The 727 that Vanished

http://www.airspacemag.com/history-of-flight/The-727-that-Vanished.html

by mjfern • 16 years ago

36 13 16 years ago

If a non-pilot and a private pilot took off in a 727 (that had recently been "repaired") from Angola and were last seen flying over the ocean, it's not terribly difficult to understand exactly what happened: they crashed into the ocean.

tessro2• 16 years ago

My thoughts exactly. I actually wasted a few minutes reading the story thinking there must be more nuance.

The mention of "maneuvering erratically" and taking off without headlights seems to further advance the simplest explanation... but everyone loves a good conspiracy theory.

pak• 16 years ago

Doesn't an airliner crashing into the ocean leave some trace?

I would think there would be an oil slick, and some floating debris. There's a lot of stuff in an airplane that floats. Surely these things would be spotted by air or satellite.

gaius• 16 years ago

That's not really the mystery, tho': rather why they suddenly decided to go ahead with that plan, given that it was obviously reckless. And if anyone else was onboard.

As an aside, it's fascinating that the economics of diamond mining are such that you fly fuel to the mines.

pmjordan• 16 years ago

As an aside, it's fascinating that the economics of diamond mining are such that you fly fuel to the mines.

They tend to be in the middle of the desert or other rough terrain, and the distances are enormous. In many cases there aren't any public roads they can (reliably) use for heavy freight, and maintaining their own would be costly. Staff are flown in anyway, so they already maintain regularly used airfields. (my dad used to be an engineer working at various African diamond mines, and my first cousin once removed still consults for them after retiring)

arethuza• 16 years ago

"As an aside, it's fascinating that the economics of diamond mining are such that you fly fuel to the mines."

You might be interested to know that in WW2 American B29s operated from Chinese bases where they were supplied by flying supplies (including fuel) over the Himalayas from India. I think it was something like seven supply flights for each combat mission.

tessro2• 16 years ago

Come to think of it, the survivors are probably stuck on an island, lost in time. Someday they will be saved, and will return to society. This will seem like a cherished moment, but they will soon come to realize that they truly belong back on the island. When they return, it will come to light that they were really dead all along. We will all proceed to watch the next soapy primetime drama.

_b8r0• 16 years ago

Maybe the plane was...

L O S T

(sorry, couldn't resist)

The 727 that Vanished

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