Back to Events
Other

Flight 19 Disappearance

Five Navy torpedo bombers vanished during a routine training flight. 'We don't know where we are,' the leader radioed. All 14 airmen disappeared. Then the rescue plane searching for them—13 more crew—also vanished. The Bermuda Triangle claimed 27 men.

1945
Bermuda Triangle, Atlantic Ocean
0

Flight 19 launched the Bermuda Triangle legend.

The Mission

December 5, 1945:

  • Five TBM Avengers
  • Fort Lauderdale
  • Routine training
  • Navigation exercise
  • 14 experienced airmen

The Confusion

Radio transmissions:

  • Compasses malfunctioning
  • “We don’t know where we are”
  • Flight leader confused
  • Lost over ocean
  • Running low on fuel

The Last Contact

Final transmission:

  • Heading northeast
  • Into open Atlantic
  • Fuel exhaustion imminent
  • Radio contact lost
  • Never found

The Rescue

PBM Mariner sent:

  • 13 crewmen
  • Searching for Flight 19
  • Also vanished
  • Explosion seen by ship
  • No wreckage recovered

The Mystery

Never explained:

  • No aircraft found
  • No bodies recovered
  • Mass confusion documented
  • Supernatural theories began
  • Bermuda Triangle born

Today

Legacy:

  • Spawned countless theories
  • Books, films, documentaries
  • Probably pilot error
  • But mysteries remain
  • Iconic disappearance

Sources

Browse More Events View on Map