Pilot of Missionary Plane Relives Tragedy

April 25 -- In a dramatic story of tragedy and dedication, Kevin Donaldson, the pilot of the American missionary plane that was shot down over the Amazon River by a Peruvian military jet, relives the moments before the tragedy for ABCNEWS' Good Morning America today.

An American missionary and her 7-month-old daughter were killed in Peru last Friday when a Peruvian military plane — operating with information provided by a U.S. surveillance plane operated by a CIA crew — shot down the small civilian plane mistaking it for a plane on a drug run.

Donaldson, fellow-missionary Jim Bowers and his son Cory escaped the plane unharmed. Bowers' wife Veronica and his infant daughter Charity were killed by a single bullet. He spoke to Good Morning America's Diane Sawyer from his hospital bed in Reading, Penn.

D.S.: Mr. Donaldson, I know you've been through surgery. How are you feeling this morning?

K.D.: Pretty well. Pretty well. I had a reasonable amount of rest.

D.S. : And what are the doctors saying about your legs, particularly your right leg which was so shattered?

K.D.: It can be repaired.They're doing a good job. It's a long road ahead.it will be about a year, they'reestimating, for total recovery.

D.S.: You were in communication with the tower, because one of the questions has been was thereradio communication, were you available for radio communication.

K.D.: Yes, I was.I had told them my altitude, my location, my estimated time, my departure point, everything thatis standard procedure for reporting to the tower.That's the only frequency that Iwork on. That's who I was talking to.

D.S.: And you had filed a full flight plan?

K.D.: I had filed a flight plan theday before that was an out and return flight plan because there's nowhere to file a flightplan at the other end so I had to file with a request for overnight. I filed that the day before.

D.S.: Was there any activity by thePeruvian plane approaching you?Did it tilt its wings, signal inany way?Did the pilot signal in any way what he wanted you to do?

K.D.: Well, it would have been too far away for me to have seen anyhand motions, anything by the pilot. It was swooping, as I say, from one side under me up to the other side. If it was signals of any sort, it was nothing that I understoodas a signal. I just continued steadily on my route, and I asked the tower whythe aircraft was there.