Missing HAZMAT truck & Driver, Florida

WCJB TV 20, Gainesville FL ^ | October 2, 2001

[cgk]

Missing Truck Driver Marion County Marion County's special unit investigating terrorism is looking into the disappearance of a truck driver. His name is William Ellis and he has been missing since September 14. While Ellis has no criminal background, his truck may be a hot commodity for would be terrorists. Investigators say Ellis has no criminal background that would lead them to suspect him of wrongdoing. However, the fact that both he and his truck are missing leads investigators to keep a close eye out for their whereabouts. Right now Marion County, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the F.B.I are on the lookout for that truck. It is a Kenworth it bears the numbers 9-0-7 on the tractor and n-3-8-5-8 on the trailer. A satellite tracking device once attached to the truck is no longer sending a signal, so neither the company nor police know where it is. However, the truck is not the only thing that is suspicious about the disappearance of William Ellis. Elise's family says he has a 2-year-old daughter and would never abruptly leave for 2 weeks without word to his mom. In fact Marion county's special unit investigating terrorism is handing this case back to the missing persons division saying at this time there's no indication of danger to the public. However, they plan to keep an eye out for the truck and William Ellis.

[blam]

"Stealing the truck is only half the battle — How do you manage to put the truck in the right place to pick up a truly hazardous shipment? A lot of the stuff these trucks carry isn't all that dangerous."

You should have seen what a tanker truck full of chlorine did when it flew off the 610-59 exchange in Houston a few years ago. Now, imagine a tanker truck full of gasoline 'blowing' on any of the bridges over the Mississippi River. Most people are not aware of the number of 'sea ports' up the Mississippi River. (Big economic pain)

[backtobasics]

I have seen a couple of these planes. The cockpit canopy sits up higher on these than most planes.....more like a WW2 warbird in that respect. It is an awkward looking plane but has plenty of power for low and slow flight with a heavy load ,turbo I believe. If I remember correctly, they are sometimes referred to as air tractors.

[Suck My AR-16]

Right on I-75 between Orlando and Gainesville.

Hint, don't drink the O.J. until they prove the load was properly dumped

The guys over in Florida report that touristism is down. They say they only have terrorists living there and they train there. They doubt that they would screw with their home and training bases, so take a vacation in Florida, everyone else is the target.
NOT !

[blam]

"I drove from Tampa up I-75 and west on I-10 through Pensacola over the weekend."

You should have stopped in New Orleans at the FReeper party there.

[ottoisa1]

I heard that a 20 year State dpt employee was missing this am in a small plane . I think they said it was going to the Turks or Cacos Isl. Heard that on 610 am in Miami

[Jhoffa_]

Here's a refrence to an AY-65 as a "fumigation" plane..

Source: Bio-War against Cuba

1- On 21 October 1996, at 10.08 hours, crew members of scheduled flight CU- 170 of Cubana de Aviacion (Cuban Airlines), on board a Fokker-27 aircraft, flying region of Cuba, noticed a single- engine airplane flying from north to south, at about 1, 000 feet (300 metres) above them, apparently spraying or sprinkling unknown substances - some seven times - in an intermittent manner.

2- At that very moment, Cubana de Aviacion Fokker aircraft was located 25 to 30 kilo metres south of Varadero, in Matanzas Province., flying at an altitude of 9, 000 feet and at a speed of 400 kilo metres per hour.

3- According to scheduled flights, objective radar control and recordings of radio conversations between the airplanes and ground control when the south in a course perpendicular to the Cubana de Aviacion flight was a fumigation aircraft Model SAR, register N3093M, of the civilian aircraft registry of the United States of America, operated by the State Department of that country, as stated in the flight authorization requested to the Institute registry of civilian aircraft . The above-mentioned airplane had taken off from Patrick United States Air Force Base, in Cocoa Beach in the state of Florida, bound for Grand Cayman.

4- The Cubana pilot immediately reported to flight control on the release of unknown substances, in the form of a white or greyish mist, by the SAR airplane. The Cuban air controller established communication with the United States aircraft and asked whether it was having any technical problem, to which the pilot's answer was "NO". He was also asked about the type of aircraft he was flying, answering that it was a single-engine AY-65. That conversation is recorded on tape.

So... It's a cropduster?

That's what I gather from the above.

[blam]

"Presently, A1A is closed from south of the Patrick Air Force Base North to around south Cocoa Beach."

I'll be darned. I used to live on A1A in Satellite Beach. We have a similar situation here with the shipyard at Pascagoula, Mississippi, where the USS Cole is being repaired. Hmmmm

[Dust in the Wind]

backtobasics is correct in that it sits high. Looks a lot like a WW2 torpedo bomber. It does have a gas turbine engine that has a very distinctive sound compared to the ones running piston engines. A friend of mine flies one and he just grinned when I made the statement that he shouldn't have any problem keeping the chemicals in solution. Meaning his technique at the end of a field is to pull hard g's to gain altitude then crank it over almost upside down to spot his smoke (his has this spot marker accessory installed) then power slid down while lining up the run back across the field. He is fun to watch as he gets so much joy from flying.

While I have never asked him if it has a second seat, it is definitely big enough to have a jump seat behind and below the pilots chair. That would put one in the 'hold' with the tank though.

[GWfan]

I grew up on the IA/IL border and there were 4 bridges that crossed the Mississippi, and one was almost always closed for repairs/construction. I think that is the case in most cities along the Mississippi. A bridge blowing up would kill people, but probably not that many and there are alternate routes. The bridges are also watched.

It is my personal belief that terrorists may try to attack the military again or a power source. I think that they are trying to show we are weak. If they attacked a school or daycare, women would be so pi$$ed that they would be calling up GW themselves and asking for nukes.

[Suck My AR-16]

RE: THE TRUCK

1. the Global Positioning System, a satellite tracking device, has been disconnected.

2. the 18-wheeler has markings that allow the truck to be used to haul hazardous materials.

3. 'He also told his boss that he had a family funeral to attend,'' Sowder said, adding the intelligence unit later learned through family members that there were no known funerals in the family.

4.  the last satellite track had him positioned four miles from Tornado, W.Va.

5. the tractor, a white 1999 Kenworth with Florida tag A7629C, and its trailer, a 1998 Great Dane (tanker?) with Ohio tag C0283M,

6. The tractor and trailer both have blue and yellow stripes and utilize the company's initials ''LCT'' on the sides.
(Lester Coggins Trucking)

The tractor also has the identification number 907 on the side and the trailer has an identification of N3858

[Nuke'm Glowing]

Thanks for the clarification. This fills in a lot of the details.

[blam]

"I think that is the case in most cities along the Mississippi. A bridge blowing up would kill people, but probably not that many and there are alternate routes. The bridges are also watched."

I was thinking more of a bridge farther south, like around New Orleans, that would stop shipping traffic, not so much auto traffic.

[seeker41]

bttt

[smorgle]

Any update on the truck?