Air Niagara, Boeing 727-25 (N8104N)
Of all the unusual stories why aircraft go out of commission, this one stands out. After Air Niagara, N8104N was sold to either Kenya or Zambia as Aero Zambia (5Y-BMW) in December 1997. In June, 1998, the plane was in Asmara (Eritrea) delivering supplies when a wing was damaged by a fuel truck. Waiting for repair, it was (as Aviation Safety Network tells us) “strafed by a MIG fighter … and damaged by small calibre gun fire. Wiring damage behind the cockpit was of such nature that the whole area needed to be re-wired. It was decided not to repair the plane,” which was then stripped. Unused Mary Jayne card MJ412. Five are available. Two are Grades: 1 ($5) and three are smudged on the reverse (Grades: 2, $3).