Morrie Joseph and the Angola 727

The theory goes that Morrie Joseph may have hired other pilots to sneak on board the plane and help Padilla fly it out of there. The FBI interviewed Joseph about the missing plane, and according to them, he offered to take a polygraph test to prove he was innocent. Even so, this would explain quite a bit, including why the plane never turned up again. It could have easily landed in rural Africa where it would never be found. Or maybe it was disassembled and turned into scrap metal.