Published at: 24/04/2024 09:00 PM

• One week after the fleeting coup d'etat in April 2002, the Venezuelan Aviation High Command died in an apparent helicopter accident.
• In hangar number 5 of the La Carlota air group, Commander Hugo Chávez paid posthumous tribute to the 10 officers who died in the alleged accident of the Super Puma type AS532A with twelve years of service.
• The unfortunate event occurred on April 19, 2002, when the Cougar acronym 4423 hit the sector between Boquerón tunnels 1 and 2 of the Caracas-La Guaira Highway.
• In this tragedy, which mourned all of Venezuela, the following died: the newly appointed General Commander of Bolivarian Aviation G/D Luis Acevedo Quintero, Pedro Torres Finol, Air Operations Commander, G/D Rafael Quintana Bello, Brigadier General Julio Ochoa Omaña (:.) Director of Telematics of the General Staff, Captain Jesús Viera Rodríguez, Tt. Gerson Jorges Pereira, Lt. Wilmer Ramirez, Tte. Elvis Lorenzo Tovar Prieto, First Technical Sergeant Gianni José González Dugarte and the Air Technician. Henry Gomez Guerra.
• The Bishop of the Military Ordinariate, Monsignor Sánchez Porras, celebrated a mass with his body present in memory of the fallen.

Context:

• A few days earlier, these officers were instrumental in restoring Commander Chávez to power.
• Press sources announced that that week President Chávez, through Defense Minister José Vicente Rangel, ordered the opening of 30 files on senior traitor officers who did participate in the brief overthrow he was subject to seven days earlier.
• The Truth Commission was scheduled to be formed in the AN on the same date. It would be responsible for determining the undue actions of senior officials who degraded the honor of their uniform by leaving the Constitution out of line.
• This Commission, chaired by Rangel, had among its powers the powers required to investigate the bloody events resulting from the opposition march on the Miraflores Palace.

Mazo News Team