Stolen in Africa - A B727!

[BAKELA]

Check out this thread on a stolen B727. http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?threadid=91406

Jeepers - what next!!!!!:ooh: :uhoh: :oh:

[126,7]

Question is: Where would they have taken the plane? Is it still flying on the american register as the one chap mentioned, if it is indeed that aircraft.
An AN32 came in VFR to Lanseria once from Maputo after having "escaped". The aircraft was grounded in Mozambique and the crew said they just wanted to run the engines to make sure everything is in order. Next thing they were airbourne and heading west!!!

[Gunship]

A terrorism threat is a serious matter .. refuel in "old Unita - held area " and well fly into a building / crowd anywhere in Zim / Zambia / SA .. or back to "base" ... no Gunns you are pesimistic now .. SIT DOWN :uhoh:

[international hog driver]

Guns me ol mate...

The only building this bird damaged was the domestic pax terminal in Luanda.
It was stuck in the mud and the tug could not budge it so buddy gets in and powers it out.

727 at full power, tail to the terminal......:ok:

It coated everything with mud then blew the roof off the baggage area before then taking the tug for a ride.

Oh africa.....:{

[Gunship]

So IHD .. you wanna tell me the aircraft has been standing for a year , stuck in mud and he had to blast his way out of the mud and rubbish, blew a terminal a bit and off he goes ..

It is not 1 April is it ... :uhoh:

You guys have not seen an explosion shortly after take off ?

This is amazing - really amazing and nobody knws anything about it ???

[international hog driver]

No not april 1,

The mud/terminal incident happened a couple months back.

There's more but its not for a public forum.

IHD:E

[Gunship]

I (we) are all ears :E

[B Sousa]

Come on Guns, its not like you not to feed the Rumor Mill. What really happened.
1. Somebody got paid big dollars to go and repo the thing??
2. Somebody actually stole it, probably for scrap value??
Either way how come we didnt think of it, what a fun ride....
The one thing that bothers me is that just maybe Osmas idiot friends may have gotten it.....

[Gunship]

Oh Bert ... oh Bert you crooked minded 'merican ... too much blendid rum from Jamaica mon and then the weed from Viljen and co has made the damage ... :p

I think this is what happened ..:mad: ...

Bert .. you need some Tassie's on you next visit to me in the Cape ... then you would have had a beter idea of what happened.

It is an insurance scam .. :ooh:

IHD .. we await your answer in constipation :E

[international hog driver]

Put it this way gun's................. and everyone else.

There are many available 727 rated pilots both local and expat in country at anytime.

There has been questions asked.........:mad:

Who knows what and were it will go :E

Lets say that among "certain groups" it has been known that something was planned. There are only two ways to get that volume of go juice into a "parked" aircraft.

Funny that:ok:

There are people who know what was going on but for now and probably until they retire or crash mum's the word.:cool:

[WhatsaLizad?]

In the short term,I'd rather not be the poor slobs in an innocent 727 with nav and comm problems near Israeli airspace.

[fesmokie]

To you guys in Africa who are in the know about this aircraft, Was it a fuel hauler delivered last year with the reg # N844AA ? Silver and blue with the American Airlines logo scraped off the Vertical? Just curious.;)

[international hog driver]

Affirmative smokie, don’t know if it had the tanks in it though never been inside this one.:suspect:

[fesmokie]

Oh yea it had tanks. Ten Aluminum 500 gallon tanks each plummed together by a four inch manifold with shutoff valves on each one and a very unique vent system. At least they were installed in the aircraft when I left that god for saken place last year.

[concordino]

Guys

According to the other thread in rumors and news ONE man stole the plane.
Realistically speaking, can one man fly the 727? Don’t you require a F/E?

I guess there is a new job on the horizon with a good future outlook

Airplane Bounty Hunters

:D

[fesmokie]

Sure one guy could do it. All he would have to do is set up the panel correctly for take off and once he's airborne let the auto pilot do the flying while he makes adjustments to the FE panel. As long as he has No major systems failures or has to crank the gear down, it could be done.

[DownIn3Green]

I agree also that one guy could do it, but a "co-conspiritor" would make the job dead easy...

Also, as mentioned previously, there had to be someone on the inside, as the $$$$'s owed go to different places...the gov't, fueller, ATC, local militia and anyone else with a hand to put out...

I have been on the crew of one repo from Guam (which ended up in Luanda-anyone remember N118CL?) and have been the Capt on 2 others from Eastern Europe.

