Perhaps the most notorious of the Bermuda Triangle disappearances, the fate of Flight 19 and its accompanying PBM Mariner has baffled experts for decades. On December 5, 1945, five Avenger Torpedo Bombers, collectively known as Flight 19, departed from Fort Lauderdale. Their mission: a routine three-hour bombing run, something they’d done countless times before. Yet, this flight was destined to become one of aviation’s most enduring mysteries.
A Fateful Turn
Trouble began shortly after the patrol dropped its replica bombs. Lt. Charles C. Taylor, an experienced pilot, suspected his compass was malfunctioning, leading Flight 19 in the wrong direction. Concerned, Taylor contacted another Navy flight instructor flying nearby off the Florida coast. With worsening weather, Taylor made a critical decision, going against protocol by directing a stray aircraft towards the setting sun. Believing they were somewhere over the Florida Keys, Taylor adjusted course, attempting to navigate the Gulf of Mexico.
A Desperate Struggle
Sensing Taylor’s error, some of his men bravely challenged his decision to continue northeast, convincing him to turn back west. However, for reasons still unknown, Taylor once again changed course, leading the flight back northeast, still convinced they were over the Gulf. As they flew further from land, their transmissions grew weaker and weaker, a chilling sign of their increasing isolation.
The Final Moments
Having flown beyond their scheduled time, the crew’s anxiety mounted as fuel levels dwindled. In his final, fragmented transmission, Taylor instructed his men that once the lead plane reached ten liters of fuel, they would all ditch their aircraft together, hoping for the best chance of rescue. Just minutes later, the transmissions ceased entirely.
Convinced the flight had gone down in the ocean, the Navy immediately launched a massive search and rescue operation. Two Mariner seaplanes were scrambled to search for the missing Flight 19. Tragically, a mere 20 minutes after takeoff, one of the Mariners vanished from radar. Neither the 13 crew members of the Mariner, the 5 pilots of Flight 19, nor the wreckage of either aircraft were ever recovered. To this day, the disappearance of Flight 19 and its rescue plane remains one of the most perplexing and haunting mysteries in aviation history.
