Myth: A Missing Plane Landed after 37 Years

Olawale Ameen

News

28th March 2021

Myth: A Missing Plane Landed after 37 Years

No such history of a missing Pan Am aircraft in 1955 (Getty).

The Claim

A Missing Plane From 1955 Landed After 37 Years.

News posted on

Emerging story

The story of a missing plane from 1955, which allegedly landed after 37 years at Miami International Airport, continues to make the round. The story was recently posted on Facebook by a page called Unknown Facts, with over 7k comments and 98k reactions. It also appeared earlier here on Nairaland and here.

The story comes along with video narration, tells an alleged Pan American Airways plane that took off from New York carrying 57 passengers and four crew members. Bound for Miami but ended up disappearing without a trace for another 37 years until it resurfaced on May 21, 1992, within the vicinity of Caracas airport in Venezuela.

A supporting image within the article body

Misbar’s Analysis

Misbar’s investigation found that the story is a mere myth that has been given life at different times within the past few years.

A reverse image search shows portions of the picture used in the story were taken from a documentary done by the Pan AM Museum and stock photos of the Boeing 377 Stratocruiser on the site and used to launch newly manufactured aircraft.

Snopes had debunked the story itself as fake back in 2019 as it traced the saga of Pan Am Flight 914 as a work of fiction. It originated from Weekly World News, a tabloid known for its notorious concoction of fictional stories passed around as authentic between 1979 and 2007.

News agencies didn't report such incidents happening for such an event of such magnitude. Furthermore, a check on the US Department of records' official website turned up no such history of a missing Pan Am aircraft in 1955.