I wasn't privvy to the details of the 1st one, but the 2 I took out of XXXXXX all I had to do was grease the ATC and Aerodrome folks, and the local police...

As anyone knows, the radar is minimal at best along the west coast of Africa, and there are many places to land, and if the money man is in one of those countries, you can bet the wheels were greased to make the arrival smooth...

[fesmokie]

I agree with you 100%. When we left that aircraft and mess in Luanda we all had to grease the palms of the officials at the airport prior to boarding our flight to S Africa. What amazed me though was the whole time there we had to pay to have the airport authoritys drive us out and back from the aircraft every time we needed to. We (the crew) were not allowed to walk to the airplane.It cost about $20.00 US each way. The ramp rats and mechanics were allowed to walk about the ramp quite freely.I can see that if you greese the right palms you could get easy access to just about anything at the airport or in Luanda period.I wouldnt be a bit surprised that it was the REPOman and most likely from MIA. I also think that it would be an easy trip South to Namibia where one could hide cheap and or buy gas for the bird. It's all just PFM.;)

[WhatsaLizad?]

I made a joke of the situation before learning of this a/c's fuel capacity.

After reading about 24 hour fighter cover and SAM's around the G8 summit, I can't help to wonder if the pucker factor of the security folks there might be a little high for good reason.

I wouldn't doubt that the defense ring around Evian extends quite a ways. No doubt there has been more than a few briefings about this missing a/c along with photo's of it in the cockpits of armed interceptors.


My bet is still on a repo job though.

[Herc Jerk]

was in-country when they "left", heard it was 2 guys- not one as previously mentioned.

HJ

[swish266]

Just heard on the news the incident being reported. They said a/c was last in contact with Seychelles!? And that Uncle Sam is ****ting bricks!

[Deanw]

Herewith a VOA report on N844AA:

US, Angola Seek Missing Boeing 727 Jet

(Voice of America) - Authorities in Africa and the United States are looking for a Boeing 727 jet missing from Angola since late last month under suspicious circumstances. The Boeing 727 has been missing since it took off under mysterious circumstances from Luanda airport in the southwest African country of Angola more than two weeks ago. U.S. government officials tell VOA it was last heard of requesting landing permission in the Seychelles off the coast of East Africa but never arrived there. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, say the aircraft's disappearance looks like a criminal act. But with memories still fresh of the bloody September 11 terrorist plane hijackings in the United States almost two years ago, the officials say they have to remain open to the possibility that terrorism may be involved in the case of the vanishing 727.Authorities in Angola say the plane took off illegally on Sunday, May 25. The country's minister of transportation later indicated the aircraft's disappearance would lead to stepped up security at Luanda airport.The plane was brought to Angola by a firm called Air Angola. According to VOA's Portuguese service, that firm is owned by a group of current and former high-ranking military officials.

However the Boeing 727 had been parked idle at the airport for more than a year for non-payment of some $4 million in fees to Angola's airport authority.Some U.S. officials say they suspect the plane may have been flown off to avoid repossession. Others tell VOA they believe it may have been crashed for insurance purposes.According to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, the plane was built in 1975. Although it was originally operated by American Airlines, according to FAA records, its latest registered owner was an aircraft leasing firm based in Miami,
Florida.Efforts to contact the firm were unsuccessful. The telephone number for the company has been disconnected.An FAA spokesman had no new information on the plane or the firm. He told VOA firms are legally obliged to inform the agency of address changes and any transfers in aircraft ownership. But the spokesman conceded that does not always happen and he could not rule out the possibility the plane may have been sold to foreign owners. Curiously, despite the FAA records, other U.S. government officials said the plane belongs to an American who lives in South Africa who leased the aircraft to others. These officials provided no additional details.

[The Claw]

"officials said the plane belongs to an American who lives in South Africa who leased the aircraft to others. These officials provided no additional details."

That wouldn't perhaps be Tokoph? :E :E

[B Sousa]

It would not be the first 'Firm located in Florida" That has no phone number and a vacant office, to be funded by Uncle Sugar. Some of these address' come back to little boxes in a Mail Drop. I dont know of this but again it happens all the time.
It is a 1975 Model 727 according to the most current records which any of you can use by searching www.landings.com then scrolling down to search databases.
Somebody drop the gringos name so we can have a look at him....

