2003 Angola Boeing 727 disappearance explained

2003 Angola Boeing 727 disappearance
Occurrence Type:Incident
Image Upright:1.15
Type:Disappearance
presumed theft, but whereabouts unknown
Site:Quatro de Fevereiro Airport, Luanda, Luanda, Angola
Occupants:2 (Unconfirmed)
Passengers:0
Crew:2
Missing:2
Coordinates:-8.8583°N 13.2311°W
Aircraft Type:Boeing 727-223
Operator:Aerospace Sales & Leasing
Tail Number:N844AA
Origin:Quatro de Fevereiro Airport, Luanda, Angola

On 25 May 2003, a Boeing 727-223 airliner, registered N844AA, was stolen at Quatro de Fevereiro Airport in Luanda, Angola, prompting a worldwide search by law enforcement intelligence agencies in the United States. No trace of the aircraft has been found.

Background

The incident aircraft was a Boeing 727-223 airliner, serial number 20985,[1] manufactured in 1975 and operated by American Airlines for 25 years until 2000. Its last owner was reported to be a Miami-based company called Aerospace Sales & Leasing.[2] The aircraft had been grounded at Quatro de Fevereiro Airport in March 2002 and sat idle for fourteen months, accruing more than US$4 million in unpaid airport fees. It was one of two aircraft at the airport that were in the process of being converted for use by Nigerian IRS Airlines.[3] There are reports that the airplane's registration may have been changed to 5N-RIR, possibly as a fake registration.[4]

The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) described the aircraft as "...unpainted silver in color with a stripe of blue, white, and blue. The [aircraft] was formerly in the air fleet of a major airline, but all of the passenger seats have been removed. It is outfitted to carry diesel fuel."[5]

Incident

On 25 May 2003, shortly before sunset (likely to be 17:00 WAT), it is believed that two men—Ben C. Padilla and John M. Mutantu—boarded the aircraft. Padilla was a pilot and flight engineer from the United States, while Mutantu was a hired mechanic from the Republic of the Congo. Neither of the men were certified to fly a Boeing 727 and needed an additional crew member to fly the aircraft. Padilla is believed by U.S. authorities to have been at the controls.[6] An airport employee reported seeing only one person on board the aircraft at the time;[7] other airport officials stated that two men had boarded the aircraft before the incident.[8] [9]

The aircraft began taxiing without communicating with the control tower. It maneuvered erratically and entered a runway without clearance. Air traffic controllers tried to make contact, but there was no response. With no lights, the aircraft took off, heading southwest over the Atlantic Ocean before disappearing. Before the incident, the aircraft was filled with 53000l of fuel, giving it a range of about 2400km (1,500miles).[9] Neither the aircraft nor the two men have been seen since, and no debris from the aircraft has been found.[10]

Theories

Padilla's sister, Benita Padilla-Kirkland, told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel in 2004 that her family suspected that he had been flying the aircraft and feared that he subsequently crashed somewhere in Africa or was being held against his will,[11] a theory shared by Aerospace Sales & Leasing president Maury Joseph, who had examined the plane two weeks before its disappearance. However, U.S. authorities suspected that Joseph's history of accounting fraud played a part, believing that the plane's theft was either caused by a business feud or resulted from a scam.[12]

In July 2003, a possible sighting of the missing aircraft was reported in Conakry, Guinea,[13] [14] [15] but was conclusively dismissed by the U.S. State Department.[16]

An extensive article published in Air & Space/Smithsonian magazine in September 2010 was unable to draw any conclusions on the fate of the aircraft, despite research and interviews with persons knowledgeable of details surrounding the disappearance.

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 2024-07-05 . Aircraft Inquiry . 2024-07-05 . 5 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240705204607/https://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/Search/NNumberResult?NNumberTxt=844AA . bot: unknown .
  2. Web site: Aircraft N844AA Profile . airport-data.com . 15 July 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140224185100/http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/N844AA.html . 24 February 2014 . live .
  3. Web site: N843AA and N844AA at Luanda . Cederholm . Justin . 19 January 2002 . airliners.net . 15 July 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140310200336/http://www.airliners.net/photo/1128509 . 10 March 2014 . live .
  4. Web site: 2024-07-05 . Looking for N844AA - PPRuNe Forums . 2024-07-05 . 5 July 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240705210405/https://www.pprune.org/african-aviation/60515-looking-n844aa.html?highlight=N844AA . bot: unknown .
  5. Web site: FBI Seeking Information – Ben Charles Padilla . Mueller . Robert S. . 25 May 2003 . https://web.archive.org/web/20060310060514/https://www.fbi.gov/wanted/seekinfo/padilla.htm . 10 March 2006 . fbi.gov . 15 July 2013.
  6. News: African hunt for stolen Boeing . BBC News . 19 June 2003 . 19 May 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100918054103/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3003058.stm . 18 September 2010 . live .
  7. Web site: Plane disappears after mystery take-off. 29 May 2003. abc.net.au. 15 July 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20110221012603/http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2003/05/29/867049.htm. 21 February 2011. live.
  8. Web site: Missing jet linked to terrorism. 23 June 2003. news24.com. 15 July 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20140427214554/http://www.news24.com/Africa/News/Missing-jet-linked-to-terrorism-20030623. 27 April 2014. live.
  9. News: Into thin air. 15 August 2003. The Sydney Morning Herald. 15 November 2007. https://web.archive.org/web/20070810105609/http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/08/14/1060588523649.html. 10 August 2007. live.
  10. Web site: Wright. Tim. September 2010. The 727 that Vanished. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20140511015522/http://www.airspacemag.com/history-of-flight/the-727-that-vanished-2371187/?all. 11 May 2014. 10 March 2014. www.airspacemag.com. Air & Space Magazine.
  11. News: Questions arise over W. Africa jet crash . USA Today . Das . Saurabh . 2 January 2004 . 15 July 2013 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130913013116/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/world/2004-01-03-angola-benin-mystery_x.htm . 13 September 2013 . live .
  12. Web site: Good. Meaghan Elizabeth. Ben Charles Padilla Jr.. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20191109225251/http://charleyproject.org/case/ben-charles-padilla-jr. 9 November 2019. 15 July 2013. www.charleyproject.org. The Charley Project.
  13. Web site: Missing plane turns up in Guinea . https://archive.today/20120727083521/http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=737812003 . dead . 27 July 2012 . 7 July 2003 . scotsman.com . 15 July 2013 .
  14. News: Mystery Boeing briefly resurfaces after disappearance . The Sydney Morning Herald . 8 July 2003 . 15 November 2007 . https://web.archive.org/web/20071201121652/http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2003/07/07/1057430142952.html . 1 December 2007 . live .
  15. Web site: Plane in terrorism scare turns up sporting a respray . . 7 July 2003 .
  16. Web site: Counterterrorism . qsl.net . 16 September 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100329092049/http://www.qsl.net/n4tyv/counter5.htm . 29 March 2010 . live .