Its meaning, however, is astonishingly simple. The most widely speculated of these phrases is the following: Severe Turbulence Encountered Now Descending Emergency Crash Landing. [11], In 2000, an Argentine Army expedition found additional wreckageincluding a propeller and wheels (one of which had an intact and inflated tyre)and noted that the wreckage was well localised, a fact which pointed to a head-on impact with the ground, and which also ruled out a mid-air explosion. of Stardusts radio operator. Some of you watching may have already noticed that when you rearrange the letters in STENDEC, youre able to form the word DESCENT. Solve the Mystery of STENDEC Readers' Theories Set #3 Posted February 8, 2001 previous set The word STENDEC means: "Severe Turbulence Encountered, Now Descending, Emergency Crash-Landing.". BBC2 9:00pm Thursday 2nd November 2000, Although science has solved The letter was not C. Nor were the first two letters of this strange message ST: / . Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Harris Joel is a founding member and the resident keyboard wizard for Umphreys McGee AND a long-time Phish fan! As one of the pilots was dying he kept repeating, "We passed Curico," still bewildered as to how they had ended up in the peaks. The central route via Mendoza was considered to be the quickest of the three, yet potentially the most dangerous depending on weather conditions. The accident aircraft, an Avro 691 Lancastrian 3, was built as constructor's number 1280 for the Argentine Ministry of Supply to carry thirteen passengers, and first flew on 27 November 1945. The theory about it being a code for the airport makes a lot more sense. It would be like ending a story with once upon a time., Conclusion amusing messages based on using STENDEC as a series of initials: To put it simply, Cook chose the worst route possible in consideration of the conditions, which more than likely played a key role in the planes disappearance. But the budgetary toll of persistent underfunding is unmistakable. This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Imaginative souls speculated that aliens had snatched the large Lancastrian along with its passengers and crew. / -. These included suggestions that the radio operator, possibly suffering from hypoxia, had scrambled the word "DESCENT" (of which "STENDEC" is an anagram); that "STENDEC" may have been the initials of some obscure phrase or that the airport radio operator had misheard the Morse code transmission despite it reportedly having been repeated multiple times. After the third time, communications ceased, and the aircraft disappeared, never reaching its final destination. (STENDEC) STENDEC. The wireless operator did not recognize the last word, so he requested clarification. A popular one is that STENDEC is an anagram of DESCENT and the letters were re-arranged due to Harmer suffering from the effects of hypoxia. This theory is an easy one to break apart. Mrs Coalwood said: "He was my older cousin, who I idolised hopelessly. know for certain, but I believe this is by far the most likely meaning of
But what was Jon Stewart asks when we will have enough guns -- watch to the end to watch him absolutely stick the landing. / . The disappearance of Terrance Williams and Felipe Santos Two men (unrelated, who didn't know each other) disappeared from Naples, Florida three months apart under the exact same circumstances. [13], A 2000 Argentine Air Force investigation cleared Cook of any blame, concluding that the crash had resulted from "a heavy snowstorm" and "very cloudy weather", as a result of which the crew "were unable to correct their positioning". It was also, as OP says, unpressurized, so that passengers as well as crew had to breathe supplemental oxygen through masks while above 15,000 feet. However, the mystery of the final radio message remains. out very fast. British Overseas Airways G-AGLX (the registration number) went down on March 23, 1946, and British Overseas Airways G-AGMF crashed on August 20. Grand Duchess Anastasia (with her arm around her brother) is shown with the rest of the Russian royal family in 1913. Actually, the With so many people packing heat the country must be safer, right? If not V, then the first letters might have been EIN, or IAR, but these combinations lead nowhere. You can post your own LGF Pages simply by registering a free account with us. It was delivered to BSAA on 12 January 1946, was registered on 16 January as G-AGWH and given the individual aircraft name "Star Dust". Its fate became one of the most puzzling aviation mysteries of its time. On August 2, 1947, the Stardust, a Lancastrian III passenger plane with eleven people on board, was almost four hours into its flight from Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Santiago, Chile. In Britain, the news led to a hunt for surviving relatives. In either case, they attempted to contact what they thought was the nearest airport, Valparaiso, not Santiago. Adding to the mystery, two Avro 691 Lancastrian aircraft had crashed during the previous seventeen months. Due to the poor visibility caused by the storm, its possible that the crew were unaware that their plane was on course to collide with the mountainside, and unknowingly plummeted the aircraft into the summit before eventually succumbing to the elements. Their discovery revived. The most likely reality is that sending STENDEC was a mistake of some sort by Star Dusts radio operator. Here's The 51 Creepiest Mysteries That Remain Unsolved To This Very Day In 1998, over 50 years