14 Ghost Stories and Superstitions Linked to Commercial Flights
Air travel has captured our imagination since the Wright brothers first took flight at Kitty Hawk. It represents both technological triumph and our age-old dream of soaring through the clouds.
Yet alongside this wonder, a shadowy realm of superstitions, unexplained phenomena, and ghostly tales has taken root among those who fly the friendly skies. These stories don’t just entertain us, they reveal deep anxieties about trusting our lives to massive metal machines hurtling through the atmosphere at breakneck speeds.
Here is a list of 14 fascinating ghost stories and superstitions connected to commercial flights that have persisted throughout aviation history.
Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 Apparitions
The 1972 crash of Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 in the Florida Everglades spawned one of aviation’s most persistent ghost stories. Salvageable parts from the wrecked L-1011 were later installed in other aircraft throughout the fleet, that’s when things got weird.
Crew members began reporting encounters with the deceased pilot and flight engineer on these planes, sometimes appearing as solid as any living person. The sightings weren’t isolated incidents; multiple employees who’d never met each other described identical apparitions, always on aircraft containing parts salvaged from Flight 401.
Eastern Airlines eventually pulled all recycled components from their planes—and the ghostly visits promptly stopped.
The Ghost Flights of Heathrow Airport
London’s Heathrow Airport has long been a hotspot for unexplained aerial phenomena. Air traffic controllers occasionally track mysterious “ghost flights” that appear completely normal on radar screens—they’ve got transponder signals, flight numbers, and proper approach patterns.
Controllers attempting radio contact receive nothing but static, though, and when they check with airlines, they’re told no such flights exist. Some veteran controllers claim these phantom signals intensify during foggy conditions or on anniversaries of famous crashes, as if technological echoes of past tragedies keep returning to the world’s busiest international airport.
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Japan Airlines Flight 1628 UFO Encounter
In November 1986, something extraordinary happened over Alaska that still baffles aviation experts. The crew of JAL cargo flight 1628 encountered enormous unidentified flying objects that paced their Boeing 747 for over 30 minutes—this wasn’t just a brief glimpse in the darkness.
Captain Kenju Terauchi, a respected veteran pilot, described objects with lights that silently maneuvered around his aircraft with impossible speed and precision. What elevates this beyond typical UFO reports?
Multiple ground-based radar systems confirmed the presence of unidentified objects near the JAL flight, yet no explanation has ever satisfied investigators.
Flight 513’s Time-Traveling Return
Some aviation legends stretch beyond the realm of possibility—like Santiago Flight 513, which supposedly disappeared after takeoff from Germany in 1954. The tale claims this very aircraft mysteriously reappeared and landed in Brazil in 1989—complete with skeletal passengers still buckled into their seats.
News outlets have thoroughly debunked this as urban folklore, yet it continues spreading through aviation circles and paranormal communities. The story’s persistence speaks to our fascination with dimensional portals and time slips in the limitless sky.
The Haunted Bermuda Triangle
Few regions generate more aviation superstition than the infamous Bermuda Triangle. This area between Florida, Bermuda, and Puerto Rico has allegedly claimed numerous aircraft—most notably Flight 19, a squadron of five Navy bombers that vanished without trace in 1945.
Pilots traversing this stretch of Atlantic airspace report bizarre compass fluctuations, sudden electronic malfunctions, and strange fogs materializing out of clear skies. Some pilots swear they’ve heard disembodied voices through their headsets while crossing the triangle—voices that never register on cockpit voice recorders or air traffic control tapes.
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The Flight Attendant of Flight 191
The devastating crash of American Airlines Flight 191 shortly after takeoff from Chicago’s O’Hare Airport in 1979 left no survivors. In the months following the disaster, several passengers booked on other American Airlines flights reported odd encounters with a particular flight attendant.
She matched the description of one who had perished in the 191 crash—down to distinctive jewelry and hairstyle. These encounters typically ended when the mysterious attendant told passengers, ‘There will never be another Flight 191,’ before walking down the aisle and vanishing.
American Airlines permanently retired the flight number after these reports surfaced.
The ‘Unlucky’ DC-10 Aircraft
The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 gained an unfortunate reputation following several high-profile accidents in the 1970s. Passengers would often request seat changes or refuse to board when discovering they were scheduled on a DC-10.
Flight crews weren’t immune to the superstition, either—many pilots developed personal rituals specifically for these aircraft, from touching certain cockpit instruments in sequence to carrying special charms. The collective belief in the DC-10’s “bad luck” grew so powerful that it contributed significantly to the commercial decline of what was technically a sound aircraft design once manufacturing issues were addressed.