[fesmokie]

The guy that brought the aircraft to Luanda was Keith Irwin and was from Randpark Ridge outside of Jo-Burg in South Africa. He had made a deal to haul deisel fuel to the diamond mines for those so called Generals in Angola. Yes he did name the airline "Air Angols". The aircraft was leased or perhaps stolen from an outfit at the Opolaka airport in Miami.The Aircraft N844AA was an Ex American Airlines bird and was converted to a fuel hauler while in Namibia. The "FIRM" in Florida was there on the feild at Opolaka and they had several aircraft in there possession along with a large staff of Mechanics and helper's and an active telephone at the time.

[Gunship]

:p What an amazing story !

Here is another thread running on rumours and news :

http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=91406

Two friends actually flew "it" (or similar) - the fuel conversion sounds 100% correct - and he send me some pics .... wonder if "it" is the same aircraft ?

Maybe post them ?

Cheers

Gunns

[fesmokie]

Well, I may know your freinds cause I was one of the crew. Small world eh?;)

[Gunship]

Small world indeed fesmokie .. one is in IC flying front seat in a :mad: , and other one fell with ass in butter flying a very rich Indian business man all over the world ... not you perhaps :D

[currawong]

Maybe Guns borrowed it to haul his booze around?

:E :D :yuk:

[Gunship]

currawong :

Maybe Guns borrowed it to haul his booze around?



Though the TAssie's taste's like DIESEL :yuk:

Have a great day !

I am getting pi55ed .. England won the KIWI's and in 2 hours :

B O K K E !!! :ok:

See Aussies ar thrashing the Welch ... 18 - 3 after 53 minutes ..

[fesmokie]

Not Me!! I'm on a Whale freighter and staying away from Angola. Thank God. Hope I never see that Hole again!!!!!!!!!:yuk:

[AfricanSkies]

"officials said the plane belongs to an American who lives in South Africa who leased the aircraft to others. These officials provided no additional details".

This is the venerable Maurie who is the SA facilitator for the Nigerian IRS airline. RUMOUR has it that the pilot set the a/p and hit the silk. Rumour also has it that the Nigerian insurers smell lots of big smelly rats and ain't payin' up...

[B Sousa]

Based on this thread and the other thread mentioned it appears Fesmokie is not at all happy with a certain "Keith Irwin".....As I had mentioned before there is a good database for Pilot and Aircraft info out there, you just have to play around with it and remember that it is limited by whats "Public Information" www.landings.com
By scrolling down and searching Pilot Databases I came up with something that may be the same guy:
Keith Barry Irwin
14 Swie Ave Box 799
Randparkridge, South Africa

He hold a US FAA PPL and is rated for Single and Multi-Engine Land. IT may or may not be the same guy and also his license may not be current. Obviously he cannot fly for hire on that license.
Fesmokie, what say you.........

[fesmokie]

I sayeth dat wood be da man. Except I had a different box number plus all his many phone numbers. I even spent a day in his house at Randparkridge. Dosn't matter though nobody can find the bastard. From what I've heard, even the folks that let him leave Florida with that aircraft can't find him, along with many others. I'm just going to write the money he owes me off to another fine african vacation.:mad: :yuk: His day will come:ouch:

[Gunship]

... and the storm does not want to settle ....



The Central Intelligence Agency and the American state department have joined in the continent-wide search for the aircraft US authorities said was probably stolen from the airport in the capital Luanda as part of a business dispute or financial scam.

A less likely, but far more chilling scenario, is that the plane was either stolen by terrorists or could end up in their hands for a possible September 11-type attack somewhere in Africa, said US officials.

The 28-year-old jetliner was stolen from under the noses of Luanda airport's control tower on May 25 and has not been sighted since. It had been parked at the airport for 14 months.

'I haven't come across this before in 22 years in this business'
US spy satellites have taken pictures of remote airstrips throughout Africa, including those at a half-fuel-tank's distance from Luanda's 4 de Fevereiro airport. US diplomats have travelled across Africa looking for the aircraft.

"I haven't come across this before in 22 years in this business," said Chris Yates, a civil aviation security analyst for Jane's Aviation service.

"It is not a stretch to think this plane could end up in the hands of terrorists. A number of companies involved in gun-running and other crimes in Africa have indirect ties to various terrorist groups," he added.

Flown by American Airlines for decades, the 47m, 90 700kg jetliner was later owned, leased or subleased by a number of people and companies. Aerospace Sales and Leasing in Miami is its current owner.

Angolan state radio said shortly after its disappearance that it had been chartered by the Angolan airline Airangol but was grounded after being banned from overflying Angolan territory on account of a series of irregularities.


