Insane case of commercial aeroplane that ‘vanished’ after two men took off from airport

Here is the wild case of a commercial aeroplane which disappeared after being stolen from an airport.

History is littered with mysterious aviation disappearances over the years, with theories around Amelia Earhart, US Navy Flight 19 bombers and Malaysian Airlines MH370 being some of the most notable cases.

Another case is that of an ex-American Airlines Boeing 727 which seemingly vanished into thin air after being stolen from an airport in Angola.

So what happened — and how were two men able to successfully steal a passenger jet formerly in use by an international airline?

The disappearance of Boeing 727 N844AA?

On 25 May 2003, the former passenger jet was stationed at Quatro de Fevereiro Airport in Luanda, Angola when two men unexpectedly boarded the aircraft.

The men were Ben C. Padilla, a US flight engineer and pilot and John M. Mutantu, a Congolese mechanic. Manufactured in 1975, the aircraft served for 25 years for American Airlines before being decommissioned.

By 2003 the aircraft was grounded in Angola and currently in the process of being converted for resale in Johannesburg, which is why both Padilla and Mutantu authorised to board the plane for refurbishment.

An image of Ben Padilla circulated after his disappearance (FBI)

The aircraft suddenly taxied down the runway and took off without permission and refused to respond from air-traffic control attempts to contact them.

Flight N844AA then took off without external lights and headed southwest towards the Atlantic Ocean before disappearing. The flight was believed to have 53,000 litres of fuel at the time of take-off which means it had a flight range of 2,400 kilometres.

Neither Padilla, Mutantu or the aircraft were ever seen again.

What could've happened to the missing aircraft?

Despite an investigation by the FBI and CIA, no conclusive evidence has been found to suggest what happened to the stolen aircraft — prompting numerous theories to crop up over the years.

It's understood that while neither man was qualified to fly the aircraft, Padilla did hold a private pilot's licence but didn't have experience flying a 727. The aircraft would also typically need three crew members to fly.

In 2010, the Smithsonian would publish an extensive report which attempted to get to the bottom of the most likely scenarios.

The biggest three theories at the time included the flight being stolen for fraud, stolen by a third party or terrorism reasons. However no evidence was found to support either of the theories.

The aircraft was last stationed at Quatro de Fevereiro in Luanda, Angola(Getty Stock Images)

The fraud theory would be rejected by Padilla's brother Joe, who told the outlet: "I know my brother. He’s not gonna do nothing crooked. I know that for a fact."

Meanwhile former Aerospace Sales and Leasing, Inc employee Mike Gabriel believed the aircraft most likely crashed into the ocean after take-off. Other theories have included unconfirmed sightings and rumours the plane was disassembled for parts or shot down.

None of the above have ever been proven, which means the aircraft remains one of the most baffling mysteries.