Plane owner a mystery

2004-03-09 14:40

Pretoria - The mystery plane carrying 64 suspected mercenaries, that Zimbabwe claims was registered in the United States, was sold by its American owners before it arrived in Zimbabwe.

The aircraft, a Boeing 727-100 that once belonged to the US Air Force, bears the registration number N4610, which the US Federal Aviation Authority says is allocated to a Kansas-based company called Dodson Aviation Inc.

The company alleges it sold the plane to a company called Logo Ltd, or Logo Logistics, but neither company is known to local aviation enthusiasts.

Jim Pippin, the acting manager for Dodson International added that Logo took delivery of the plane over the weekend.

Asked why an internet search showed the plane still with a US registration in the name of Dodson, Pippin said: "They have not yet had time to do a re-registration."

Aviation sources said the plane, which entered South Africa on Saturday, was still listed then as belonging to Dodson.

Dodson director Robert Dodson said new owners were entitled to use old registration numbers for six month after sale.

Sources say the ill-fated plane, supposedly destined for Bujumbura, Burundi, departed South Africa from in front of a hangar belonging to Dodson's International Parts (SA) Pty Ltd.

The Civil Aviation Authority said it was investigating whether the plane left South African airspace illegally.

It was scheduled to fly from Wonderboom airport at Pretoria to Polokwane International Airport and from there to Bujumbura, but apparently skipped landing in Polokwane. As planes are not allowed to cross the border from Wonderboom, this would make its trip illegal.

Observers at the Wonderboom airport said the plane arrived around 8am and departed at 4pm.

Shortly before it left a busload of men reportedly boarded.

"We have discovered that it took off from Wonderboom airport (north of Pretoria) which is not an international airport," said Moses Seate, spokesperson for the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

"It is illegal to leave the country from an airport that is not designated as an international departure point," said Seate.

A CAA investigator is preparing a report which is to be issued later on Tuesday, he added.

Zimbabwe home affairs minister Kembo Mohadi said on Monday that a US-registered aircraft, carrying military equipment and 64 suspected mercenaries, had been impounded by the Zimbabwe authorities on Sunday.

But the US State Department said it was unable to confirm the report, while adding that there was no indication it was connected to the US government.

- AFP