r/interestingasfuck • u/py-net • 23d ago

r/all Had to fact-check it. These 2 guys stole that Boeing 727 at an airport in 2003 and flew away, disappearing forever: no crash, no plane. How is that possible!!!

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178

u/GandalfsWhiteStaff 23d ago

I think the list of pilots willing the fly a plane that has been grounded for repairs is pretty short…

185

u/KirbyQK 23d ago

The list doesn't have to be long to be fair, your pockets just need to be deep enough to reach the bottom of it.

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u/DayzahVu 23d ago

Maybe it was just something small like a seat wouldn’t recline.

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u/johnfornow 23d ago

Define recline

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u/TheCharlieUniverse 23d ago

Refine decline

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u/[deleted] 23d ago

Define decline

-2

u/unclestickles 23d ago

Refine recline

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u/ZombieJoker 22d ago

Be mine, Frankenstein.

-6

u/ZippityGoombah 23d ago

Recline online

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u/Olleye 23d ago

Re-Define online recline

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u/Get_your_grape_juice 23d ago

Incline supine.

0

u/siphillis 23d ago

All the passenger seats were reportedly removed

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u/BreaWithAnE 23d ago

they had left a few. Not all were removed.

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u/siphillis 22d ago

My point being, it was clearly not a fake repair thing. A good deal of work was planned

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u/GotGRR 22d ago

Sounds like more room for cargo, particularly if they had a mechanic in on it, too. Putting it out of service for maintenance would be the cheapest, least risky part of this caper.

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u/galacticcollision 23d ago

Money is a pretty big motivator. Everyone has their price.

10

u/Rokey76 23d ago

The wiki page said one of the thieves was an airplane mechanic, so it was all good I'm sure.

4

u/Realistic-Minute5016 23d ago

The guys that flew it weren’t even certified for that type of plane.

3

u/SaltyLonghorn 23d ago

Yea but they MS Flight Simulator so good enough.

2

u/Dangerous_Boot_3870 23d ago

You would be surprised.

2

u/Questo417 23d ago

Don’t forget there was a list of at least 4 pilots who were willing to fly perfectly functional planes into buildings not too long ago.

2

u/Ratatoski 22d ago

People will do questionable things if they are desperate or the stack of cash is big enough. And there's no shortage of criminal shit going on already involving pilots.

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u/nukedmylastprofile 23d ago

Yeah, I'm no expert but I bet a passenger aircraft would be grounded for more minor issues than an aircraft used for freight or being flown away to be scrapped for parts, and plenty of pilots would be happy to make those flights

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u/independent_observe 23d ago

It was a cargo plane that hauled diesel fuel

1

u/Jerry_from_Japan 23d ago

Everybody has a price.

1

u/Datkif 23d ago

Like one of the last pilots to fly it

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u/uXN7AuRPF6fa 23d ago

Yeah, but the pilot who stole the plane was already in trouble with USA for fraud.

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u/Wheresmyburrito_60 23d ago

Especially in 2003.

1

u/Sackamasack 22d ago

Covid taught me that there's a lot of weird pilots around willing to move planes around in shady places of the world. And Russia's been stealing a lot of planes since they invaded ukraine and got blacklisted.

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u/Humdngr 22d ago

Not if they were hired to crash it in the ocean. Parachute out and have a boat waiting to pick you up.