The mysterious disappearance of planes gives rise to many rumors, arguments and theories around itself. It would seem that in the 21st century, with the advent of modern technology, it is not difficult to track a huge plane. However, they continue to disappear, giving rise to new questions.
Disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight 370
Periodically in the media, reports surface about the discovery of the wreckage of the plane of flight 370 Malaysia Airlines, which disappeared under mysterious circumstances on March 8, 2014. On Thursday, March 24, Australian Transport Minister Darren Chester said that the wreckage of the plane found off the coast of Mozambique in March almost certainly belonged to the missing Boeing 777.
A wing fragment was found on Reunion Island last July. The French prosecutor's office confirmed that it belongs to the missing plane. In December, Australian authorities said the missing Boeing 777 could be in the southern Indian Ocean search area.
Boeing 777 route, established on the basis of information from military radars.
Photo: AHeneen / wikipedia.org / CC BY 3.0
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According to the official version of the investigation, the plane was hijacked by unknown persons who had good air training. However, this version has many inconsistencies. In particular, there was not a single suspicious person on board, and no group claimed responsibility. In addition, the plane flew for seven hours in an unknown direction instead of announcing the hostage-taking.
There were other versions of the disappearance of the aircraft: a bomb on board, a pilot's suicide, interception of control from the ground, depressurization of the cabin, but none of them was confirmed. Many relatives of the missing passengers do not believe the official authorities and believe that the wreckage does not belong to the missing Boeing. The relatives believe that the authorities have more information, but are in no hurry to share it.
Boeing 727-223 hijacking
The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 is not the only plane crash that has left many questions in its wake. In 2003, a strange incident occurred at the airport in Angola. Ben Charles Padilla, a certified flight engineer and aircraft mechanic with a private pilot's license, and his assistant, John Mikel Mutantu, repaired the Boeing 727-223. The aircraft belonged to the American airline Aerospace Sales & Leasing and at the time of disappearance was leased from Angolan Airlines.
Boeing 727-223.
Photo: RuthAS / wikipedia.org / CC BY 3.0
Suddenly, the plane disappeared along with the workers, none of whom were active pilots. According to the official version, the plane was hijacked by the flight engineer and his assistant, but the law-abiding Padilla had only a private pilot's license, and the assistant could not fly the plane. According to one version, Padilla was hired by the United States to return the plane, according to another, both technicians were held on board by force. After that, no one saw the plane or people.
The disappearance of Amelia Earhart
In 1937, a monoplane disappeared without a trace, on which the famous pilot Amelia Earhart tried to fly around the globe along the equator. However, at one of the sections of the flight, communication with the pilot was interrupted. The search operation for Amelia Earhart was the largest and most expensive in the history of the American fleet, but it did not bring results.
Amelia Earhart, Los Angeles, 1928
Photo: wikipedia.org / public domain
Different versions of the reasons for the loss of the plane were put forward - from her abduction by the Japanese to landing on an uninhabited island. There are even those who believe that Earhart returned home, changed her name and began to live a quiet, ordinary life. One way or another, the search for her plane continues to this day, and the exact reasons for the disappearance have not been established.
The disappearance of the Boeing 707
The disappearance of the Boeing 707 in 1979 is also a mystery that still cannot be solved. The Boeing 707-323C cargo flight carried six crew members and cargo, including 153 paintings by the Japanese-Brazilian artist Manabu Mabe. The cost of the paintings was $ 1 240 000. Flying over the Pacific Ocean, the plane did not get in touch. No one saw him again.
Boeing 707-323C.
Photo: Eduard Marmet / wikipedia.org / CC BY-SA 3.0
The aircraft did not send distress signals prior to disappearing. No debris or oil stains from the fuel were found. Among the versions of what happened, they called the depressurization of the aircraft, the attack of collectors, the navigation error, the attack of Soviet fighters and others. However, all of these versions had many inconsistencies. In the history of civil aviation, this case is considered one of the most mysterious.
Disappearance of L-1049 over the Pacific Ocean
The disappearance of L-1049 over the Pacific Ocean in 1962 was the largest unexplained tragedy of the 20th century in terms of the number of people. The plane flew from the Mariana Islands to the Philippine Islands, but two and a half hours after the departure, communication with it ceased. Large-scale searches yielded no results. All 107 people on board were declared dead.
Lockheed L-1049H.
Photo: RuthAS / wikipedia.org / CC BY 3.0
According to the testimony of the tanker crew, which was in the area of the alleged disappearance, an unidentified aerial object exploded in the air. According to the official version, L-1049 exploded, but no debris was found over an area of 144,000 square miles. Thus, there is no evidence that the sailors from the tanker observed exactly the crash of the disappeared plane.
These are not all cases of mysterious disappearances. At the same time, in a strange way, the scenario is repeated in the same details, differing from other cases only in the duration of time intervals. The plane takes off, and after some time, communication with the crew disappears first, and then the display of the ship's trajectory on the dispatchers' radars disappears. Searches sometimes end up with a wreck, and sometimes nothing.
Photo: pixabay.com/CC0 Public Domain
At the same time, all alternative versions are immediately swept aside and classified, leaving ordinary citizens with only questions. Where do the planes go? We may never know the answer to this question. In the entire history of aviation, more than enough aircraft have disappeared, while there is not a single solved disappearance. And the next loss of the plane will simply be recorded in the list of similar phenomena.