Malaysian Airlines is not alone! 5 other unsolved crash mysteries

New Delhi, March 10: The

of the missing Malaysian Airline is yet to unfold completely. But, the urge to know what happened in the last few minutes before the incident remains, as in the case of numerous other mysterious plane crashes in the past.

The disappearance has many logical theories, including the terror angle, but the entire story is yet to be ascertained even as Vietnamese forces allegedly find bits and pieces of the aircraft in the sea.

A list of five such mysterious crashes have been mentioned below, which replicate this crash.

Flight 191: There was something with its flight number that people did not travel by it, especially when a number of flights with the same number series crashed since 1960.

While American Airlines Flight 191 is one, which killed 273 people onboard, a pretty recent one was that of JetBlue Airways Flight 191 in 2012 when the pilot went crazy during the flight and started ranting about Jesus, 9/11 and terrorists. He was kicked out of the cockpit by the copilot and was subdued by passengers. He was later put in a mental hospital.

Star Dust: Equally mysterious was the disappearance of STAR DUST, which was a civilian version of the Lancastar bomber and was registered with the British South American Airways.

Enroute Buenos Aires to Santiago, Chile in 1947, the ill fated flight disappeared just minutes before the landing over Andes. IN the last few moments, the radio operator transmitted very puzzling Morse Code messages: "STENDEC", the meaning of which is still a puzzle.

50 years later, when hikers found its remains in a melting glacier, it was deciphered that the aircraft went off course , and in low visibility landed mistakenly on a cloud-covered mountain range.

Flight 19: The mystery behind the disappearance of 6 Navy Planes during a routine training gave rise to the legend of the Bermuda Triangle. The 5 Navy Avengers took off from Fort Lauderdale, Florida on December 5, 1945.

Although the weather was clear, after 90 minutes into the flight the pilots got disoriented, even with an experienced flight instructor, and could not recognise the landmarks below. Charles Taylor-who led the team-had a malfunctioning compass and confused the Florida Keys with the Bahamas.

While the control room tried hard to direct him back, his students also suggested that they go West. But, Taylor headed them farther into the Sea and in erratic directions. In the due course of time, all the five planes could not be traced on the radar and a rescue plane following them also vanished, supposedly exploding midair.

It is said that Taylor wished to be excused from the day's exercise, for reasons unknown, but was forced to take it up.

TWA Flight 800: Its flight did not even last for 12 minutes after take off from the John F. Kennedy airport, killing 230 people. After a 4-year investigation into the crash, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) stated that a defective wiring had sparked off the plane's fuel supply.

However, FBI reports suggest that they saw a streak of light rising up to the plane where it exploded. It is believed that the plane had been shot at with a missile.

Pan Am Flight 7: A luxurious flight took a disastrous turn when the plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean on November 8, 1957, killing 44 people. The debris were located when US Navy spotted bodies floating in the northeast of Honolulu. Unable to pinpoint the exact reason for the accident, investigators landed up with curious evidences.

There were no distress calls, the debris were found off the course and the toxicology report of the bodies showed high levels of Carbon Monoxide in their systems. Debate between revenge from an angry crew member, insurance fraud and engine failure are still rife.

Let's face the facts

Since 1948 till date, close to 19 Douglas DC-3s have vanished , 5 planes are considered missing in the Bermuda Triangle, 13 average number of passengers and crew lost on each flight (excluding MH 370). ON an overall, there are 1.2 plane disappearances per year.

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