![]() The reality, say many, is far more prosaic. ![]() Alien abductions, the existence of a mysterious third dimension created by unknown beings, and ocean flatulence-the ocean suddenly spewing great quantities of trapped methane-have all been suggested as culprits. The disappearances have been attributed to the machinations of enormous sea monsters, giant squid, or extra-terrestrials. Many exotic theories have been propounded to explain what happened to the missing travelers. The article stimulated a virtual cottage industry in myth-making. But the region didn't get its name until August 1964, when Vincent Gaddis coined the term Bermuda Triangle in a cover story for Argosy magazine about the disappearance of Flight 19. Christopher Columbus wrote in his log about bizarre compass bearings in the area. Unusual features of the area had been noted in the past. No one keeps statistics, but in the last century, numerous ships and planes have simply vanished without a trace within the imaginary triangle. The Bermuda Triangle is an area roughly bounded by Miami, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico. Neither the planes nor the crew were ever seen again. "I don't believe in wacky compasses.On a sunny day 58 years ago, five Navy planes took off from their base in Florida on a routine training mission, known as Flight 19. "It was pure and simple pilot error," said Joan Pietrucha, the niece of Howell Thompson, one of the navigators on Flight 19. And the Mariner? That type of plane had such a history of accidents it was known as the "flying gas can," he said. He thinks the planes crash-landed east of Florida and the airmen died on impact or drowned in the stormy waters. In the years that David White flew out of Fort Lauderdale, none of his instrumentation ever malfunctioned. "You are not flying into the fog, it is flying with you." "It's something that will seize the aircraft and travel with you," he said. This fog comes and goes and can cause pilots to become disoriented, Quaser said. Such "electronic fog" can cause needles on compasses and other instruments to spin. 27.īermuda Triangle author Gian Quasar believes electromagnetic anomalies in the area's atmosphere led to the demise of Flight 19. The SCI-FI channel will broadcast a new documentary Nov. Several ocean expeditions, documentaries and books offer varying theories, ranging from paranormal activities to sightings of alien activity. The Navy Board of Inquiry report concluded, "We are not able to even make a good guess as to what happened."ĭid Flight 19 turn east? Was landfall ever reached? Where was the debris? "Five all qualified pilots missing at one time? I couldn't believe it."Įven the official review offered little explanation. "In all the times I remember we never had one plane missing," White said. ![]() Civilian vessels and units of the Coast Guard, Army and Navy scoured an area of more than 250,000 square miles, but no wreckage was ever found. The next morning, White became part of one of the largest rescue missions in American naval history. Though a passing ship reported seeing bright lights in the sky indicating what could be an in-air explosion, no evidence of the Mariner was ever found either. The mystery deepened when a few hours later a Navy rescue airplane, a Martin Mariner with 13 crewmen, also vanished. "You stay with the leader, that's the Navy way," McElhiney said. Radio messages show that some of the students wanted to fly east, said Allan McElhiney, president of the Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale Historical Association. Just about the time the squadron was to have landed back at Fort Lauderdale, a last radio message from Taylor was received: They would keep flying "until we hit the beach or run out of gas." Due to weakening radio signals, no reading could be made on the direct location of the planes. "When he went north, he was going out to the wide ocean." ![]() "He was not in the Keys, he was out in the end of the Bahama chain," said David White, who at the time was a flight instructor stationed at Fort Lauderdale. As a result, he directed the planes to fly due north to hit land. With no instruments to guide him over the open ocean, Taylor thought the flight had drifted off-course and was actually south over the Florida Keys. From radio reports overheard by ground control and other airplanes, the compasses on Taylor's plane apparently malfunctioned 90 minutes into the mission. ![]()
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