Ten Airplanes That Mysteriously Disappeared

Air travel has revolutionized the way we travel and has made the world a smaller place. However, with the convenience and speed of air travel comes the risk of plane crashes and disappearances. Over the years, there have been several instances of airplanes disappearing without a trace, leaving behind mysteries that have yet to be solved. Here are ten airplanes that mysteriously disappeared, leaving behind unanswered questions.

Amelia Earhart’s Plane

Amelia Earhart was a pioneering aviator who disappeared while attempting to circumnavigate the world in her plane. On July 2, 1937, Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, disappeared somewhere above the centre of the Pacific Ocean and were never found again. One theory is that Earhart’s plane crashed into the ocean, but it is also believed that she could have landed on Nikumaroro Island, where a freckle cream jar from the 1930s was found. Some believe that this jar belonged to Earhart and that Nikumaroro Island could be her resting place.

Flight 19

One of the most famous mysteries involving airplanes is that of Flight 19, which disappeared near the Bermuda Triangle during the Second World War. All five planes disappeared along with 14 men without a trace, and no debris was ever found. One theory regarding this plane is that someone wanted to hijack it, which made the pilot and aviation engineer, Charles Padilha, take off and disappear with it. However, neither Angola nor the hijackers could ever find the plane again.

Tudor IV Planes

The entire fleet of Tudor IV planes was pulled into retirement after two of these planes vanished within a year. One disappeared with its crew, while the other disappeared without a trace. Both planes disappeared in 1948, and it happened near or over the Bermuda Triangle. Their disappearance has added more fuel to the mysteries of the Bermuda Triangle, which remain unsolved to date.

Flying Tiger Line Flight 739

Flying Tiger Line Flight 739 was a military transport plane that disappeared in 1962 while flying over the Western Pacific Ocean. The plane was carrying 96 soldiers of the American military from California to Vietnam. It refuelled at Guam and then landed at the Philippines en route to Vietnam. However, after taking off from the Philippines, it was never heard of again, even though the pilot reported smooth conditions. Over 200,000 square miles were searched for any traces of the plane, but it was all in vain.

Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370

The most recent disappearance in aviation is that of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370, which disappeared on March 8, 2015. Not a trace of the aircraft has been found ever since it disappeared. The search for the missing plane has been one of the largest in aviation history, involving multiple countries and organizations. However, the vastness of the search area, which includes the Indian Ocean and parts of Asia, has made it challenging to find any clues.

Glenn Miller’s Plane

Glenn Miller was a big band leader who disappeared along with his plane on December 15, 1954. As with every incident regarding missing planes, his disappearance also came with weird accounts from people belonging to every circle of life. The official version states that the plane hit bad weather and crashed.

Varig Flight 967

The Brazilian plane bound for Rio disappeared with artwork worth millions. It hasn’t even been found to date, and no one knows whether it was a mid-air heist or a plane crash that caused it to vanish along with its crew members in 1979.

Canadian Pacific Airlines Flight 402

Canadian Pacific Airlines Flight 402 was a commercial flight that crashed in 1966. The flight was en route from Montreal to Toronto, with a scheduled stopover in Ottawa. The aircraft, a DC-8 jet, crashed during its approach to the runway in poor weather conditions presumably killing all 63 passengers and crew on board. Despite an extensive search no wreckage was found and no bodies were recovered.

A Private Jet in 1996

In 1996, a private jet carrying the CEO of a car company and two of his executives disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean. The plane was flying from the Dominican Republic to Florida when it vanished without a trace. The wreckage of the plane was never found, and the cause of the disappearance remains unknown.

American Mark 28 Nuclear Bomber

In 1962, a military plane carrying the American nuclear bomb, Mark 28, disappeared over the waters of the Pacific Ocean. The plane was on a mission to deliver the bomb to a military base in the Philippines, but it never made it there. The plane was carrying two pilots and a crew member, and no trace of them or the bomb has ever been found.

The disappearance of airplanes is a complex issue that can have many different causes. In some cases, aircraft may crash or be lost due to mechanical or technical failures, while in other cases, weather conditions or other natural phenomena can contribute to an accident. In other cases, airplanes may disappear due to intentional acts of sabotage or hijacking. There have been instances where airplanes have been hijacked and taken off course or forced to crash, leading to the loss of all on board. In many cases, however, advances in aviation technology, safety protocols, and communication systems have helped to improve the safety of air travel and reduce the likelihood of airplanes disappearing without a trace.