Plane, money, dead body

[hoss183]

Sounds like something from a fiction novel...
http://www.herald.co.zw/caaz-impounds-us-cargo-plane-bleeding-body-millions-of-rands-found-on-board/

[Loadesgalore]

Curious how WGA allowed to operate out of the EU? Rumour has it that it was using a Bambi callsign "AJK", from Nigeria. Also sounds like it couldn't reach South Africa in one hop. Did they miscalculate the fuel required.

Can't wait to read more, if it ever gets published!

[Basil]

Banknotes: In transit from printer to central bank?
Body: FO spoke back to captain once too often? ;)

[EEngr]

Sounds like WGA might be the next Air America. ;)

[Airbubba]

From the article linked above:

The last time Zimbabwean civil aviation authorities impounded a foreign plane was in 2004 when the authorities arrested a planeload of 64 mercenaries who wanted to take part in a coup in Equatorial Guinea.

Here's a PPRuNe discussion of that seizure and the politics involved:

http://www.pprune.org/african-aviation/121894-zimbobwe-seizes-us-cargo-plane-mercenaries.html

And a follow up thread about a pardon for some involved:

http://www.pprune.org/jet-blast/394534-executive-outcome.html

[Herod]

The refuel crew noticed blood leaking from the plane? How much blood was there?

[ironbutt57]

also being reported as a dead stowaway in a wheel well...makes more sense

[Airbubba]

Banknotes: In transit from printer to central bank?

also being reported as a dead stowaway in a wheel well...makes more sense

Looks like those perhaps plausible explanations are being offered by the officials:

Zimbabwe's Civil Aviation Authority said the matter had been handed over to the police to investigate.

Its chief, David Chawota, said the cargo on the US-owned plane belonged to the South African Reserve Bank.

A senior official at the bank, Pradeep Maharaj, said: "The South African Reserve Bank (SARB) is aware of an aircraft carrying a SARB consignment that stopped in Harare and was detained following the discovery of an unidentified body that is presumed to be a stowaway on the aircraft."

The bank was working with authorities to ensure that the cargo was released and transported to South Africa, he told the BBC.


Zimbabwe seizes plane with dead body and cash on board - BBC News (http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-35577988)

[20milesout]

SA Rand fresh off the press in Munich for the South African Reserve Bank (SARB). Seems legit.

Flight MUC-DUR, Crew from US and Pakistan plus 2 South Africans.

The poor soul discovered in Zim seems to have been a stowaway who had nothing to do with the nature of the flight.

[Slow and curious]

Where would the stowaway have 'boarded'? Munich? To go where?:confused:
This wasn't a scheduled flight after all. I imagine there wasn't too much security around, while loading all that money.

[Proline21]

Could it be that the stowaway boarded in Africa on the way to Munich and was never discovered in Munich on the ground?

[Airbubba]

Where would the stowaway have 'boarded'? Munich? To go where?

Could it be that the stowaway boarded in Africa on the way to Munich and was never discovered in Munich on the ground?

Not sure the body was in the gear well from these (somewhat gruesome) pictures posted on 'social media':

https://www.facebook.com/mongezi1/posts/1083735368314604

The aircraft was N545JN from pictures posted in news articles:

Zimbabwe impounds US-registered jet after body and cash found on board | World news | The Guardian (http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/15/cargo-jet-impounded-zimbabwe-body-south-african-rand#img-1)

Some recent flight history appears to be here:

https://www.flightradar24.com/data/airplanes/n545jn/

and here:

https://planefinder.net/data/aircraft/N545JN

Looks like February 13 was a busy day for the Mad Dog, did they go CAI-OST-MUC-HRE perhaps?

[troppo]

15 trillion rand? I would have been carrying enough fuel to reach central America ;)
You could buy your own little Banana Republic for a fraction of that.

[onetrack]

It would be interesting to know just how much it's costing the SA Central Bank to have its money released from "Zimbabwe security" - after this aircraft "illegally entered Zimbabwe airspace and used Zimbabwe aviation facilities without prior arrangements". :hmm: :rolleyes:

No doubt there will be "fees" for the carrier to negotiate for the "release" of its aircraft as well - coupled with "hospitality charges for the crew". All backed up and enforced by "war veterans" as well, no doubt.

I'd be surprised if the MD-11 didn't lift off at least 10% lighter on the cargo manifest, than when it landed. Talk about manna from Heaven for Mugabe. :suspect:

[Flightmech]

If the "stowaway" hid himself in the #3 air conditioning compartment as the social media pictures suggest, then he either had an accomplice or sneaked in there during a maintenance event someplace. Those doors cannot be closed from the inside.

