N2189M-N2731G

N2189M-N2731G is widely alleged to be a CIA-operated aircraft. Under its previous registration of N2189M it achieved notoriety for being allegedly involved in extraordinary rendition. It was re-registered in December, 2006 under a new tail number, N2731G.

Known movements and sightings
Bob Sikes airport is where Tepper Aviation is based. Notable destinations for the plane include the CIA's training facility at Camp Peary, and the landing strip at Desert Rock Airport, a disused nuclear testing facility in the Nevada desert.

For sightings of the plane where it is not clear if the plane was arriving, departing, or neither, the location is shown as spanning the 'Origin' and 'Destination' columns (this applies to most sightings from aviation photography sites).

Take the Tepper flightdeck tour
In June 2007, in a somewhat remarkable display of glasnost, the crew of N2731G apparently allowed a fellow pilot at Japan's Sendai airport to tour the aircraft and photograph the flightdeck. A posting by the pilot on a pilot reports message board claims that:


 * "There was an atmosphere of Air America with these gents, especially their obvious reluctance to be included in the photos I took. A request to take of photo of the cargo hold area - 'Is it okay to take a shot here? I guess there's nothing sensitive?' - was declined with, 'Better off not to, there's some diplomatic material onboard.'"


 * "Having been unaware of Tepper's association with the CIA - and moreso this particular aircraft's history - I have to admit I think my naievete was probably what allowed me to be given access onboard. Although I observed only 4 crew - 2 pilots, 1 F/E and the 'mechanic', sob was given as 5 to ATC. Thinking back about the size of the 'mechanic', I wonder what the cargo was that was being hauled back to the US?"

The purported photos of the flightdeck are available here.

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Camp Peary ("The Farm")
 * Central Intelligence Agency
 * Desert Rock Airport
 * Extraordinary rendition
 * N8183J
 * Rapid Air Trans, Inc.
 * Tepper Aviation, Inc.

Other external resources

 * "Below the radar: Secret flights to torture and ‘disappearance’", Amnesty International report, April 5, 2006; 562KB 51-page pdf.
 * "Aircraft landings", Commons Hansard, 17 March 2006, column 2508W. Transport Secretary Alastair Darling gives details of N2189M's movements in and out of the UK.