From a mysterious plane abandoned in the jungle of Indonesia to a random biplane found deep
in the forest of northern Poland, and even the creepiest airplane graveyard you’ve ever seen!
Here are 10 of the most mysterious abandoned planes around the world!
10: The Paradise Plane There is a Boeing 737 aircraft abandoned seemingly
in the middle of the jungle in Bali. It's not at an airport. It's not sitting in a plane graveyard.
Instead, it's simply in an open field at the edge of the forest and near a limestone quarry.
But the weirdest part is that nobody knows how in the world it got there. The plane just kind
of showed up, parked itself, and then whoever was in the cockpit climbed down the stairs and simply
walked away. It was like some kind of magic trick! Abra-ka-dab-ra! Poof, there’s a plane. You would
think that somebody would know something about a missing Boeing 737, but that's just not the case.
There was some chit chat a few years ago about turning the airplane into a hipster like
restaurant for tourists, but that never happened. There's a shabby hut by the plane that somebody
may or may not have been living in, and absolutely nothing is being done with the aircraft. Still,
it managed to turn into a tourist destination all on its own as eager backpackers hunted out the
mysterious aircraft, passing on the legend one brave and curious tourist at a time.
9: The Luftwaffe FW190 In 1989, a hiker discovered a
German war plane from World War Two hiding between the tall trees in a slight forest clearing, just
outside the city of St. Petersburg, Russia. The mysterious plane is a Focke-Wulf 190, also known
as an FW-190. It was used by the Germans in the Luftwaffe, their deadly air force that decimated
the Allies during wartime. This particular aircraft was fashioned in 1943, built in a
factory in the German city of Bremen. But just how on earth did it end up in a Russian forest?
Who flew this plane? According to War History Online, the pilot's name was Paul Ratz.
He crashed the plane behind enemy lines in July of 1943 while carrying a huge 550 pounds(250kg)
bomb to Leningrad (the former St. Petersburg). This particular siege was one of the biggest and
bloodiest battles of World War II. Many hundreds of thousands died on both sides. He was shot down
by artillery cannon fire and had to make an emergency landing. When he tried to get back
to a more friendly territory, he was captured by the Russians and sent to a POW camp until
1949. He died 40 years later exactly, which was a very spooky coincidence seeing as that was the
year the plane was found. But he never knew about the recovery of the airplane, you know, since he
was dead. The plane was retrieved by helicopter and fixed by restoration professionals in the
United Kingdom. During the restoration process, it was found that the fuel lines were blocked
and there was a cloth rag shoved into the engine. The engine had only been put in a few short days
before Ratz took off. Allied POWs frequently worked in German factories, so it is entirely
possible that one of them sabotaged the engine. It's now the only FW-190 that still functions.
8: The Caspian Sea Monster The Caspian Sea Monster really does
look like a sea monster. It looks like a gigantic aquatic beast resting on the western shores of the
Caspian Sea. However, it's not a monster at all, it is a weird aircraft that has been abandoned for
over 30 years. The aircraft was abandoned after the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s
and condemned to slowly rust at the Kaspiysk naval base. But just what is this bizarre looking craft?
It was an experimental hybrid between an airplane and a ship, designed to move over water without
ever touching the water. The Russians called it an ekranoplan, and it's actually classified as a
ship by the International Maritime Organization, despite the fact it flies and doesn’t sail. It
was designed for speed and stealth, with the capability of skimming across the surface of
any body of water at a height of between 3 and 16 feet(1-4.8m). This meant the aircraft could
not be detected by radar. The Soviet Union loved its secrets during the Cold War and tried their
best to create the most powerful version of an ekranoplan, probably with nefarious intent. Their
best product was the Caspian Sea Monster. However, when the Soviet Union collapsed,
the program was scrapped and the plane was abandoned. It has since been retrieved
as part of a plan to turn the Caspian Sea Monster into its very own tourist attraction.
Still, it hasn’t managed to make it off the shores of the Caspian Sea just yet.
7: The Plane in the Woods Recently, people on Google Maps have been noticing
a random Boeing 727 parked in the middle of the forest. Naturally, it raised a few questions.
The aircraft can be seen from satellite images in a small patch of Oregon woodland. But it's
not actually abandoned, like most people think. It was acquired by an engineer named Bruce Campbell,
who converted the aircraft into his own private home. Cool! It reportedly cost him $100,000,
then another $100,000 just to get the airplane onto his property. Campbell then turned the
interior of the plane into a modern home, complete with all the original equipment.
It's like a spacious apartment, just over 1000 square feet(93m). It’s very cozy and warm
and perfect for a single guy. And yes, the cockpit is still just like it was when Bruce purchased the
vehicle. He even uses the original bathrooms. So, for all those urban explorers out there who
want to discover the abandoned plane in the Oregon woods, maybe pump the brakes. Bruce doesn't really
enjoy random people sneaking onto his property to take pictures of what is literally his house.
Have you seen Brusce’s plane on google earth? Do you think you would ever want to do a project like
this? Let us know in the comments sections down below, and if you’re liking this video,
be sure to hit the thumbs up and subscribe buttons if you haven’t already! :)
6: Abandoned DC in Iceland In Iceland, there is part of
an abandoned plane located on what is known as the black beach. The epic wreckage belongs to a
United States Navy DC plane that crashed in the year 1973 after running out of fuel. Thankfully,
everyone that was on the plane survived the traumatic incident, including the pilot. However,
it later came out that the pilot made a big error, causing the plane to go down.. He switched to the
wrong fuel tank! This caused the plane to run out of fuel to keep going. Even all these years later,
the plane can be found in pieces on the beach, dangerously close to the sea.