If however he hid in the nose gear and got crushed which is much more likely, then there is ample opportunity for the blood to get in there. Nasty.

[Loadesgalore]

As always, expect a lot of twaddle reported in the press. The decision to divert to Zimbabwe for a tech stop was an odd one, as the crew must have been aware for some time that they were unlikely to make their destination.

I'm still curious, because the media has now announced that it was a UK outfit, Network Aviation Group, that leased the plane. How does that work that an N reg aircraft leased by a UK cargo outfit using a Nigerian callsign flies happily in and out of EU? Whose AOC was the aircraft operating on? Where was the security in Germany?

More answers to come, methinks.

[Airbubba]

If the "stowaway" hid himself in the #3 air conditioning compartment as the social media pictures suggest, then he either had an accomplice or sneaked in there during a maintenance event someplace. Those doors cannot be closed from the inside.

If however he hid in the nose gear and got crushed which is much more likely, then there is ample opportunity for the blood to get in there. Nasty.

The corpse is clearly visible in both pictures if you put them in a photo editor and turn up the brightness. Looks to me like an African male being removed from a forward avionics bay. Can you get to this area through the nose gear well on the MD-11?

Or, is there a door on the avionics bay that allows entry? Seems like the A306 had a door and maybe a little ladder where you could climb up from the ramp into the avionics bay and even go through a net to some pax baggage.

[Volume]

The ´ol Douglas has the air conditioning packs in the forward fuselage, and a very small wing to body fairing (where most modern aircraft have it installed now).
So this is an A/C compartment, not avionics. Probably a better hideaway than the landing gear bay, if you know somebody who lets you out at your destination... No Idea what could kill you in there, there are no massive items moved by hydraulics like in the LDG bay.
Is this compartment pressurized?

Looks like some of the blood stains were already visible in MUC (http://abload.de/image.php?img=dsc04905-bearbeitetpruvp.jpg)...

[Airbubba]

The ´ol Douglas has the air conditioning packs in the forward fuselage, and a very small wing to body fairing (where most modern aircraft have it installed now).
So this is an A/C compartment, not avionics.

Thanks for the correction, I've never flown the three motor DC's or MD's.

Looks like some of the blood stains were already visible in MUC...

Wow, with a white Easter egg paint job you would think that would be readily noticed on the walkaround inspection. Hard to see how that would get past a German ground engineer.

An update on the death investigation from today's Zimbabwe Herald:

Police have also engaged the services of Interpol to establish the nationality of the deceased person. Further, the investigations seek to establish whether the body is not carrying viruses that may cause the spread of diseases here. It is understood that the body was in an advanced stage of decomposition. Again, it is believed that what had been initially suspected to be blood dripping on the plane could actually be a combination of human fluids associated with a decomposing body.

Plane saga: Body taken for post-mortem | The Herald (http://www.herald.co.zw/plane-saga-body-taken-for-post-mortem/)

[hoss183]

I imagine for a decomposing body to start leaking that much it was probably there for weeks. I'm guessing the poor unfortunate snuck on at some point and couldn't get out. Although pressurized and possibly warmer than a wheel well, it would still be pretty cold there.
How often would that bay be inspected?

[Flightmech]

The area is not pressurised and there is plenty of room in the aft part of it outboard of the ADG (RAT) Like volume says, nothing in there that could lead to those kind of injuries.
There is an hole/opening between the nose gear bulkheads (both sides) leading into the air conditioning bays so it is feasible he could have been crushed by the retracting nose gear and got through the opening on pure adrenalin alone before passing away, but it would be very tight.

[hoss183]

Ah i assumed that area was pressurised. I thought on most wideboday the whole cigar tube bar the wheel wells, and up to the RPB was.
I don't think we know anything about 'level of injury'. My supposition is that he snuck in through the well, and died of cold/hypoxia and then was there for several weeks to get to such a leaky state.

[yankeeclipper747]

Photos on FB show it was the FWD Cargo.

[Airbubba]

Photos on FB show it was the FWD Cargo.

Huh? Is the cargo door really that far forward by the nose gear? :confused:

[Exup]

Picture shows the access door for #3 air conditioning bay, not the fwd cargo door.

