This list of missing aircraft includes aircraft that have disappeared and whose locations are unknown. According to Annex 13 of the International Civil Aviation Organization, an aircraft is considered to be missing "when the official search has been terminated and the wreckage has not been located".[1] However, there still remains a "grey area" on how much wreckage needs to be found for a plane to be declared "recovered". This list does not include every aviator, or even every air passenger that has ever gone missing as these are separate categories.
In the tables below, each missing aircraft is defined (in the Aircraft column) using one or more identifying features. If the aircraft was known by a custom or personalized name (e.g. Pathfinder), that name is presented first (in italics) followed by the aircraft type (in parentheses). The make of aircraft, although not necessarily a unique identifier, is also provided where appropriate. Aircraft registrations began to be used in the early 20th century for individual identification, so this is also included in the later tables (in parentheses).
The Cuban expression: Voló como Matías Pérez (meaning "He flew like Matias Perez") has since been known to be used when a person wishes to emphasize the situation of a missing person or object.[2]
This was part of a failed Swedish effort to reach the North Pole, resulting in the deaths of all three expedition members. While the bodies were later recovered, the balloon (other than some cloth) was never found.[3]
Aero Espresso Italiana flight from Istanbul to Athens. Signaled passing Isola d'Strati at 12:30 but made an emergency landing at 13:00 near Agios Eustratios at 39.336489, 24.755684. Nothing found.[24]
Charles Ulm disappeared along with copilot G.M. Littlejohn and navigator/radio operator J.S. Skilling. It is most probable that the aircraft overflew Hawaii.
Líneas Aéreas Occidentales (LAO) passenger flight from Mazatlán to La Paz. 2 Americans (pilot and mechanic) and 5 Mexicans (2 male, 2 female, and a female infant) on board; no trace found.[46]
This is perhaps one of the most famous aerial disappearances of all time. Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan were on their antepenultimate leg of an attempted round-the-world flight when they went missing. At the time, the search for Earhart was the largest of its kind in history.[57]
Sigizmund Levanevsky was among the passengers that went missing. This was an attempted long-distance flight from Moscow to Fairbanks, Alaska, via the North Pole. Possible wreckage of the plane was sighted on the sea floor in 1999.
Air France passenger flight from Dakar to Toulouse lost before a stopover in Casablanca. Crew reported passing Agadir at 03:05 but sent an SOS call received at 04:23. 2 mail bags washed up on the beach, but no wreckage was recovered.[58]
Lost: Sgt. Cecil Joseph Le Patrick Gordon (pilot), AC2 Thomas Charles Andrews, AC1 Melville George Brand, AC1 Leslie Freeman, No. 233 Sqn RAF, RAF Thornaby.[64][65][67]
Swedish-American pilot Carl Backman took the registration SE-AGM from a Areonca C-3 in his hometown of Leksand and used on this plane on an attempted flight from the US to Sweden. Planned route was from St. Louis to Rommehed with stops in Bangor and Gander; disappeared on last leg of flight.[75]
Four crew and four passengers were lost on this passenger flight. Wreckage washed up on the Iranian coast at Ras al Kuh, 40 km (25 miles) east of Jask.
LATI passenger flight from Natal to Sal. Pilot was forced to ditch after No. 2 (center) engine lost power and all cargo was dumped. No trace of plane found. (Other sources say flight was headed for Dakar.)[86][87]
Aeroflot plane left Vnukovo on a mission but vanished. The pilot was found alive in a Tashkent hospital with burns and wounds on January 10, 1942, but could not recall what happened to the plane or remaining 3 crew members.[88]
USAAF aircraft failed to return from a bombing raid against Kiska Island with two other aircraft after becoming separated from the formation while flying through a storm. The last radio transmission from the aircraft stated that the aircraft only had one hour of fuel left. The two other B-17s were able to return safely. No wreckage or remains have been found.[96]
US Navy aircraft went missing during a flight out of NAS Kaneohe. The aircraft became separated from two accompanying aircraft over the Pacific in bad weather. The final radio contact mentioned that the crew was flying at 7000 feet (2135 m) on instruments and descending.[97]
USAAF flight from Accra to Natal. Wide search, called off January 29th. A life raft with the body of one passenger was found 96 km east of Recife by the US destroyerKearney on February 4, and another life raft with the body of major Arthur Mills and 6 life jackets was found on the beach of Ponte Negra the following day.[100]
RAF aircraft took off from Dinjan for Fort Hertz, but failed to arrive. A Hudson pilot saw the aircraft at 1400 flying at 7000 feet (2135 m) near Kamku, heading for Fort Hertz.[101]
Dragon DH84A, A34-47 of 34 Squadron RAAF went missing on a flight between Mascot Airfield, in Sydney and Essendon Airfield in Melbourne via Forest Hill on Saturday 17 April 1943. The wreckage of this aircraft has never been found. RAAF and US Marine Corps personnel were presumed killed in this accident.[102]
Attempted flight from Singapore to Sarabus[103] (now Hvardiiske, Crimea) The people lost consisted of five IJA passengers and three crew members which included Kenji Tsukagoshi. The flight was likely intercepted by RAF fighters over the Indian Ocean as data is known through decrypted communications.