after the disappearance of Stardust, a group of Argentine mountaineers climbing Mount Tupungato, one of the highest mountains in the Andes and roughly 50 miles east of Santiago, stumbled upon the Rolls-Royce Merlin engine of the Lancastrian. Mysteries Of Flight: The Curious Case Of Pan Am Flight 914, Fond Farewell to a Titan: The Antonov An-225, Plane & Pilot Survey: Pilots and Politics, Accident Brief: Piper PA28R Crash In Georgia. Lancasters had four Rolls Royce Merlin engines, the front-line combat engine that powered the latest Spitfire and Mustang fighters. What was radio operator Dennis Harmer, a highly trained wartime and civilian operator, trying to say? ETA LATE sounds like a reasonable message a plane would communicate to a control tower, although in the context of the whole sentence, it contradicts the first part completely, as they were only four minutes away from their destination. This gives us the very
You're right! The STENDEC Puzzle | Science 2.0 All rights reserved. Christie could have made something of this, but the passengers were quite unwilling and unwitting victims. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. "Santiago tower even navigator doesnt exactly know" the last message received from Star Dust, sent by Radio Officer
. There are theories that STENDEC was an abbreviation or acronym of a much larger phrase, and when you break it down you can imagine a whole host of sentences could be constructed using these letters. If not V, then the first letters might have been EIN, or IAR, but these combinations lead nowhere. Weird December 2010 Views: 31,751. of Stendec. 1. / -.-. Ball lightning doesn't happen very often, so it hasn't been recorded under natural conditions. It has to be this one in my opinion. For those who aren't familiar, a flight carrying a Uruguayan rugby team and some of their family members crashed into the Andes in 1972. 1947 BSAA Star Dust accident - "STENDEC" : UnsolvedMysteries - reddit by John . Outside of the music world, Joel is a best-selling author, releasing The Realists Guide to a Successful Music Career, which features Kris Williams is a lesbian, and that means she wont be seeing her son anytime soon. It was concluded that, being his first Trans-Andean flight in command, and in view of the weather conditions, Cook should not have crossed via the direct route, and despite the absence of a wreckage, the plane likely perished somewhere along the snowy peaks of the Andes Mountains. / / . (ETA LATE) (STENDEC) It is thought that the plane may have caused an avalanche upon impact, resulting in the snowy burial of the aircraft, concealing it from searchers whilst at the same time preserving it for its eventual discovery years later. transmitted by the plane, reporting their position and intended Iris Evans, who had previously served in the Women's Royal Naval Service ("Wrens") as a chief petty officer, was the flight attendant. There are old pilots and there are bold pilots. This is a personal family mystery that got solved a few years ago, so nothing exciting that would have gotten media attention, haha. Banksters, Peasants, and Kim Jong Un's Grandpa: A Parable for Our Times. The actual
Replies analysing and speculating over the mystery and possible explanations are encouraged. One of those two people was Nando Parrado and in his book "Miracle in the Andes" he describes that their flight also left in poor, inadvisable conditions. So mysterious was the disappearance of the plane - coupled with it's final strange message - that Stardust became entwined in UFO theories. / - / . The investigators concluded that the aircraft had not stalled. "Stardust tank empty no diesel expected crash" Ball lightning. Discussion tower aircraft now descending entering cloud") the ETA. [13] Some BSAA pilots, however, expressed scepticism at this theory; convinced that Cook would not have started his descent without a positive indication that he had crossed the mountains; they have suggested that strong winds may have brought down the craft in some other way. They were so far off course they were trapped in the mountains struggling to survive for 72 days before they were rescued, and then only because of an incredible hike out of the mountains by two of the severely weakened survivors with no climbing gear or experience or any idea where they really were. 9 Mysterious Plane Crashes - Listverse A more plausible theory is that the message was misinterpreted due to a spacing error in the Morse code. The experienced crew of the "Stardust" apparently realized the plane was off course in a northerly direction (it was found eighty kilometers off its flight path), or they purposely departed from the charted route to avoid bad weather. - / . selection of the ideas. The Stardust could not be raised and no wreckage could be found. hypoxia (lack of oxygen) as the Lancastrian was unpressurised and STENDEC Solved (Mystery message from 1947 Andes plane crash) By Shiplord Kirel: Fan of Big Bird, Bert, and Ernie Weird December 2010 Views: 31,881 Tweet ntskeptics.org The "STENDEC mystery," referring to the cryptic message sent by a Lancastrian airliner before it vanished in the Andes, is a staple of the UFO culture. The Additionally, the condition of the wheels proved that the undercarriage was still retracted, suggesting controlled flight into terrain rather than an attempted emergency landing. A common example of this would be SOS, which is the internationally recognised distress signal in morse code to call for help. An explanation of STENDEC .. - Fly With The Stars the operator use a calling up sign in the middle of his message? / -.. / . Improperly loaded, it crashed on landing, killing 80 of the people on board -- at the time, the worst air disaster in world history. Some things can be said with some degree of certainty. Discussion The fate of the aircraft and its occupants remained unknown for over fifty years, giving rise to various conspiracy theories about its disappearance. Morse '._._.' 