[url]http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/africa/05/29/angola.missing.plane/index.html[/url]

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A senior U.S. official confirms that the government of Angola has reported a missing Boeing 727 aircraft.

The plane apparently departed from Angola several days ago on a flight to Burkina Faso, in northwestern Africa, but it never made it to its destination, and its whereabouts are unknown, this official said.

The official said there is "no evidence or information to suggest this is terrorist-related," and suggested "it is most likely criminal." According to this official, the plane was leased, and the people involved were behind in their payments.

U.S. law enforcement and the intelligence community are working with the Angolan government to help determine what happened to the plane. When asked if there had been any intelligence from the region suggesting any terrorist activity related to a plane, the official said, "Nothing I'm aware of."

U.S. officials have recently expressed concern that al Qaeda could use aircraft to carry out a terrorist attack against U.S. interests overseas.

Earlier this month, the Department of Homeland Security issued an advisory to the U.S. aviation community citing "recent reliable reports" indicating al Qaeda was in the final stages of planning an aerial suicide attack against the U.S. Consulate in Karachi, Pakistan. According to a source who read the notice, it noted "al Qaeda's continuing fixation with using explosive-laden small aircraft."

Hmmm, does the repo man work in Angola too? It's awfulyl hard to hide a 727 compared to a Cessna packed with shit that goes boom. Too bad these fuckers don't do this shit durring the hajj. One big mass suicide.

The idea of expolsives in a small plane is some GA hating buracrats pipe dream.  2000 lbs is on the high end of small plane capacity.    

The "fixation with using explosive-laden small aircraft" is in the Homeland security dept. not AQ

[b]by PONY_DRIVER[/b]

Besides why use a little plane when you could steal (or buy) a jet.   (For sale in Trade-a-Plane: Boeing 727-200 freighter, $650,000)
A 727 full of tnt would make a big boom.  And I would venture that in Africa you can hide anything.

Ben, The Emu

Yeah, old 727's are cheap cheap cheap.  The only thing that comforts me is that the al-Qaeda losers who piloted the jets on 9/11 flunked out of their pilot schools.  All they cared about was being able to pilot after take off.  I think it is beyond the type of people who become mass murderers to actually get licensed to the point they become rated for multi engine jets.

I dont think al-qaeda could convince anyone who is capable of negotiating the requirements to pilot aircraft into killing themselves for the promise of a brothel in the afterlife.  The terror chiefs who mastermind these atrocities could do it, but you dont see them sending themselves or their sons on suicide-bombing missions.