The Flight 19 Incident (1945): Examining the Evidence Behind a Bermuda Triangle Mystery

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On December 5, 1945, five U.S. Navy torpedo bombers disappeared during a routine training mission off the coast of Florida. This incident, known as Flight 19, would later become one of the most famous cases associated with the Bermuda Triangle and has been the subject of numerous paranormal and UFO theories over the decades. This report examines the historical facts, evaluates the credibility of various sources, analyzes skeptical explanations, and explores the incident’s impact on UFO discourse.

Historical Background: The Disappearance

Flight 19 consisted of five TBM Avenger torpedo bombers that took off from Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale, Florida, at approximately 2:10 PM on December 5, 1945¹². The training exercise, designated “Navigation problem No. 1,” was led by Lieutenant Charles Carroll Taylor, an experienced pilot with approximately 2,500 flying hours². His trainees each had about 300 total flying hours, with 60 hours specifically in Avenger aircraft².

The mission followed a planned triangular route: first flying east from Florida to conduct bombing practice at Hens and Chickens Shoals in the Bahamas, then heading north, and finally turning southwest to return to base²³. The first leg of the journey proceeded without incident, with the squadron successfully completing their bombing runs around 2:30 PM⁴.

The trouble began at approximately 3:45 PM when Lieutenant Taylor reported disorientation and compass problems⁴. Radio communications revealed increasing confusion as Taylor stated: “Cannot see land. We seem to be off course.”⁴ When asked for his position, Taylor replied, “We cannot be sure where we are. Repeat: Cannot see land.”⁴

As the afternoon progressed, the situation deteriorated. One pilot was heard saying, “I don’t know where we are. We must have got lost after that last turn.”⁴ Taylor believed he was over the Florida Keys when in fact, according to later analysis, he was likely over the Bahamas⁵. This critical misunderstanding led him to direct the flight eastward—further out to sea—rather than westward toward the mainland⁵.

With fuel running low after approximately four hours in the air, Taylor’s final instructions indicated they would need to ditch in the ocean: “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.”⁶ Radio transmissions gradually fell silent as the planes disappeared from contact⁶.

Adding to the tragedy, a Martin PBM Mariner flying boat with 13 crew members that was dispatched to search for Flight 19 also disappeared that evening⁷. Unlike Flight 19, however, witnesses reported seeing the Mariner explode in midair about 23 minutes after takeoff⁷³. This was likely due to a fuel line issue, as the Mariner was notorious for such problems⁸³.

Despite an extensive five-day search covering more than 250,000 square miles of ocean, no trace of Flight 19 or its crew was ever found—no wreckage, no oil slicks, no bodies⁴⁹.

The UFO Connection: Origins and Development

The association between Flight 19 and UFO phenomena did not develop immediately after the incident. Rather, it emerged gradually as part of the broader Bermuda Triangle mythology that took shape in the 1960s and 1970s.

The term “Bermuda Triangle” wasn’t coined until 1964 by writer Vincent Gaddis¹⁰. The region—roughly bounded by Miami, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico—became infamous for alleged mysterious disappearances of ships and aircraft. Flight 19’s integration into UFO mythology came primarily through embellishments and fictional additions to the historical record.

A critical review of the evidence reveals that none of the actual radio transmissions from Flight 19 mentioned anything about unidentified flying objects or strange phenomena¹¹¹². However, this didn’t prevent speculation and fabrication in later accounts. Magazine and book writers invented dramatic quotes such as: “Everything looks wrong, strange, the ocean doesn’t look as it should. Don’t come after us. They look like they’re from outer space!”⁸ These fictional statements falsely became attributed to the Flight 19 pilots in popular culture⁸.

The 1977 film “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” significantly strengthened the connection between Flight 19 and alien abduction in the public imagination¹³¹². The movie dramatically depicted the Flight 19 aircraft being abducted by aliens and later discovered intact in Mexico’s desert, with the long-missing pilots returned¹¹¹³.

Some conspiracy theorists have gone further, claiming that the original radio transmissions were tampered with to remove references to UFOs, suggesting a government cover-up¹². However, no credible evidence supports such claims.

Credibility Assessment of Sources

When evaluating the Flight 19 incident, particularly regarding UFO claims, it’s essential to assess the reliability of various sources:

Official Military Documentation

The most authoritative source is the official Navy investigation report titled “Board of Investigation into five missing TBM airplanes and one PBM airplane.”¹⁰ This 500-page report, conducted immediately after the incident, represents the most credible contemporary documentation⁶.

The Navy’s initial conclusion was that Lieutenant Taylor became disoriented after his compasses malfunctioned. They believed he mistook islands in the Bahamas for the Florida Keys⁵. However, the Navy later amended the report to state “cause unknown” to avoid placing blame solely on Taylor¹⁴.

