Hide in Plane Sight (Authorities fear Boeing 727 stolen in Angola may be used in terrorism)

ABC News ^ | June 18, 2003 | Pierre Thomas

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Hide in Plane Sight

Family of Possible 727 Pilot: "He Is Not a Terrorist"

W A S H I N G T O N, June 18 - While international authorities continue their search for a missing jetliner, fearful that it could be used in a terror attack, the family of the American believed to have been piloting the aircraft worries about his fate.

Workers at Luanda Airport in Angola watched dumbfounded on May 25 as a Boeing 727 taxied down the runway and took off - without permission. The plane - which ABCNEWS has learned was refitted to haul diesel fuel tanks, making it a potential flying bomb - has not been seen since.

The man the U.S. government suspects of piloting the 727 is Benjamin Padilla - a U.S. citizen from Florida. Padilla, too, has vanished, and his family is worried.

"I am concerned that he might have been hijacked," Padilla's brother, Joseph, said in an exclusive interview with ABCNEWS.

"It's very painful," said Padilla's sister, Benita. "The whole family is in anguish, not knowing what happened to our brother."

The family believes Padilla, a licensed mechanic and pilot, flew to Angola on behalf of Aerospace Sales and Leasing, a Florida-based company that bought the 727 from American Airlines two years ago. The plane had not been moved for more than a year, and his family believes Padilla went to see whether it was fit to fly.

Neither Padilla's family nor ABCNEWS has been able to reach anyone at Aerospace Sales and Leasing. No one was at the office when ABCNEWS visited today and phone calls were not answered.

U.S. Officials Stumped

Despite the use of satellites to scour the African landscape, and a request to all African embassies for information, U.S. officials said they still have no clue about the plane's location.

"We don't have any reliable assessments about what this portends, what it could be, who may be behind it." White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said today.

Most intelligence officials believe the plane was stolen to run drugs or guns, or as part of an insurance scam.

However, they have not ruled out the possibility the plane is in the hands of terrorists - perhaps plotting to target U.S. embassies in Africa.

Padilla's family maintains there is no way he would be involved in such a plan.

"I can guarantee my brother is not a criminal and he is not a terrorist," said Benita Padilla.

[eyespysomething]

You know, I thought there were these big 'ol satellites that could track anything anywhere, no matter how small. I realize they would have to be looking at the plane, but with all the technology available, I really thought some type of super space spy satellite. Ok, I can FINALLY take the tinfoil off my head.

[abner]

Ok, I'll be the first to say it: Padilla? ? ?

[ApesForEvolution]

Prepare for the worst while praying for the best...

[abner]

Radar will pick up the only metal in a hot air balloon basket. That would be the tanks and burners. That is a very tiny area, comparatively.

[eyespysomething]

I realize they would have to be looking at the plane, but with all the technology available, I really thought some type of super space spy satellite was out there.

Preview before you hit post.

Preview before you hit post.

Preview before you hit post.

[eyespysomething]

Are there satellites pointing all over the place, all the time? Is it recorded?

[eyespysomething]

Yep, the same thought crossed my mind. That and Florida.

[xrp]

Ever see "Enemy of the State" with Gene Hackman and Will Smith? US government spy satellites are probably more accurate than they were in that movie. I've heard reports of them being able to resolve a car's license plate and also see a cigarette on the bumper of the car.

[joesnuffy]

JDAM

[abner]

Are there satellites pointing all over the place, all the time? Is it recorded?

I don't know. I would imagine just population centers are always recorded, but I don't know about the heart of Africa.

[oceanview]

then why can't they find the WMDs in Iraq?

[abner]

Yep, the same thought crossed my mind. That and Florida.

Jose, right? Florida? Yea, seems to all point to Fla...

[xrp]

The satellites are in space, the weapons of the destruction of mass ass are underground.

[Ronin]

Just off the top of my head, I can think of a number of ways that you can hide an airplane, the most simple being to park it in an aircraft hanger until you can change the paint job and registration numbers.

African civil aviation is a mess anyhow. No doubt some officials were payed to look the other way when it landed. More will be paid when it takes off. Satellites are not going to find this bird. It's going to be humint and I have to wonder how many assetts we have on the ground in Africa.

A lot depends on how long a runway a bird like this needs to operate on. Obviously dirt strips are out, but Africa is a big place, and there are probably a lot of places it could be.

[Prodigal Son]

This is an interesting story. The plane was sort of impounded at the time of its abscondance (if that's even a word). It could be that the owner had it stolen because "it was his". It could be that someone else had it stolen for the odd vanity reason "because I want it".

But these possiblities necessitate that there be a pilot to fly the thing. It isn't like the average African is just going to walk in and take off with a 727. It had a limited amount of fuel on board as well. This is an interesting item. Either it crashed into the jungle somewhere or a prearranged landing point/refueling destination was set up. This starts to point to more sinister things.

Could the owner have stolen it and if so how would he hope to get away with it if not by selling it on the black market? If it winds up on the black market, who will be its ultimate owner? Would the cocaine/heroin industry take such a risk? They have the money and resources to construct an airfield anywhere they wish but would they go to the trouble when so many more inconspicuous and smaller aircraft are available?

How would al Qaeda use this plane? Do they just have a plane fetish? What's wrong with hijacking an 18 wheeler and filling it with explosives? Perhaps the plane was routed to Northern Africa where it would be relatively easy to strike a point in Europe? If al Qaeda has it and they have other devices for it than simply crashing it- what cargo do they hope to ferry?

Things that make you go hmmmmm....

[FreedomCalls]

Are you aware that this plane has had the seats in the passenger cabin taken out and replaced with "ten aluminum 500 gallon tanks each plummed together by a four inch manifold with shutoff valves on each one and a very unique vent system"? It was outfitted to ferry aviation fuel to remote airports in Africa. It would have unlimited range and still be carrying enough fuel (or other toxic substances) to cause enormous devastation to any destination in the world if harm were intended.

Scary stuff.

[oceanview]

they renovate the plane, and somehow equip it with a weapon, then re-sell it to some legitimate third world airline that has a scheduled flight into the US.

[FreedomCalls]

The plane's registration number is N844AA. Here is a picture of it before it was sold:

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The server hosting the photo is blocking it from being embedded in this page.