An apparatus, method, processor(s), and computer program product avoids user data loss by network-controlled, user equipment assisted handover in a wireless data packet communication system. A wireless receiver receives radio link control (RLC) packet data units (PDUs) from user equipment (UE) being served by a source node. A wireless transmitter commands the UE to handover. A network communication interface transmits RLC Uplink (UL) context from the source node to the target node, and transmits RLC Downlink (DL) initialization message and buffered in-transit DL RLC PDUs from the source node to the target node.