[Airbubba]

Some more details from a South African news source:

The Equipment and Navigation Accessories (ENA) door of the MD 11 freighter is high up on the aircraft, not easily entered from the ground, and almost impossible to open midair, according to aviation experts who have seen the American freighter at Harare International Airport after it landed “during an emergency” on Sunday.

...Workers from the National Handling Co, according to information in the aviation world in Harare, went to attend to the plane and noticed blood high up on the plane, near the ENA door.

They were allegedly told it was caused by collision with a bird.

But drops of blood were still coming from that door area, and state security officials stationed at the airport insisted it be opened.

“So the engineer from the plane, for some reason put on latex gloves and opened the door which is quite high up the aircraft, and thwack, a fully clothed body of a black man fell out,” said an aviation insider.

Everyone around the plane was shocked and several noticed that there were burns to the dead man’s head, probably from ducts inside the ENA compartment. The dead man had no identification on him.

His body remained hanging out of the plane on the ground until Zimbabwe Republic Police arrived to take it away.

There are suspicions and speculation in aviation circles in Harare now that the US crew may have tried to dump the body during the flight from Munich, Germany, but could not open the ENA door from inside the aircraft over Mozambique because of pressure, and wanted to refuel in Harare and somehow dump the body after take off from Harare International.

The dead man is being investigated in Harare, but there are no qualified pathologists left in Zimbabwe.

Some say the US pilot is in detention, but informed sources in Harare say the four US airmen are in Meikles, a five-star hotel in central Harare.


Mystery deepens over body on plane | IOL (http://www.iol.co.za/news/africa/mystery-deepens-over-body-on-plane-1985052)

[underfire]

Stow away and a shipment of bank notes from the printer...

If nothing else, looking at all of the images, the ac with the original split winglet.....only took how many years?

http://i64.tinypic.com/9to6ds.jpg

[Exup]

Got to love The quote that aviation circles in Harare think the crew tried to dump the body inflight, that would be quite impressive as that compartment is not accessible from inside the aircraft, & once again main things in that Bay are air conditioning components & the rat. As for the pressurisation stopping the crew opening the door ( Which is no accessible ) that bay is not pressurised which I would suggest is what caused the poor guys demise in the first place.

[20milesout]

Traces of fluids on the fuselage of N545JN had already been noticed and taken care of on the ground in Liege, before she was positioned to Munich. The stains were believed to be the results of a birdstrike though. The aircraft had been flying ABV- ABJ- EBB prior to coming to Liege.

Flightmech: There is an hole/opening between the nose gear bulkheads (both sides) leading into the air conditioning bays so it is feasible he could have been crushed by the retracting nose gear and got through the opening on pure adrenalin alone before passing away, but it would be very tight.I find this highly plausible. For a small or very slim person it is doable (especially under those dire circumstances).

[slast]

The link at bottom has a bit more information.

"However, background research now revealed following facts:

On Feb 13th 2016 a Western Global Airlines McDonnell Douglas MD-11, registration N545JN (this aircraft registration has been involved in zero other incidents and/or accidents and A Western Global has been involved in 0 incidents reported on this site) performing flight AJK-4425 from Entebbe (Uganda) to Liege (Belgium), performed a seemingly uneventful flight and landed safely in Liege.

The aircraft subsequently positioned to Munich (Germany) still as flight AJK-4425 the same day.

A planespotter took a photograph of the aircraft in Munich which showed blood stains at the right hand side of the fuselage.

Ground staff at Munich Airport noticed the blood stains as well and reported the blood stain. The blood stains were identified as result of a bird strike however and no further action was taken.

In Munich the aircraft received its cargo destined for Durban (South Africa), a load of bank notes printed in Europe for the Reserve Bank of South Africa, and in the evening of Feb 13th 2016 departed as flight AJK-4130 with the intermediate destination Harare (Zimbabwe) for a planned fuel stop arriving in Harare on Feb 14th 2016.

During refueling the refueler discovered the blood stains on the panel, reportedly an air conditioning panel, at the right hand side of the fuselage and called police. A stowaway was subsequently recovered from the aircraft.

The aircraft, crew and the circumstances of the death of the stowaway are still under investigation by police in Zimbabwe.

The airline confirmed that their aircraft was leased to Network Airline Management. The shipment picked up in Munich was destined for South African Reserve Bank. The aircraft operates to Africa for Network Airline Management several times a week on a regular basis with Western Global providing aircraft and crew and Network Airline Management providing security, ground handling and cargo. The airline wrote: "During a routine fuel stop in Zimbabwe, a body was found in the lower compartment. The body is presumed to be a stowaway who may have entered the airplane during a previous stop. The situation is currently under review."

