Angola - Ben Padilla, 50, & John Mutantu, Luanda, 25 May 2003

A Boeing 727 suddenly took off from Quatro de Fevereiro International Airport in Luanda, Angola on May 25, 2003. It was never seen again, with Ben Padilla and John Mikel Mutantu on board. The registry is N844AA. The airplane had never been seen again. However, there were reported sightings throughout Africa.

Padilla and Mutantu were hired to fix the airplane and make sure it is airworthy. There was also a dispute with Angolan authorities in terms of fees and taxes paid. It was owned by Aerospace Sales.

The theft caused great concern as it happened nearly two years after 9/11. The concern was that the airplane could be used by terrorists as a weapon.

No one knows what happened to Padilla and Mutantu. They could of died in the airplane, got murdered, or are held against their will somewhere. The fate of the airplane is unknown. It either crashed into the ocean or rainforest, got shot down, or is in a warehouse somewhere.


The 727 that Vanished
http://www.airspacemag.com/history-of-flight/the-727-that-vanished-2371187/

Where is the missing 727 ? missing Ben Padilla ?
http://gretawire.foxnewsinsider.com...ry-by-then-washington-post-writer-john-mintz/

On May 25, 2003, Floridian Ben Charles Padilla, Jr. and an African aircraft engineer strode out to a 727 they had been working on at the airport in Luanda, Angola. They planned to do a test on the plane's engines before it got dark. They boarded the jet. A few minutes later those engines fired up. But instead of the plane remaining parked on the tarmac, the 727 rolled down the runway and took off. Neither the men nor the jet have ever been seen again.

Charley Project link:
http://www.charleyproject.org/cases/p/padilla_ben.html

2010 article in Air & Space magazine about the disappearance:
http://www.airspacemag.com/history-of-flight/the-727-that-vanished-2371187/?no-ist

Recent interview with the author of the Air & Space article:
http://unfoundpodcast.podomatic.com/entry/2016-09-07T10_15_03-07_00

If you have any information regarding the whereabouts of Mr. Padilla or the 727, please contact the FBI at (202) 324-3000.

Yep. That link, too. Thank you.