The Bermuda Triangle is one of the most mysterious and paranormal places on Earth. The Bermuda Triangle has many names: The Triangle of Death, The Magic Rhombus, The Limbo of the Lost, The Twilight Zone, The Port of Missing Ships, The Devil’s Triangle, and The Hoodoo Sea. Hundreds of sailors and aviators have met a terrible, unexplained death while trying to cross this section of the North Atlantic Ocean. Flight 19, the most infamous disappearance of the Triangle, is still a complete mystery. Many conspiracies have surfaced, including human error, whirlpools, magnetic disturbances, and even aliens and sea monsters. Let’s examine the case of Flight 19 a little further to uncover what happened.
Character Analysis
This flight should have been effortless and achievable by the expert Squadron Commander. Captain Charles C Taylor graduated from NAS Corpus Christi in 1942, and that same year, he also became a flight instructor at NAS Miami. The following year, Taylor flew with Squadron 62, 7, 79, Task Force 38, and Acorn 36. By the time Taylor was 28 years old, he had combat experience, 2500 hours of flight time, and three years of instructor experience. According to an article, he was: “An experienced pilot and veteran of several combat missions...”(The Mysterious Disappearance of Flight 19). In November of 1945, Taylor transferred to NAS Fort Lauderdale. He received his assignment to carry out a three-hour mission called Navigation Problem #1. Taylor and 13 others were to perform a routine navigation exercise in 5 Avenger aircraft (that would be recognized as Flight 19.)
In some reports, Taylor's described as nervous. Before the flight, Taylor had told his Commander that "he didn’t want to fly that day" (The Mystery of Flight 19). That same day, "he had received a letter that appeared to shake him" (1). Perhaps he had a second sight of the events about to happen, but he might have just had mundane reasons to be upset. There are rumours of him being drunk or distressed before the flight, as "he had arrived at the air base a little late and the flight was delayed because of this" (1). Whatever he had on his mind could've been the cause of his getting lost.
Taylor's choices after getting lost can be described as reckless. He led them too far out sea: "Taylor became convinced that his Avenger’s compass was malfunctioning and that his planes had been flying in the wrong direction" (The Mysterious Disappearance of Flight 19). He continued to lead them northeast, where he thought Ft. Lauderdale was. Usually, pilots prepare for something like this to happen. "Pilots lost in the Atlantic were supposed to point their planes toward the setting sun and fly west toward the mainland, but Taylor had become convinced that he might be over the Gulf of Mexico" (1). He was recklessly burning fuel and losing time. Around four hours after getting lost, Flight 19 lost communication.
Conspiracies
The Bermuda Triangle has had dozens of plane and ship disappearances within its section of the Atlantic Ocean. Flight 19 is arguably one of the most famous. After knowing the background information facts of the disappearance of the plane, we can now ponder over the three conspiracies:
Did human error cause them to get even more lost?
Did magnetic disturbances cause them to lose contact and get lost?
Did they run into any supernatural threats?
Still, people don’t know what happened. Many theories are out of the ordinary, but most theories are based on facts. It is most likely that Lt. Charles Taylor plays a significant part in the disappearance. One of the most common conspiracies to explain what happened to Flight 19 is human error. “ Lt. Charles Taylor was initially found guilty of mental aberration” (Taylor). Taylor was responsible for leading the crew too far into the sea, ultimately leading them to death.
Ninety minutes after they left Ft. Lauderdale, Taylor reported getting lost. Hoping to find his way back, “He made a fateful decision to steer Flight 19 northeast—a course that would only take them even farther out to sea.” (The Mysterious Disappearance of Flight 19). At this point, the weather and sea conditions were worsening, and it was getting too dark to navigate by landmarks. Flight 19 was under his control, and he led them in different directions for hours, burning fuel and daylight. “Under normal circumstances, pilots lost in the Atlantic were supposed to point their planes toward the setting sun and fly west toward the mainland, but Taylor had become convinced that he might be over the Gulf of Mexico” (1). Taylor eventually had to prepare his men for a crash landing. But, he continued to lead them where he thought was the right direction.
The second conspiracy regarding the disappearance of Flight 19 is the magnetic disturbance that caused them to get lost. As the evening wore on, all compasses mysteriously went out. Bermuda is one of two places where compasses point true north (How the Bermuda Triangle Works 1). This phenomenon would explain why Taylor veered the planes so off course. Calculation errors could cause anywhere could cause a plane or ship to go off course (1). If the pilots were not aware of this, then it would make sense that they did not prepare for the magnetic compensation.
The third conspiracy regarding the disappearance of Flight 19 is supernatural threats. Five hours after leaving for their mission, Flight 19 had mysteriously lost contact. They believe that aliens use the Triangle as a portal to travel to and from our planet. The area is like a gathering station where they capture people, ships, and aircraft to conduct research (Where is the Bermuda Triangle?). There's not a lot of evidence to back this conspiracy up. Obviously, this is the most far-fetched conspiracy regarding the missing flight, so it's unlikely this is true. Some conspiracies claim that the flight was taken by the lost city of Atlantis. Another conspiracy is that 'the Triangle is made up of the souls of slaves who had been thrown overboard by sea captains on their journey to the States (1). These claims have little to no proof to back them up, so the allegations have no substance.
The case remains unsolved, but the most logical reason to explain what happened is human error. Taylor made poor navigational decisions and led the flight too far out of the sea. Most likely, they ran out of fuel and eventually crashed.
Conclusion
After examining the missing case of Flight 19, there are three conspiracies left to ponder:
Did human error cause them to get even more lost?
Did magnetic disturbances cause them to lose contact and get lost?
Did they run into any supernatural threats?
Currently, the wreckage has never been found. The planes never returned to the base, even with an air and sea search party. To this day, Flight 19 remains one of the greatest aviation mysteries.
Works Cited
Andrews, Evan. “The Mysterious Disappearance of Flight 19.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 4 Dec. 2015, https://www.history.com/news/the-mysterious-disappearance-of-flight-19.
Christodoulou, Holly. Where Is the Bermuda Triangle, What Is It, and Why Do Planes Go Missing There and What Are the Conspiracy Theories?, The Sun, 31 July 2018, https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/2021520/bermuda-triangle-ships-planes-conspiracy-theories/.
Jackson, Jackie. “The Mystery of Flight 19.” JAQUO Lifestyle Magazine, 27 Oct. 2015, https://jaquo.com/flight-19/.
McElhiney, Allan. “Taylor.” Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale Museum, 3 Aug. 2010, https://www.nasflmuseum.com/taylor.html.
Obringer, Lee Ann, and Patrick J. Kiger. “How the Bermuda Triangle Works.” HowStuffWorks, HowStuffWorks, 2 Aug. 2006, https://adventure.howstuffworks.com/bermuda-triangle.htm#pt4.
Comentários