BSAA Star Tiger
On January 28th, 1948, the Star Tiger passenger plane was preparing to take off from Lisbon for Bermuda with a short stop in Santa Maria to refuel.
But before they even left Lisbon, Captain Brian W. McMillan ordered everyone off the plane because of an issue with one of the engines. Passengers reboarded 2.5 hours later, and the plane took off heading for Santa Maria.
The plane made it there with no concern, but the weather was so bad that Captain McMillan postponed their trip’s second half. The following day, on January 29th, the flight to Bermuda continued its course. The winds were intense, but the Captain believed that if he kept the aircraft below 2,000ft, they would bypass the worst of it and quickly make it to Bermuda. What followed is a mystery.
There weren’t any responses to attempts to reach them, or any distress calls from the aircraft. The Star Tiger simply disappeared. The USAF embarked on a five-day rescue operation, but it was fruitless.
There were 25 passengers, 6 crew members, and a WWII hero, Air Marshal Sir Arthur Coningham, on board. None were ever heard from again.
