The Story of Flight 19—Disappearance of Five TBM Avengers in 1945 During WWII

In the early afternoon of December 5, 1945, five Grumman TBM Avenger torpedo bombers took off from Naval Air Station Fort Lauderdale in Florida. This group of planes was called Flight 19. Their mission was a routine training flight for naval aviators. The squadron was led by Lieutenant Charles C. Taylor, an experienced pilot who had flown in World War II. Most of the other 14 men on board were trainees learning how to navigate and fly.

The flight was a standard three-part exercise. The group would first fly east over the Atlantic, then head north, and finally turn west to return to the base. This same route had been flown many times before. The planes carried enough fuel to stay in the air for about five hours. Weather conditions were clear, and everything seemed normal when they took off at 2:10 p.m.

Initial Flight and Navigation Trouble

At first, the training went as planned. The planes reached the bombing practice area near the Bahamas called Hens and Chickens Shoals around 2:30 p.m. They completed their bombing drills and began the next leg of their flight, turning north. But about an hour later, the situation changed. At 3:40 p.m., Lieutenant Taylor radioed the control tower and said his compass wasn’t working properly. He believed the squadron had somehow flown over the Florida Keys, but that was not correct.

Taylor’s assumption was a serious mistake. Instead of being near the Gulf of Mexico, Flight 19 was over open waters in the Atlantic Ocean. He became convinced that they had gone too far west, even though they were actually too far east. This confusion led him to order the squadron to fly northeast in hopes of reaching the Florida coast, but this direction took them farther out to sea.

Disagreement and Fuel Loss

Some of the other pilots disagreed with Taylor’s decision. They believed they should turn west to get back to Florida. However, Taylor remained in command and instructed everyone to continue flying northeast. As the planes moved farther away from land, radio contact grew weaker. By 5:00 p.m., the crews reported that fuel was running low, and bad weather had started to roll in.

One of Taylor’s last messages warned the group that they would have to ditch their aircraft into the sea unless land was found soon. He told the others to stay close and that once the first plane dropped below ten gallons of fuel, they would all go down together. By 6:00 p.m., all radio communication had stopped. It is believed that all five aircraft ran out of fuel and were forced to crash into the ocean.

That evening, the U.S. Navy began a large search operation. A PBM Mariner flying boat with 13 crew members was sent to look for Flight 19. The rescue plane took off at 7:27 p.m., but it also disappeared. A ship in the area later reported seeing a fireball in the sky, leading many to believe that the rescue plane exploded shortly after takeoff, possibly due to a fuel leak. Despite extensive efforts, no wreckage from either Flight 19 or the rescue aircraft was ever recovered.

Possible Explanations and Theories

Many theories have been offered to explain what happened. The most likely cause is a navigation mistake. Taylor was confused about his location and led the squadron in the wrong direction. Eventually, the planes ran out of fuel and crashed in rough waters far from shore. Another possibility is compass failure. Taylor had said his instruments were not working correctly, which could have made it harder to fix the problem once they got lost.

A third explanation involves worsening weather conditions. As the planes flew farther out, the seas became rough. If they ditched in the ocean, the aircraft may have sunk quickly, making it difficult to find any debris. Some also point to strange ideas, such as time warps or other mysterious forces in the so-called Bermuda Triangle. But these claims have no scientific evidence and are not supported by the U.S. Navy.

After investigating, the Navy at first blamed the disappearance on pilot error, placing responsibility on Lieutenant Taylor. But after his mother objected, the final report was changed to say that the cause of the incident was unknown. No trace of Flight 19 or the PBM Mariner has ever been found. Even after nearly 80 years, the loss of Flight 19 remains one of aviation’s most puzzling disappearances.