Military records, including communication transcripts and search operation documentation, maintain high credibility as they represent contemporaneous records created for operational rather than narrative purposes⁹. These transcripts show progressive disorientation and confusion but contain no references to supernatural phenomena or UFOs⁹¹².

Independent Researchers

Aviation researchers like Jon Myhre (author of “Discovery of Flight 19”) and Andy Marocco have conducted extensive investigations into the Flight 19 incident⁶. Their work includes examining radar records and reviewing the official Navy investigation report⁶.

Marocco discovered that the USS Solomons aircraft carrier, while off the coast of Daytona Beach, picked up radar signals from four to six unidentified planes over North Florida, about 20 miles northwest of Flagler Beach at 7:00 PM on December 5, 1945⁶. These planes then made a turn to a compass heading of 170 degrees (southeast)⁶.

This finding, if accurate, suggests that Flight 19 may have actually made it over mainland Florida before turning back out to sea. While this research adds valuable perspective, it should be noted that these are interpretations of decades-old radar data, and conclusions should be treated with appropriate caution.

UFO Literature and Popular Media

Sources promoting UFO or paranormal explanations for Flight 19’s disappearance generally fall into lower credibility categories. Many of these accounts fabricate quotes from the pilots, make claims without primary source documentation, conflate the real incident with fictional portrayals, and rely on speculation rather than evidence⁸¹².

Historian Larry Kusche, in his book “The Bermuda Triangle Mystery—Solved,” identified that many writers promoting paranormal explanations for Flight 19 never consulted the official Navy report, instead building upon each other’s embellished accounts¹⁰.

Counterarguments and Skeptical Explanations

Several rational explanations exist for the Flight 19 disappearance that don’t involve UFOs or paranormal phenomena:

Navigation and Equipment Failures

In 1945, navigation relied heavily on visual references, compasses, and a technique called “dead reckoning”¹⁵¹². Dead reckoning required pilots to calculate their position based on their last known location, heading, speed, and elapsed time¹⁵. Without GPS or modern navigation aids, this method was prone to compounding errors¹⁵¹².

Flight 19 faced several navigational challenges:

• Lieutenant Taylor reported his compasses were malfunctioning⁵
• The weather deteriorated as the afternoon progressed, making visual navigation difficult¹²
• None of the aircraft had proper timepieces installed, which complicated dead reckoning calculations¹²
• The Florida/Bahamas region has numerous small islands that look similar from the air⁸
• Darkness was setting in during the later stages of the flight¹²

These factors alone could explain the squadron becoming disoriented and ultimately flying in the wrong direction until fuel exhaustion.

Human Factors

Lieutenant Taylor’s state of mind and decision-making have been scrutinized. According to one source, Taylor “arrived with a hangover, flew off without a watch, and had a history of getting lost and ditching his plane twice before.”⁵

Taylor also reportedly arrived late to the pre-flight briefing and requested to be excused from leading the mission, saying “I just don’t want to take this one out.”¹³ The reasons for his reluctance were never documented.

When faced with disorientation, Taylor apparently overruled a junior pilot who correctly suggested they should turn west⁵. Instead, he directed the flight eastward, further out to sea. This critical error, if accurate, would explain why the aircraft never reached land.

Weather and Ocean Conditions

By the time search efforts began at approximately 7:30 PM, rescue aircraft reported overcast conditions, showers, turbulence, 25-30 knot winds, and very rough seas⁹. These conditions would have made ditching extremely hazardous, even if the pilots managed a controlled water landing.

Avenger aircraft, while robust, could sink quickly if damaged during water landing. In rough seas and darkness, crews would have faced extreme difficulty deploying life rafts and surviving until rescue forces arrived.

The Mystery of the Missing Wreckage

The complete absence of wreckage has fueled speculation about extraordinary explanations. However, the vast search area (250,000 square miles), the deep waters of the Atlantic, and the limitations of 1945-era search capabilities make this less mysterious than it might initially seem.

Several efforts to locate the aircraft have produced false leads:

• In 1989, an Avenger discovered in western Broward County was initially thought to belong to Flight 19, but investigators determined it was not from the lost squadron⁶
• In 1991, treasure hunters found remains of five WWII-era planes near Fort Lauderdale, but serial numbers showed they weren’t from Flight 19⁶
• In a curious reversal, a 2022 expedition searching for the lost PBM Mariner instead discovered a large piece of the Space Shuttle Challenger, which had exploded during launch in 1986⁷

Influence and Impact on UFO Discourse

Flight 19’s disappearance has had a lasting impact on UFO discourse and popular culture:

Cornerstone of the Bermuda Triangle Mythology

Flight 19 became one of the foundational cases supporting the concept of the Bermuda Triangle as a mysterious area where conventional explanations supposedly fail. The complete disappearance of five military aircraft and their crews, followed by the loss of a search plane, created a compelling narrative of inexplicable forces at work.

