N844AA
Encyclopedia
On May 25, 2003, a Boeing 727
-223 registered
as N844AA was stolen from Quatro de Fevereiro Airport
in Luanda
, Angola
. Its disappearance prompted a world-wide search by the FBI and the CIA.
. A Miami-based company called Aerospace Sales & Leasing Co. was reported to be its last owner. While on lease to TAAG Angola Airlines it had been grounded and sat idle at Luanda for 14 months, accruing more than $4 million in backdated airport fees, and was one of two at Quatro de Fevereiro in the process of being converted for use by IRS Airlines
. The FBI described it as "...unpainted silver in colour with a stripe of blue, white and blue. The plane was formerly in the air fleet of a major airline, but all of the passenger seats have been removed. It is outfitted to carry Diesel fuel."
Early reports in July 2003
, noted a possible sighting of the missing plane in Conakry
, Guinea
, but have been since conclusively disproved by the US Department of State
.
The Conakry sighting is disputed as another ex-American Airlines
727 with registration number N862AA was re-registered in Guinea as 3X-GDM and based there until it was destroyed in the UTA Flight 141
accident at Cadjehoun Airport
in Cotonou
, Benin
.
was turned off.
Some reports describe the aircraft as making abrupt changes in direction, while on the taxiways and during take-off, leading some speculation that there may have been a struggle on board during the possible theft.
Ben Charles Padilla (born 1952) from Pensacola, Florida
, a licensed aircraft mechanic, flight engineer, and pilot of small airplanes was aboard N844AA when it was stolen, and is believed by U.S. authorities to have been at the controls. He has not been seen or heard from since.
Padilla had arrived in Angola two months before the disappearance, to supervise work on N844AA on behalf of Aerospace Sales & Leasing with the intention of repossessing the aircraft.
Padilla's sister, Benita Padilla-Kirkland, told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel newspaper that her family suspects Padilla was flying the aircraft and fear that he subsequently crashed somewhere on the African continent or is being held against his will.
Boeing 727
The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner, manufactured by Boeing. The Boeing 727 first flew in 1963, and for over a decade more were built per year than any other jet airliner. When production ended in 1984 a total of 1,832 aircraft had been produced...
-223 registered
Aircraft registration
An aircraft registration is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies a civil aircraft, in similar fashion to a licence plate on an automobile...
as N844AA was stolen from Quatro de Fevereiro Airport
Quatro de Fevereiro Airport
Quatro de Fevereiro International Airport is located in Luanda, a city in the Luanda Province and the capital of Angola. Quatro de Fevereiro is Portuguese for February 4th, a national holiday in Angola marking the start of the armed struggle against the Portuguese colonial regime on 4 February...
in Luanda
Luanda
Luanda, formerly named São Paulo da Assunção de Loanda, is the capital and largest city of Angola. Located on Angola's coast with the Atlantic Ocean, Luanda is both Angola's chief seaport and its administrative center. It has a population of at least 5 million...
, Angola
Angola
Angola, officially the Republic of Angola , is a country in south-central Africa bordered by Namibia on the south, the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the north, and Zambia on the east; its west coast is on the Atlantic Ocean with Luanda as its capital city...
. Its disappearance prompted a world-wide search by the FBI and the CIA.
The 727-aircraft
N844AA (serial number 20985) was manufactured in 1975 and formerly owned by American AirlinesAmerican Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
. A Miami-based company called Aerospace Sales & Leasing Co. was reported to be its last owner. While on lease to TAAG Angola Airlines it had been grounded and sat idle at Luanda for 14 months, accruing more than $4 million in backdated airport fees, and was one of two at Quatro de Fevereiro in the process of being converted for use by IRS Airlines
IRS Airlines
IRS Airlines Limited is an airline based in Abuja, Nigeria. It operates scheduled domestic passenger services. Its main base is Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.-History:The airline was established in 2002 and started operations in March 2002...
. The FBI described it as "...unpainted silver in colour with a stripe of blue, white and blue. The plane was formerly in the air fleet of a major airline, but all of the passenger seats have been removed. It is outfitted to carry Diesel fuel."
Early reports in July 2003
July 2003
July 2003: January – February – March – April – May – June – July – August – September – October – November – December-Events:-July 1, 2003:...
, noted a possible sighting of the missing plane in Conakry
Conakry
Conakry is the capital and largest city of Guinea. Conakry is a port city on the Atlantic Ocean and serves as the economic, financial and cultural centre of Guinea with a 2009 population of 1,548,500...
, Guinea
Guinea
Guinea , officially the Republic of Guinea , is a country in West Africa. Formerly known as French Guinea , it is today sometimes called Guinea-Conakry to distinguish it from its neighbour Guinea-Bissau. Guinea is divided into eight administrative regions and subdivided into thirty-three prefectures...
, but have been since conclusively disproved by the US Department of State
United States Department of State
The United States Department of State , is the United States federal executive department responsible for international relations of the United States, equivalent to the foreign ministries of other countries...
.
The Conakry sighting is disputed as another ex-American Airlines
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...
727 with registration number N862AA was re-registered in Guinea as 3X-GDM and based there until it was destroyed in the UTA Flight 141
UTA Flight 141
UTA Flight 141 was a charter flight operated by Union des Transports Aériens de Guinée.On 25 December 2003 the airplane crashed in the Bight of Benin, killing 151 of the 163 occupants, most of them Lebanese....
accident at Cadjehoun Airport
Cadjehoun Airport
Cotonou Cadjehoun Airport is an airport located in Cotonou, the biggest city in Benin in West Africa.In 2004, the airport served 301,493 passengers.-Airlines and destinations:-Incidents and accidents:...
in Cotonou
Cotonou
-Demographics:*1979: 320,348 *1992: 536,827 *2002: 665,100 *2005: 690,584 The main languages spoken in Cotonou include the Fon language, Aja language, Yoruba language and French.-Transport:...
, Benin
Benin
Benin , officially the Republic of Benin, is a country in West Africa. It borders Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin is where a majority of the population is located...
.
Possible theft
Some reports suggest there was only one person on board the aircraft at the time; other reports suggest there may have been more than one. When the aircraft started taxiing down the runway, the control tower tried to make contact, but there was no response, and the tracking transponderTransponder
In telecommunication, the term transponder has the following meanings:...
was turned off.
Some reports describe the aircraft as making abrupt changes in direction, while on the taxiways and during take-off, leading some speculation that there may have been a struggle on board during the possible theft.
Ben Charles Padilla
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
, a licensed aircraft mechanic, flight engineer, and pilot of small airplanes was aboard N844AA when it was stolen, and is believed by U.S. authorities to have been at the controls. He has not been seen or heard from since.
Padilla had arrived in Angola two months before the disappearance, to supervise work on N844AA on behalf of Aerospace Sales & Leasing with the intention of repossessing the aircraft.
Padilla's sister, Benita Padilla-Kirkland, told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel newspaper that her family suspects Padilla was flying the aircraft and fear that he subsequently crashed somewhere on the African continent or is being held against his will.