A BRIEF STORY ABOUT FLIGHT 19

Flight 19 were a group of 5 Avenger torpedo bombers (ex-WW2). The group, on December 5th 1945, took of from Naval Air Station Fort Luaderdale. They were to fly a routine plan with some bombing practise on route. After the bombing practise the flight took a couple of turns on their 'triangle' route. Then, just after 3' o'clock in the afternoon, in good conditions, one of the avenger pilots sent out a transmission that both his compasses had failed, and thought they were over the Florida keys, when actually they were some 200+miles from where they supposedly were. The planes were given a number of heading changes, as radar tried to get a fix on their position. This failed. Just before 5o'clock, the planes changed direction, east and then west again.

The call was then given that all the planes would ditch together when the first aircraft had only 10 gallons left in its tanks. The aircraft were not heard again. Finally the SAR (search and rescue) aircraft sent out to find them exploded in mid-air whilst searching for the lost aircraft. The fact that all those on board were lost (on both the Avengers and SAR aircraft), and the fact that the aircraft have never been found, and literally 'lost without a trace' has made the Bermuda triangle all the more mysterious.