Lost Hercules and Aircraft Mechanic Who Stole It

Takeoff and Unexpected Landing

After successfully tricking the ground crew into thinking he was a captain and filling the plane with fuel, he quickly released the brakes and taxied quickly down the runway.

After a successful takeoff, he plotted a course to Langley, and began flying home. He then made radio contact with his wife, to tell her he was coming home.

Takeoff and Unexpected Landing

Half-asleep, she asked him why his team was returning from their deployment a month early. But it soon dawned on her what Meyer had done. That he had taken the plane, and was trying to get home ahead of schedule.

However, somewhere over the English Channel, radio contact was lost. Eyewitnesses reported a plane falling out of the sky and exploding upon impact with the water.