Flight 19 facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Disappearance of Flight 19

A similar flight of five 'Avenger' aircraft
Occurrence summary
Date	December 5, 1945
Summary	Disappearance
Place	Atlantic Ocean
Crew	14
Injuries (non-fatal)	0
Fatalities	14
Survivors	0
Aircraft type	GM-built TBM Avenger
Airline/user	United States Navy
Flew from	NAS Fort Lauderdale
Flying to	NAS Fort Lauderdale

Flight 19 was a group of five Avenger torpedo bomber planes. These planes disappeared over the Bermuda Triangle on December 5, 1945. They lost contact during a United States Navy training flight. The flight started from Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale, Florida. All 14 pilots and crew on Flight 19 were lost. Also, 13 crew members of a Martin PBM Mariner search plane disappeared. This search plane had launched from Naval Air Station Banana River.

Navy investigators first thought the flight leader, Lt. Charles C. Taylor, made a mistake. They believed he confused small islands for the Florida Keys. This led the planes out over the open sea. However, the Navy later changed the report to "cause unknown." This was to avoid blaming Lt. Taylor for the loss of the planes and men. The search plane likely exploded in mid-air.

The Mystery of Flight 19

The Training Flight Begins

A Routine Mission

Flight 19 was on a normal training exercise. This mission involved navigation and practice bombing. The planes were TBM-type aircraft, also known as Avengers. The leader was Lieutenant Charles Carroll Taylor. He was an experienced pilot with about 2,500 flying hours. The other pilots were trainees. They had less experience in these planes.

The planes were fully fueled for the mission. During checks, it was noted that the planes were missing clocks. However, pilots usually wore their own watches. The flight was supposed to take off at 1:45 PM. But it was delayed until 2:10 PM. The weather was good, with moderate ocean conditions.

The exercise had three main parts. First, they flew east for about 56 nautical miles (about 64 miles or 104 km). They practiced bombing at a place called Hens and Chickens Shoals. Then, they continued east for another 67 nautical miles (about 77 miles or 124 km). After that, they were to turn north for 73 nautical miles (about 84 miles or 135 km). This path would take them over Grand Bahama island. Finally, they would turn southwest for 120 nautical miles (about 138 miles or 222 km). This would complete the exercise, and they would return to Fort Lauderdale.

This map shows Flight 19's planned route on December 5, 1945. The numbers show the different parts of their training flight and where the search plane later disappeared.

Losing Their Way

Other planes and the base heard radio calls from Flight 19. Around 3:00 PM, a pilot asked to drop his last bomb. About 40 minutes later, another instructor heard a strange message. A crew member asked one of the students, Powers, for his compass reading. Powers replied, "I don't know where we are. We must have got lost after that last turn."

The instructor tried to help. He asked Flight 19 to identify themselves. Then, Lt. Taylor (FT-28) came on the radio. He said, "Both of my compasses are out. I am trying to find Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I am over land but it's broken. I am sure I'm in the Keys but I don't know how far down." The instructor told Taylor to fly north along the coast.

Taylor was asked to use a special transmitter to help find his position. He did not respond to this request. Later, he said his transmitter was on. At 4:45 PM, Taylor radioed, "We are heading 030 degrees for 45 minutes, then we will fly north." This was to make sure they were not over the Gulf of Mexico.

At 4:56 PM, Taylor was asked again to turn on his transmitter. He did not respond. A few minutes later, he told his flight to "Change course to 090 degrees (due east) for 10 minutes." Around the same time, someone in the flight said, "[...], if we could just fly west we would get home; head west, [...]." This showed disagreement among the pilots. Military rules meant students had to follow their leader.

The weather got worse. Radio contact became difficult. It was thought the planes were over 200 nautical miles (about 230 miles or 370 km) out at sea. Taylor radioed, "We'll fly 270 degrees west until landfall or running out of gas." By 5:50 PM, radio stations figured Flight 19 was north of the Bahamas. They were far off the coast of central Florida.

At 6:04 PM, Taylor told his flight, "Holding 270. We didn't fly far enough east; we may as well just turn around and fly east again." The weather was very bad, and the sun had set. Around 6:20 PM, Taylor's last message was heard. He said, "All planes close up tight ... we'll have to ditch unless landfall ... when the first plane drops below 10 gallons, we all go down together."