Eischhh Africa ....:E

[REAL ORCA]

Maybe David Copperfield can help us with this one!:p

[B Sousa]

Hey Folks, its even getting newsworhty here in the states.......


WASHINGTON (June 19) -- The family of a man believed to have been piloting a Boeing 727 that mysteriously took off and disappeared from an Angolan runway last month today told of their anguish as international authorities fear the jetliner could be used for a terrorist act.

In a baffling aviation vanishing act, workers at Luanda Airport in Angola watched dumbfounded on May 25 as the Boeing 727 taxied down the runway and took off -- without permission. The plane -- which was refitted to haul diesel fuel tanks, making it a potential flying bomb -- has not been seen since.

The man the U.S. government suspects of piloting the 727 is Benjamin Padilla -- a U.S. citizen from Florida. Padilla, too, has vanished, and his family is worried.

"I am concerned that he might have been hijacked," Padilla's brother, Joseph, said in an exclusive interview with ABCNEWS.

"It's very painful," said Padilla's sister, Benita Kirkland Padilla. "The whole family is in anguish, not knowing what happened to our brother."

The last time the family heard from Padilla was on May 14, when Benita received an e-mail from her brother informing her that he was on his way to Africa and would get in touch with his ailing mother as soon as he returned home.

But more than a month since their last communication, Padilla has not yet returned home. And with international authorities concerned that the missing jetliner could be used for terrorist purposes, the family maintains that he would never be involved in such a plan.

"Personally, I do not believe he has done anything criminal or terrorist-related," Benita told 'Good Morning America' today.

The family believes Padilla, a licensed mechanic and pilot, flew to Angola on behalf of Aerospace Sales and Leasing, a Florida-based company that bought the 727 from American Airlines two years ago. The plane had not been moved for more than a year, and his family believes Padilla went to see whether it was fit to fly.

Neither Padilla's family nor ABCNEWS has been able to reach anyone at Aerospace Sales and Leasing. No one was at the office when ABCNEWS visited Wednesday and phone calls were not answered.

Despite the use of satellites to scour the African landscape, and a request to all African embassies for information, U.S. officials said they still have no clue about the plane's location.

"We don't have any reliable assessments about what this portends, what it could be, who may be behind it," said White House spokesman Ari Fleischer.

Joseph fears that his brother may have lost control of the plane's hydraulics after taking off and is concerned for his safety.

"If the plane has gone into the water, satellites can't make it out," he told 'Good Morning America' today.

Most intelligence officials believe the plane was stolen to run drugs or guns, or as part of an insurance scam.

However, they have not ruled out the possibility the plane is in the hands of terrorists -- perhaps plotting to target U.S. embassies in Africa.

But Benita said she was sure her brother, whom she described as a man with "a sort of nomadic nature," would never voluntarily get involved in any plot against his country's interests. "He was a patriot, he loved his country, he loved to fly," she said.

[B Sousa]

Based on further Information a guy in Florida matcvhing his description does have a Pilots, Mechanics License along with Flight Engineer Rating which mean he may be somewhat knowledgable on the 727. However his Pilots license is a PPl for Single Engine........Good Luck with a 727

[126,7]

My instructor once told me to move the levers together and its just like a single, only a bit bigger.
That aeroplane has probably been repainted and re-registered and is flying around somewhere with big blue UN and WFP markings on it. Nobody looks twice at those markings, since there are so many aircraft sporting those colours all over the continent.

[Gunship]

Western intelligence services are racing against the clock to find a passenger aircraft somewhere in Africa.

The Boeing 727 was stolen in Angola earlier and there were fears that it could be used in an attack similar to the 9/11 disaster.

The American CIA started searching for the aircraft more than a month ago after it was stolen at an airport in Luanda.

Interpol in South Africa had also conducted a search, but to no avail.

The aircraft disappeared on May 25 after leaving the Luanda airport without permission. The Boeing, which can carry 150 people, had been standing at the Luanda airport for more than a year.

Reports said the Boeing was the property of an American company, which hired it out.

Superintendent Mary Martins-Engelbrecht, Interpol's South African spokesperson, said the Angolan government contacted police two weeks ago to investigate reports that the aircraft could be in South Africa.

Engelbrecht said: "We investigated every possibility, but found that it wasn't in South Africa."

The search in South Africa was called off, but the CIA requested British and French intelligence services to help conduct a search on the African continent.

American spy satellites were used to photograph airports where the aircraft could have been hidden.

Sapa reported that the aircraft might be used for smuggling purposes. Western countries, however, fear that the aircraft might be used in a deadly attack.

