A brief history of the disappearance of Avro Tudor 'Star Ariel'
By Willie Bodenstein
03.08.2025
Google Banner Ad
The Avro Tudor IVB Star Ariel, a British piston-engine airliner operated by British South American Airways (BSAA), vanished without trace over the Atlantic Ocean on a scheduled flight from Bermuda to Kingston, Jamaica, a mystery often cited in connection with the Bermuda Triangle legend.
The Star Ariel was one of three stretched and upgraded Tudor IV models derived from the Avro Lincoln bomber. On the morning of 17 January 1949, the aircraft was standing by at Kindley Field, Bermuda, with no passengers aboard. Another BSAA aircraft, Tudor IV G-AHNK Star Lion, experienced an engine failure while approaching Bermuda and landed safely. Star Ariel was quickly assigned to carry Star Lion's passengers onward to Jamaica.
Commanded by Captain John Clutha McPhee, a former RNZAF pilot, Star Ariel departed Bermuda at 08:41, carrying seven crew and 13 passengers. The weather en route was reported as excellent, prompting McPhee to choose a high-altitude flight path. However, the aircraft never reached Kingston and disappeared without a trace.
An extensive search was launched. Another Tudor IV, Star Panther, which had landed in Nassau, was refueled and took off at 15:25 to search along Star Ariel's intended route. Simultaneously, a second aircraft departed Bermuda, flying 500 miles before initiating a 10-mile-wide lattice search back toward the island. The U.S. Navy joined the effort, deploying a task force led by the battleship USS Missouri and including the carriers USS Kearsarge and USS Leyte. Despite days of intensive searching by dozens of ships and aircraft, no wreckage or trace of the Star Ariel was ever found.
Following the incident, BSAA grounded its remaining five Tudor IV aircraft pending inspection. The airline, facing a fleet shortage, considered chartering long-range Avro Lancastrians to maintain operations.
The loss of Star Ariel, just a year after the unexplained disappearance of BSAA's Star Tiger, intensified public concern and speculation, reinforcing the mystique of the so-called Bermuda Triangle.
.jpg)
