The story of a plane carrying 92 passengers that lands 20 years later is false — here’s a full breakdown of the claim, how it spread, and why it’s been debunked.
📖 The claim
According to the widely‑circulated version of the tale: a commercial aircraft supposedly took off decades earlier (or “20 years later”/“35 years later” depending on the version) and then mysteriously landed at a distant airport. On board, there were 92 skeletons of passengers still seated as though nothing had happened. One common variant names the flight as Santiago Flight 513, departing Germany in 1954 and landing in 1989 in Brazil with 92 skeletons aboard. (Snopes) Another variant uses a 20‑year gap. (ClassicNews.info) The story describes:
- A plane vanishing from radar without distress signal. (Bizsiziz)
- Years later the plane returns or lands, the bodies have aged not at all, and skeletons are found still belted into their seats. (Simple Flying)
- The pilots and on‑board systems appear frozen in time. Some claim time‑travel, worm‑holes or dimensional anomalies are involved. (ClassicNews.info)
- The aircraft uses an outdated flight code and older radio frequency, making the story even more mysterious. (ClassicNews.info)
It’s a compelling, spooky narrative — but it doesn’t hold up under scrutiny.
🔍 Why this story doesn’t check out
Here are the key issues that show the tale is a myth:
- No credible aviation record
Aviation databases, historical records, airline registers, accident investigations, and civil aviation authorities do not list any aircraft matching this story (missing for decades, then landing with 92 skeletons) as real. Fact‑checkers traced the story to tabloid origins. (PolitiFact) - Original source is a tabloid publication
The earliest version of the “Santiago Flight 513” story appeared in the tabloid Weekly World News (an American publication known for fictional and sensational stories) in November 1989. (Snopes) Because of this, the story lacks the validation or official documentation you’d expect from a real aviation event. - Logical / technical inconsistencies
- If a plane were missing for decades and then reappeared, it would trigger major international investigation, aviation authority involvement, media coverage, legal and regulatory consequences. None of that exists. (petistolove.com)
- The story includes impossible details (e.g., passengers not aging at all, intact plane after decades of exposure) that conflict with known physics and aviation safety realities. (ClassicNews.info)
- The narrative shifts: some versions say 35 years missing, some 20 years; departure/arrival airports vary; flight codes and details contradict each other, which is characteristic of an urban legend rather than a documented case. (topvideoviral.com)
- Fact‑check verdicts
– The fact‑checking website PolitiFact rated the claim as “Pants on Fire” (false) when assessing the “92 skeletons” flight. (PolitiFact)
– The aviation‑centric website SimpleFlying called it “magical‑realism territory” and pointed out the lack of credible documentation. (Simple Flying)
🧭 Why the story persists
Despite being false, this narrative continues to circulate because:
- It plays into common fascinations: aviation mysteries, time travel, unexplained disappearances.
- It has viral potential — the imagery of skeletons still belted into seats is creepy and memorable.
- It often appears on lesser‑verified blogs, social‑media posts, sensational websites, where fact‑checking is weak.
- The story reminds people of fiction: for example, the TV show Manifest deals with a plane returning years later after being assumed lost, which may cause confusion or lend the legend extra resonance. (Reddit)
✅ Bottom line
The claim that a plane carrying 92 passengers landed 20 years later (or 35 years in other versions), and that the passengers were skeletons, is a fictional urban legend, not a real event. No credible aviation authority, news agency or official investigation supports it.
While it’s an intriguing story, it should be treated as myth rather than truth.
If you like, I can check for real unsolved aviation mysteries (missing flights, unaccounted aircraft) that are documented by authorities — we can explore genuine cases (without the supernatural twist). Would you like me to find a few of those?
