Missing Plane For Monday Mystery...!

Time to get back on some sort of schedule here at the Hermit's house.

Slowly things are getting back to (semi) normal here. I figured I'm better off trying to stay busy instead of sitting around fretting over things I can't control. So anyway, here is a little case of another missing plane for Monday mystery, OK?

N844AA

Photo credit: Mike Gabriel

On May 25, 2003, a Boeing 727, registered as N844AA, was stolen from Quatro de Fevereiro Airport in Angola. Shortly before sunset, two men boarded the aircraft: American pilot Ben Padilla and mechanic John Mutantu. Neither were certified to fly the 727, which normally flies with a flight crew of three. It is believed that Padilla was the one at the controls. The aircraft made its way onto the runway without clearance and without communicating with the control tower. With its lights switched off and a few erratic maneuvers, the plane thundered down the runway and took off, heading southwest over the ocean.

Since then, neither the two men nor the aircraft have been seen. The disappearance of N844AA prompted a worldwide search by the FBI and the CIA. Despite this, no trace of the aircraft has ever been found.

Ya know, I can't help but wonder why these guys stole this plane. Did they have a buyer for it, were they planning to use it to run drugs, maybe as a get away vehicle in some bizarre robbery. It does make you wonder.

Coffee out on the patio this morning. Cooler out there than inside, since the AC is still out.