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Plane disappears after take-off (Luanda, Angola)
Australia News ^ | May 29, 2003 | Australia News

Posted on 05/28/2003 9:43:42 AM PDT by FairOpinion

A BOEING 727 passenger jet, grounded at Luanda airport a year ago, has disappeared after a mysterious unauthorised take-off, Angola state radio reported today.

The plane, chartered by the Angolan airline Airangol, was grounded after being banned from overflying Angolan territory on account of a series of irregularities, said Angola civil aviation director Helder Preza.

A witness to the plane's departure on Sunday, airport employee Luis Lopes, said he saw a white man start the empty plane and then take off after a few dangerous land manoeuvres.

Airport chief Celso Rosa said there was some evidence to believe the Boeing had been fuelled up at Luanda airport, and said he would provide this information to the transportation ministry's investigation into the incident.


TOPICS: Breaking News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: 727; africa; airangola; angola; boeing; disappear; gambia; luanda; missingplane; plane; repo; stolenplane
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To: Wright is right!
Could one man get this plane airborne..fly short distance and sit it down in the brush???

Is this doable??

21 posted on 05/28/2003 10:11:22 AM PDT by Dog (LOST: Beloved Pet answers to the name QUAGMIRE if found call Howell Raines lost since Afghanistan.)
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To: Frank_Discussion
I looked it upand it said 4200 mi range, which is quite a ways, even from S. W. Africa. And of course they could refuel elsewhere too. Looking at the map and the scale, it could make it to France, Italy, Turkey, Israel... you pick.
22 posted on 05/28/2003 10:14:03 AM PDT by FairOpinion
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To: Frank_Discussion
Well, its out of range of the US (about 5000 miles away), but within range of Europe.


23 posted on 05/28/2003 10:14:11 AM PDT by Nexus
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To: FairOpinion
Thanks. Was that 4200 mi or 4200 km?
24 posted on 05/28/2003 10:17:28 AM PDT by Frank_Discussion (It's not nice to fool Mr. Rumsfeld!)
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To: FairOpinion
Just when my shrink said I was finally getting over my Hanging Chad PTSD Syndrome I had to see a map of Africa with Chad on it. :o(
25 posted on 05/28/2003 10:18:58 AM PDT by TheCrusader
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To: Nexus
Actually, Europe is looking to be a stretch. Saudia Arabia would be more do-able.
26 posted on 05/28/2003 10:21:04 AM PDT by Nexus
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To: Wright is right!
Fueling is an operation that attracts plenty of attention and takes several pipple

I see another entry in the FReeper lexicon.

27 posted on 05/28/2003 10:21:11 AM PDT by Tree of Liberty (my cat's breath smells of Cheeto's and marshmallows)
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To: Tree of Liberty
yep
28 posted on 05/28/2003 10:22:24 AM PDT by eyespysomething (Breaking down the stereotypes of soccer moms everyday!)
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To: Wright is right!
I saw 4200 Miles here -- but I just noticed after reading your post that those with some auxiliary tanks.

http://www.prestige.mc/monaco/727jet.htm

They are selling 727-s as exec planes.

This truly exceptional aircraft is equipped with winglets and the Stage 3 FedEx Hush-kit. The aircraft has been recently fitted with the newest generation Auxiliary Fuel Tanks for extended range and performance.

The winglets and auxiliary tanks offer the following performance enhancements:

7% shorter runway length
8% shorter time to altitude
7% less fuel burn
4200 mile range with IFR reserves
29 posted on 05/28/2003 10:22:49 AM PDT by FairOpinion
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To: FairOpinion
I can't believe it's been 3 days, and no one knows where it landed (except for the perps, of course).
30 posted on 05/28/2003 10:24:32 AM PDT by Nexus
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To: Nexus
I can't believe it's been 3 days, and no one knows where it landed (except for the perps, of course).

Maybe it didn't land so much as it crashed.

31 posted on 05/28/2003 10:26:48 AM PDT by Poohbah (Crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of their women!)
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To: Nexus
"A witness to the plane's departure on Sunday"

---

How did I miss this? I saw that it was breaking news, "Angola radio reported today" and missed that the darn plane was seen leaving 3 days ago!

It could be in LYbia, Somalia, any number of places where they don't watch that closely or actively support terrorism.
32 posted on 05/28/2003 10:27:37 AM PDT by FairOpinion
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To: FairOpinion
Yes, but no whirlpool...
33 posted on 05/28/2003 10:28:20 AM PDT by Mamzelle
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To: Nexus
"I can't believe it's been 3 days, and no one knows where it landed"

land? You mean I got to land this thing too?!.... DOH!!!

34 posted on 05/28/2003 10:28:41 AM PDT by Hatteras (The Thundering Herd Of Turtles ROCK!)
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To: Excuse_My_Bellicosity
yes, they didn't get thier dose of metamusil
35 posted on 05/28/2003 10:33:39 AM PDT by Zavien Doombringer (Do you have to be Tolerant to the Intolerant?)
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To: FairOpinion
"A witness to the plane's departure on Sunday..."

Isn't this article a few days late?

36 posted on 05/28/2003 10:35:42 AM PDT by Donna Lee Nardo
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To: Dog
"Could one man get this plane airborne..fly short distance and sit it down in the brush??? Is this doable??"

It might be if he never intended the aircraft to ever fly again. He's going to have to have something long and solid to land on if he's to put in down in a reusable manner.

One man could fly it, but the original configuration included a Flight Engineer, seated at a 90-degree angle behind the co-pilot. The FE has all the goodies to run the engines and power systems, so this One Man would have to start out there and then move to the left seat once he got the turbines spooled to idle. Of course, this bird COULD have been re-configged to a 2-man operation, in which case he could start it up from the left seat. But even so, the 2-7 is not a bird you'd like to take up solo. Too much workload.

Michael

37 posted on 05/28/2003 10:37:54 AM PDT by Wright is right! (Have a profitable day!)
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To: Tree of Liberty
Re: "pipple"

"I see another entry in the FReeper lexicon."

We have to credit Nelson Mandela for this one. He refers to US citizens as "Amurrican pipple." Rush has used the term occasionally...

Michael

38 posted on 05/28/2003 10:39:42 AM PDT by Wright is right! (Have a profitable day!)
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To: FairOpinion
Plane disappears after take-off

How'd they do that?

39 posted on 05/28/2003 10:43:14 AM PDT by b4its2late (Blessed are those who hunger and thirst, for they are sticking to their diets.)
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To: Wright is right!
Maybe these guys did it:


40 posted on 05/28/2003 10:46:37 AM PDT by Frank_Discussion (It's not nice to fool Mr. Rumsfeld!)
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