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Intensive Search Under Way for Airliner Missing for Nearly a Month (Boeing 727 over Angola!)
ABC News ^ | Pierre Thomas | Pierre Thomas

Posted on 06/12/2003 7:06:05 AM PDT by Int

Intensive Search Under Way for Airliner Missing for Nearly a Month


By Pierre Thomas

ABCNEWS.com

June 10

— The U.S. government has secretly launched an intensive campaign to find a Boeing 727 passenger jet that mysteriously disappeared in Africa three weeks ago, sources told ABCNEWS.

Intelligence agencies have used satellites to try to locate the plane, the CIA is working its human sources in Africa, and embassies in Africa have been informed of the disappearance and asked to provide any information they may come across, sources said.

The plane's status is discussed every morning in meetings at various intelligence agencies and congressional intelligence committees. A number of government officials told ABCNEWS everyone is frustrated.

"When an aircraft of this size has been missing for so long it does raise some questions as to where it is and what it's being used for," said Chris Yates, editor of the London-based specialist publication Jane's Civil Aviation Security.

The Boeing 727 is 153 feet long and weighs 191,000 pounds.

Many Options

The plane disappeared out of Angola on May 25. But a government official says the Angolans do not know whether it was bound for Burkina Faso, South Africa, Libya or Nigeria. It's also not clear how many people were on board.

Some U.S. officials believe the plane may have been stolen to run drugs or guns. Others suspect it may have been crashed for insurance money.

American officials have so far turned up no evidence the disappearance is related to terrorism, but no one knows for certain, but the plane's disappearance raises some troubling security questions.

"It's extraordinarily troubling that you can literally disappear off the face of the Earth once you are airborne and fly across a continent like Africa," Yates said.

Other issues that officials cite include:

   The lack of security at many African and Third World airports.

   The limited oversight of flights in some African countries. Preliminary research shows some countries don't require flight plans.

   The security of the international aviation market. Could this plane resurface in legitimate aviation without anyone knowing, or change hands on the black market? How secure are we when an airliner can go unaccounted for?

The most worrying possibility is that the plane might be used as a flying missile against a U.S. target in the manner of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

"An aircraft could be either stolen or hijacked overseas, fly to the U.S., on schedule, and it wouldn't be seen on FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] radar, if it didn't want to be seen, until the very last minute," said Richard Clarke, former White House terrorism czar.

The chance of that happening is slim, Clarke said. "The government believes the plane would not have enough fuel to reach the U.S."

But that doesn't rule out an attack on a U.S. embassy or facility overseas in Africa — making U.S. officials no less intent on finding the missing airliner.



TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: angola; boeing727; lost; missingplane; plane
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To: stimpyone
how long can you keep one of these things flying without mechanics and parts?

Seeing as how it is Air Angola, I think they probably know exactly how long they can defer maintenence before a plane falls out of the sky, and they have the logbooks to prove it.

21 posted on 06/12/2003 8:21:07 AM PDT by eno_
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To: ken5050
Have you seen anything as to who owned and/or operated the plane?


Not in any of the articles that I've read have they suggested who is the owner. Weird.
22 posted on 06/12/2003 10:01:05 AM PDT by Tunehead54 (Support Our Troops! Screw France.)
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To: Int
I have it on good authority that it's hiding somewhere in South Florida. Shhhhhhh...


23 posted on 06/12/2003 10:08:57 AM PDT by Hatteras (The Thundering Herd Of Turtles ROCK!)
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To: ken5050
There was some "wag" on CNBC last night who said the plane was just repossessed..

That would not be too farfetched. If the plane had any value at all, it would be low enough that risking litigation in a corrupt third world court system would be pointless. Might as well offer a bounty to get it back, no questions asked.

On the other hand, it's a good thing someone in our security apparatus is looking into this. a 727 is big enough to do very serious damage if loaded up with high explosives - much more than the planes of 9/11.

24 posted on 06/12/2003 12:00:22 PM PDT by eno_
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To: Hatteras
Very probable.
25 posted on 06/12/2003 7:27:28 PM PDT by getmeouttaPalmBeachCounty_FL (Thousands have died for my freedom; only One has died for my soul.)
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To: Int
Well, now I know what happened to my bag...US Air lost my bag flying from Charlotte to Chicago. Hasn't been found yet...
26 posted on 06/12/2003 7:30:48 PM PDT by nobdysfool (Every time I learn something new, it pushes something old out of my brain...Homer Simpson)
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To: Int; All
VOA NEWS.com: "U.S., ANGOLA SEEK MISSING BOEING 727 JET" by Alex Belida (ARTICLE SNIPPET: "Authorities in Africa and the United States are looking for a Boeing 727 jet missing from Angola since late last month under suspicious circumstances. The Boeing 727 has been missing since it took off under mysterious circumstances from Luanda airport in the southwest African country of Angola more than two weeks ago. U.S. government officials tell VOA it was last heard of requesting landing permission in the Seychelles off the coast of East Africa but never arrived there. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, say the aircraft's disappearance looks like a criminal act. But with memories still fresh of the bloody September 11 terrorist plane hijackings in the United States almost two years ago, the officials say they have to remain open to the possibility that terrorism may be involved in the case of the vanishing 727. Authorities in Angola say the plane took off illegally on Sunday, May 25. The country's minister of transportation later indicated the aircraft's disappearance would lead to stepped up security at Luanda airport.") (June 11, 2003) (Read More...)

27 posted on 06/12/2003 11:08:08 PM PDT by Cindy
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To: Int
Has anyone heard anymore about this? Thanks, I've been out of the loop.
28 posted on 06/18/2003 5:12:31 PM PDT by roses of sharon
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To: Destro
Another story
29 posted on 06/19/2003 10:19:33 PM PDT by MEG33
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To: Int
I don't think it is anything to worry about--like the reports of those terrorist cargo ships full of WMD on the high seas. Fear distorts perception.
30 posted on 06/19/2003 10:23:35 PM PDT by Destro (Know your enemy! Help fight Islamic terrorisim by visiting www.johnathangaltfilms.com)
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