USAAF aircraft took off from Tontouta Airport, bound for Espiritu Santo. Radio contact established at 08:10, but aircraft failed to respond an hour later. Damaged gear and personal effects found two days later, but no bodies were ever found. A cold front had passed through the area on the morning of the flight, reducing ceiling and visibility. The route was flyable under IFR and several aircraft flew it that day with no incident.[106]
Main article:VMF-422 23 USMC F4U Corsair fighter aircraft of the Marine fighter squadron VMF-422 took off at 10:00 at Hawkins Field, bound for Funafuti. 24th Corsair had developed engine problems and returned back to Hawkins Field. At 1230 hrs., still short of Nanumea, the squadron encountered a massive Pacific cyclone measuring nearly 150 miles (240 km) in diameter and reaching to more than 50,000 feet, (15,300 m). Having little choice, the pilots flew into the storm and were immediately blown far to the south and east by the clockwise rotation of the cyclone, which carried them beyond Nanumea. Only one of the pilots managed to get a fix on the Funafuti radio range and landed safely. Other 22 Corsairs were lost, with six aviators being never found. The rest of the 16 aviators who had either ditched or bailed out, all were eventually rescued at sea. It was the worst non-combat loss of a Marine squadron in the war.
Army and Air Force searched for missing plane by air and ground for days but no trace of the plane, pilot, or navigator were ever found. Those lost were Oma Gordon Capps & an unknown navigator.[109]
No trace of the aircrew, passengers or plane found, possibly overflew bomb jettisoning area. Lost: Glenn Miller, F/O John Morgan & Lt. Col. Norman F. Baessell.[111]
C-47 transport headed from Chihchiang to Ganzhou. Turned back after encountering poor weather but was told to dump their load and go to Chanyi. A freighter pilot saw the crew bail out but the wreckage could not be located. 3 of the 4 occupants returned on the 29th but the fourth was never seen again.[112]
Military transport flight piloted by F. E. Savage disappeared for unknown reasons. There were known safety issues with the aircraft type that might have played a factor. The exact number of passengers lost is unknown, but at least three were identified to have been on the flight. Two of the passengers were Millard Harmon and James Roy Andersen.[113][114]
Main article:Lancaster PA278 disappearance A second Lancaster flying with PA278 saw an explosion at 04:40 GMT. Both were transporting military personnel.
Main article:Flight 19 Five TBM Avengers carrying 14 people went missing as the result of a presumed navigational error. This was widely covered in the news at the time, and helped to contribute to the Bermuda Triangle myth.
Military ferry-flight from Halmstad to Kalixfors outside Kiruna which included pilot Håkan Gunnar Hoffberg, aerial scout Karl Einar Carlsson, and signalist Alf Stig Einar Andersson. It is thought the plane may be in a bog in the Swedish province of Jämtland.[119]
Qantas passenger flight with five crew and five passengers missing en route from Negombo to the Cocos, one leg of a flight from the UK to Australia.[120]
RAF transport from Singapore to Calcutta via Butterworth and Yangon. Shortly after takeoff the pilot reported that he was over the northeastern coast of Thailand, but then decided to return to Butterworth due to bad weather. The pilot radioed 33 minutes later that he was in a "terrible storm" somewhere over the Cameron Highlands.