10 Unsolved Airplane Mysteries | HowStuffWorks - /. Sometimes These Enigmas Never Decipher. Morse allows a maximum of four dots and dashes in any letter, narrowing the possibility for mistakes. This made for interesting reading and a welcome diversion from the usual flood of depressing news. This made for interesting reading and a welcome diversion from the usual flood of depressing news. The first letter has to be V, and the rest just fall into place-ALP-a perfect match in Morse. Mystery solved. / -. The theory is the pilot mistakenly plotted their course as if they were leaving from a different airport, and it led to them crashing into a mountain. code. Discussion STENDEC Solved (Mystery message from 1947 Andes plane crash) By Shiplord Kirel: Fan of Big Bird, Bert, and Ernie. [14] Human remains were also recovered, including three torsos, a foot in an ankle boot and a manicured hand. However, while the aircraft was unpressurized, its crew had been supplied with oxygen. See link for the answer to this 63 year old question. The Stardust could not be raised and no wreckage could be found. This is, in my opinion, the most plausible theory of what STENDEC was supposed to be. 1 Dec. 2010, Volume 24, Number 12: 1-5. For example, if you lose the first two dots in the word STENDEC, and rearrange the spacing of the letters, the word could instead be interpreted as ETA LA(E)TE, albeit with a rogue E thrown into the mix. The searchers discovered one propeller, its tips scarred and bent backward, indicating that the prop had been revolving when the Lancastrian plowed into the Tupungato glacier. Just before the plane disappeared, it As might be inferred from that lineage, it was uncomfortable, noisy, and cramped. Understanding STENDEC has been the quest for many experienced and avid radio operators, with online forums dedicated to deciphering what Dennis Harmer was trying to say. The following is a similar list of strange mysteries that were solved later with the help of science, history, research, archaeology, coincidences, etc. One of the two main landing wheels was still fully inflated after a half century! Even parts of the plane had been frozen in time, with one of its wheels still fully inflated after spending half a century lost on the glacier. Pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place in 1998, when mountain climbers in the Andes found the planes Rolls-Royce engine. "[12], A set of events similar to those that doomed Star Dust also caused the crash of Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 in 1972 (depicted in the film Alive), although there were survivors from that crash because it involved a glancing blow to a mountainside rather than a head-on collision. / -. the sign off for a Morse code message is AR. With the word not existing in international morse code, or any spoken language at the time, interpreting STENDEC has led to many varying theories. / -. See link for the answer to this 63 year old question. Although the larger mystery was finally solved, many still wonder how experienced pilots (there were three on board) lost control of the aircraft in a seemingly manageable situation. Background Is that the one where they all started eating each other? The operator understood that Star Dust intended to land in four minutes, but the final word, STENDEC, confused him. And finally, there seems to be no reason to transmit the planes Pieces of the puzzle started to fall into place in 1998, when mountain climbers in the Andes found the planes Rolls-Royce engine. Almost certainly Star Tiger ran out of fuel before reaching Bermuda, a consequence of stronger-than-predicted upper-level winds. Both men were last spotted being arrested by deputy Steve Calkins for driving without a license. Charles Willoughby, Cooked Intel, and the Far Right. CONCLUSION The Message That Said STENDEC "ETA Santiago 17:45 hrs. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, Harris Joel is a founding member and the resident keyboard wizard for Umphreys McGee AND a long-time Phish fan! / -. to say on the subject:The 17.41 signal was received by Santiago only 4 minutes before See link for the answer to this 63 year old question. Whilst this possibility lends true to the first half of the word, the rest does not match up with this theory, and considering it was sent through and received the exact same three times over, its hard to imagine this error occurring on both ends. STENDEC/STAR DUST Theory No distress transmission was received; the last broadcast from the aircraft was a routine position check, about two hours before it should have reached its destination. The International Civil Aviation Organisation had only recently implemented the airline code for Los Cerrillos just four months prior to the event in April 1947, so its more than possible that the airports radio operator was not yet familiar with the term and failed to recognise it. Before this message a series of entirely routine messages had been Didn't the test Tudor flight crash because the aileron controls had been reversed (e.g trying to roll right rolled the aircraft left) or am I thinking of a different British