- Boarding an airplane can be
a terrifying experience for some.
Whether it's a fear of heights or claustrophobia,
many people can't fly but with the following cases
of aircraft that did not necessarily crash
but instead disappeared entirely along
with all of those on board,
perhaps some people's fears of flying is warranted.
Here are 10 mysterious aircraft disappearances.
Number 10 is Varig Flight 967.
Varig Flight 967, a Boeing 707 379C
mysteriously vanished without a trace
on January 30th, 1979.
The international cargo flight
took off from Narita International Airport in Japan
scheduled to arrive at Rio de Janeiro
Galeao International Airport in Brazil.
The aircraft was carrying a valuable cargo
of 53 paintings by artist Manabu Mabe
from an exhibition in Tokyo that was worth
over 1.2 million dollars.
The plane, captained by Gilberto Araujo da Silva,
had six crew members on board
at the time of the disappearance.
30 minutes after takeoff, radio contact
with the flight was lost.
The aircraft was supposed to make a stopover
at Los Angeles International Airport in California
but unfortunately, the plane and the six crew members
on board, never made it to their destination.
To this day, no one knows what happened
to that flight or the 1.2 million dollars
of cargo on board.
Number nine is Pakistan International Airlines Flight 404.
On August 25th, 1989, after taking off
from the city of Gilgit, Pakistan,
International Airlines flight 404,
a Fokker F27 Friendship aircraft,
disappeared without a trace.
About five minutes after takeoff,
a routine radio transmission was made
by one of the pilots aboard the plane.
But it was the last communication
that was ever heard from them.
The aircraft never made it to its destination,
the Pakistan capital city of Islamabad,
and is believed by some to have crashed somewhere
in the Himalayas.
Another theory about what happened is that
the plane crossed something called the line of control
which was actually shot down by the Indie military.
Unfortunately, no wreckage was ever found
to prove the real fate of flight 404
as well as the 54 passengers on board it.
Number eight is Indian Air Force AN-32.
On July 22nd, 2016, while flying over the Bay of Bengal,
en route to Port Blair in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands,
an Indian Air Force Antonov AN-32 transport aircraft
and 29 people who were on board
vanished into thin air.
The plane took off from Tambaram Air Force Station
at 8:30 a.m.
At 9:12 a.m. radar contact with the twin engine
turbo prop transport aircraft was lost.
Though it's estimated that the plane was
280 kilometers east of Chennai.
A massive search, the largest that India
has ever seen to be exact,
was finally called off in September of 2016
and no evidence from the missing aircraft
was ever recovered.
The whereabouts of the Antonov AN-32 is still a mystery
to this day and the 29 passengers on board the aircraft
are all presumed to be dead.
Number seven is Flight 19.
During a routine training mission on December 5th, 1945,
five Grumman TBM Avenger torpedo bombers
took off in Fort Lauderdale, Florida,
only to vanish inside the Bermuda Triangle.
Along with the five planes, the 14 airmen on board them
also disappeared, never to be heard from again.
It's said that serious navigational issues
around the Bermuda Triangle knocked the bombers
off course over the Atlantic Ocean
where they ran out of fuel
but no wreckage from any of the five aircrafts
have ever been recovered.
Unfortunately, the 14 airmen were not
the only mysterious disappearance
surrounding the torpedo bombers.
While in search of the fate of those missing,
a Martin PBM Mariner flying boat
and the entire 13 man crew on board
also mysteriously vanished.
Number six is a stolen Boeing 727-223 Angola Plane.
On May 25th, 2003,
at the Quatro de Fevereiro Airport, in Luanda, Angola,
a previously decommissioned Boeing 727-223
made its way down the runway without clearance
and proceeded to take off, never to be seen again.
Authorities claim that the plane
was stolen by an American pilot named Ben Padilla,
along with the help of John Mutantu,
a mechanic from the Republic of Congo.
However, neither one of these men
were certified to fly the massive plane.
