On the evening of May 25, 2003, as the sun descended over the skies of Luanda, Angola, an unexpected event unfolded at Quatro de Fevereiro International Airport. The American jetliner Boeing 727, known as N844A, took off without a scheduled departure. This departure, marked by irregularities, set the stage for a bizarre and mysterious sequence of events that would involve an entrepreneur, a joint venture, a troubled aircraft, and a disappearance that remains unsolved to this day.
The Boeing 727, originally part of the American Airlines fleet, had a long and distinguished service history, spanning more than 25 years. Manufactured in 1975, it had weathered the skies under the rigorous maintenance program of American Airlines until its retirement. In January 2002, the aircraft got a new ownership, as it was sold to Aerospace Sales and Leasing, a corporation based in Miami, Florida. The aircraft, now sporting the tail number N844AA, remained in excellent condition, a testament to its years under the care of American Airlines.
The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) described the aircraft as “…unpainted silver in color with a stripe of blue, white, and blue. The aircraft 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.”
The man behind the decision to transport this Boeing 727 to Africa was Keith Urban Irwin, a 57-year-old entrepreneur hailing from South Africa. Irwin had recently entered into a joint venture with Cargo Air Transport Systems, a South African company that had secured a contract to transport fuel to diamond mines in Angola. The ongoing civil war in Angola made ground transportation to these mines nearly impossible, prompting the consideration of air transport as a risky but potentially viable alternative.
Initially planning to lease a 727 for a year and hire two flight crews for the same duration, Irwin’s plans faced complications, resulting in a loss of $140,000. Undeterred, Irwin pivoted to purchasing the aircraft outright for $1,000,000 from Aerospace Sales and Leasing. The plan was to modify the aircraft’s interior to accommodate fuel tanks, enabling the transport of fuel to diamond mines in Angola.
Irwin, accompanied by Mike Gabriel and a six-person crew, embarked on their journey from Miami on N844AA on February 28, 2002. However, they faced delays, reaching Angola only on March 14 due to issues in acquiring the necessary permits. During this period, Irwin depleted the remaining $185,000 of the joint venture’s investment.
Conditions in Luanda proved challenging for the crew. The apartment lacked basic amenities, and their passports were initially confiscated. While two crew members returned to the U.S. without receiving owed salaries, the remaining four stayed in the hope that the venture would stabilize.
April 2002 marked the commencement of delivery flights because of extreme danger. An anonymous crew member with 30 years of flight experience, described it as the most difficult flying in the world. Landing on unpaved, uneven runways amidst ground fire posed significant risks. By the end of April, all crew members returned to the U.S., signaling the collapse of Irwin’s venture.
Amidst these challenges, Irwin felt he was being followed, prompting him to take precautions like blocking his hotel room door. An attempted break-in led to Irwin leaving Angola abruptly, leaving the Boeing 727 behind. Despite its initial mint condition, the aircraft, after 17 delivery flights, was practically worthless due to the challenging conditions and stress it faced.
The aircraft remained parked at Luanda’s airport, accumulating fees. Irwin, having made partial payments, ceased sending money to Aerospace Sales and Leasing. In November 2002, Maury Joseph, the owner of Aerospace Sales and Leasing, traveled to Nigeria to sell another 727, accompanied by freelance flight engineer Ben Charles Padilla. Padilla, a skilled mechanic, was later sent to Luanda in April 2003 to oversee repairs on N844AA.
Recognizing the value of the relatively new engines, Joseph put them up for sale in Johannesburg, South Africa. Padilla arranged with Air Gemini, an airline in Luanda, to make the necessary repairs. Local mechanics were hired, and Padilla supervised the work, which was intended to salvage some value from the aircraft.
As the repairs progressed, the intricate details of this aviation saga unfolded—a tale of financial setbacks, operational challenges, and a mysterious disappearance.
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Following the collapse of Irwin’s venture, Padilla, along with John Mouton, was tasked with overseeing the repairs of N844AA in Luanda. The aircraft, now deemed functional, was scheduled to be flown to Johannesburg on May 26, 2003. However, on May 25, while conducting a routine systems check on a runway, the plane mysteriously took off, disappearing along with Padilla and Mouton.
The unexpected departure prompted Maury Joseph to take immediate action. He received an angry call from someone at Air Gemini, demanding an explanation for the plane leaving Luanda prematurely and without the arranged crew. Realizing that he had not authorized these changes, Joseph contacted the US Embassy in South Africa and alerted the FBI. Given the post-9/11 context, American intelligence agencies became intensely interested in the disappearance.
