Editing Air Fiji Flight 27

{{Infobox aircraft occurrence
| name = {{PAGENAME}}
| image = Air Fiji Flight 27.jpg
| occurrence_type = Shootdown
| date = {{Start date|2014|3|13}}
| summary = Shot down by [[Flugabwehrgruppen]] units under the authority of the [[Tanoanische Luftwaffe]]
| site = Jungle area near [[Vagalala]], [[Tanoa]]
| mapframe = no
| aircraft_type = Boeing 767-300ER
| operator = [[Air Fiji]]
| plane1_IATA = FJ27
| plane1_ICAO = FIF27
| plane1_callsign = FIJI 27
| tail_number = DQ-FJX
| origin = [[Vriendendam Airport]], [[Netherlands]]
| destination = [[Nadi International Airport]], [[Fiji]]
| occupants = 214
| passengers = 201
| crew = 13
| fatalities = 214
| survivors = 0
}}

'''Air Fiji Flight 27''' was an intercontinental passenger flight operated by [[Air Fiji]] from [[Vriendendam Airport]] in the [[Netherlands]] to [[Nadi International Airport]] in [[Fiji]]. On 13 March 2014, the Boeing 767-300ER operating the flight was shot down while passing through Tanoan-controlled airspace and crashed in jungle terrain near [[Vagalala]]. All 214 people on board were killed.<ref name="fish-background"/>

== Aircraft ==
The aircraft was a Boeing 767-300ER registered DQ-FJX and configured for long-haul international service. No mechanical irregularities were reported before its departure from Vriendendam.

== Shootdown ==
Flight 27 departed [[Vriendendam]] under the callsign ''FIJI 27'' and followed a southern long-haul route towards Fiji. While passing through Tanoan-controlled airspace, the aircraft entered an undeclared restricted air-defence zone maintained by the [[Tanoa Einsatzgruppen]]. It was engaged by a surface-to-air missile launched by [[Flugabwehrgruppen]] units operating under the authority of the [[Tanoanische Luftwaffe]].<ref name="fish-background"/>

The missile struck the aircraft, which broke apart before descending into jungle terrain several kilometres from [[Vagalala]]. The Tanoa Einsatzgruppen publicly blamed local resistance groups and claimed that they had carried out the attack using captured Luftwaffe equipment. Official communications described the shootdown as an insurgent attack using stolen military hardware.<ref name="history-2010s"/>

[[File:Air Fiji Flight 27 crashed .jpg|thumb|Wreckage at the crash site near [[Vagalala]]]]

Resistance intelligence later linked the shootdown to Tanoan military systems. Internal material released after the collapse of the regime also identified the engagement as an operation carried out by regime-controlled air-defence units. The Tanoa Einsatzgruppen did not formally admit responsibility while it remained in power.<ref name="fish-background"/><ref name="history-2010s"/>

The remote jungle location and the presence of regime security forces prevented independent access to the crash site. The area near Vagalala remained restricted, while recovery operations were limited and conducted under the control of the Tanoa Einsatzgruppen.

== Casualties and aftermath ==
All 201 passengers and 13 crew members were killed. Among the passengers were the wife and two children of [[Mark Hugerinus Paap]]. Their deaths led him to investigate the Tanoa Einsatzgruppen and its responsibility for the shootdown.<ref name="mark-flight27"/>

Following the incident, the Tanoa Einsatzgruppen expanded its internal security operations and imposed further restrictions on Tanoan airspace. France and the United States subsequently provided equipment and logistical assistance to Tanoa. Both governments officially described the assistance as support for counter-resistance operations.<ref name="history-2010s"/>

In 2019, Mark Hugerinus Paap attempted to enter [[Tanoa]] to investigate Flight 27 and other regime activity. Patrol units of the [[Tanoanische-Urwaldkorps]] ambushed him and forced him to retreat through [[Rereki]] to [[New Caledonia]].<ref name="mark-flight27"/><ref name="history-2010s"/> After repeated failed attempts to access the island, Mark and his cousin [[John Hugerinus Paap]] began forming a decentralized resistance network outside Tanoan-controlled territory.<ref name="fish-background"/><ref name="fish-formation"/>

The network adopted the name [[Fish Collective]] in 2021, when it began operating under a public identity and expanded its direct action against the regime.<ref name="fish-name"/> The organization later exposed Tanoan operations and contributed to the collapse of the Tanoa Einsatzgruppen in November 2024.<ref name="fish-collective"/>

== See also ==
* [[Tanoa Einsatzgruppen]]
* [[Tanoanische Luftwaffe]]
* [[Flugabwehrgruppen]]
* [[Fish Collective]]
* [[Mark Hugerinus Paap]]
* [[John Hugerinus Paap]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="fish-background">"[[Fish Collective#Background|Background]]". ''Fish Collective''. ''Vrienden Universe Wiki''.</ref>
<ref name="fish-collective">"[[Fish Collective]]". ''Vrienden Universe Wiki''.</ref>
<ref name="fish-formation">"[[Fish Collective#Formation and early activity (2019–2020)|Formation and early activity (2019–2020)]]". ''Fish Collective''. ''Vrienden Universe Wiki''.</ref>
<ref name="fish-name">"[[Fish Collective#Name and symbolism|Name and symbolism]]". ''Fish Collective''. ''Vrienden Universe Wiki''.</ref>
<ref name="history-2010s">"[[History of the Tanoa Einsatzgruppen#The 2010s|The 2010s]]". ''History of the Tanoa Einsatzgruppen''. ''Vrienden Universe Wiki''.</ref>
<ref name="mark-flight27">"[[Mark Hugerinus Paap#Air Fiji Flight 27 and radicalization|Air Fiji Flight 27 and radicalization]]". ''Mark Hugerinus Paap''. ''Vrienden Universe Wiki''.</ref>
}}

[[Category:Fish Collective]]
[[Category:Tanoa Einsatzgruppen]]
[[Category:Vriend Era]]