[[Flight 19]] was a training flight of five U.S. Navy [[TBM Avenger]] bombers which left Fort Lauderdale Naval Air Station, Florida on December 5, 1945, and went missing several hours later while over the Atlantic. The impression given is that the flight encountered unusual phenomena and anomalous compass readings, and that the flight took place on a calm day, under the leadership of an experienced pilot, Lieutenant Charles Carroll Taylor. Adding to the intrigue is that the Navy's report of the accident was ascribed to "causes or reasons unknown". Further compounding the mystery was a Martin Mariner search plane which went out in search of the flight and vanished from radar screens some twenty minutes after taking off. The total number of men lost in the six planes was 27. | [[Flight 19]] was a training flight of five U.S. Navy [[TBM Avenger]] bombers which left Fort Lauderdale Naval Air Station, Florida on December 5, 1945, and went missing several hours later while over the Atlantic. The impression given is that the flight encountered unusual phenomena and anomalous compass readings, and that the flight took place on a calm day, under the leadership of an experienced pilot, Lieutenant Charles Carroll Taylor. Adding to the intrigue is that the Navy's report of the accident was ascribed to "causes or reasons unknown". Further compounding the mystery was a Martin Mariner search plane which went out in search of the flight and vanished from radar screens some twenty minutes after taking off. The total number of men lost in the six planes was 27. |