One of the reasons this abandoned plane is particularly special is the landscape it's
surrounded by. The plane is pale white, with “United States Navy” still visible on its hull.
It stands out dramatically against the surreal landscape of black rock and sand.
But getting there is a challenge, as it's forbidden to drive to the plane
even with four-wheel drive. There are also no roads or tracks to help you find the crash site,
so you would really have to adventure to see this beauty. The sight kind of looks
like it is from a science fiction movie! It is truly a photographer's paradise!
5: Canso Plane Crash The Canso crash site in British Columbia, Canada,
is one of the most mysterious abandoned planes anywhere in the country. The only way to reach the
destroyed aircraft is by hiking deep into the lush boreal forest on the coast of Vancouver Island.
But how did the plane get there in the first place? It crashed shortly after takeoff back
in February of 1945. The plane belonged to the Royal Canadian Air Force. It took off from Tofino
carrying 12 passengers and 880 pounds(399kg) of bombs. Luckily, the bombs didn't explode upon
impact and were quickly removed from the crash site. There definitely aren't bombs
there any longer. And even though it sustained serious damage during its impact with the earth,
it remains still pretty much in one piece. The crash site was originally registered
as an archaeological location and a point of historic interest. However,
because the plane is so deep in the middle of the forest, it has been abandoned by Parks Canada.
There are no signs and the only way to get there is by bushwhacking through mud up to your waist!
Are you bold enough to search for the Canso plane crash? Let us know in the comments below!
4: Catalina Seaplane In the hot and dry desert
of Saudi Arabia, there has been a seaplane abandoned in the middle of nowhere for over
50 years! It's a PBY-5A Catalina, a type of seaplane used by the military in the 1930s.
It's in pretty rough shape today, stranded on a beach near the Gulf of Aqaba.
The aircraft was purchased from the United States Navy by a man named Thomas Kendall,
who converted the military aircraft into a luxury flying yacht for himself and his family to use.
It was in 1960 when Kendall took his wife and their children on an adventure
that ended in complete misery. They parked the aircraft in the exact same spot it's in today
with the intention of spending the night. However, the locals didn't really like the look of them.
The following day when they woke up, they were greeted by men with machine guns!
The aircraft was destroyed, the fuel tanks were blown apart, and Kendall and his family
were captured by a local group of militias and handed over to the Saudi Arabian army,
as they thought they were Israeli commandos. Long story short, it was pretty obvious they
weren't commandos and the family was sent on their way without being harmed. It could have
ended a lot worse for the family though! They were extremely lucky the men didn’t just kill them!
But they never did get their aircraft back, and it's still rotting in the middle of the desert.
3: Abandoned Albania At the Kucove Military Base in Albania,
there are all kinds of retired fighter aircrafts abandoned and neglected. Some of these planes
include the legendary MiG-15, the MiG-19, and even the Shenyang J-5 and the Shenyang
J-6. There are actually dozens of haunted looking aircrafts here just hiding in the creepy tunnels,
seeming like they would never see the light of day or be flown again. The base was built in 1952,
and it was still functioning just fine until in 1997 when the Albanian Civil War broke out
and rebel fighters took control of the base. Today, MiG-15 aircrafts are mostly used by private
owners as sports planes. Of course, unless you are North Korean, in which case you're still probably
using the Chinese Shenyang J-6. The aircrafts at the base in Albania have been collecting dust for
decades, but in 2004, a few of them were auctioned off to help Albania pay for modernizations to the
base. NATO announced back in 2018 that it would invest roughly $58 million in the decrepit base,
meaning the abandoned planes here will probably be shipped out soon to some kind of plane graveyard.
2: Biplane in the Bushes In the north of Poland,
close to the sea, a damaged biplane from a bygone era was discovered simply abandoned in the bushes.
The biplane is an Antonov An-2, which is one of the greatest mass-produced biplanes in the entire
world. This amazing feat of aerial engineering used a single engine to fly through the sky,
though it was developed not for war but for agriculture and forestry.
The Soviets were the one to mass produce this biplane starting in the year 1946.
It was extremely durable and able to land and take off from less-than-ideal runways.
The biplane in the 40s was used for crop dusting, atmospheric sampling, and for fighting forest
fires. There were lightly armed combat variants, though they weren't actually used very often.
As for where the biplane in the bushes came from, it was probably forgotten by
the Russians – though nobody can say when or why. It does look pretty cool though.
1: Russian Air Force Museum The Central Air Force Museum in Russia
is one of the weirdest aviation museums in the whole world. It's located near Moscow and houses
one of the largest collections of aircrafts anywhere. It has 137 aircrafts on display,
along with espionage equipment from the Cold War, interesting war instruments,
and fascinating uniforms. However, the history behind the museum is more than a little odd.
The museum was founded in 1958, just after the local air base shut down.
At the time, there were only 6 airplanes and a few aircraft guns, mostly leftover
from the base. But the museum grew and grew, collecting more and more aircrafts. The main
hall was pretty much destroyed by a mysterious fire in 2005, at which point it seemed like the
museum and its displays could be abandoned. But repairs were done and a new hangar was even built
to bring in some more abandoned planes to be put on display, plus a new exhibition hall in 2020.
Perhaps the most hilariously Russian thing about the museum is that up until 1999, it was closed to
the outside public because it displayed prototypes that the Russian government felt were classified.
Leave it up to them to do something like this, right? Today though, it's open to everybody.
Thanks for watching! Which of these creepy planes is your favorite? Would you want to go visit any
of them? Let me know in the comments and if you haven’t already, be sure to hit
subscribe for all the latest amazing videos from the channel! See you next time! Bye! :)