Pacific Alaska Air Express passenger flight from Yakutat to Annette Island. Last communication was received at 05:10 reporting they were at 10,000 feet (3,000 m) and located 235 kilometres (146 mi) SE of Yakutat.[124]
Main article:1951 Atlantic C-124 disappearance • An onboard fire of unknown origin prompted the pilots to ditch. When the USCSC Casco reached the ditching site a day later, the aircraft and its occupants could not be found.
Private flight piloted by Rodney R. Matthews-Naper with passenger Walter Bradley.[126][127][128] Possible debris from their plane was sighted from the air, west of Isle of Man.[126]
Fighter jet piloted by Felix Moncla that was deployed to intercept an unusual object that had been detected via radar. Moncla and the radar operator Robert L. Wilson were lost. While theories range from vertigo to an encounter with a UFO, no trace of the aircraft has ever been found. There is a memorial to Moncla at Sacred Heart Cemetery in Moreauville, Louisiana.
Main article:1955 RAF Shackleton aircraft disappearance The two aircraft probably collided in mid-air after being launched within six minutes of each other. An engine from WL743 was found by a trawler in July 1966, some 120 km north of the original search area.
US Navy aircraft took off from NAS Guantanamo to investigate Hurricane Janet, then a category 4 hurricane south of Jamaica. The aircraft penetrated the hurricane's eyewall at 700 feet (215 m), then all contact was lost. No wreckage has been found.[130]
The aircraft ditched in the Monongahela River due to fuel starvation while transporting military personnel. Both crew members were lost, and the airframe has never been found.
Inexplicably dropped out of formation and descended through clouds during a Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) ferry flight. No trace of the aircraft or pilot was ever found despite an extensive RCN and US Navy search effort.[131]
North Atlantic Ocean (near Land's End, United Kingdom)
Main article:1956 Atlantic R6D-1 disappearance A 14-day search for the aircraft and survivors found only wheels and a life raft floating 596 km (370 miles) southwest of Land's End.
French Air Force aircraft, of EARS 99 (the SAR unit of the French Air Force), took off from Istres Air Base to assist a Panamanian cargo ship, the Antares, which had sent a distress signal. The aircraft circled the area of the Mediterranean Sea in poor weather. At 23:56, the pilot radioed his position to be 41°44'N, 005°06'E with an estimated return to Istres of 00:50. Nothing more was heard from the flight.
Main article:Pan Am Flight 7 Last contact with the aircraft was a routine radio transmission between the pilot and a US Coast Guard cutter performing radar surveillance duty at Ocean Station November, located at the approximate halfway point between the mainland and the island of Oahu.
Aero-Topográfica (ARTOP) flight from Lisbon to Funchal, piloted by Harry Frank Broadbent. The flight departing at 12:23 and the last radio transmission, received at 13:21, was "QUG", meaning "I am forced to land immediately."[136][137]
This Gulf Aviation flight from Doha made up of 3 crew, and 13 passengers either crashed at sea or overflew its destination (Sharjah) causing CFIT.[138]
Papuan Air Transport (Patair) flight from Popondetta to Port Moresby piloted by Geoffrey Neil Wallace, 25. Last contact 10 minutes from arrival over Kokoda with a report of bad weather. 17-day search with up to 30 aircraft found nothing; anecdotal reports of wreckage discovery in October 1970 unconfirmed.[141]
On board were four crew members, and nine international delegation members of the ICSC. A study done in 1996 concluded that the aircraft was most likely shot down by a North Vietnamese military unit.[145]
Four of those lost were mechanics being transported to Grand Turk Island to repair a C-119. Debris from the aircraft was found on 19 July on the beach of Gold Rock Cay just off the shore of Acklins Island.[146]
Attempted transatlantic flight (first by balloon). The last radio contact with Gatch saying that he was 1,490 km NE of San Juan, PR on February 19 is disputed.
The flight took off from Ivalo,Finland heading to Bodø, Norway.The plane was carrying a Sami delegation for a visit to Norway. More (Finnish only):"Bodø lento-onnettomuus 1974".
