Full video here breaking down the story - STENDEC - The World's Most Mysterious Morse Code [Transcript From Video Below] 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. Adding to the mystery, two Avro 691 Lancastrian aircraft had crashed during the previous seventeen months. 'ETA [estimated time of arrival] Santiago 17.45 hrs STENDEC' STENDEC" That wasthe last message received from Star Dust, sent by Radio Officer Dennis Harmer at 17:41 on 2nd August 1947. 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 Theory Several people have pointed out that This would mean the message he was trying to send Los Cerrillos was instead: When you look at the beginning of the words, you can notice some similarities, which shows how easy it can sometimes be to mistranslate morse code. Seems very unlikely. It seems /-.-. STENDECANAGRAMS / -.. / . Is that the one where they all started eating each other? one mystery still remains. While the fate of Star Dust had finally been solved, remaining in its wake was still the mystery of the crews final messageSTENDEC. The first letter has to be V, and the rest just fall into place-ALP-a perfect match in Morse. Its fate became one of the most puzzling aviation mysteries of its time. the ETA. of Stardusts radio operator. But in the absence of Could it be that Stardust were informing Los Cerrillos that they were on course for Rodelillo Airfield near Valparaiso instead, diverging from their original route? You can post your own LGF Pages simply by registering a free account with us. This button leads to the main index of LGF Pages, our user-submitted articles. [5] The passengers were one woman and five men of Palestinian, Swiss, German and British nationality. the last message received from Star Dust, sent by Radio Officer
Hence we have: 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. Pages Sign In Register Forgot password? A mix of misinterpretation and a lack of recent knowledge led to the operator instead hearing the term STENDEC, which, combined with the disappearance of the plane, led to one of South Americas greatest aviation mysteries. On August 2, 1947, the crew of a British South American Airways (BSAA) Lancastrian, an airliner version of the Avro Lancaster WWII bomber, sent a cryptic message. British . French air safety investigators concluded in a 2012 report that the tragedy likely had been caused by an odd cascade of errors. the plane was flying at 24000 feet, which would have led the radio An extensive search operation failed to locate the wreckage, despite covering the area of the crash site. / -.. / . / - / . 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. This was the case in 1947 when an airliner crashed in the Andes, killing everyone aboard. 20 passengers and crew were lost. An expedition, supported by local Argentinian soldiers, was organised to search the mountain. Recent Pages by Shiplord Kirel (Shiplord Kirel: Fan of Big Bird, Bert, and Ernie): This is the LGF Pages posting bookmarklet. A common example of this would be SOS, which is the internationally recognised distress signal in morse code to call for help. Investigators concluded that the crew, flying in a snowstorm against a powerful jet stream, must have become confused about their location and believed they were closer to their destination then they actually were, with the crash being the result of a controlled descent into terrain. Background So mysterious was And even less likely that the same morse dyslexia would be repeated - / . It consisted of the single word "STENDEC". STENDEC - The World's Most Mysterious Morse Code Spektator 13K subscribers Subscribe 20K views 1 year ago #Documentary #Mystery When a plane goes missing over the Andes Mountains in 1947, its. Without rearranging any of the inputs, and just separating the spacing differently, you can come up with the phrase SCTI AR. [9] This leg of the flight was apparently uneventful until the radio operator (Harmer) sent a routine message in Morse code to the airport in Santiago at 5:41 pm, announcing an expected arrival of 5:45 pm. - we are unable to respond to further suggestions about the meaning Even if exchanges between two operators become conversational, the operator writes the reply before sending it.From this, and from standard morse procedure, Harmer's transmission would be to inform Stardust's ETA, destination city, airport code SCTI ( Los Cerillos), and conclude with prosign AR (dit dah, dit dah dit) to end transmission. Voice Sign in to continue reading. To use it, drag this button to your browser's bookmark bar, and title it 'LGF Pages' (or whatever you like). Some of you watching may have already noticed that when you rearrange the letters in STENDEC, youre able to form the word DESCENT. Was there a connection? Even if an equipment malfunction had occurred, what are the odds that only one word would be jumbled in the message and that it would be done so three times in exactly the same order? unanswered. Vanished: The Plane That Disappeared 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. Perhaps the most plausible explanations we have heard are firmly [23], "Stendec" redirects here. Things like air turbulance (in my case, rough seas) also affect that rythm. Already a member? However, while the aircraft was unpressurized, its crew had been supplied with oxygen. As mentioned in a previous theory, morse code can be easily misinterpreted if incorrectly spaced or misheard by the receiver. Tragically, that wasn't the last disaster in which Bennett and the Tudor were involved. It has taken two years to find relatives and carry out the necessary DNA tests. it as an acronym or an abreviation yields little fruit. ATLANTA (AP) The woman flying out of Philadelphias airport last year remembered to pack snacks, prescription medicine and a cellphone in her handbag. For regular taxpayers, the consequence is slow customer service and processing delays. If so, according to their timings, they had already passed Los Cerrillos, where they could have safely landed as intended, so this doesnt seem to make much sense either. STENDEC - The World's Most Mysterious Morse Code | When a plane goes missing over the Andes Mountains in 1947, it's unusual last message leaves the world with a 70 year old mystery still waiting to be solved. [10] However, Star Dust never arrived, no more radio transmissions were received by the airport, and intensive efforts by both Chilean and Argentine search teams, as well as by other BSAA pilots, failed to uncover any trace of the aircraft or of the people on board. The Stardust could not be raised and no wreckage could be found. / -.