U.S. Crew Says It Tried to Block Attack in Peru The unarmed American tracking plane � a Cessna Citation jet owned by the Air Force � was flown by a crew of three Americans under a C.I.A. contract; they were a pilot, a co-pilot and a technician, officials said. Also on board was the Peruvian officer, whose job was to direct Peru's military interceptors to suspicious planes. The tracking aircraft, one of many United States planes that are used in a longstanding program to help Peru and Colombia choke off the cocaine trade, played a crucial role in spotting the missionaries' plane and raising suspicions about its flight, according to the American officials. But they insisted that Peru's military was in command and control of drug interceptions, despite considerable support from the American military, anti-drug and intelligence agencies. http://www.nytimes.com/2001/04/23/world/23PLAN.html?pagewanted=all