The Nation - News from Dec. 15, 1986

Two men, rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard after a Dominican Republic fighter shot their plane down near the island, were turned over to Dominican authorities at sea, the Coast Guard said. The Dominicans suspected the fliers of smuggling drugs because their twin-engine Navajo was off course on a route frequented by drug smugglers, but no drugs were found on the men, said Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Jim Simpson. The fliers, one of whom is believed to be an American and the other a Colombian, were turned over to face charges of violating Dominican air space, Simpson said. Neither man was injured in the downing Saturday.