Families say the men landed with clearance but were arrested by soldiers in Conakry.
CONAKRY, GUINEA — A New Jersey pilot and his Illinois-based co-pilot have been jailed in Guinea for nearly six weeks after a private jet they were flying stopped in the West African nation to refuel, according to the men and their relatives.
The case has drawn growing attention in the U.S. because the pilots say they were in contact with air traffic control and believed they had permission to land, yet they were taken away by armed forces and kept behind bars as lawyers and relatives push for their release. Their families say the men have been able to call home, but that court and diplomatic efforts have moved slowly as the pilots remain stuck in Guinea’s capital.
Fabio Nicolas Espinal Nunez, 33, of Ewing, New Jersey, and Bradley Schlenker, 63, of the Chicago suburbs, were working as contract pilots on a long international trip when the flight diverted to Conakry late in December. The pair told reporters they were flying a family on a Gulfstream IV jet from Suriname to Dubai when the aircraft needed fuel. They said they planned to make a quick stop at Ahmed Sekou Toure International Airport and continue the trip.
Instead, the pilots said the landing was followed by an aggressive response on the ground. Espinal Nunez said soldiers forced their way onto the plane after it arrived and pointed rifles at the crew as they shouted in French. Schlenker described the scene as chaotic and said heavily armed troops surrounded the jet. The two men said they did not understand what was being demanded in the moment, and they were soon taken into custody, along with questions about the paperwork for the landing.
Relatives of the pilots say Guinea’s authorities have treated the incident as more than an aviation mistake, even though the men insist it was a routine operational stop. Schlenker’s brother, Jon Schlenker, said the pilots believed they had been cleared to land and that recordings of radio communications exist. He said the family has described the issue as a permit or documentation dispute that escalated quickly, turning a refueling stop into weeks in detention far from home.
The pilots have described conditions that are stable enough for daily phone calls, but stressful because they do not know when they will be released. Schlenker told reporters he feels he is being held without justification. Espinal Nunez said the ordeal has been frightening and disorienting, including the first moments of the arrest and the uncertainty that followed. Their families say they are trying to keep the men’s names in public view so the case does not stall in the court system.
The men’s relatives say they have reached out to the U.S. Embassy and to elected officials in hopes of speeding up the process. Schlenker’s family said they have contacted members of Congress and hired attorneys, but they have been frustrated by how long the cases of a foreign legal system can take, especially when the matter involves national security claims or military authorities. Espinal Nunez’s fiancee, Lauren Stevenson, has said the detention has become an emotional grind, with each day bringing new rumors and few firm answers.
Public details about the formal accusations have varied in accounts from relatives and local reporting, but the central dispute has focused on authorization to land in Guinea. Family members have said officials claimed the flight did not have a required permit, while the pilots have maintained they were communicating with controllers and did not knowingly violate rules. Lawyers for the men have sought their release while the case is reviewed, and relatives say the legal arguments have centered on whether the detention is justified while appeals proceed.
The case has unfolded in a country run by a military-led government, a fact relatives say has added uncertainty about how decisions are made and who has authority over the prosecutors and courts. Friends and family members of the pilots have said they fear the matter is being treated as a political or security issue rather than a civil aviation dispute. They have pointed to the scale of the armed response at the airport as a sign that the pilots were seen as a threat the moment the jet touched down.
In recent days, supporters of the pilots have called for higher-level U.S. involvement. Relatives have said they want the U.S. State Department and the Trump administration to press for the men’s release and for permission to return home. The families say they understand that diplomatic negotiations can be quiet and slow, but they believe time matters because the pilots have already been jailed for weeks while the underlying dispute remains unresolved.
For now, the pilots remain in Conakry as attorneys and relatives wait for the next step in Guinea’s courts. Family members have said they are expecting additional hearings and decisions about whether the men can be freed while proceedings continue, possibly with requirements to remain in the country. They say the goal is simple: to get the pilots out of jail, allow them to return safely to the U.S., and resolve any remaining aviation paperwork through lawyers rather than confinement.
Author note: Last updated February 10, 2026.