Two Men Stole a Boeing Trijet And Haven't Been Traced Yet
The mystery of an airplane and the occupants who flew away with it remains unsolved. On May 25, 2003, a Boeing 727-200 took flight from Luanda's Quatro de Fevereiro Airport (LAD), and was never seen again, LAD Bible reported. The trijet had two men on board, who also became a mystery along with the aircraft.
The aircraft had spent 25 years serving American Airlines before its disappearance, Discovery reported. The plane had accumulated almost 70,000 flying hours before being converted to a cargo plane. During the aircraft's twilight years, it was working as a freight transport in Angola.
After American Airlines, the aircraft was owned by a company in Miami, Discovery reported. Investigators have alleged that the Miami establishment was in the process of transferring ownership to either a Nigeria-based airline or an Angolan cargo fleet company. This conflict over ownership caused the Boeing 727-200 to be grounded for over a year in Angola, resulting in debt and parking charges amounting to around $4 million.
The two men who were on board the Boeing 727-200 when it vanished were Ben Charles Padilla and John Mikel Mutantu, Smithsonian Magazine reported. Padilla was a flight engineer, aircraft mechanic, and private pilot, and Mutantu was a hired helper. Both the men had been employed with Angolan mechanics to work on the aircraft and return it to flying conditions. Neither of the men had the expertise to fly the trijet.
On May 25, the aircraft entered the runway without any kind of clearance, Smithsonian Magazine reported. None of the flying authorities were informed about the flight. The aircraft reportedly flew to the southwest and headed out over the Atlantic Ocean.
Despite the use of modern tracking technology and data, the aircraft was never tracked, LAD Bible reported. There have been multiple speculations regarding the Boeing 727-200's disappearance. Some believe that owners could be involved while others point towards a terror angle. "It was never clear whether it was stolen for insurance purposes by the owners, whether it was stolen with the intent to make it available to unsavory characters, or whether it was a deliberate, concerted terrorist attempt," Mastin Robeson, a retired US Marine General and the commander of US forces in the Horn of Africa stated.