Free Republic

ALL:

it's been 10 weeks now and no word on where my brother is and in what condition. We, the family, are in great despair as we fear the worst. We recently did an interview with NBC Nightly News, which should air sometime this week, and are hoping that the government will post a reward. I have since heard that there is that possibility and that my brother's picture will be physically posted on storefront windows, billboards and match book covers in Africa. Please keep praying for his safe return. Thank you.

Benita

Thanks for your concern. I understand the public's concern about terrorism, and rightly so. However, let me reassure everyone once again that my brother is not a terrorist or a criminal. He's a good guy, very generous and absolutely hates a thief, and even more so -terrorists. The problem is, we don't think that he has any control over the plane at this point, and probably never did once the plane departed. Our family is absolutely devastated at the thought of never seeing him alive again. We love him and want him home, regardless of the outcome. The mechanic, John Mikel Mutantu, has not been discovered either. His wife, apparently distraught at the announcement of her missing husband, disappeared about a week later (reportedly returned to the Congo) and the FBI or state department is not sharing any information about her whereabouts with us. I have asked numerous questions, only to be stopped with a response like 'we can't tell you that'. I understand national security issues, but it's extremely hard to sit around and wait.... We did the interviews in the hopes of getting my brother's picture out there and reassuring everyone that he is not involved in anything that would harm anyone or break the law. We're weary and just don't want to do any more interviews. His employer, Maury Joseph, owner of Aerospace Sales and Leasing has the utmost confidence and trust in my brother Ben and also believes that he did not pilot this plane. Once again, he was not certified to fly a 727, much land it at night. Maybe the pilots he hired were on board after all? The story is full of bribery and cover-ups from the Angolan government. The most daunting thought of all is the fact that we might never know what happened. ---BPK

Thanks for the info. We had received initial notification of this incident; however, this was a false alarm. This was NOT the plane from Angola. Still no word on what has happened to my brother or the plane in question. Also, for the record, my brother was not the pilot, although some witnesses and reports have indicated otherwise. Hard to see who is behind the wheel, so to speak on an aircraft of this size at the particular distance. He was the designated flight engineer and the legal representative for his employer hired to oversee the repossession of this aircraft. He had hired pilots to have this plane removed from Luanda. He just so happened to be a licensed pilot and mechanic; although, he was NOT licensed to fly a 727, much less land it at night. Also, operational maintenance had been performed on the aircraft prior to its departure so a crash is less than likely. Anyone out there who knows anything about the whereabouts of my brother, PLEASE let me know. I will follow any viable leads.... Thanks.

I am the sister of the man who is being referred to as the pilot of this missing 727 from Angola. First of all, I want to clarify a few postings made below. We are NOT related to Jose Padilla and my brother Ben has lived in South Florida for over 20 years. Any inference made that he just happened to be there when the 9/11 terrorists were training is just plain ignorance and lack of knowing the facts surrounding his life. Also, Padilla is a common hispanic surname like Smith is to caucasians. My brother IS a patriot and our family knows that he was repossessing the aircraft as instructed by his employer. He has fallen victim to and has been kidnapped by either a terrorist or criminal organization. His employer also has faith in him and his integrity and character. He would not steal anything and on the contrary constantly tried to save his employer money by renogiating operational maintenance contracts on this aircraft and the fees owed to the airport. He is a generous man, trying to make a living in a dangerous country. He's not unlike any one of you and our family is devastated as the possibility we may never see him again. He was a single father during the 70s and 80s and raised two children by himself. His nomadic nature I referred to on GMA is the fact that his children are now adults and he loves to travel and fly and has no reason to maintain a home here any longer. He is very adventurous and loves life. He began his career as a millwright, and then became an A/P (aircraft mechanic) and then obtained his pilot's license. Nothing in his character would even remotely indicate he has 'switched' alliances, particularly after his strong feelings about the 9/11 incidents. As long as he had one breath in his body, he would NOT allow Americans to be harmed with an aircraft.