The Search Plane Disappears Too

PBM-5 Mariner

A Martin PBM-5 Mariner similar to BuNo 59225.
Occurrence summary
Date	December 5, 1945
Summary	Disappearance, Presumed mid-air explosion
Place	28°35′N 80°15′W / 28.59°N 80.25°W / 28.59; -80.25
Crew	13
Fatalities	13
Survivors	0
Aircraft type	Martin PBM-5 Mariner
Airline/user	United States Navy
Flew from	NAS Banana River
Flying to	NAS Banana River

As Flight 19 was clearly lost, many air bases and ships were told to help. A Consolidated PBY Catalina plane took off to search. Two Martin PBM Mariner flying boats were also sent. These planes were large and could land on water.

One PBM-5 Mariner (BuNo 59225) took off at 7:27 PM. It sent a normal radio message at 7:30 PM. After that, it was never heard from again.

At 9:15 PM, a tanker ship called the SS Gaines Mills reported something strange. They saw flames shoot 100 feet (about 30 meters) high. The fire burned for 10 minutes. This happened at a location near 28°35′N 80°15′W / 28.59°N 80.25°W / 28.59; -80.25. The ship's captain searched for survivors but found only oil and airplane fuel. Another ship, the USS Solomons, also lost radar contact with a plane at the same time and place.

PBM planes carried a lot of fuel. Their fuel lines sometimes leaked in rough weather. It is very likely that the PBM Mariner exploded in the air.

What Happened? The Investigation

Why the Planes Got Lost

A few months later, the Navy released a 500-page report. It said that Lt. Charles C. Taylor thought the small islands he saw were the Florida Keys. He believed his flight was over the Gulf of Mexico. He thought flying northeast would take them to Florida. But he had actually flown over the Bahamas. He was leading his flight northeast over the Atlantic Ocean.

The report also noted that some of the other pilots likely knew their real position. They had said on the radio that flying west would lead them to land. Taylor also did not change his radio frequency to the search and rescue channel. This training frequency was hard to use because of other radio signals. The report said Taylor was not at fault for his compasses failing.

The "Cause Unknown" Conclusion

Later, the Navy changed the report to "cause unknown." This happened after Taylor's mother argued that the Navy was unfairly blaming her son. She pointed out that neither the planes nor the bodies had been found.

If Flight 19 had been where Taylor thought, they would have reached Florida quickly. But the investigation showed the islands Taylor saw were probably in the Bahamas. This meant Flight 19 was actually where it was supposed to be at first. Because Taylor believed he was off course, he guided the flight further northeast and out to sea.

Pilots at Fort Lauderdale knew a simple rule: if you get lost, fly west. This would always lead to the Florida coast. But by the time Flight 19 finally turned west, they were likely too far out at sea. They would have run out of fuel before reaching land. This, along with bad weather, meant there was little hope of rescue.

It's possible Taylor flew past one island and saw another. He might have thought this new land was Grand Bahama Island. Believing his compass was wrong, he tried to fly southwest to Fort Lauderdale. But this course actually took him further northwest, into the open ocean. He then saw islands that looked like the Florida Keys. This added to his confusion.

The control tower told Taylor to fly west. This would have eventually led them to Florida. But Taylor's compass issues meant he flew northwest instead. After flying for a while with no land in sight, Taylor thought it was impossible to be so far west without reaching Florida. He then changed course again. Finally, the planes ran out of fuel. They likely crashed into the ocean somewhere north of the Bahamas and east of Florida.

Searching for Clues: Other Discoveries

Many searches have taken place over the years. In 1986, an Avenger plane wreck was found off Florida. It was found during the search for the Space Shuttle Challenger wreckage. But this was not one of Flight 19's planes.

In 1991, a team announced they found five Avenger wrecks. But their identification numbers showed they were not Flight 19. These were other planes lost in different accidents. Searches continued into the 2000s. They looked farther east into the Atlantic Ocean. But Flight 19 has still not been found.

In 2015, a newspaper reported that a World War II plane was found in the 1960s. It had Navy markings and two bodies inside. The Navy first said it was from Flight 19 but later changed its statement. The identities of the bodies are still unknown.

Another plane found in the Everglades was also thought to be from Flight 19. But this plane crashed in 1947. Its pilot died in the crash.

As of today, no trace of the five Avenger planes or the PBM Mariner has been confirmed. The 27 missing aviators have not been found. The most likely explanation is that the Avengers ran out of fuel and crashed into the sea. The PBM search plane likely exploded in mid-air.

Flight 19 in Movies

Flight 19 has appeared in movies. In the 1977 science-fiction film Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the planes are found in a desert. They are in perfect condition. The film suggests aliens were involved.

Flight 19 also appeared in the 2006 movie Scooby-Doo! Pirates Ahoy!

The Brave Crews

Images for kids

• 

  Lieutenant Charles Carroll Taylor, USNR, flight leader of Flight 19

See also

• List of people who disappeared at sea
• List of missing aircraft