No radar confirmation of the pilot-reported position. Theories of the disappearance range from the pilot being deceived by the illusion of a tilted horizon, to a UFO encounter as shown on Unsolved Mysteries.
Lost during a Solomon Airlines flight from Bellona to Honiara when the pilot turned back due to weather and became disoriented. Plane ditched while still in radio contact but not recovered.[160]
Two passengers survived the crash for at least two days, communicating via radio. Searchers were unable to find the plane and communication stopped.[162]
Plane crashed into lake near Kenansville in what was likely an illegal smuggling flight. The wreckage and pilot, Mark Elliott, could not be found.[166]
This aircraft had been previously decommissioned with a provisional and limited airworthiness certificate. The intention was to eventually ferry this aircraft to an aviation museum, but this was cut short by an unauthorized take off. The runway used was unrated (possibly damaging), and the plane had no working radio equipment.[167]
Associated Air Service flight from Fort Lauderdale to Bimini. Disappeared from radar 14 minutes after departure in a 5,400 FPM descent. Two witnesses saw plane go down near Bimini between 08:30 and 09:00.[171]
56-year-old Richard Yerex, a commuter pilot for the Ford Motor Company and a retired Air Force pilot, left Palm Beach at 8:05, headed to Marsh Harbor to pick up tourists on a return flight. He sent his last transmission over Grand Bahama Island near a weather balloon. He failed to arrive at 8:50 and the Coast Guard launched a search 25 minutes later; the 2 day search failed to find any trace of the aircraft.[174]
Panorama Air Tour flight from Honolulu to Molokai. Was to fly across 35 km (22-mile) channel on an overcast night with no moon. Plane slowed from 170 to 95 knots (315 to 176 km/h), gained 500 feet (150 m) altitude, and turned left 190 degrees before disappearing from radar at 18:53. Pilot had not flown IFR for 15 months and only flew during the day.[176]
Main article:1990 Faucett Perú Boeing 727 disappearance On September 11, 1990, a Faucett Boeing 727 went missing some 290 km (180 miles) southeast of Cape Race, Newfoundland. After having been leased to Air Malta, the aircraft was being returned to Peru from Europe via Iceland, when the crew reported a low fuel notice and that they were preparing to ditch. There were no survivors among 16 occupants on board.[180]
Lost during a Bali International Air Service flight from Palangka Raya to Sampit. Was holding in the Sampit area due to weather but failed to land.[181]
Private flight piloted by Jeffery H. Roth from Yakutat to Anchorage. Pilot reported reaching assigned altitude (12,000 feet/3660 m) and all communications were lost. Roth's wife, however, listened to the FAA tapes herself and claimed she heard her husband say "6,000" and "icing conditions" several minutes after this point, but FBI analysis could not confirm this.[182]
Despite a warning that VFR flight would not be suitable due to weather conditions, the pilot left anyway. Cleared for takeoff at 12:03 and last heard from 11 minutes later. Searches turned up no trace of the aircraft;[183] a tip claimed the plane had gone down in the Big Basin area but nothing was found there either.[184]
Plane disappeared 83 minutes into the flight from Toledo Suburban airport, north of Grand Rapids. No evidence of a crash, plane or pilot has ever been found.[185]
En route from Williamtown to Lord Howe Island. A small amount of aircraft debris was found floating on the sea surface, but the aircraft itself was never located.[187]
Pilot and co-pilot went missing from radar while doing a preparation flight before the National Cherry Festival Air Show. Despite a search area of 1,900 square miles (4900 km2), no evidence of the plane or pilots has ever been found.[1]
Arnhem Land Community Airlines cargo flight from and to Elcho Island with stops in Mata Mata, Muthamul, Nyinyikay, and Rurruwuy. Plane noticed missing at 12:30. Witness spotted plane followed by black smoke rising from eastern Napier Peninsula. Some wreckage found in southwestern Buckingham Bay on October 17; main wreckage and pilot missing.[193]
Línea Aérea Puertorriqueña (LAP) passenger flight from Santiago de los Caballeros to Mayaguana. Pilot contacted Providenciales ATC at 17:06 reporting an emergency. The pilot's license had been suspended in October 2006.[195]
