There are many mysteries in aviation, aside from where they hide the identifiable meat in the in-flight meals. Here are four of the biggest head-scratchers to keep Air Traffic Control and pilots up at night.

The Disappearance of Flight 19.

On December 5th, 1945, at 14:10, Flight Nineteen took off from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. They were to head out on a routine training mission. The squadron comprised a group of student pilots flying TBM Avenger torpedo bombers, nicknamed the Iron Bird. It got this moniker because of its sturdy design and propensity to stay together in battle. U.S. Navy Lieutenant Charles Carroll Taylor, a skilled pilot who had flown many Pacific missions during the war, commanded the squad.

Taylor and his students, each with some experience in the Avenger, went on a three-hour exercise called “Navigation Problem No. One. The flight departed in fine weather and was never seen again.

The mission called for them to fly east to conduct a bombing run at a location called Hens and Chickens Shoals. Once there, they were to turn north, then go southwest back home. The route that would take them into a patch of ocean, which would eventually be called the Bermuda Triangle. Although it wouldn’t get that name until 1964, by Vincent Gaddis.

Soon after the last bomber had dropped its payload, the flight got lost. Both of Lieutenant Taylor’s compasses were malfunctioning, along with those of his students. One of the last transmissions from Flight Nineteen reads:

“We can’t find west. Everything is wrong. We can’t be sure of any direction. Everything looks strange, even the ocean.”

The last recorded transmission ran:

“We can’t make out anything. We think we may be about 225 miles northeast of base. It looks like we are entering whitewater.” The final words were simple yet chilling: “We’re completely lost.”

What compounds the mystery is that the search and rescue team that was sent out also disappeared. Altogether, twenty-seven airmen and six planes vanished into thin air.

Despite several search missions and improvements in technology, the US authorities have yet to recover the wreckage of the planes.

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370

One of the most theorised about and discussed aviation mysteries of all time centres on the disappearance of a Boeing 777. On March 8th, 2014, Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 took off from Kuala Lumpur. The plane would never reach Beijing Capital Airport. The search for answers and the final fates of the 239 souls on board would become the most expansive search in aviation history.

There are many theories about what happened. From the horrific and banal idea that the pilot ditched in the ocean in an ostentatious act of murder suicide to the more conspiratorial theory that the American military jammed the plane’s electronics, leading it to go off course and crash into the sea. The theory behind this conspiracy was that the aircraft was carrying stolen secret surveillance technology to China.

There are also more fringe theories. From the mildly plausible, that a meteorite hit the plane, to the mandatory contingent that insists aliens abducted the plane. In command of the plane was Captain Zaharie, an experienced officer with a spotless record and almost 19,000 flight hours, and his first officer was Fariq Abdul Hamid, who had almost 3,000 flight hours.

The plane, a 12-year-old Boeing 777-200ER, was in excellent condition. Pilots and aviation buffs alike love this advanced model of plane for its reliability and impressive safety record. The triple seven is sometimes affectionately referred to as the Seven Wonder.

They took off from Kuala Lumpur Airport at 01:19 local time for the six-hour flight to Beijing. As they were about to leave Malaysian airspace and enter Vietnamese jurisdiction. The Malaysian Air Traffic Control radioed the plane to say “Good night” before Ho Chi Minh controllers took over. Captain Zaharie replied, saying: “Good night, Malaysian three-seven-zero.” These would be the last recorded words from the ill-fated flight.

The plane’s disappearance prompted a thorough and costly search, examining the entire flight path.

As we approach the tenth anniversary of this disappearance, there are still unanswered questions and no closure for those left behind.

The Mysterious Case of D. B. Cooper.

Everything about the enigmatic skyjacker known as D. B. Cooper is a mystery, even his actual name. We know that the day before Thanksgiving in 1971, a man dressed in a business suit bought a $20 ticket with Northwest Orient Airlines. He was flying from Portland, Oregon, to Seattle, Washington.

He signed in as Dan Cooper, but the press later changed his name to D. B. Cooper. He easily passed security without a bag check or going through a magnetometer. Then, he sat in the back of Flight 305, a Boeing 727, and waited for takeoff. The plane took off at 2:50 PM. Cooper calmly smoked and drank.

When ready, he gave a note to Florence Schaffner. At first, Schaffner thought the note was from a lonely businessman trying to flirt with her. She put it in her purse without reading it. Cooper asked her to read the note. The note called her Miss and said he had a bomb and demanded that she sit next to him. Cooper opened his attaché case, revealing what appeared to be several sticks of dynamite connected to what could have been a detonator.

Cooper sat in the back, row 18, seat E, so he could observe others and stay in control if anything happened. Schaffner, keeping a cool head, handed the note to a colleague – Tina Mucklow – who then acted as Cooper’s liaison between him and the flight crew.

The plane landed in Seattle. All 36 passengers got off. The crew took on $200,000 in $20 bills (equal to $1,400,000 today) and four parachutes. The authorities considered damaging the chutes, but they decided against it because they thought Cooper might take a hostage and didn’t want to put innocent lives at risk. The skydiving centre accidentally sent a sewn shut chute. Cooper had a working chute and the dummy one strapped to him when he jumped. Cooper directed the plane to fly to Mexico City. Two F106 fighter jets circled the plane because it was too slow for them to follow.

At around 5,000 feet, Cooper jumped from the back of the aircraft into a 200mph headwind. He was wearing a suit, trench coat, and loafers, but he left his tie behind. No body was found and no charges were pressed, but they did find some money. The money was buried 20 miles away from where Cooper is thought to have landed.

Amelia Earhart vanishes.

Amelia Earhart was born on July 24th, 1897. Amelia was a famous pilot and supporter of women’s rights who didn’t conform to society’s expectations for young women.

While taking care of the pilots who fought in the Great War, her interest in flying began to grow. In 1920, Amelia had her first plane ride, and right away. She knew her future was in the sky. In 1921, she became the first woman in California to get a pilot’s license.

She set many records and helped women in aviation. In 1928, she became the first woman to cross the Atlantic as a passenger. In 1932, she flew solo across the Atlantic and made an emergency landing in Ireland. When a farmer asked where she came from, she confidently just said, “America.” In 1935, she became the first person to fly from Honolulu, Hawaii to mainland California. Never one to rest on her rudder, she followed this up in 1937 with her final challenge, an around-the-world flight.

She tried and failed on March 13th, 1937. Then, on May 21st, 1937, she started her global journey with Navigator Fred Noone. For this important journey, she chose a modified Lockheed Electra. The plane was designed specifically to fly up to 4,000 miles at a height of 4,000 feet. It was also one of the first planes with an autopilot installed. This system was made to help Amelia as the pilot and reduce physical strain. Unfortunately, Amelia and Noone vanished on their incredible trip from Lae, New Guinea, to Howland Island. They lost communication with the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Itasca, which had previously guided them in for landings. The search for Earhart and Noonan was extensive and costly, but they were never found. Amelia Earhart was declared dead in 1939, but her disappearance remains a puzzling mystery.