Mystery of the missing 727

WND ^ | 9-29-03 | N/A

[JustPiper]

Was it stolen for parts or to make a flying bomb?

How could a Boeing 727 just disappear without a trace?

You might think in this age of satellite surveillance and sophisticated air-traffic controls, it would be near impossible for a jetliner to be stolen, flown away and not seen again for more than four months.

Yet, that's just what has happened in a daring feat that has governments around the world fearing the jetliner may be in the hands of terrorists, just awaiting its final suicide mission.

The story began May 25, when two men climbed aboard an idle cargo jet in Angola and flew off into the African sky. The jet has not been seen since.

U.S. investigators and civil aviation officials in Africa have tried to downplay the terrorist threat, saying the plane was most likely stolen for a criminal endeavor such as drug or weapons smuggling. Some have speculated it may have been stolen for the value of its spare parts. Yet, no one can definitively rule out the terrorist threat.

State Department spokesmen have said there is no evidence linking the disappearance of the plane to terrorists, but they admit they would like to see the plane found so the threat can be ruled out.

U.S. officials also say everything that can be done to find the plane using modern technology is being done. But experts say even in the age of satellites and other high-tech search methods, a new coat of paint and a stolen registration number would make tracking the plane nearly impossible.

When the plane, with tail number N844AA, left Luanda airport May 25, the transponder was turned off, so the plane's position could not be monitored by air-traffic control.

Worse yet, the missing 727 cargo jet had been converted into a fuel tanker, making it highly desirable as a "flying bomb."

An American named Ben Padilla approached authorities a month before the plane disappeared, saying the owner wanted to take the plane out of Angola. Padilla was asked for $50,000 in fees accumulated during the year the plane sat in Angola. Padilla was one of the two men later seen boarding the plane just before it took off.

According to Padilla's family in Florida, he was hired to repossess the jet after Air Angola failed to make lease payments.

His sister, Benita Padilla-Kirkland, says she feared the plane had crashed or Padilla, 51, was being held against his will.

"I'm becoming highly concerned that we're not getting enough cooperation from the FBI and CIA," she told Fox News earlier this month. "I've spoken with someone at the CIA last week and expressed my concerns, and they continue to give us the answer they cannot give us any additional information."

Padilla-Kirkland said she is suspicious about repeated U.S. insistence that this is a criminal act.

"I've noticed that a lot of the European agencies are more concerned with this being a terrorist act," she said. "It seems to be that the European countries seem to be a little bit more concerned about this plane's disappearance than our government seems to be concerned."

[JustPiper]

FYI Update!

[Sweet_Sunflower29]

I don't know...I still harbor an uneasy belief that we will discover just what exactly happened to this 727 a few minutes too late.

Hey there Piper! How've ya' been?

[xrp]

Isn't a 727's maximum range around 2500 miles? If this is so, it is doubtful that one could galvant around Africa in the plane and fly it across the Atlantic Ocean destined for America intended to hit a building. Even if it were outfitted with extra fuel tanks, that'd have to be in the cargo hold or the passenger section and very risky. They probably would blow themselves up.

[gg188]

They probably would blow themselves up

Yup. Pretty much. That's pretty much what those people do.

[shaggy eel]

"It seems to be that the European countries seem to be a little bit more concerned about this plane's disappearance than our government seems to be concerned."

,,, that's because a thirsty old hack like this would have to fuel in Europe before it crossed the Atlantic. The luxury of certainty.

[Sweet_Sunflower29]

Silly me; I forgot to include this link regarding the stolen jet. I don't remember if this was something I had come across here on FR or elsewhere.

It was dated September 11, 2003

An international hunt is on to find a flying bomb – a stolen Boeing 727 – which led to British Airways canceling all flights to Saudi Arabia last week. The plane is a fuel tanker that MI6 and other spy agencies fear is in the hands of al-Qaeda.

[The_Media_never_lie]

Most civilian aircraft crossing the Atlantic pass position reports on radio frequencies and have transponders. Seems like as slow as a 727 is and without a transponder, it could be picked up on radar and intercepted. Any thoughts?

[steve86]

Presumably this 727 has an Airworthiness Type Certificate for the fuel tanker capability and, if maintained properly, would be considered safe (as long as its trajectory remains between airports, not into buildings). However, I am not an expert on the certification process beyond what an ordinary private pilot has encountered. I believe the 727 was originally a cargo jet, not a passenger plane.

I heard speculation that the most likely course for an attack on North America would involve an unfiled flight to South America from Africa, followed by a perfectly normal appearing transport-type flight plan to North America. This sequence is easily achievable given the fuel capacity and refueling in South America, where few questions would be asked. The North American leg would leave a ample amount of fuel on board for the final destination. Another possibility, forget if it was mentioned above, would utilize some of the fuel storage tanks as chemical or biological weapon containers.

[demnomo]

It's baaack! The story, that is...

[Dog Gone]

It's back without a single new fact to report. But, heck, it sells internet ads.

[blam]

I think everyone is assuming that they would put gasoline in the tanks....

[demnomo]

LOL. Yes, it does.

[Flavius]

this one was retrofitted to carry gasoline tanks

so range is quite huge

[eabinga]

Pictures!
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/217065/L/
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/174719/L/

[Moose4]

I think you're right about the range on a 727, 2000 to 3000 miles depending on takeoff weight, engine type, etc. However, I *think*--and I'm no geography major, but I think it's possible--that the plane could cross from Africa to South America at their closest points. It would be crazy to try it in a plane that's been parked for a year and not properly maintained, but I think it's theoretically possible.

A fully loaded 727 would weigh 160,000 to 200,000 pounds on takeoff and be carrying 40,000 to 50,000+ pounds of fuel, depending on which subtype of 727 it is. I don't believe those numbers are very much smaller than the weights and fuel loads of the two 757s used on September 11. I don't know if any first-world passenger airlines are still using the old birds, but I'm sure the hand-me-downs are still soldiering along in the Third World and as cargo carriers.

And all it really would take to hide it would be some paint and a forged registration. Boeing built something like 1,500 727s over twenty years, I'm sure hundreds are still in active service today.

Maybe Robert Mugabe needed a new luxury ride?

}:-)4

[Moose4]

Hmm, so it's a stretched 727-200 Advanced. I think that gives it a little more fuel capacity (55,000 lbs or so) and a takeoff weight just over 200,000 pounds. Not sure about the range, but I don't think it would be over 3,000 miles.

I don't know why I'm so fascinated with the things, I've just always thought the 727 was/is the sexiest jetliner ever built. :) Nothing tops the Lockheed Constellation for sheer aircraft sex appeal (airliner division) but the 727's a close second in my book.

}:-)4

[greasepaint]

attn: Police
ww.ebay.com / aircraft-for-sale / 727

[xrp]

Ouch, that isn't good news.

I tried to get a permit to install a Mk 41 VLS for Standard SM-3 SAMs, but was turned down. I was just trying to do my part for homeland defense.