Scotsman Stuart Allen McCafferty was hired to transport 360 tonnes (360,000 kg; 790,000 lb) of American-made tank spare parts and ammunition from Tel Aviv to Tehran, and had a Swiss partner, arms dealer Andreas Jenni.

McCafferty allegedly approached numerous United States charter airlines, offering them US$175,000 (equivalent to $586,000 today) to operate 15 flights which would carry "pharmaceuticals" between Israel and Iran, but none of them were interested.

[3][1][2] Before this incident, the Soviet Union had requested that Israel explain to it what was being transported on these cargo flights from Tel Aviv down the Turkish-Soviet border to Tehran.

The Soviet fighter pilot managed to eject to safety, but the four occupants of the CL-44 – three Argentine crew and McCafferty, who had chartered the aircraft – died.

[1][2] It is unclear whether the collision was intentional;[3] the Soviet pilot said it was a deliberate attempt to down the enemy aircraft, while Western aviation experts examining his account believed he misjudged a turn and subsequently invented a story of self-sacrifice.