The West Wing
Object

Danny Concannon's Proof Linking U.S. to Shareef's Plane

Danny Concannon clutches undisclosed proof tying the U.S. government to Abdul Shareef's vanished plane. Waking from a nap on C.J.'s office couch, he brandishes this link before C.J. and Carol, who hover warily as he demands confirmation of Shareef's fate. The evidence shifts their banter to tense negotiation, with C.J. stalling to reach Leo.
13 appearances

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

13 moments
S4E1 · 20 Hours in America Part I
Rolling Pins and The Hague: Local Optics Meet International Exposure

The downed Qumar plane is the central piece of military and legal threat described by Fitzwallace: deliberately disassembled and dispersed to hide U.S. involvement, it functions narratively as the latent liability that converts a day of campaign headaches into a constitutional and international crisis.

Before: A damaged/ downed aircraft that had been at risk of discovery; prior to concealment it was a crash site in hostile waters.
After: Deliberately dismantled into many pieces and scattered among other wreckage to prevent straightforward discovery and attribution to U.S. forces.
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S4E1 · 20 Hours in America Part I
Fitzwallace's Hague Warning

The downed Qumar plane is the central object of the cover-up: Fitzwallace explains it was broken into 27 pieces and deliberately intermingled with other wreckage to make identification and attribution impossible.

Before: Crashed at sea or in hostile terrain, a discrete wreck that could have been investigated.
After: Deliberately fragmented, scattered among other wrecks, and effectively concealed from standard recovery and forensic processes.
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S4E2 · 20 Hours in America Part II
Nancy Pushes to Strike; Fitzwallace Stops the Room

The downed plane (treated as an evidentiary object) is invoked as the origin point for the alleged phone call and tape; Fitzwallace uses the plane's monitored/bugged status to refute the existence of any transmitted call or tape, turning the wreckage into a forensic pivot in the conversation.

Before: A downed, monitored aircraft whose communications were disabled and which had been subject to U.S. surveillance measures.
After: Remains the focal point of investigation; its monitored status is cited to discredit Qumar's claim and to suggest possible fabrication of evidence.
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S4E2 · 20 Hours in America Part II
The Fabricated Tape — Qumar's Attribution Trap

The downed plane (the site of the alleged call and tape) functions as the contested piece of evidence: Fitzwallace describes how US forces disabled and monitored Shareef's phone aboard the plane, making a purported cell call impossible and reframing the wreckage as a staging ground for fabrication.

Before: Downed and under scrutiny; publicly reported as the site where Shareef's plane went down and where Qumar alleges a call originated.
After: Recharacterized in-room as instrumentally controlled by US forces (battery swapped, communications monitored), undermining Qumar's narrative and converting the plane into proof of surveillance rather than proof of a phone call.
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S4E3 · College Kids
Parachute Alert — Israel Accused, Diplomatic Options on the Table

Shareef's downed plane is the referent for the allegation; staff consider the claim that it was 'brought down by the Israelis', which would tie the parachute evidence to a kinetic act and amplify diplomatic consequences.

Before: Known as the subject of Qumari inquiry and part of the background case file.
After: Again invoked as the core subject of a potential international accusation, increasing pressure for public explanation or legal sheltering.
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S4E3 · College Kids
Levity Before the Hunker‑Down

Shareef's downed plane is the focal incident being attributed; while not physically present, it anchors the briefing's moral and strategic dilemma—the question of who brought it down and who will be blamed.

Before: Reported as downed; under investigation and a subject of reconstructed intelligence narratives.
After: Continues to be the central incident around which evidence (parachute, intercepts) will be used or disputed.
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S4E3 · College Kids
From Levity to Command: Bartlet Orders East Lansing Visit and Counsel

Shareef's downed plane is the central incident around which attribution debate revolves; staff reference its fate as the precipitating event that Qumar might portray as an Israeli attack, making it the scene's underlying cause for legal and diplomatic contingency planning.

Before: Already known to have been downed and under international scrutiny; U.S. staff are tracking ensuing claims and evidence.
After: Remains the unresolved incident triggering potential public accusation; it directly motivates the President's decision to visit East Lansing and to seek legal counsel.
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S4E4 · The Red Mass
Two Debates and a Reopened Investigation

Shareef's downed plane functions as the referent for the reopened Qumar investigation; invoked to shift the conversation from campaign mechanics to an international incident with diplomatic consequences.

Before: Previously downed; considered a closed incident believed by staff to have been staged by U.S. forces.
After: Now the subject of renewed scrutiny by Qumar, reopening diplomatic and intelligence questions in the West Wing.
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S4E4 · The Red Mass
Two Debates, Immediate Panic

Shareef's downed plane is invoked in dialogue as the subject of Qumar's reopened investigation; while not physically present, the object's referenced status drives the international dimension of the crisis that competes for the President's attention alongside the debate news.

Before: Considered a closed incident in prior events but now described as reopened by Qumar and back on the diplomatic agenda.
After: Remains an active international irritant that complicates the White House's capacity to respond to the debate schedule news; it increases the stakes of Leo's imminent briefing to the President.
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S4E11 · Holy Night
Danny's Bermuda Tip Turns Dangerous

Abdul Shareef's plane is cited as the factual center of the allegation—its disappearance off radar 85 miles from Bermuda on May 22nd connects the anecdote's timing to a potentially clandestine military presence at the airstrip the day before.

Before: Actively airborne and tracked by radar; in operation prior to its disappearance.
After: Off radar / missing (the disappearance is the unresolved incident motivating the allegation).
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S4E11 · Holy Night
Danny's Bermudian Tip — Rangers Allegation Drops

Abdul Shareef's plane is referenced as having gone off radar 85 miles from Bermuda on May 22nd; its disappearance is the high‑stakes event that retroactively transforms the Bermudian sighting into a national security lead.

Before: Operational and airborne (implied) prior to going off radar.
After: Off radar / missing; the vanish is the unresolved fact that makes the anecdote politically sensitive.
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S4E11 · Holy Night
Policy Offsets and Personal Fault Lines

Shareef's Gulfstream is the central object of Danny's allegation—its disappearance and the claim that it was disassembled and distributed through the Bermuda Triangle anchors the potentially explosive allegation C.J. brings to Josh.

Before: A missing/downed plane whose disappearance is under journalistic scrutiny.
After: Remains a subject of allegation; its status is now an active investigative focus that the White House must address publicly or preemptively.
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S4E11 · Holy Night
C.J. Pulls Josh Into Damage Control Over Danny's Bermuda Lead

Abdul Shareef's plane is the factual hinge of Danny's allegation: whether it was landed, disassembled and dispersed anchors the conspiracy Danny is chasing. Its fate provides the concrete claim the White House must verify or refute.

Before: Known to have gone down (subject to investigation); regarded as a closed incident within classified operational circles or as an unresolved aviation loss.
After: Recast as an active subject of journalistic investigation and potential political scandal; likely to be re-opened for internal review.
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