Federal Restrictions Prevent Aircraft From Leaving Tarmac

December 2, 2003
NBC Net, Florida

Fate of Hijacked Cuban Planes Uncertain
Federal Restrictions Prevent Aircraft From Leaving Tarmac

KEY WEST, Fla. -- Three Cuban airplanes sit on the tarmac at Key West
International Airport. All three were hijacked out of Cuba a little less
than a year ago. The hijackers of two the airplanes, a Russian built turbo
prop passenger jet and an aging American built Douglas DC-3, have been
charged with air piracy and are facing trial in U.S. Federal court. The
pilot of the third aircraft is living in the United States, facing no
charges, since authorities believe he made the decision on his own to make
the flight to Key West, rather than under coercion by the hijackers. 

But what has been the fate of the planes? 

All three were seized by court order to satisfy a judgment against the Cuban
Government held by Ana Martinez. Martinez won a Florida State Court judgment
that allowed her to collect millions of dollars from the Cuban Government
because the Cuban Intelligence Service, along with one of their operatives,
coaxed Martinez into a sham marriage.  

Monroe County put all three of the Cuban Airplanes up for auction to satisfy
part of the judgment. Martinez bought one of the planes, an Anotov AN-2
Russian built biplane. She still retains the aircraft and has paid off liens
against it. The other two are far more problematic for those who purchased
them. 

Two Colorado pilots at the court-sponsored auction purchased the DC-3 and
the AN-24 passenger plane. The AN-24 was then put up for auction on eBay,
where it attracted a sizeable sum and was sold to a resident of the state of
Washington. 

NBC-6 has learned that neither the AN-24 nor the DC-3 will soon leave the
Key West Airport. 

Airport Manager Peter Horton said that paperwork to enable the two planes to
be flown to the destinations of the owners choice have been denied by the
Federal Aviation Administration. At one point, the new owner of the AN-24
was ready to depart, with a Cuban pilot experienced in flying the aircraft
in the cockpit, when the FAA scrubbed the flight. 

Aircraft brokers have told NBC-6 that chances of any of the planes flying in
the U.S. --much less being registered in the U.S. -- would be slim. Before
that could happen, the Cuban Government would have to "decertify" the
planes. At that point they could be registered in the U.S., but chances are,
their ability to fly would be severely restricted. 

Chances that the Cuban Government would sign over the planes are nil. 

There are some AN-2's that fly in the United States but they have severe
flight restrictions. In general, they can only be used for air shows, and
they can only fly from their home field to a radius of no more that 300
miles before returning directly back to the point of origin. 

So almost a year after the first of the three hijackings, all three Cuban
Planes sit on the ground in Key West, not going anywhere, mired in red tape.


They are three unique aircraft, each with a history, and none likely to fly
again anytime soon. 


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