A New Jersey pilot and his co-pilot have spent nearly six weeks imprisoned in West Africa after landing in the Republic of Guinea to refuel.
Ewing Township resident Fabio Espinal Nunez and his co-pilot, Brad Schlenker of the Chicago area, were detained after their aircraft touched down in Guinea in late December. Both men say their plane was surrounded almost immediately by heavily armed members of the Guinean military.
Nunez told CBS News that dozens of soldiers, armed with AK-47s, rushed the aircraft while armored vehicles encircled it. The pilots, who do not speak French, said they were ordered out of the plane and taken into custody.
The men were operating a private charter flight, transporting a Brazilian family from Suriname to Dubai. Flight records reviewed by CBS indicate the aircraft had received permission to land at Ahmed Sékou Touré International Airport in Conakry for fuel. Despite that clearance, Guinean authorities accused the pilots of violating national airspace and endangering state security.
According to Schlenker, radio communication transcripts show approval to land, directly contradicting the accusations. The pilots have maintained that they followed all required aviation protocols and were detained without warning after arrival.
Legal Limbo and Military Rule
While Guinea’s civil courts have moved to clear the pilots, their release has stalled. Family members say multiple judges approved their release pending further proceedings, but military authorities have refused to comply.
Nunez’s fiancée, Lauren Stevenson, has been in frequent contact with U.S. officials and the American embassy in Guinea, but says progress has been slow. She believes internal tensions between Guinea’s civil government and its powerful military leadership are preventing the pilots from being freed.
The case is now expected to reach Guinea’s Supreme Court, though relatives fear the men could remain jailed indefinitely unless diplomatic pressure increases.
As their detention approaches six weeks, families of the pilots are urging the U.S. government to intervene.
The U.S. State Department has not yet publicly commented on the case. The office of Representative Bonnie Watson Coleman, who represents Nunez’s New Jersey district, has said it is reviewing the situation.
A Nation in Chaos
The scenario unfolds alongside ongoing political instability in Guinea, where a military junta has gained significant power in recent years. Human rights organizations have documented widespread crackdowns on political opposition, protests, and the press.
Family members say the uncertainty is taking a toll on Nunez and Schlenker, who remain confined in a Conakry prison while their case is stalled.
For now, both men remain stuck. What began as a routine, air-traffic-approved fuel stop has turned into a terrifying ordeal that left two American pilots imprisoned thousands of miles from home.