Phantom plane crashes

The phenomenon of ghost plane crashes is becoming increasingly common, stirring both mystery and anxiety among witnesses. In many cases, people report seeing a descending plane, often engulfed in flames, as well as hearing explosions and feeling the ground shaking that accompanies these supposed crashes. Despite intensive searches, no trace of the crashed aircraft or records of the missing flights have been found. This article presents examples of such incidents from various regions of the United States, emphasizing the unusual nature and elusiveness of these mysterious incidents

Ghost plane crashes are a relatively new phenomenon, but there are a few reported cases. The scenario typically goes something like this: witnesses see a plane descending, often engulfed in flames. They hear an impact and feel the ground tremble as the plane crashes. Sometimes smoke and flames are visible, and witnesses smell spilled fuel. However, the investigation reveals that there is no trace of the crash. Not only is there no wreckage, but there are also no records of the missing or lost plane. So what do these people see?

Here are some of the mysterious reports from across the United States.

Disappearing plane near Long Island

Residents of Westbrook, Connecticut, were stunned on Wednesday morning, January 15, 1997, when they heard a single-engine plane crash into the waters of Long Island Sound... and disappear. According to The Day newspaper, "The Coast Guard, the state Department of Environmental Protection, two rescue helicopters, fire departments from Westbrook, Old Saybrook, Madison and Clinton, as well as naval patrols and private boats, searched a 100-square-mile area after a resident reported seeing the plane crash into the water."

"Daniel Bowes of Meetinghouse Lane was having coffee around 7:30 a.m. in West Beach on Salt Island Road when he saw the plane flying low over the water," said Ralph Buck, a captain with the Westbrook Fire Department. "He told firefighters the plane looked like it was about to dive, although he didn't see any splash," he added. According to Lt. Cliff M'Sadoques of the State Police, no airports in the area had reported the plane missing." At 4 p.m., the Coast Guard called off the search. No trace of the plane was found. (Source: UFO Roundup, Vol. 2, No. 3; January 19, 1997)

The Montana Riddle

Three women near Ovando, Montana, about 50 miles southeast of Missoula, reported seeing a contrail and objects falling from it that looked like parachutes. The rancher told officers she saw a "board-like" object that had fallen from a plane. Despite the falling temperatures and four feet of snow, Sheriff Ed Barrow and his deputy conducted a ground search, aided by a ski-equipped plane that flew over the area, but nothing was found.

Two days later, a boy living near Ovando reported seeing an explosion on a slope near his home. He described it as a "big explosion" with red and yellow flames. Police confirmed that the time and location the boy gave matched the stories told by the three women. Officials at Malmstrom AFB in Great Falls, as well as civilian and military officials, all said they had not recorded any missing military, commercial, or private aircraft. On February 18, Carl Schirmer, coordinator of the Montana search and rescue team, announced: "Further search is useless. The sheriff went to the area where the incident was seen and found nothing." (Source: CRIFO ORBIT Newsletter, Vol. 3, No. 1 - April 6, 1956)

Observation, howling, but no accident

"Butler County, Ohio. - The search for a plane that reportedly crashed late Wednesday night in Reily Township near Imhoff and Indian Creek Roads was suspended yesterday afternoon," reads this news report. "Police said a radio amateur heard what he believed sounded like a distress call from the plane, which was scheduled to fly from Oxford to Cincinnati, around 11:00 a.m.."

"About 1:45 a.m. yesterday, George Mosley, of 1203 Azel Avenue in Hamilton, his son, and two other boys became separated in the same area while hunting for raccoons. The boys said they saw a white flash in the sky at treetop level, then heard a howl and a crash. Hamilton and Butler County airports have no record of a small plane filing a flight plan at the time. Police officers used the plane and went to the area searching for the crashed plane Wednesday night until fog formed in the Reily area. The search continued yesterday morning and was called off when nothing was found." (Source: The Cincinnati Post, August 13, 1976)

Ghost Plane Crash

November 18, 1955. Initial reports indicated an intensive search of the mountainous area of Dark Hollow, Pennsylvania, for a plane that had allegedly crashed there. The search began after Dale Murphy, civil defense coordinator for Cumberland County, said he received reports from ten GOC members who had heard or observed a plane that "appeared to be having problems" flying at an altitude of 1,000 feet. One observer said the plane disappeared from view behind a hill, and later she heard something resembling an explosion. However, checks with various air traffic control agencies revealed no reports of a missing plane or problems.

Westover Air Force Base in Massachusetts dispatched airborne rescue aircraft to assist ground crews in the search. The aircraft were called in after reports of two flares being seen over a deep ravine in Dark Hollow. However, an aerial search by the Air Force and the Civil Air Patrol, along with nearly 300 firefighters, police, civil defense workers, and volunteers, failed to find any trace of the crashed plane. However, the persistence of the flares prompted a renewed search.

On November 20, yellow flares were spotted at 1:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. At 9:30 that night, Murphy ordered all fire stations in the area to sound their sirens. Fifteen minutes later, another flare shot into the sky. Finally, on November 22, the search was abandoned, and the "ghost plane" became a legend. (Source: CRIFO ORBIT Newsletter, Vol. 2, November 10 - January 6, 1956)