test aircraft crash. Its meaning, however, is astonishingly simple. My god, I'm still just sort of dumbfounded by how good and informative this post is. In 1997, an ultra-low frequency, weird but loud noise . The Lancastrian aircraft, with eleven people on board, never did arrive at Santiago Airport and its location remained unsolved for over fifty years. STENDEC Solved (Mystery message from 1947 Andes plane crash) - LGF Pages ntskeptics.org The "STENDEC mystery," referring to the cryptic message sent by a Lancastrian airliner before it vanished in the Andes, is a staple of the UFO culture. [23], "Stendec" redirects here. Presumed to have crash landed somewhere along the route, a five day effort began by both Chilean and Argentine search teams, including fellow BSAA pilots, yet no trace of the aircraft or its passengers were found. How police solved the mystery of a VHS tape depicting sexual assault Recent Pages by Shiplord Kirel (Shiplord Kirel: Fan of Big Bird, Bert, and Ernie): This is the LGF Pages posting bookmarklet. The Chilean operator remarks that Harmer sends the final transmission very quickly.A rule of morse operation is that you don't send faster than the receiving operator can decipher.It appears Harmer did send too quickly, even while repeating. Now the plane has been found we know that it wasnt spirited away The crew probably did not panic, but they were concerned about the lack of visibility and landmarks. ATLANTA (AP) The woman flying out of Philadelphias airport last year remembered to pack snacks, prescription medicine and a cellphone in her handbag. communication was only possible at this time when the aircraft was Seems very unlikely. aircraft were usually referred to by their registration (in Stardusts 1947 an British South American Airways aircraft named Star Dust disappeared, it's last message was simply "STENDEC". They had nothing to do with the crash, other than being present. Whilst many accepted that the fate of Stardust and its crew had been settled, the absence of a wreckage, along with the mysterious circumstances surrounding its final message, lead to widespread speculation, with theories spanning from sabotage to extraterrestrial in nature. Blast From the Past: The North Texas Skeptic, May 1999, Republican Senator Claims 'The Left' Will Start a Civil War Unless Federal Highway System Abolished, A Christian Health Nonprofit Saddled Thousands With Debt as It Built a Family Empire Including a Pot Farm, a Bank and an Airline, Popular Instagram Photographer Revealed as AI Fraud, Cutting IRS Funding Is a Gift to Americas Wealthiest Tax Evaders, Record 6,542 Guns Intercepted at US Airport Security in 22, Interview With Oklahoma State Sen. Nathan Dahm, US: Russia Has Committed Crimes Against Humanity in Ukraine, Joel Cummins Umphreys McGee Keyboard Rig - January 2023 [VIDEO], Oklahoma Judge Transfers Lesbian Moms Parental Rights to Her Sons Sperm Donor. A Spanish magazine about UFOs appropriated STENDEK as its title, and at least one U.S. comic book illustrated the disappearance of the Stardust, pondering the meaning of STENDEC for its fascinated readers. Voice Something like "We're completely screwed.". Vanished: The Plane That Disappeared On August 2, 1947, the Stardust, a Lancastrian III passenger plane with eleven people on board, was almost four hours into its flight from Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Santiago, Chile. STENDEC was corrupted into Stendek and became the name of a Spanish After an exhausting search, no trace of the aircraft was found. SAR Technology - Aviation Cold Case Response Something like "We're completely screwed.". / -.. / . STENDEC" That wasthe last message received from Star Dust, sent by Radio Officer Dennis Harmer at 17:41 on 2nd August 1947. After this, British civil aviation authorities withdrew the Tudor's certification to carry passengers, and the few remaining examples concluded their operational service as cargo and tanker aircraft. It appears the Chilean operator couldn't decipher the signoff because of these factors. The investigators concluded that the aircraft had not stalled. Miracle in the Andes is an excellent book by the way. Firstly, despite it being easy to rearrange STENDEC quickly in English text, doing the same in morse code is much more complex and highly implausible due to the nature of the language. ntskeptics.org The "STENDEC mystery," referring to the cryptic message sent by a Lancastrian airliner before it vanished in the Andes, is a staple of the UFO culture. Ok, so that covers the theory of the mysterious phrase, but it doesnt answer the mystery of what happened to the plane. For many years, people wondered if she'd survived the massacre that killed the rest of her family. A quality comment reply on reddit my mind truly is blown. It was underpowered, unstable in yaw on the ground (pilots of the Tudor got used to feeding in power at different levels from each engine on takeoff to prevent the beast from departing uncontrollably off the side of the runway), unpleasant to handle in the air, prone to leaks of all kinds, and an ergonomic and maintenance nightmare. The last word in Star Dust's final Morse code transmission to Santiago airport, "STENDEC", was received by the airport control tower four minutes before its planned landing and repeated twice; it has never been satisfactorily explained. On board the British South American Airways flight were five crew members and six passengers, including the Captain, Commander Reginald J. Cook, an experienced and former RAF pilot during World War II.