The Washington Post reported earlier this week that American authorities were concerned that the aircraft could be used against American targets in Africa.

The aircraft's seats had apparently been removed to make room for huge fuel tanks for flights to remote destinations.

:uhoh:

[fesmokie]

Sorry, That pic you have on Airliners.net is the Wrong B-727.

[Gunship]

Saw an interview on CNN last night / early this morning where his sister said her pilot brother must be dead ....

The family of a 51-year-old pilot from Miami fears that he crashed while flying a Boeing 727 that authorities say has been missing since taking off without permission from Angola in Africa last month.

Ben Padilla had been hired by a Miami-based firm to repossess the plane after Angola Air failed to make payments on it, Padilla's sister, Benita Padilla-Kirkland, told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel newspaper.

His family suspects Padilla was flying the Boeing that took off from Angola on May 25 and may have crashed somewhere on the African continent, his sister said. Padilla is an airplane mechanic and pilot who has flown cargo planes around the world for two decades.

The missing plane has been the subject of an international search since it disappeared. US officials in Washington have said that the plane was probably being used for criminal purposes but hasn't been linked to any terrorist plot.

Padilla responded last month to an e-mail from a relative informing him that his mother was in the hospital with a heart attack. More than a month later, his mother is recovering in Pensacola, but the family still hasn't heard from him.

"I know (he) would've called my mother," Padilla-Kirkland said. "His last e-mail said that he would call her when he could, and the fact that he has not called her is the first clear sign that he's unable. If he crashed or is being held against his will."

[JJflyer]

look in Somalia or Sudan... that is if it was nicked by someone nasty and provided it went that way... Provided it is not packed into a jungle or mountain somewhere.

With F25 t/o one could get the bird out with a low weight from much less than 6000ft (2000m). So roads, dry rivers and lakes are all good candidates where to take the bird.

Cheers

JJ

[B Sousa]

If it had crashed, a 727 leaves a pretty big debris field unless underwater. Satellites cover that area pretty good. http://heavens-above.com/ Further that someone by now would have said something about locals trading in scrap aluminum...
Eventually it may be found, but Im sure We wont know until long afterward.

[JJflyer]

Hey ther Bert.

Sure you agree that for example DRC is pretty big with a lot of jungle to cover all remains should it have crashed there. You are right though. No reports for natives selling hoards of aluminium, yet. Still DRC is Suprisingly sparesly populated in some areas.

I run several scenarios with both -9 / -15 engines and 50k and 55k lbs fuel on board with Jepp flightstar. I did the same with half tanks. Interesting results for possible destinations. There are a lot of places and ways to hide an aircraft from visual observations from satellites. Using infrared imagery or SLAR would make it easier to find the threeholer but would require a recce flight. Africa is pretty big to do that.

Cheers

JJ

[B Sousa]

JJ
Anything is possible. Living in las Vegas, im just working the odds......ha ha

[homesick rae]

This topic is now on CNN as we speak (in US)!!! The brother of one of the pilots speaking about it!

[BAKELA]

HR,

Let us know if anything transpires. Thanks mate.

Bakela

[homesick rae]

Usual "is it an act of terrorism" angle.

The brother said that it was normal not to hear from his sibling for a few months. Did not know if he was qualified to fly the B727!

The lady (sister possibly) said she had had an email late May which did not say too much except that he was "travelling".

Cheers

HR

[B Sousa]

The more the news centers on these folks from Florida, the more I think they are full of ( ). It gets them on TV....
Once all is said and done this will be an interesting story for sure....For now all We can do is second guess what really happened.

[BAKELA]

Thanks for the feedback HR. :ok:

Bert, agreed. This should be interesting once we get the REAL TRUTH and info. Oh yes, I found this...the Jack Daniels was my clue:hmm:...but then I decided this could not possibly be B Sousa.;):}

http://www.ahajokes.com/cartoon/yoda2.jpg

[B Sousa]

Bakela
I have never met the man, but dont say anything becuse I think I woke up one morning with his sister........

[126,7]

Bert
I dont think there is enough booze in the world to get me in the sack with that guys sister. Ouch thats gotta hurt:yuk:

[B Sousa]

Unfortunately I was a US Marine for about 5 years before I joined the Army. We did much worse after a bottle of Okinawan Slow Gin...

