Rancho Cordova Briefcase Theft Could Spell The End Of Historic Airplane

RANCHO CORDOVA (CBS13) — Burglars ransacked a local auto parts shop, stealing a laptop, cash and other valuables, but they also ran off with the owners’ retirement dream.

The owner of a classic car repair shop says the smash-and-grab crime only took a couple of minutes, but the burglars stole something he’s been working on for years.

Grainy and gray surveillance video shows the brazen burglary at Jim’s Chevrolet auto parts shop in Rancho Cordova.

“Mainly they were looking for money or something they could sell,” Jim Matus said.

Thieves made off with the shop’s laptop and cash drawer early on Monday morning, as well as the owner’s briefcase.

“The briefcase was heavy so I think when whoever got it, grabbed it I think they thought gold or Rolexes,” he said. They are going to be real disappointed when they open it up and find out it’s just paper. It’s worthless to anybody but me.”

Inside were important documents and the original logbooks of his 1935 Fairchild antique airplane he’s in the process of rebuilding.

“In 1935 they built probably 30 of these. because it was right in the heart of the depression and it was hard to sell airplanes,” he said.

Without those documents, he says the Federal Aviation Administration won’t allow the plane to fly and its rich historical value can’t be proven.

“I had all the original paperwork signed by the owner of the company when it was sold,” he said. “During WWII the logbooks show it was inducted into the Army Air Corps, the Civil Air Patrol and it was used during the war to fly people around the country.”

Matus always had plans to fly the plane again, but now his project may be grounded for good.

“it’s a shame because the aircraft survived all those years and in relatively intact condition,” he said. “This one was always kept inside and been taken good care of, still has original seat covers on the seats.”

Matus says without those papers, he’ll have to sell off his beloved plane for parts.

“I really don’t want to break it up for parts and sell it in pieces—you know thats—it just—all these airplanes are—they all once flew and thats where they were meant to be is up in the sky. So I would just like to see it back up there,” he said.

He’s offering a $500 reward for the briefcase to be returned with the paperwork intact.

The briefcase is a 1960s-70s-er grayish-black hard case with a chrome-colored band around it.

Story and video:  http://sacramento.cbslocal.com