N3867X

N3867X is a suspected CIA-linked aircraft.

The aircraft was registered on 24th January 2006 to its current owner, T3D&H LLC. A few days later, on 28th January, the plane was photographed at Prestwick airport in Scotland. The photo is available on the website of the Clyde North Aeronautical Preservation Group (CNAPG), an aviation enthusiast organization. On January 30th, the moderator of another enthusiast message board, which is dedicated to Hercules aircraft, made a posting noting it passing through Prestwick enroute to Gander. In a later posting he asserted it was now being operated by Tepper Aviation, Inc.

Flight records accessed in June 2006 show that N3867X makes flights exclusively to and from Bob Sikes Airport, strongly suggesting that is the plane's home airport. Tepper Aviation is based at Bob Sikes airport. It therefore looks extremely likely, although not proven, that N3867X is a new Tepper-operated CIA Hercules.

According to the CNAPG website, the plane was previously owned by Angola Air Charter. Tepper has a long association with Angola - back in the 1980s its planes were allegedly used by the CIA to run guns into that country for the UNITA rebels. However there is nothing to suggest that sourcing the new Hercules from Angola is anything other than coincidence.

Known movements and sightings

 * January 28, 2006: Prestwick airport, Scotland, U.K.
 * November 21, 2006: Phoenix Deer Valley Airport (KDVT), Arizona, U.S.
 * June 14, 2007: Fortaleza Pinto Martins Intl (SBFZ), Brazil.
 * July 29, 2009: Bogotá Eldorado, Colombia.

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Bob Sikes Airport
 * Central Intelligence Agency
 * N2189M-N2731G
 * N8183J-N2679C
 * Tepper Aviation, Inc.

Other external resources

 * . Undated, accessed June 20, 2006.