-. Solve the Mystery of STENDEC STENDEC Theories On August 2, 1947, Stardust 's radio operator sent a final message in Morse code to the Chilean radio operator then on duty in Santiago. A solution to the word "STENDEC" has not been found. The problem here though is that, even if this was the case, it would be unusual for Harmer to use a phrase which was not internationally recognised, and only specifically known to allied participants of the war. Mistakenly believing they had already cleared the mountain tops, they started their descent when they were in fact still behind cloud-covered peaks. most of the mysteries surrounding Stardusts disappearance, As might be inferred from that lineage, it was uncomfortable, noisy, and cramped. The disappearance and the odd message have remained a mystery for over sixty years. to imagine STENDEC being scrambled into descent in English, it is A more plausible theory is that the message was misinterpreted due to a spacing error in the Morse code. The message was repeated-STENDEC, then transmitted a third time. The flight itself was the last leg of a journey which originated from London, with the trip across the Atlantic taking place in a York aircraft, transferring to the Stardust for the crossing of the Andes Mountains. Sometimes These Enigmas Never Decipher. Their curse was too much sky. This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Several body parts were also discovered, most of them intact due to being preserved in ice, and were later confirmed through DNA to be the passengers and crew of Stardust. You can post your own LGF Pages simply by registering a free account with us. The actual Morse code which the Chilean Operator believed she received was: S T E N D E C [18], Star Dust is likely to have flown into a nearly vertical snowfield near the top of the glacier, causing an avalanche that buried the wreckage within seconds and concealed it from searchers. Perhaps with more time, an additional transmission would have been sent explaining STENDEC, but, as things stand, while Some Try Explaining, Nobody Deciphers Enigmatic Code. Back to 'Vanished: The Plane That Disappeared' programme pageTranscriptFurther information The disappearance and the odd message have remained a mystery for over sixty years. 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. code. The message was repeated-STENDEC, then transmitted a third time. The dots and dash formed one letter, V: / . Without an explanation the case remains a mystery. The chances of all of these failing are extremely low, so the theory of hypoxia and the anagram has been ruled out by many. / -. CONCLUSION Many people wrote pointing out that STENDEC is an anagram of descent. Discussion When he asked for clarification, the crew repeated it two more times, STENDEC. This gives us the very
Despite Stardusts fate now fully resolved, the mystery of STENDEC is still argued to this day, with no definitive conclusion on what Dennis Harmer was intending to communicate that evening. 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. Very good writeup! But the budgetary toll of persistent underfunding is unmistakable. Its designer, Roy Chadwick, died in one when a prototype crashed during a test flight in 1947. Earlier this week Margaret Coalwood of Nottingham, now 70, was told that DNA extracted from blood samples taken from her last year had identified the remains of her cousin, Donald Checklin. One of the two main landing wheels was still fully inflated after a half century! Shortly before arrival at Chile's Santiago airport, she completely vanished, her final. And finally, there seems to be no reason to transmit the planes some similarities both in Morse code and English /- /.-/ .-./ -../ ..-/ / - (Stardust) If they wanted to convey distress, they would have sent an SOS., Misinterpretation Theory This condition causes everything from mental confusion to loss of consciousness. recognized signoff or 'end of message' signal was 'AR' (with no space
Technology Inc. recognized signoff or 'end of message' signal was 'AR' (with no space
. Cook had been awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) and the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC). . STENDEC Solved (Mystery message from 1947 Andes plane crash) By Shiplord Kirel: Fan of Big Bird, Bert, and Ernie. Sometimes human error leads to some of the most interesting mysteries but generally when you hear hooves you want to think horses before you think zebras. For one, call signs for all BSAA flights in the 1940s began with star. Its unlikely that this would have been a point of confusion for Harmer, especially given that STENDEC wasnt a word. Something like "We're completely screwed.". Of the 38 production aircraft built, seven were total losses in air accidents. / -. 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. reception of the signal was loud and clear but that it was given The Lancastrian aircraft, with eleven people on board, never did arrive at Santiago Airport and its location remained unsolved for over fifty years. [17] One of the pilots recalled that "we had all been warned not to enter cloud over the mountains as the turbulence and icing posed too great a threat. The investigators concluded that the aircraft had not stalled. Both in London and in Buenos Aires, the pilot, Reginald Cook, had been briefed not to take this option if bad weather prevailed, but despite this advice, Cook had chosen to fly Stardust along this central route. People all over the world had reported hundreds of flying saucer sightings during the last two weeks of June 1947. 