South African Reserve Bank stated: "The bulk of the annual production of banknotes is done locally in South Africa and a small percentage is done offshore as part of the contingency plans of the SARB. The aircraft currently detained at Harare Airport is carrying a consignment of South African banknotes that was produced overseas as part of the SARB's annual production plan."

https://www.aeroinside.com/item/7050/a-western-global-md11-in-harare-on-feb-14th-2016-and-the-results-of-the-fuel-stop?utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=20160217

[Loadesgalore]

It still beats me how a WGA aircraft can liberally hop around Europe on a Nigerian callsign, chartered by a UK company, now that NGA has closed down and Neff no longer has an EU AOC at his disposal? Do the Germans, Belgians and French all turn a blind eye to the rules, or am I missing something?

[Exup]

Why pick on WGA what about FedEx, Atlas, UPS & others all bring freight in to & out of the EU.

[172driver]

Looks like they're on their way now: Zimbabwe releases US-registered plane carrying unidentified body | World news | The Guardian (http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/feb/20/zimbabwe-us-registered-plane-body-suspected-stowaway)

[The Ancient Geek]

Now parked at Waterkloof AFB.

[Parrot]

Its still not clear why the plane landed in Zimbabwe as it was supposed to be a direct flight Munich-Durban

[grounded27]

t still beats me how a WGA aircraft can liberally hop around Europe on a Nigerian callsign, chartered by a UK company, now that NGA has closed down and Neff no longer has an EU AOC at his disposal? Do the Germans, Belgians and French all turn a blind eye to the rules, or am I missing something?

It is called ACMI, I am surprised by the lack of knowledge on the subject. The airline is operating on the the WET lease of the customer, the customer has a certificate, the aircraft is chartered for aircrew,maintenance and insurance.. long standing standard of business. Buyer pays for all other associated fee's and files the flight plan, more importantly THEY pay for the fuel. Additionally if one could climb up the NLG of a MD11 they would have access to the E&E, if the dead guy was able to open the door an alert would be displayed (possible reason for diversion) though he would be fighting cabin pressure, possible to partially make his way into the #3 pack bay.

[Huck]

I am surprised by the lack of knowledge on the subject.

Me too. ACMI carriers have their own certificates.

[pattern_is_full]

Its still not clear why the plane landed in Zimbabwe as it was supposed to be a direct flight Munich-Durban

According to what source?

Aviation Herald says the following:

"In Munich the aircraft received its cargo destined for Durban (South Africa)....and in the evening of Feb 13th 2016 departed as flight AJK-4130 with the intermediate destination Harare (Zimbabwe) for a planned fuel stop arriving in Harare on Feb 14th 2016."

The airline confirmed....: "During a routine fuel stop in Zimbabwe, a body was found in the lower compartment....."

News: A Western Global MD11 in Harare on Feb 14th 2016 and the results of the fuel stop (http://avherald.com/h?article=49409531&opt=0)

[NG1]

It is called ACMI, I am surprised by the lack of knowledge on the subject. The airline is operating on the the WET lease of the customer, the customer has a certificate, the aircraft is chartered for aircrew,maintenance and insurance.. long standing standard of business. Buyer pays for all other associated fee's and files the flight plan, more importantly THEY pay for the fuel. Additionally if one could climb up the NLG of a MD11 they would have access to the E&E, if the dead guy was able to open the door an alert would be displayed (possible reason for diversion) though he would be fighting cabin pressure, possible to partially make his way into the #3 pack bay.

To me it seems to be quite obvious from all the reports that:

- the operating Carrier is Western Global (USA)
- the aircraft was leased to Allied Air (Nigeria) and flying under their flight number and callsign
- Customer was Network Airline Management

To get a clearer picture of the traffic right situation we would need to have more information on the traffic right agreement between Germany and South Africa. And - maybe even more important - the one between Germany and Zimbabwe. A more relaxed regulation in that agreement when it comes to third country cargo operators might give an explanation for the "tech stop" in Harare...

[Wageslave]

Is Harare the sort of place you'd choose for a fuel stop?
Is fuel readily available there? Is it super cheap?
Is it expensive in RSA?
Does an MD11 need to stop en route to RSA from Europe? I thought they had really long legs?

[The Ancient Geek]

Harare is a favourite alternate or diversion because it has one of the longest runways in the world.
Not the nicest of places but Meikles is a damn good hotel.