Mysterious missing plane before MH370, 20 years without a trace, science surrenders

Before MH370 , the Boeing 727 with registration number N844AA had disappeared without a trace for 20 years, a strange aviation mystery. This incident showed the helplessness of science, even NASA, in the face of mysterious plane disappearances that defy all explanations.

This incident has become one of the biggest mysteries in the world aviation industry, second only to MH370. All the hypotheses from arms smuggling, insurance fraud, to terrorism or even "aliens" have been raised. However, more than 20 years have passed, the truth behind this "crazy" disappearance is still a thick fog, showing the helplessness of science and technology, even NASA, in the face of mysterious plane disappearances that defy all explanations.

On May 25, 2003, an unbelievable event occurred at Quatro de Fevereiro Airport, Luanda, Angola. A Boeing 727-223, registration number N844AA, was suddenly and brazenly stolen. The plane had been operated by American Airlines but had been grounded for more than a year due to ownership disputes and a huge airport fee debt of about $4 million. Before the disappearance, there was information about the conversion of the plane from a passenger to a cargo plane, a small detail but could be an important clue.

On the evening of May 25, 2003, two men - American mechanical engineer Ben C. Padilla and Congolese mechanic John M. Mutantu - were said to have boarded the plane. It is worth noting that neither of them had the qualifications to fly a Boeing 727, which requires three professionally trained crew members to fly safely. However, the unthinkable happened.

Despite being unauthorized and completely inexperienced, the Boeing 727-223 still arbitrarily taxied onto the runway without asking permission or contacting the air traffic control station. With the lights and locator transponder turned off, the plane took off in a southwest direction, flew straight into the Atlantic Ocean and from there, completely "disappeared without a trace".

At the time of takeoff, N844AA was carrying more than 14,000 gallons (about 42.4 tons) of fuel, enough to fly about 2,400km. However, for more than 20 years, not a single piece of debris, not a single trace of the plane or the two men has been found. Powerful US investigative and intelligence agencies, including the FBI and CIA, immediately opened an investigation, but the case quickly fell into a deadlock, becoming a "death sentence" in the investigative industry.

The mysterious disappearance of N844AA has given rise to a number of wild theories. Some suspect the plane was stolen to transport contraband such as weapons or illegal drugs, a shady operation that may have involved international gangs. Others believe it could have been an elaborate insurance scam, with the old plane being “transformed” to benefit from insurance contracts.

With the terror scare of 9/11 just a few years earlier, many feared that the plane could be used as a weapon in another attack. Fortunately, this never happened. More “surreal” theories included a government cover-up or the involvement of “aliens,” a scenario often seen in science fiction films.

However, according to the Discovery Channel, the simplest and most reasonable explanation is: The plane crashed. It could have crashed in the Atlantic Ocean or in some remote, isolated area of Africa, but no one discovered it due to poor tracking systems and the vast, remote terrain. A few weeks after the incident, there was information about seeing the plane in Guinea, but this information was quickly dismissed, showing that the small hope of finding the plane quickly disappeared.

To this day, more than 20 years have passed, but the fate of Flight N844AA and the two men on board remains one of the biggest mysteries in aviation, second only to the disappearance of MH370. It continues to be a big question that challenges investigators, aviation experts, and even those who love unsolved mysteries.

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