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. (STENDEC) communication was only possible at this time when the aircraft was [10] It has also been suggested that World War II pilots used this seemingly obscure abbreviation when an aircraft was in hazardous weather and was likely to crash, meaning "Severe Turbulence Encountered, Now Descending Emergency Crash-landing". That is the official ruling of an Oklahoma court. Its certainly reasonable that they would have jumbled their message in a hypoxic state. And similarly why would an operator say ETA LATE when he had only The theory Part of the problem was that BSAA was operating types of aircraft that were at the extreme limits of their capabilities. After an exhausting search, no trace of the aircraft was found. three times.STENDEC/Stardust Dear NOVA, I am a radio amateur who actively uses the Morse Code. sent one final message in Morse code which was picked up by the You're right! One of the two main landing wheels was still fully inflated after a half century! As for the Avro Tudor, its safety record was deplorable even at the time. the disappearance of the plane - coupled with its final strange / / . But what was Jon Stewart asks when we will have enough guns -- watch to the end to watch him absolutely stick the landing. - - . 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. It wasnt until 1998 that a group of Argentine mountaineers climbing Mount Tupungato, approximately 50 miles east of Santiago, stumbled upon wreckage from the crash. DNA samples from relatives of the victims subsequently identified four passengers and crew. Something like "We're completely screwed.". It was firstly noted that the Trans-Andean journey from Buenos Aires to Santiago can be taken via three routes: The Central (and most direct) via Mendoza, The Southern via Planchon and The Northern via San Juan. Whilst a reasonable theory on the surface, its unfortunately also quite reasonable to discredit. British Overseas Airways G-AGLX (the registration number) went down on March 23, 1946, and British Overseas Airways G-AGMF crashed on August 20. Neither men were taken to the jail. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites, Back to 'Vanished: The Plane That Disappeared' programme pageTranscriptFurther information, The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. / -.. / . Banksters, Peasants, and Kim Jong Un's Grandpa: A Parable for Our Times. So apparently the mystery hasn't been solved, because I don't see anything in the article suggesting anyone understands what Stendec meant. Banksters, Peasants, and Kim Jong Un's Grandpa: A Parable for Our Times. "Santiago tower message now descending entering cloud" (or "Santiago Discussion I thought this had been solved in a documentary I watched. STENDEC and Stardust have I personally believe that the word was a misinterpretation of the code, but theories span far and wide on what the now notorious phrase stood for. The radio operator meant to say Stardust. Read on these 10 strange mysteries that were solved later. The final apparently unintelligible word "STENDEC" has been a source . Therefore a standard signoff would be sent as the
I think the misinterpretation of the airport code is def the most plausible. The Stardust incident involved British South American Airways G-AGWH. Other explanations for the appearance simple message SCTI AR (or in layman's terms "Santiago, over"). What was experienced radio operator Dennis Harmer trying to say? Are you an aviation enthusiast or pilot? Fiddling with Morse code seems to offer the best chance of getting _. Actually, the With so many people packing heat the country must be safer, right? 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. Using the
SCTI is the international airline code for Los Cerrillos Airport, and AR is a commonly used prosign for the word OUT, or End Of Transmission. However, the mystery of the final radio message remains. This condition causes everything from mental confusion to loss of consciousness. 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. The mystery of the word STENDEC took its place among the great unsolved cases so beloved in the lore of urban legendry. problem, here is a website which translates English into Morse code. [16] If the airliner, which had to cross the Andes mountain range at 24,000 feet (7,300m), had entered the jet-stream zonewhich in this area normally blows from the west and south-west, resulting in the aircraft encountering a headwindthis would have significantly decreased the aircraft's ground speed. In 1950, one of these, Star Girl, had no fewer than 83 passengers and crew crammed into it on a charter flight from Dublin to Llandow, a low-cost airport near Cardiff in Wales. Why would the operator say end? . Ok, so that covers the theory of the mysterious phrase, but it doesnt answer the mystery of what happened to the plane. 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. At around 5:41pm, after transmitting routine communications to the plane as usual, the control tower at Los Cerrillos Airport in Santiago received this morse code message from Stardust: Perplexed by the final word in the telegram, the Chilean operator requested Stardusts radio officer, Dennis Harmer, to relay the message back to him, only to hear the same word, STENDEC, repeated loud and clearly twice in succession. The Horizon staff concluded that, with the possible exception of some misunderstanding based on Morse code, none of these proposed solutions was plausible. Star Dust, registration G-AGWH, an Avro 691 Lancastrian 3, departed Buenos Aires for Santiago at 13.46 on 2 August 1947. Don Bennett, its manager, had already been fired by then, partly as a result of his insistence to all and sundry that Star Tiger was a victim of sabotage and that the British Government, for unknown but nefarious reasons of its own, was covering up the crime. The central route via Mendoza was considered to be the quickest of the three, yet potentially the most dangerous depending on weather conditions. 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". I couldnt find a source for this, but according to theorists online, this was a known phrase for allied fighter pilots in WWII for if their plane was about to crash land. 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.". [22] Alternatively, the Morse spelling for "STENDEC" is one character off from instead spelling VALP, the call sign for the airport at Valparaiso, 110 kilometers north of Santiago.