Metroliner stolen from Nassau

A Fairchild Metro 3 Metroliner was stolen from Lynden Pindling International Airport in Nassau on Wednesday 25 April. On Tuesday evening at approximately 1830L aircraft registration C6-SAQ had completed its scheduled return flight from Freeport. The pilots parked the aircraft on the apron next to two other Western Air aircraft. At 0600hrs the next morning the $1.5 million fully fueled aircraft was found to be missing. Police have reported the missing plane to Interpol - the international police network of which The Bahamas is a member. Airport Security personnel heard a plane's engines start around 1.15 Thursday morning. That a plane, the size of the missing craft, could disappear from an airport so close to the United States, with no trace, could have implications for global terrorism. A Colombian pilot who works for the airline is apparently also missing. American Embassy officials confirmed on Thursday that the Transportation Security Administration and Federal Aviation Administration had been notified of the plane's disappearance. Agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) were also involved in the investigation however, based upon some insights into the plane's probable intended future use, the aircraft's disappearance is not thought to be linked to drug smuggling. The airport radar had not detected the aircraft's low-level escape route because the MetroLiner's ATC transponder had not been activated. The Metro 3 is a long-range high speed 19 seat airliner that is normally operated by two pilots.