The aircraft's former operator, American Airlines,
teamed up with the United States
Federal Bureau of Investigation,
as well as the Central Intelligence Agency,
in hope of finding the stolen plane.
But despite an extensive worldwide search,
the whereabouts of this aircraft
and the two men responsible for its theft,
are still a mystery.
The American government getting involved
has led many to believe that this could
be an issue of national security,
or perhaps something much larger.
Number five is the Flying Tiger Line, Flight 739.
On March 16th, 1962, the Flying Tiger Line,
Flight 739, a Lockheed Super Constellation plane
used for the transportation of troops
from Travis Air Force Base in California
to Saigon, Vietnam, mysteriously vanished.
Along with the plane, the 107 passengers on board
were never to be seen again.
The aircraft was on its way to Clark Air Base
in the Philippians.
After refueling in Guam, the pilot reported
no trouble about 80 minutes after taking off.
But that was the last communication
ever received from him.
One of the largest searches ever conducted
in the Pacific Ocean, covered more
than 322 thousand square kilometers of water.
However, after eight days, rescuers recovered
no evidence of the aircraft or its passengers
and the search was called off.
To this day, the families of those missing
are still looking for answers.
However, they are no closer.
Number four is Star Ariel.
The Star Ariel, an Avro Tudor plane,
owned and operated by British South American Airways,
vanished somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean
during it's flight from Bermuda to Kingston, Jamaica,
on January 17th, 1949.
There were seven crew members and 13 passengers
onboard the Star Ariel at the time
of its disappearance and none of them
have been heard from since.
Adding to the mystery surrounding
the plane's disappearance, was the fair weather that day,
as well as the last transmission received
from the flight indicating good visibility
and smooth flying conditions.
An extensive search that included 70 airplanes
and spanned over 805 kilometers executed
by the United States Navy recovered no evidence
of the Star Ariel or its passengers.
What happened is still today unknown.
Number three is the Star Tiger.
On January 30th, 1948, an Avro Tudor IV aircraft
flying from Santa Maria in the Azores
to Bermuda mysteriously vanished.
At the time of its disappearance,
the Star Tiger had 11 transatlantic flights
under its belt.
This plane saw skies for the very first time
on November 4th, 1947, and by that time
had accumulated around 575 hours of flying time.
It's believed by some that severe weather conditions
including very high winds, forced the aircraft off course
and it likely ran out of fuel
somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean.
This disappearance gave birth to the legend
surrounding the mystery of the Bermuda Triangle.
Investigators concluded that all 31 people
who were on board were killed in the crash.
Yes still to this day, no wreckage has ever been recovered.
What happened to all of those on board?
No one knows but what is certain
is that this added significantly
to the mystery and legend of the Bermuda Triangle.
Number two is Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.
On March 8th, 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370,
a Boeing 777 200ER, took off
from Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia
en route to Beijing Capital International Airport in China.
Shortly after taking off,
contact with the aircraft was lost.
Final radar screen showed the plane veered off course
for an unknown reason before suddenly vanishing
370 kilometers northwest off Penang Island in Malaysia.
The search for the aircraft became
the most expensive search
in the entire history of aviation,
mainly focusing on the Andaman Seas.
However, despite the effort, sadly the airplane
and all 227 passengers and 12 crew members
that were on board were never found.
All of those missing are presumed dead.
And number one is Amelia Earhart.
This is easily the most famous plane disappearance
in history and happens to be the story
of the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean.
On July 2nd, 1937, 39 year old Amelia Earhart,
a best selling author and the founder
of an organization for female pilots
and her navigator, Fred Noonan,
took off from Lay Air Field in New Guinea
in a Lockheed L-10 Electra plane.
Their original destination was Howland Island.
Unfortunately, they never landed there.
Earhart was attempting to circumnavigate the earth
and was nearing the end of that journey
when she suddenly disappeared.
The most expensive search the United States
had ever conducted up until that point was held.
But it was unsuccessful.
To this day, despite a number of theories,
what exactly happened to her and her co-pilot
as well as the plane itself, remains unknown.
(mysterious music)