On 23 February 2011, pilot Abdessalam Attiyah al-Abdali and co-pilot Ali Omar al-Kadhafi—crew of a Sukhoi-22—ejected with parachutes near Ajdabiya, west of Benghazi, after refusing orders to bomb the city of Benghazi, thus crashing their Su-22 bomber. Anti-Gaddafi forces and Syrian opposition groups claim that Syrian pilots were flying attacks for the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya. According to the opposition sources, many Libyan People's Air Force pilots have multiple times refused to obey orders to bomb protesters, instead dropping their bombs purposely off target in deserted areas. Also on the same day, on 23 February 2011, rebels captured the Benina air force base south of Benghazi—during the battle for the airport, one pro-Gadaffi Mi-24 combat attack helicopter (serial number "853") was destroyed on the ground by rebel forces, while two more helicopters (Mi-25D combat attack helicopter serial number "854", and one Mi-14 transport helicopter serial number "1406") were captured by the rebel forces. Rebels claimed to have shot down Jamahiriya fighter jets and attack helicopters over Brega and Ra's Lanuf. Another pro-Gadaffi helicopter (either Mi-8 or Mi-24) was shot down at Misrata by rebel forces with MANPAD-s, the crew of five survived and was captured by rebel forces.