Attempted attack on the presidential aircraft

In February 1977, members of the criminal organization Ejército Revolucionario del Pueblo (ERP) carried out one of their boldest—and at the same time least known—actions: Operation Gaviota, an attempted attack against the acting president of the country, Lieutenant General Jorge Rafael Videla.

The operation aimed to destroy the presidential aircraft during takeoff from Jorge Newbery Airport by detonating explosive charges placed beneath the runway. The aircraft involved was a Fokker F-28 Fellowship used for presidential transfers.

The ERP extremists managed to bury explosives under an active runway using a remote detonation system, which required prolonged access to the airport area and detailed knowledge of presidential routines. The name “Operation Gaviota” referred both to the coastal environment of the airport and to the symbolic naming tradition used by the organization.

On February 18, 1977, at 8:40 a.m., as the T-02 (Fokker F-28) began its takeoff roll bound for Bahía Blanca, an explosive device detonated 15 meters from the side of the runway, inside the drainage vault of the Maldonado Stream. The explosion caused earth and debris to be displaced but did not affect the aircraft’s takeoff. As a precaution, the T-02 proceeded to El Palomar Air Base, where it was confirmed that the aircraft had sustained no damage, allowing it to continue its planned journey to Bahía Blanca. Meanwhile, the airport was closed, and flights were diverted to Ezeiza.

Onboard the aircraft with Videla were Economy Minister José Martínez de Hoz, Energy Secretary José Zubarán, Generals Osvaldo Azpitarte and José Villarreal, and Brigadier Oscar Caeiro. From Bahía Blanca, they would board a helicopter to the General Mosconi oil platform, which was to be inaugurated on that occasion.

The terrorists sought to exploit the opportunity presented by Videla and part of his entourage using the airport facilities, which offered a relatively easy target due to the infrastructure. To carry out this action, they placed a 100-kilogram charge of TNT on the roof of the tunnel beneath the runway; using a raft floating on the stream, they deployed hundreds of meters of cables and set up an observation post. However, the operation failed: one of the charges did not detonate, and the other exploded partially and with delay, after the aircraft had already begun its takeoff. The military regime attempted to downplay the incident publicly, avoiding widespread acknowledgment of the attack’s seriousness.

Internally, however, the consequences were significant. Operation Gaviota exposed serious deficiencies in presidential and airport security, particularly regarding the protection of critical infrastructure. In response, security protocols were strengthened: runway inspections were intensified, presidential flights from Aeroparque were limited, and greater reliance was placed on military bases for official travel.

From a historical perspective, the operation belongs to the final stage of the ERP as an organized armed force, at a time when it had already been severely weakened by actions of the Argentine Army.

Today, Operation Gaviota is remembered as one of the most significant attacks in Argentine history, an episode in which aviation and airport infrastructure converged in a dramatic way.

* msn. 11028 Fokker F28 Mk1000 FF. 08Dic70. PH-EXA Fokker, T-01 Gobierno Argentino 28Dic70 "Patagonia", rr T-02 01Mar75, rr T-01 01Ago77, btz "Pte. Juan Domingo Perón", T-03 1995.