According to one source, “If there were no triangle then the allure of the Flight-19 story would likely have faded into history years ago.”¹⁵ The mutual reinforcement between the Flight 19 incident and the Bermuda Triangle concept has kept both relevant in paranormal discussions for decades.

Legacy in Popular Culture

The disappearance has been referenced in numerous works of fiction, documentaries, and films. Beyond the previously mentioned “Close Encounters of the Third Kind,” Flight 19 continues to feature in documentaries and YouTube channels dedicated to unexplained mysteries^11161712.

Recent YouTube videos from channels like “Seeking Answers” (2025) and “Prime History” (2024) continue to present the Flight 19 story as an unsolved mystery, often incorporating elements of Bermuda Triangle mythology¹¹¹⁶. While some of these presentations acknowledge rational explanations, they frequently leave room for supernatural interpretations to maintain viewer interest.

Impact on UFO Investigative Methodologies

The Flight 19 case illustrates how historical incidents can be retroactively incorporated into UFO narratives through selective interpretation, embellishment, and fabrication. This pattern—taking an unexplained event and filling the gaps with speculative paranormal elements—has become a common approach in some UFO research.

The case also demonstrates how the absence of evidence (no wreckage found) can be misinterpreted as evidence of something extraordinary, rather than simply reflecting the limitations of search capabilities or the vastness of the search area.

Contemporary Context and Government Investigations

In recent years, there has been increased mainstream attention to UFO stories, now often referred to as Unidentified Aerial Phenomena (UAP)¹⁸. While Flight 19 is not typically included in official UAP investigations due to its historical nature and lack of direct UFO connection, it provides important context for understanding how aviation incidents can become incorporated into UFO narratives.

Modern UAP investigations by organizations like NASA’s UAP independent study team and the All-domain Anomaly Resolution Office reflect a more systematic approach to investigating unexplained aerial encounters than was possible in 1945¹⁸. However, the Flight 19 case demonstrates the challenges of retrospectively investigating historical cases where primary evidence is limited.

In July 2021, Harvard astronomer Avi Loeb announced the Galileo Project to use advanced astronomical equipment to seek evidence of extraterrestrial artifacts¹⁸. While such scientific approaches represent a shift toward more rigorous investigation of UAP claims, they also highlight the contrast with older cases like Flight 19 where speculation often filled the void left by limited evidence.

Research Gaps and Future Directions

Several avenues for further research could help resolve lingering questions about Flight 19:

Underwater Searches

With today’s advanced sonar and underwater drone technology, a systematic search of the most likely crash areas could potentially locate wreckage. Previous searches have been limited or focused on incorrect areas based on faulty assumptions about where the planes went down. The 2022 discovery of Challenger debris demonstrates that even decades-old wreckage can still be found with modern technology⁷.

Historical Documentation Analysis

A comprehensive re-examination of all primary documents, including any recently declassified materials, could yield new insights. Particular attention should be paid to the radar data from the USS Solomons that allegedly detected aircraft over North Florida, as this could fundamentally change understanding of Flight 19’s final path⁶.

Meteorological and Oceanographic Analysis

Modern computer modeling could help determine where aircraft ditching in December 1945 might have resulted in wreckage being carried by ocean currents. This could narrow the search area for future underwater expeditions.

Psychological Analysis

A deeper examination of aviation psychology, particularly decision-making under stress, could provide insights into why an experienced pilot like Taylor would lead his flight out to sea rather than follow basic navigation principles.

Conclusion: Assessing the UFO Connection

After examining the available evidence, the Flight 19 incident appears to be a tragic aviation disaster caused by a combination of navigational errors, equipment failures, deteriorating weather, and poor decision-making—rather than an encounter with UFOs or paranormal forces.

The transformation of this incident into a UFO case seems largely to be a product of later cultural mythology rather than contemporary evidence. No credible documentation suggests any unusual aerial phenomena were observed in connection with Flight 19. The quotes about strange phenomena that are often attributed to the pilots have been demonstrated to be fabrications added years after the event⁸¹².

However, the Flight 19 case remains significant to UFO discourse because it illustrates how genuine mysteries can become incorporated into supernatural narratives through embellishment, fabrication, and selective interpretation. It serves as a cautionary example of how the absence of definitive answers can lead to speculative explanations that may be compelling but lack evidential support.

While rational explanations exist for what happened to Flight 19, the complete absence of physical evidence means that some aspects of the incident may never be fully resolved. This lingering uncertainty, combined with the human tendency to seek patterns and explanations, ensures that Flight 19 will likely remain a topic of discussion in both aviation history and UFO literature for years to come.

The case reminds us that in examining potential UFO incidents, we must carefully distinguish between the established facts, reasonable inferences, and speculative additions—a principle that applies equally to historical cases like Flight 19 and contemporary UAP reports.

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