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On May 25th, 2003, 2 men stole a Boeing 727. Neither the plane nor the two men have been seen since.

by Joe Mobley
5 replies
  • OFF TOPIC
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Incident

Shortly before sunset on May 25, two men are believed to have boarded the plane, one of them being American pilot and flight engineer Ben Charles Padilla.

The other was a hired mechanic from the Republic of the Congo. Neither man was certified to fly the Boeing 727, which normally requires three aircrew.

Both men had been working with Angolan mechanics to get the plane flight-ready. Padilla is believed by U.S. authorities to have been at the controls.

The aircraft began taxiing without communicating with the control tower. It maneuvered erratically and entered a runway without clearance. The tower tried to make contact, but there was no response, and the tracking transponder was turned off.

With its lights off, the aircraft took off, heading southwest over the Atlantic Ocean. Neither the plane nor the two men have been seen since.

2003 Boeing 727-223 disappearance


I'm thinking "fish food".


Joe Mobley

Daily Flâneur: Check!
  • Profile picture of the author positivenegative
    I also stole a plane once.

    Mind you, I was in school at the time.


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  • Profile picture of the author agc
    W.E.B. Griffin. "By Order of the President" (c) 2004.

    The plot is exactly that.
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    • Profile picture of the author tagiscom
      Hmmm, sounds like it was well planned, they probably sold it for 10 million, and it is now a military aircraft in some banana republic?

      They need to ban "Air America", too many bad ideas?

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      Archimedes Forum, Sign up l won't bite
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  • Profile picture of the author Oziboomer
    I think that is how People Express got their aircraft.

    Once I flew on one of those bucket airlines from NY to Buffalo and I swear it never got more than 1000ft off the ground the whole way.

    In those days you just carried on your stuff and as I recall paid for your ticket on the plane.

    It was 1987 and I was travelling with a bag full of competition boomerangs and a female companion.

    We both got such grief from a security guard that the airline refunded the fares and publicly apologised to the USBA - United States Boomerang Association

    True Story.

    Happy New Year from OZ.
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  • Profile picture of the author agc
    Doesn't seem like they got any less incompetent the second time around.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People...es_%282010s%29
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