Stolen MD87 Forced to Land in Milwaukee (MKE) by FAA

An aircraft which left Fort Worth Texas on Saturday morning was forced to land after the aircraft was taken by stealth in order to defeat an expected injunction based upon a lien by another party. The injunction was later ordered by a Delaware Judge after the plane was grounded. The aircraft was reported stolen by a Peter Delisa of New Jersey who claims to have been in the process of selling it on to Siviera,  a subsidiary of Russian company Sistema. It's not known whether Delisa is alleging that the plane was taken covertly before the sale had been completed and funds turned over. He contacted the FAA in the first instance. Early reports that the aircraft had deviated from its international flight plan were later admitted incorrect by the FBI's Joint Terrorist Task Force who attended the aircraft's arrival at MKE. The FAA opted in by claiming that the aircraft had had insufficient crew to operate legally. The 3 man crew would have needed an FAA waiver, which it didn't have. The higher certificate to operate an MD87 requires training, equipment and more crew members, according to Elizabeth Isham Cory of the FAA. Cory claimed that the jet didn't have any of the correct paperwork to fly.

A planned intercept by the USAF was to take place as the MD87 was heading towards Russia with a planned fueling stopover in Gander, Newfoundland, Canada. However N871DP followed FAA orders and landed on Saturday around 1 p.m. The airplane's registration comes back to WEINBERG MARTIN TRUSTEE, no doubt just a law office for tax reasons. The aircraft is believed to be in a luxury corporate configuration rather than seat-planned as a passenger jet. It would appear that in post 911 USA, possession isn't necessarily nine-tenths of the law.