Posted on 07/07/2003 4:10:46 PM PDT by yankeedame
Mystery Boeing briefly resurfaces after disappearance
July 8 2003
A Boeing 727, whose sudden disappearance in Angola in May unnerved US intelligence agencies, reappeared last week in the Guinean capital Conakry before vanishing once again, British newspaper The Guardian reports.
Washington has been working with African governments in the past month in a frantic bid to hunt down the cargo plane, amid fears the aircraft could be used by terrorists in a repeat of the September 11 attacks on New York and Washington.
The paper said the plane was seen on June 28 by a Canadian pilot, Bob Strother, in Conakry, sporting a new coat of paint and a Guinean registration number.
But Mr Strother told the paper that two letters of the plane's old tail number - N844AA - were still showing, proving the aircraft was the same Boeing that was being sought by US diplomats throughout Africa.
"There's absolutely no doubt it's the same aircraft, the old registration is clearly visible," he was quoted as saying.
"Whoever owns it must have some important friends to get it reregistered in two days: going by the book, the whole process usually takes a couple of months," he added.
"We only saw it that one time, now it's gone."
The plane, which was converted into a fuel tanker, is owned by a member of West Africa's Lebanese business community and was being used to carry goods between Beirut and Conakry, said Mr Strother.
The 28-year-old jetliner was stolen from under the noses of the control tower at the airport in the Angolan capital Luanda on May 25 and until now had not been sighted. It had been parked at the airport for 14 months.
Angolan state radio said shortly after its disappearance that it had been chartered by the Angolan airline Airangol but was grounded after being banned from overflying Angolan territory on account of a series of irregularities.
While US officials are concerned the plane could have been stolen by terrorists, the most likely scenario is that the aircraft was stolen as part of a business dispute or financial scam, said a western diplomat in Sierra Leone, quoted by The Guardian.
AFP
Just look for the fuel bills. Depending on range configuration, it takes three trucks on wheels pumping themselves dry just to fill her up. From ramp ports connected directly to bulk tanks and compression pumps it takes about 20 minutes to fill her up. And of course about $20,000 in cash, or credit.
Let's not forget the 10,000' runway.
My bet is on some huge unpaid fuel bills, maintenance bills,or some skipped lease payments caused it to become a repo. 727's are not fetching top dollar these days. The last three I had any contact with, two went to Turkmanistan as their royal planes and the other one here in the states was being used by the Denver Nuggets basketball team and was in no shape to cross the ponds.
That being said though, the 727 has become a real workhorse for small third world nations. Turkmanistan rebuilds and recertifies the engines, supplying them worldwide.(comforting thought eh?)
American Airlines owned this plane once..
(I couldn't remember my password)
Sounds like a repo to me...
I don't think it' s a repo. I think it's a Hizbullah weapon.
We've got to find it.
A large commercial airplane used as a weapon in the USA will originate in the USA due to the fuel on board. A plane from another country will have no more than an hour's fuel on board when it arrives in most cases. Loading it up with much more in say, Greenland or Freeport only to be going to the states would be a dead giveaway. A commercial flight never loads up with fuel beyond the legal reserves. The ideal plane as a weapon would be a Northwest 747 non-stop out of JFK to Osaka, then becoming the weapon ten minutes after departure.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.