Wow. Late last month, a Boeing 727 was stolen from an airport in Angola (in Africa). It had been sitting out on the tarmac for over a year when a white guy climbed up into it and flew it away. For some reason, reports indicate that the plane had been loaded up with fuel before it left. It's believed that the man who took the plane was actually from a company that bought the plane two years ago (Aerospace Sales and Leasing), and he has been missing since he left for Africa in mid-May. He's not a licensed pilot, though—just a mechanic.
One of the more humorous things about this situation regards the non-presence of an emergency locator beacon:
Posted by mike at June 19, 2003 08:02 PM | News | TrackBack[L]osing a plane as big as the Boeing 727 is not common.
The authorities have considered the odds of a plane just vanishing into thin air to be so remote that emergency locator transmitters are not installed on large aircraft, said former US National Transportation Safety Board director Ira Furman.
The devices are standard equipment on small planes to help locate them in the event of a crash.
Airliners such as 727s had not been provided with the transmitters “on the theory that we don't lose them,” ABC news quoted him as saying.
Yes,
I am the brother of this missing Boeing 727 plane that disappeared from Angola on May 25 2003.
My brother, Ben Charles Padilla Was a licensed pilot,aircraft mechanic and flight engineer.
He is said to have flown this plane, but he is not licensed to fly a 727 aircraft, only smaller aircrafts. I do believe that he was hijacked the day the plane became missing. My brother is not or would not do anything criminal like stealing this plane. He was sent to Angola to oversee a crew of aircraft mechanics rework this plane and was also incharge of hiring a pilot and co-pilot and he would of been the flight engineer on this plane once it was ready to fly. The owner of this 727 plane wired my brother the money to pay all the airport fees and then my brother faxed the owner the reciept from the airport.
Yes, my brother is also missing and we have not heard anything from him. We are searching everyday for new leads to find him.
Just wanted to set the record straight that he DID NOT just get in the plane and take off.
There were eyewitnesses that seen the plane making crazy ground manuvers and that tells me that someone else was in the plane and was trying to take control of it and most likely my brother was fighting with them is probably why the plane was making crazy ground manuvers as stated by the eyewitness.
It has been almost 2 months and no one has seen nor heard from him. Our government in the United States trying to find the plane and my brother.
I stay in constant contact the the FBI and the U.S. State Department and they tell me there is no new developments as of yet, but that they are still looking.
If anyone reading this has heard anything that might help me find my brother, please e-mail me.
I will include my e-mail address below.
Thank you for letting me post my story.
Joseph B. Padilla, SR.
E-Mail - padilla1956@cox.net
Hello,
I am Joseph B. Padilla, SR.
I am the brother of Ben Charles Padilla, Jr.
He was onboard the Boeing 727 Plane that disappeared from Angola On May 25 2003.
I am writting you to ask you if you have any contacts in or around Angola.
The U.S. State Dept.has told me that they have posted a reward for my brother and have posted the information about him on Billboards, On posters to be put in store fronts, and have printed information about him on Matchbooks and have passed them out.
I have no proof of this, that the State Dept. is telling me and wanted to ask you if you do have any contacts in Angola,
If they can see for themselves if this is true.
I would like to have some proof that the state dept. is offering a reward and is posting the information like they are telling me. I sure would like to see pictures of the billboards, posters posted and matchbook covers, etc.
I just want to make sure the the U.S. Government IS searching for my brother.
Can you let me know if you do, or not, have contacts in that region that could get some proof for my family?
The only way our family recieves any information is from news organizations or from internet sites that has seen our plea for help.
Anything you can tell me is greatly appreciated.
Thank you so much for your time and I hope to hear from you.
Joseph B. Padilla, SR.
Phone - 850-944-9688
e-mail - padilla1956@cox.net