The Number 13 Aversion
Triskaidekaphobia—fear of the number 13—runs deep in aviation culture. Dozens of major carriers worldwide skip row 13 in their seating configurations, jumping straight from 12 to 14.
Airlines including Lufthansa, Air France, Iberia, and Ryanair maintain this practice despite the obvious irrationality. The superstition doesn’t stop with seating—many airports lack Gate 13, and flight schedulers often avoid departures at 13:00 hours.
This reluctance to tempt fate with an “unlucky” number reveals how even our most advanced transportation systems aren’t immune to ancient superstitions.
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The Midnight Ghost of O’Hare International
Chicago’s massive O’Hare International Airport buzzes with activity during daylight hours, but midnight brings a different kind of visitor, according to maintenance crews. Workers on night shifts have reported encounters with a spectral figure walking purposefully through Terminal 3—always dressed in a vintage 1940s pilot uniform.
The apparition reportedly walks toward a specific gate before fading from view. Airport lore suggests he was a World War II pilot who received devastating news about his family’s death in a telegram just before takeoff, suffered a fatal heart attack, and now eternally searches for a flight home.
Singapore Airlines Flight 21 Cabinet
Long-haul flights create their own unique folklore. Singapore Airlines Flight 21 between Singapore and Newark—once the world’s longest commercial route—generated peculiar stories among flight crews.
Multiple attendants reported problems with one specific galley cabinet that would unlock and open during flight despite being properly secured. This happened with such regularity that crew members began leaving small offerings—coins, candy, or written notes—inside the troublesome compartment.
The superstition linked these occurrences to a flight attendant who reportedly died shortly after working the inaugural route.
The Gremlins of World War II
The concept of ‘gremlins’—mischievous creatures that sabotage aircraft—originated with Royal Air Force pilots during World War II. These pilots experienced inexplicable mechanical failures that couldn’t be attributed to enemy action or obvious mechanical issues.
The notion carried over into commercial aviation, where even today, seasoned pilots sometimes reference gremlins when facing strange technical problems. Many maintain personal rituals to “ward off” these mythical creatures before flights.
Some pilots won’t fly without certain lucky items in the cockpit, while others tap specific instruments in a particular sequence during preflight checks.
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Denver International Airport Conspiracies
Since its 1995 opening, Denver International Airport has generated more supernatural theories than any other aviation facility in America. Its unusual architecture—featuring tent-like structures resembling mountain peaks—bizarre murals depicting apocalyptic scenes, and imposing gargoyle statues have fueled countless conspiracy theories.
Nighttime employees report strange noises echoing through empty concourses, shadows moving independent of any physical presence, and even full-bodied apparitions near certain artwork installations. Airport management has embraced these legends rather than fighting them, occasionally incorporating them into holiday displays and social media campaigns.
The Phantom Passengers of Flight 401
Beyond crew member apparitions, Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 generated another enduring legend involving ghostly passengers. On aircraft containing salvaged parts from the crashed plane, passengers reported seeing unfamiliar people sitting in empty seats who would vanish when approached.
These “phantom passengers” typically appeared confused or disoriented, sometimes staring blankly ahead until acknowledged. In one famous account, a woman claimed to have conversed with a man in business attire for several minutes before he disappeared when a flight attendant arrived with drink service.
Maintenance records later confirmed her seat was directly above a salvaged landing gear component from Flight 401.
The Final Boarding Call
Airport workers across the globe share remarkably similar stories about hearing boarding announcements for flights that don’t exist. These phantom announcements typically occur late at night in nearly empty terminals, calling for boarding at gates where no aircraft are parked.
The announcements sometimes reference destinations no longer served or airlines long defunct. Security camera footage never shows who makes these announcements, and terminal communication logs show no record of their transmission.
Some employees believe these represent echoes of tragic flights from the past, still attempting to complete their journeys.
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Our Persistent Fascination with Flying Folklore
Many of these aviation ghost stories continue captivating us despite living in an age of unprecedented flight safety and technological advancement. It could be that these tales persist because they bridge the gap between our rational understanding of flight physics and our emotional experience of being suspended miles above earth.
When passengers surrender control inside a pressurized metal tube, it’s natural that supernatural stories take flight alongside us. These legends serve as a reminder that despite all our technological progress, humans remain storytellers at heart, eternally trying to make sense of the vast unknown through narrative, especially when that unknown is 35,000 feet above the ground.
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