Air Crash Investigation

The programme investigates rumours that a Boeing 747, on a routine flight from Taiwan to Johannesburg in 1987, was carrying illegal arms when it crashed. It assesses the evidence surrounding the crash and the alleged weapons cargo, and the implications for international security.

Cargo Conspiracy is a programme presented in the format of an episode. It forms part of a series that looks at aviation‑related incidents, and this particular instalment concentrates on a single, controversial event from the late 1980s. The core of the episode is an examination of the rumours that a Boeing 747 jet was transporting illegal arms at the moment it went down. The aircraft was on a routine service that had taken off in Taiwan and was bound for Johannesburg, and the crash occurred in 1987. The programme sets out to assess how these allegations arose and what weight they might carry. In doing so, the episode walks through the basic facts of the flight – the type of aircraft, the scheduled route and the year of the disaster – before turning to the speculation about a covert weapons cargo. It keeps the focus on the alleged illicit load and the circumstances surrounding the accident, without venturing beyond the information already known. Overall, Cargo Conspiracy offers a concise appraisal of the claim that the doomed 747 was carrying illegal arms, framing the story within the context of its 1987 crash on a regular Taiwan‑to‑Johannesburg service. The episode stays firmly rooted in the available details, presenting the rumours for the viewer’s consideration.