for Bowers and her daughter is set for Friday in Fruitport, Mich.