Bermuda_triangle
DC3 missing, 1948
On 28 December 1948 a DC-3 was lost on a nighttime flight due to unknown causes between San Juan Puerto Rico to Miami Florida. Although the cause and location of the disappearance is Unknown, there are several other factors: The report noted that although the carrier, aircraft, and crew were certified, at the time of takeoff, the aircraft did not meet the requirements of the operating certificate.The company's maintenance records were incomplete. In one case, a subcontractor working on an engine in October 1948 completed the task but did not save any records proving it.As far as human error, the report cited several occurrences: Captain Linquist told San Juan that his landing gear down indicator lamps did not work. This led to the discovery that his batteries were low on water and electrical charge. While he ordered the refilling of the batteries with water, he ordered the reinstallation of the batteries on board the aircraft without recharging them. The aircraft left with the batteries charged only enough to satisfy two-way radio communication with the tower, with the understanding that an in-flight flight plan would be filed before they left the vicinity of San Juan. This was not done, and the plane continued on a course for Miami. It was noted in the report that the plane's radio transmitter did not function properly due to the low battery charge. The aircraft left San Juan with a cargo/passenger weight 118 lb (54 kg) over the allowable limit. A message was sent to the plane concerning a change in wind direction that could have been strong enough to push the plane off course. It was not known if the plane received the message. The plane's electrical system was not functioning normally prior to departing San Juan. The aircraft had fuel for 7 1/2 hours of flight; at the time the last transmission was intercepted, the flight had gone on for 6 hours and 10 minutes after takeoff, and thus "an error in location would be critical 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 mi (64–80 km) off course, which widened the search area to include hills in Cuba, the Everglades and even Gulf of Mexico waters. the plane last transmission was at 4:13 but was not heard in Miami but in New Orleans. On 4 January 1949, two bodies were found 80–90 kilometres (50–56 mi) south of Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. (El Tiempo January 5, 1949) It is unknown if this was connected to the missing plane. (IF they did come from the missing plane =plus the fact the last message from the missing DC-3 was heard not in Miami but New Orleans, this could indicate the missing plane actually went down somewhere in the Straits of Florida between Florida and Cuba). Presumedly this accident could have inspired The Fantasy Fiction series The Twilight Zone has a 22 September 1961 episode "The Arrival" which is also a retelling of The Flying Dutchman legend in which a DC-3 plane without crew or passengers lands at an airport; it is ultimately shown to be a hallucination of an insane FAA investigator who is obsessed with trying to solve the mystery of a missing DC-3 which vanished nearly 17 years over the Atlantic Ocean in a flight from Buffalo New York.