Star Ariel (registered as G-AGRE) was an Avro Tudor passenger aircraft owned and operated by British South American Airways (BSAA). It disappeared without being found during a flight over the Atlantic Ocean on January 17, 1949, while traveling from Bermuda to Kingston, Jamaica. The disappearance of Star Ariel, along with the earlier loss of another BSAA Avro Tudor aircraft called Star Tiger in January 1948, remains unexplained. These events contributed to the development of the Bermuda Triangle legend.

Background

British South American Airways (BSAA) was an airline started by pilots who fought in World War II. The airline aimed to provide travel and trade services on South American routes that had not been used before. It was first called British Latin American Air Lines (BLAIR) and was separated from the British Overseas Airways Corporation, which is now known as British Airways. BSAA began flying across the Atlantic Ocean in March 1946, with its first flight departing from London’s Heathrow Airport. The airline mainly used Avro planes, including Yorks, Lancastrians, and Tudors. It traveled to places such as Bermuda, the West Indies, and the western coast of South America.

Flight

The Star Ariel was one of three bigger and better versions of the Avro Tudor, called Mark IVs. On January 17, 1949, the Star Ariel was waiting for flight instructions at Kindley Field in Bermuda, with no passengers on board. At the same time, the BSAA Tudor G-AHNK Star Lion had an engine problem while landing in Bermuda but landed safely. The Star Ariel was quickly used to carry G-AHNK’s passengers to their destination, Kingston, Jamaica.

The Star Ariel took off at 8:41 a.m. with seven crew members and thirteen passengers. Weather conditions were very good, and the pilot in charge, Captain John Clutha McPhee (who previously served in the Royal New Zealand Air Force), chose to fly at a high altitude to take advantage of the clear weather. About one hour into the flight, McPhee contacted Kingston by radio.

Search

The search for the Star Ariel began with a Tudor IV aircraft, G-AHNJ Star Panther. This plane had previously landed at Nassau and then refueled before taking off at 3:25 p.m. to fly toward the Star Ariel's path. It cut across the middle of the route and followed it back to Bermuda. Another aircraft took off from Bermuda, flew 500 miles (800 kilometers), and then searched in a grid pattern for 10 miles (16 kilometers) as it returned. A US Navy group led by the battleship USS Missouri, along with aircraft carriers USS Kearsarge and USS Leyte, helped in the search. Over the next few days, the search expanded to include many more ships and planes.

By January 19, the search area was widened to 55,000 square miles (140,000 square kilometers) southwest of Bermuda. USAF Major Keith Cloe, who was in charge, said the search would continue until January 22 and might be extended if any debris was reported. The search ended on January 23, with aircraft from Kindley Field having flown over 1,000,000 miles (1,600,000 kilometers). No debris, oil slicks, or wreckage were found during the search.

Investigation

A representative of the Chief Inspector of Accidents traveled to Bermuda on January 18, 1949.

It was found that there was no bad weather, and weather reports showed no unusual conditions. The chance of strong turbulence in the air was very low. There were no clouds above 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) along the entire flight path of the aircraft.

However, even though the weather was good, communication problems occurred during the day. These included static, poor reception, and complete loss of signal lasting up to 10 minutes. These issues came and went, affecting certain planes calling certain radio stations from different directions. The communication problems lasted almost the entire time the Star Ariel would have been in flight, ending around 1:07 p.m.

This was studied, along with McPhee’s decision to switch to the Kingston radio frequency, which happened early because he was still near Bermuda at the time. It was possible that a distress call on that frequency might not have been heard because the plane was far from Kingston.

However, a BSAA representative in Kingston noted:

On December 21, 1949, the Chief Inspector of Accidents, Air Commodore Vernon Brown, released the inquiry report. He stated that the cause of the accident could not be determined because no wreckage was found.

Brown explained that there was no evidence of any mechanical failure or defect in the aircraft before it left Bermuda. The total weight and balance of the plane were within safe limits. A daily inspection had been completed. The pilot was experienced on the route, and the radio officer was also experienced and familiar with the route. Good radio communication was maintained with the aircraft up to and including its final message. There were no weather-related issues, and weather reports showed no reason to believe the accident was caused by weather conditions. There was also no evidence of sabotage, though Brown said the possibility of sabotage could not be completely ruled out.

It was acknowledged that radio communication was poor during the early afternoon and worsened between 4:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. However, Brown noted it was strange that BSAA staff in Kingston did not try to find out if anything had been heard from the aircraft until 2 hours and 28 minutes after its last transmission. Kingston also did not attempt to contact the aircraft until 5:10 p.m. or check whether it had reached Nassau, New York, or any other radio station.

Aftermath

After the loss, BSAA took all five remaining Tudor IV aircraft out of service until each had been checked. The company struggled to keep its services running because it was hard to find planes with enough range, and it thought about using Avro Lancastrians instead.

Don Bennett, who was fired by BSAA in 1948 after disagreeing with an investigation into the Star Tiger’s loss, later said both the Star Tiger and Star Ariel were sabotaged. He claimed a person known to be involved in wartime sabotage was seen near the Star Tiger before its final flight. He also said Prime Minister Clement Attlee ordered all investigations into the incidents to stop.

The Tudor IV planes were changed to carry cargo, but Bennett restored two to passenger use. One of these, G-AKBY Star Girl, crashed near Cardiff in March 1950, killing 80 people. At the time, this was the deadliest air accident in Britain. An investigation found that incorrect loading of the plane was the cause.

A 2009 theory suggests the poor design of the Tudor IVB’s cabin heater might have contributed to the plane’s loss. Former BSAA pilots, Don Mackintosh and Captain Peter Duffey, said the heater, located under the cockpit floor, was placed close to hydraulic pipes. This could have allowed hydraulic vapor to leak and touch the hot heater, causing a fire or explosion. Eric Newton, an air accident investigator who studied the Star Ariel incident, said such a fire could have become catastrophic quickly: “If the heater caught fire below the floor, it could have grown out of control before the crew noticed. There were no automatic fire extinguishers or alarms in the heater’s area, so no one might have known until it was too late.”