Grupo Chicoil aircraft on a flight from Pointe Noire to Luanda, chartered by Dubai-based businessman Rachid Mustapha. Contact was lost in the Caxito area at 00:20; no sign of the aircraft has been found.[196]
45-minute Aerodiana sightseeing flight of the Nazca Lines, departing 07:10, with 9 occupants (2 crew, 7 passengers). A number of passengers used false identities. Pilot and copilot were released 21 days later but the plane was never returned nor found.[197]
Plane owned by Family Celebrations, on a maintenance test flight out of South Saint Paul. Plane was following along western shoreline of lake, 0.5 miles (800 m) from shore. Last recorded position 30 miles (48 km) NE of Duluth at 1,600 feet (490 m) at 14:27. Search suspended on July 4, 2012.[199]
Cargo flight en route from Mahdia, Guyana to Karisparu, Guyana that failed to arrive at destination. Despite a 21-day search effort, no trace was found.[202]
Collided with a CEIBA Intercontinental Boeing 737 near Tambacounda, Senegal, flew westerly for about an hour without making any radio calls, then disappeared. Investigators believe that the 737's winglet struck 6V-AIM's fuselage, resulting in uncontrolled decompression which incapacitated everyone on board; 6V-AIM then flew until it ran out of fuel and crashed into the ocean. No trace of 6V-AIM or its 7 occupants was ever found. The 737 landed safely.[203]
Disappeared during a flight from Matawaré, an isolated village in Brazil's Tumucumaque Mountains National Park, to Laranjal do Jari, a mining town in the state of Amapá. Contact was lost after the pilot reported losing a cylinder. A two-week search by the Brazilian Air Force and a weeks-long search by relatives of those on board failed to find any trace of the plane.[205]
Disappeared en route from Lantana airport in Palm Beach to the Bahamas. A 24 hour search failed to turn up any trace of the plane or any debris. On April 8, 2019, the body of the pilot washed up on the Bahamas coast, but the aircraft and the passenger remain unaccounted for.[206]
Some small pieces of the aircraft's tail were found, but the plane is still marked as missing. Contact was lost about 135 kilometers east of Misawa Air Base.[207][208]
G-EGVA was one of seven aircraft flying from Wellesbourne Mountford Aerodrome to Le Touquet in France. As they approached the middle of the English Channel, the aircraft reported that they were in the clouds. The flight was operating under visual flight rules and neither pilot was qualified to fly in cloudy conditions. Shortly after transmission report, the plane disappeared from radar and has never been found, despite extensive searches by both UK and French authorities.[211][212]
^Grossnick, Roy (1987). "Training Command Aircraft". 75th Year of Naval Aviation: Naval aviation training. Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Air Warfare). p. 38.
^"Disappearance of British pilot". Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser. Singapore. July 4, 1927. p. 7. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
^"Flying Home from India"(PDF). Flight Magazine. XIX (20). London: Reed Business Information: 316. May 19, 1927. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
^"Missing Airmen: Search by Turkish Soldiers". Irish Times. Dublin. June 7, 1927. p. 7.
^"Missing F.M.S. Planter Airmen". Singapore Free Press and Mercantile Advertiser. Singapore. September 22, 1932. p. 7. Archived from the original on November 7, 2012. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
^"Clue to Missing Airmen". Irish Times. Dublin. September 27, 1932. p. 11.
^"From the Clubs: At Kuala Lumpur"(PDF). Flight Magazine. XXIV (42). London: Reed Business Information: 961. October 13, 1932. Retrieved July 22, 2011.
^Hamilton's body was washed ashore on Egmond, Netherlands on November 3, 1938. Prowse's body was reported to have washed ashore at Arendal, Norway in late December the same year. Nauta, Hans (2007). "Fate crew Harrow K6971 6th Oct 1938". RAF Commands. Retrieved July 31, 2011.
^"Flying Accidents"(PDF). Flight Magazine. XXXV (1555). London: Reed Business Information: 320. October 13, 1938. Retrieved July 31, 2011.
^Baugher, Joe (2004). "Consolidated C-87 Liberator Express". Retrieved June 26, 2011. The C-87A could carry 16 VIP passengers and had a crew of at least four (not counting cabin staff.)
