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On this day, December 28, 1948, a plane flying from San Juan to Miami disappeared in the Bermuda Triangle.
I'm not saying there's anything to it, just noting that the plane headed off to Miami and was gone.
1948 Airborne Transport DC-3 disappearance
A Douglas DST from the same production batch as the accident aircraft
Occurrence
Date: 28 December 1948
Summary: Disappearance
Site: Off the eastern coast of Florida
Aircraft
Aircraft type: Douglas DST-144
Operator: Airborne Transport
Registration: NC16002
Flight origin: San Juan International Airport, Puerto Rico
Destination: Miami International Airport, Florida
Occupants: 32
Passengers: 29
Crew: 3
Missing: 32
The disappearance of a Douglas DST airliner, registered NC16002, occurred on the night of 28 December 1948 near the end of a scheduled flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Miami, Florida. The aircraft carried 29 passengers and 3 crew members. No probable cause for the loss was determined by the official investigation and it remains unsolved.
Final flight
Captained by pilot Robert Linquist, assisted by co-pilot Ernest Hill and stewardess Mary Burke, the aircraft ended its Miami-San Juan leg at 19:40 EST on 27 December. Linquist informed local repair crewmen that a landing gear warning light was not functioning and that the aircraft batteries were discharged and low on water. Unwilling to delay the aircraft's scheduled takeoff for Miami for several hours, Linquist said the batteries would be recharged by the aircraft's generators en route.
Linquist taxied NC16002 to the end of runway 27 for takeoff, but stopped at the end of the apron due to lack of two-way radio communication. Although capable of receiving, Linquist reported to the head of Puerto Rican Transport, who had driven out to the aircraft, that the radio could not transmit because of the low batteries. After agreeing to stay close to San Juan until they were recharged enough to allow two-way contact, NC16002 finally lifted off at 22:03. After circling the city for 11 minutes, Linquist received confirmation from Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) at San Juan and told the tower that they were proceeding to Miami on a previous flight plan.
The weather was fine with high visibility, but the aircraft did not respond to subsequent calls from San Juan. At 23:23, the Overseas Foreign Air Route Traffic Control Center at Miami heard a routine transmission from NC16002, wherein Linquist reported they were at 8,300 ft (2,500 m) and had an ETA of 04:03. His message placed the flight about 700 miles (1,100 km) from Miami. Transmissions were heard sporadically throughout the night by Miami, but all were routine.
At 04:13, Linquist reported he was 50 miles (80 km) south of Miami. The transmission was not heard at Miami but was monitored at New Orleans, Louisiana, some 600 miles (970 km) away, and was relayed to Miami. The accident investigation report issued by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) said the pilot may have incorrectly reported his position. At this time the plane only had enough fuel for 1 hour and 20 minutes of flying time left.
Miami weather was clear, but the wind had moved from northwest to northeast. The accident investigation report said that Miami transmitted the wind change information, but neither Miami nor New Orleans "was able to contact the flight". It is therefore unknown whether NC16002 received the information. Without this knowledge the aircraft could have drifted 40–50 miles (64–80 km) off course, which widened the search area to include hills in Cuba, the Everglades and even Gulf of Mexico waters.
On 4 January 1949, two bodies were found 80–90 kilometres (50–56 mi) south of Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. It is unknown if this was connected to the missing plane. (Since the last message from the missing DC-3 was heard not in Miami but New Orleans, if the bodies did come from the missing plane it could indicate the missing plane actually went down somewhere in the Straits of Florida between Florida and Cuba.)
Nothing further was heard from Linquist and the aircraft has never been found. In subsequent years, researchers into unexplained disappearances have included the flight among others said to have disappeared in what came to be termed the Bermuda Triangle.
A plane similar to the DC-3 has been found by divers in the Bermuda Triangle] It is possible that this is the lost aircraft, but this has not been verified.
{snip}
A Douglas DST from the same production batch as the accident aircraft
Occurrence
Date: 28 December 1948
Summary: Disappearance
Site: Off the eastern coast of Florida
Aircraft
Aircraft type: Douglas DST-144
Operator: Airborne Transport
Registration: NC16002
Flight origin: San Juan International Airport, Puerto Rico
Destination: Miami International Airport, Florida
Occupants: 32
Passengers: 29
Crew: 3
Missing: 32
The disappearance of a Douglas DST airliner, registered NC16002, occurred on the night of 28 December 1948 near the end of a scheduled flight from San Juan, Puerto Rico to Miami, Florida. The aircraft carried 29 passengers and 3 crew members. No probable cause for the loss was determined by the official investigation and it remains unsolved.
Final flight
Captained by pilot Robert Linquist, assisted by co-pilot Ernest Hill and stewardess Mary Burke, the aircraft ended its Miami-San Juan leg at 19:40 EST on 27 December. Linquist informed local repair crewmen that a landing gear warning light was not functioning and that the aircraft batteries were discharged and low on water. Unwilling to delay the aircraft's scheduled takeoff for Miami for several hours, Linquist said the batteries would be recharged by the aircraft's generators en route.
Linquist taxied NC16002 to the end of runway 27 for takeoff, but stopped at the end of the apron due to lack of two-way radio communication. Although capable of receiving, Linquist reported to the head of Puerto Rican Transport, who had driven out to the aircraft, that the radio could not transmit because of the low batteries. After agreeing to stay close to San Juan until they were recharged enough to allow two-way contact, NC16002 finally lifted off at 22:03. After circling the city for 11 minutes, Linquist received confirmation from Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) at San Juan and told the tower that they were proceeding to Miami on a previous flight plan.
The weather was fine with high visibility, but the aircraft did not respond to subsequent calls from San Juan. At 23:23, the Overseas Foreign Air Route Traffic Control Center at Miami heard a routine transmission from NC16002, wherein Linquist reported they were at 8,300 ft (2,500 m) and had an ETA of 04:03. His message placed the flight about 700 miles (1,100 km) from Miami. Transmissions were heard sporadically throughout the night by Miami, but all were routine.
At 04:13, Linquist reported he was 50 miles (80 km) south of Miami. The transmission was not heard at Miami but was monitored at New Orleans, Louisiana, some 600 miles (970 km) away, and was relayed to Miami. The accident investigation report issued by the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) said the pilot may have incorrectly reported his position. At this time the plane only had enough fuel for 1 hour and 20 minutes of flying time left.
Miami weather was clear, but the wind had moved from northwest to northeast. The accident investigation report said that Miami transmitted the wind change information, but neither Miami nor New Orleans "was able to contact the flight". It is therefore unknown whether NC16002 received the information. Without this knowledge the aircraft could have drifted 40–50 miles (64–80 km) off course, which widened the search area to include hills in Cuba, the Everglades and even Gulf of Mexico waters.
On 4 January 1949, two bodies were found 80–90 kilometres (50–56 mi) south of Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. It is unknown if this was connected to the missing plane. (Since the last message from the missing DC-3 was heard not in Miami but New Orleans, if the bodies did come from the missing plane it could indicate the missing plane actually went down somewhere in the Straits of Florida between Florida and Cuba.)
Nothing further was heard from Linquist and the aircraft has never been found. In subsequent years, researchers into unexplained disappearances have included the flight among others said to have disappeared in what came to be termed the Bermuda Triangle.
A plane similar to the DC-3 has been found by divers in the Bermuda Triangle] It is possible that this is the lost aircraft, but this has not been verified.
{snip}
