Authorities in St. Vincent and the Grenadines appear to be treating the disappearance of an older Gulfstream bizjet as staged. The 1981 G-III, which is registered to a Cheyenne, Wyoming company, took off from Canouan Airport in the Grenadines on the afternoon of Dec. 22 for what was described as a two-hour sightseeing flight. A pilot and three passengers were initially reported to be onboard, but the St. Vincent Times now says its sources have told it two pilots and one passenger were on the plane. Air traffic control lost contact with the aircraft seven minutes after takeoff and it hasn’t been seen since, nor have there been any reports of debris or fuel in the water.
The St. Vincent Times is reporting its sources have said the working theory is the transponder was shut off and the plane headed for a private strip in Venezuela. The publication also says its digging has revealed the plane was being watched by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. The plane is up for sale and has changed hands at least five times in the last six years.
Quite nice compared to the old freight dogs used for the same missions in the past.
Passenger probably a cartel boss.
One would conclude ‘staged’ if any false evidence were created/provided by involved persons that might imply the plane met an untimely demise. It appears there is none. Is it specifically illegal to kill a transponder in flight at the stated altitudes ? (Obv Martha Lunken and the J Morro Bridge stunt not withstanding). The interesting question now is in what form will the plane reappear ? Seems unlikely the FAA runs S code filters waiting for ‘lost’ planes to represent themselves. Maybe they install a different xponder before returning to US airspace. Maybe the plane will be parted out ? Looks like a movie in the making.
Legality would never prevent someone from turning a knob to shut down a transponder. Legality won’t prevent installing a new transponder/ADS-B and painting a new N number on the side. Could operate it out of South America until it falls apart. Agree on the movie.
N-number. Sheesh it’s early. A new (registration of the country of their choice).
The plane is “missing” because St. Vincent’s requires a flight plan for all flights. So SAR is initiated, just the same as for any plane that didn’t close its flight plan. Otherwise, this wouldn’t have been news.
I am from Cheyenne, Wyoming
(Born & raised) and I am here to tell you that there are no businesses that could afford a Gulfstream bizjet.
That right there should have been an indicator that someone was up to no good.
Cheyenne is a sleepy, little cow town
Wyoming is a state with more cattle then people.
Lots of redflags should have been raised.
I think you are wrong about that. Billionaires are pushing the millionaires out of cities in Wyoming: https://cowboystatedaily.com/2023/04/08/billionaires-are-moving-millionaires-out-of-jackson-but-similar-trends-are-happening-in-other-wyoming-communities/
Also there are numerous business, big business in Cheyenne with more moving in every day.
What raises red flags here was it was for sale, the transponder was shut down and it disappeared. I would love to see what it is insured for, I would wager much more then it was worth.
It has to be one of the first ships. As the first one (Serial no 249) was sold to the RDAF and didn’t leave the factory until 1980.
Serial Number :337
N337LR Aircraft Registration
Aircraft Summary
Summary1981 GULFSTREAM AMERICAN CORP. G-1159A
Fixed wing multi engine
(21 seats / 2 engines)
OwnerJETSTEAM AVIATION INC
CHEYENNE , WY, US
(Corporation)
Airworthiness Class Standard/Transport
Serial Number :337
Engines : ROLLS-ROYC SPEY MK 511SR (Turbo-jet)
Horsepower: 1140
Weight Over 20,000lbs
Mode S Code 050730332 / A3B0DA
Registration Details:
Status: Assigned
Certificate Issue Date 2023-01-23
Airworthiness Date: 1981-11-12
Last Action Date: 2023-01-23
Expiration2030-01-31
Registry Source: FAA
They have an interesting http://www.LinkedIn.com page
Jetsteam Aviation (note spelling)