World's Strangest Unsolved Aviation Mysteries

Several planes have disappeared or crashed under mysterious circumstances over the years. While the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 remains the world's biggest aviation mystery, here are 10 unexplained aviation disasters from the early history of flight to this day:

1. Amelia Earhart disappearance – The celebrated aviator who set out to become the first woman to fly around the world vanished in a Lockheed Electra before finishing her trip in 1937. Several theories have come up regarding her disappearance including her faking her own death and her being abducted by aliens. However, a photo discovered in 2017 suggests that she was captured by the Japanese.

2. The Bermuda Triangle – Several aircraft are said to have disappeared under unusual circumstances over the triangular area bounded by Miami, Bermuda and Puerto Rico. These mysterious disappearances were attributed to paranormal activities. One of the first cases was in 1945 when five torpedo bombers with 14 crew members sent on a training mission over the Bermuda Triangle suddenly disappeared. Thirteen other men who were sent on a search-and-rescue mission also disappeared. Neither the planes nor the passengers were found.

3. Pan Am Flight 7 – The luxury aircraft en route from California to Hawaii disappeared without a trace in 1957. Search-and-rescue teams found the wreckage five days after the accident. However, the discovery raised several questions and autopsies suggested all passengers died of carbon monoxide poisoning. The cause of the crash still remains a mystery.

4. Flying Tiger Line Flight 739 – The Lockheed propliner carrying 93 soldiers from the United States and three others from South Vietnam disappeared in 1962 while it was on its way to Clark Air Base in the Philippines. The disappearance prompted one of the largest search-and-rescue missions in the history of the Pacific, however, nothing was recovered. Theories suggested it was hijacked or otherwise sabotaged, however, no evidence was found to prove the claims. Some eyewitnesses also claimed to have seen an explosion but no bodies were recovered.

5. Aer Lingus Flight 712- The flight en route from Cork, Ireland, to London crashed before reaching the destination in 1968, killing all the 61 people on board. Though a two-year investigation was launched to find the cause, no cause was determined. Most popular speculation was about it being shot down by a British experimental missile, however, the British government vehemently dismissed the rumors.

6. Trans World Airlines Flight 800- The Boeing 747, on its way from New York to Rome with 230 people on board, exploded and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean in 1996. Though initial speculations suggested it to be an act of terrorism, a 16-month investigation by the FBI showed no evidence. Other theories included government cover-ups and missile strikes by a U.S. Navy vessel.

7. EgyptAir Flight 990- The Boeing 767 with 217 passengers and crew aboard, crashed into the Atlantic Ocean after it departed from Los Angeles in 1999. However, the cause still remains a mystery. While the Egyptian Civil Aviation Authority (ECAA) blamed mechanical failure, the United States National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) claimed the pilot tried to take his own life. "I rely on God" were the last words said by the pilot moments before the disaster which resulted in a lot of speculations.

8. Helios Airways Flight 522- The flight veered slightly off course while on a short trip from Cyprus to Greece in 2005. After 19 failed radio requests, two F-16s caught up with the flight and as they flew alongside, they saw the captain's chair was empty and the co-pilot was lying motionless. They also noticed oxygen masks hanging from the ceiling and all passengers frozen to their seats. The fighters followed the plane until it crashed into a hillside, killing all 121 on board.

9. Air France Flight 447 – The Airbus A330-200 airliner from Rio de Janeiro to Paris carrying 216 passengers and 12 crew members went missing over the Atlantic Ocean in 2009. The plane had flown through a thunderstorm, however, no distress signals were sent. Final report published in 2012 stated the crash occurred due to obstruction of “pitot tubes” because of ice crystals. However, there were also reports that the pilot wasn’t able to stay alert as he had slept only for an hour the night before.

10. Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 – The flight between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing carrying 239 passengers and crew members mysteriously vanished over the Indian Ocean in 2014. Let alone solving the mystery of its disappearance, Malaysian authorities are even having a tough time locating the remains of the plane. The disappearance also prompted a four-year multimillion-dollar joint operation by Malaysian, Australian and Chinese investigators. With a huge gap in reliable information, aviation experts and conspiracy theorists have come up with several theories about its disappearance including it being shot down and a passenger taking control of the aircraft and dooming it.