August 15, 2021, witnessed the startling fall of Kabul, Afghanistan's heart and soul, to the tenacious grip of the Taliban, with a ruthless insurgent offensive that had simmered since May 2021. With their victory, the Taliban were about to have their hands on a small but formidable air force.

Amidst the chaos of exodus that followed, however, one particular airplane would escape their grasp. An intrepid A-29 Super Tucano, a Brazilian-made turboprop light attack aircraft, known for its versatility and resilience in the toughest environments around the world, made a desperate climb out of the country.

The A-29 Super Tucano is often used as a powerful, low-flying weapon in the role of counterinsurgency. With a top speed of approximately 590 km/h, or around 370 mph, and an armament that includes a wide range of weapons from air-to-air missiles to .50-caliber machine guns to the GBU-58 Paveway II laser-guided bomb, the Super Tucano is one of the fiercest aircraft in its class.

Yet, this intrepid A-29 Super Tucano was now on the run from the very insurgents it was built to fight, and it would meet an unexpected fate in a neighboring land. As speculation swirled and Uzbek authorities provided ambiguous explanations, whispers surfaced that the crash might have been no accident…

---

Join Dark Skies as we explore the world of aviation with cinematic short documentaries featuring the biggest and fastest airplanes ever built, top-secret military projects, and classified missions with hidden untold true stories. Including US, German, and Soviet warplanes, along with aircraft developments that took place during World War I, World War 2, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Cold War, the Gulf War, and special operations mission in between.

As images and footage of actual events are not always available, Dark Skies sometimes utilizes similar historical images and footage for dramatic effect and soundtracks for emotional impact. We do our best to keep it as visually accurate as possible.

All content on Dark Skies is researched, produced, and presented in historical context for educational purposes. We are history enthusiasts and are not always experts in some areas, so please don't hesitate to reach out to us with corrections, additional information, or new ideas.