HERE’S AN ODD STORY, emailed by Stuart Buck:

A BOEING 727 passenger jet, grounded at Luanda airport a year ago, has disappeared after a mysterious unauthorised take-off, Angola state radio reported today.

The plane, chartered by the Angolan airline Airangol, was grounded after being banned from overflying Angolan territory on account of a series of irregularities, said Angola civil aviation director Helder Preza.

A witness to the plane’s departure on Sunday, airport employee Luis Lopes, said he saw a white man start the empty plane and then take off after a few dangerous land manoeuvres.

I wonder what’s behind this.

UPDATE: Several readers say this is probably an aircraft repossession. It’s a big plane for just one guy to repossess, especially after it’s been sitting for a year, but okay.