The State Department disseminated information about the missing plane to every American embassy in Africa, and there were considerations within the US Central Command to deploy additional fighter jets to Africa. While the CIA and NSA reportedly explored the case, only the FBI and State Department conducted official investigations, with the FBI concluding its inquiry in 2005.
Various theories emerged about the fate of N844AA. Theft for the black market, illegal transport of goods, or disassembly of parts were plausible explanations. However, retired US Marine General Mastin Robeson, who commanded US forces in the Horn of Africa at the time, noted that the intelligence community also considered the possibility of an insurance fraud scheme. According to Robeson, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) considered moving U.S. fighter aircraft to Djibouti on the Red Sea coast, where the Combined Joint Task Force shares a base with the French military. Robeson continues: “It was never [clear] whether it was stolen for insurance purposes…by the owners, or whether it was stolen with the intent to make it available to unsavory characters, or whether it was a deliberate concerted terrorist attempt. There was speculation of all three.”
Speculation that the theft of 844AA posed a terrorist threat ended, though it is unclear why. Perhaps National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency technicians saw signs of a crash in satellite imagery — debris or an oil slick in the Atlantic, for example — or evidence that a large aircraft had landed on one of a half-dozen unpaved, 8,000-foot runways in the Congo, north of Angola. Agency spokesperson Susan Meisner would not comment, saying that the NGIA was not the lead agency in the case. (A CIA spokesperson also declined comment, as did a spokesperson from the Department of Homeland Security. FBI agents also refused comment, citing national security concerns.)
Perhaps the speculation ended more gradually, after weeks without clues or sightings stretched into months. The disturbed hornet’s nest of a global security alert — the searches, bulletins, and interrogations — quieted, and in 2005, the FBI closed its case. I have filed Freedom of Information Act requests with the CIA and FBI and have followed in at least some of the FBI’s footsteps, interviewing the people who flew 844AA to Angola and worked with it there, hoping to understand how a 727 could just disappear. (Source)
Maury Joseph, with a history of questionable business practices, had been involved in a previous case where he defrauded investors and falsified financial documents. Joseph, contacted by the FBI, willingly took a polygraph test. The client set to purchase the plane’s engines vouched for Joseph’s genuine shock and confusion upon learning about the disappearance. Padilla’s family vehemently denied any involvement in illegal activities, insisting that Ben Padilla would not participate in any form of fraud.
Despite working in remote locations worldwide, Padilla maintained close contact with his family. The last communication was an email responding to news of his mother’s heart attack. Ben’s family rejected the idea that he willingly participated in any illegal activity and believed that someone else must have been on the plane, forcing it to take off.
The plane’s disappearance raised questions about the feasibility of such an operation with only two known occupants, both lacking the necessary training to operate a Boeing 727. The family suggested the possibility of an unknown person or group hiding onboard before the systems check, planning to take control of the aircraft.
When the plane went missing, it belonged to a company called Aerospace Sales & Leasing, based in Miami. They were in the process of giving the plane to IRS Airlines, a short-lived airline in Nigeria. The plane had a history of flying for American Airlines from 1975 to 2002, so the stolen plane was said to be painted silver with a red, white, and blue design.
There is also a connection to another airline called Irwin Air in Angola, which operated the plane from February 2002 until it disappeared. This unusual situation adds to the mystery of how the plane disappeared.
Benita Padilla-Kirkland, Ben Padilla’s sister, sought to reopen the case seven years later, believing she had new information. However, various government agencies, including the FBI, CIA, and Departments of State and Homeland Security, have not provided clear answers or reopened the investigation. A Florida attorney has been assisting the family pro bono since 2004 to facilitate their communication with the State Department and law enforcement.
Over the years, numerous theories and alleged sightings of the plane surfaced, but none proved accurate. Reports suggested it was stripped for parts in Brunei, crashed off the African coast on Christmas Day 2003, or seen at an airport in Guinea with its tail number partially painted over. However, the plane’s true location remains unknown, fueling the enduring mystery of why it took off and what happened to Ben Padilla and John Mouton.
The same thing happened to another plane, a Boeing 727 from Faucett Perú. It went missing in 1990 while flying from Malta to Peru. The plane was supposed to go back to Lima after being leased to Air Malta for the summer. However, it crashed off-course between Iceland and Canada. The plane sent distress signals and said it was going to land in the water because it ran out of fuel. Even though this plane’s disappearance is more clear, they still have not found the plane’s remains or the people on it for the 32 years since it happened.
FREEKY