[AdamCG]

Without a Trace
Mysterious Disappearance of Boeing 727 and Pilot Remains Unsolved
By Adrienne Mand
ABCNEWS.com
April 19— Ben Charles Padilla, an aircraft mechanic, flight engineer and cargo pilot, traveled the world plying his trade for various private companies.


He'd often keep in touch with family members from faraway locales, so it was no surprise in May 2003 when he replied to an e-mail about his mother having a heart attack with news that he was in Africa refurbishing a plane and would contact her as soon as he could.
His family has not heard from him since, and the FBI believes the 51-year-old was aboard a Boeing 727 that took off without authorization from an airport in Angola on May 25 and promptly vanished. At the time, U.S. officials told ABCNEWS they suspected the plane was stolen to run drugs or guns, and some theorized it was crashed for insurance money.

Though there was fear that the former passenger plane, which the FBI says was reconfigured to carry diesel fuel, could be in the hands of terrorists eyeing a Sept. 11-style attack, there was no evidence to link it to terrorism.

The incident touched off an intensive investigation by U.S. intelligence agencies that continues nearly a year later. The plane and Padilla remain unaccounted for — and the mysterious circumstances around their disappearance leave many unanswered questions.

How could a plane vanish? Who has it now? And what happened to Padilla, who was no stranger to assignments like the one that took him to Angola?


Waiting for a Break

"It's been almost a year and I know really no more now than I did in the beginning," said Joseph Padilla of Pensacola, Fla., younger brother of the missing man. Family members are baffled by his disappearance but maintain Ben Padilla would not knowingly have been involved in any illegal activities.

Joseph Padilla suspects there may have been some sort of dispute of ownership between the company that hired his brother and someone else, and that Ben got caught in the middle.

Joseph Padilla stays in contact with the FBI and State Department for updates on the case and provides them with leads from reporters and his own research. There have been glimmers of hope for a breakthrough — a crash in Benin at Christmastime, a tip that the plane had been spotted in Guinea — but investigators have told him they were not the missing plane.

"[The investigation] is still ongoing," said FBI Special Agent Jeff Westcott. "We're investigating possibilities. Every now and then a lead will come in. The FBI, working with our agents overseas, will aggressively pursue that." But so far, he said, the leads "haven't amounted to anything."

The agency is considering any scenario, including terrorism, but "we really don't speculate," said Westcott. "It's a concern — I wouldn't really characterize it beyond that."

The State Department, which is in charge of locating missing persons abroad, has not learned much about Padilla's whereabouts. "It's still open," said Stuart Patt, spokesman for the Bureau of Consular Affairs at the Department of State. "We stay in touch with the family of the pilot, but they haven't heard anything. We haven't heard anything. It's really been a very long time since we've had any news or even any leads.

"Certainly there are a lot of hypotheticals," Patt said, without giving specifics. "We just don't have any basis yet for really being able to give an answer that would be meaningful."


A Frustrating Process

Joseph Padilla, who is retired, spends much of his time checking in with the FBI and State Department and looking for information about the case on the Internet. "I always look at every news organization in America and across the world," he said. "I do that late at night, almost daily."

He is being helped by Florida attorney Martin Pedata, who is working pro bono to try to obtain more information. The government agencies have said they cannot be more open because of privacy provisions in the Freedom of Information Act that would require Ben Padilla's consent for his relatives to learn more.

Pedata hopes to establish a conservatorship, which would legally allow someone in the Padilla family to act on behalf of Ben, but there's no precedent for the current situation. "There's really no case out there that says this could be done," he said. "Theoretically, under Florida law, the conservator could step into the shoes to try to get around the defense that they can't tell more details."

Meanwhile, the family — which has already lost two other siblings — has struggled through holidays without Ben and "not knowing the status of my brother is just about to drive us crazy."

"The government can see that we are ordinary people," Joseph Padilla said, saying he's told investigators, "'Look, I'm a big boy now. You can tell me if my brother's deceased and you know it.' "

But they don't know, nor do they know the fate of the last plane that was in his charge. And that worries Joseph Padilla, too.

"As an individual, I could care less about this plane," he said. "But as an American, I want it found because this plane has 10 500-gallon fuel tanks."

[khaddafi]

not te become too speculative - but i recently heard this plane showed up in the DRC: airports enough to land this giant...:hmm:

[contraxdog]

I heard a litte bird tweet that it might be still standing in Harare at the military base, since it was confiscated by Bob_ j_ _n MugApe's crowd.....

[Gunship]

Lo Bru Contrax Dog from the plaas ;)

Do you mean the same 727 used by the "mercenaries" ? :uhoh: