Ask Captain Lim

Hello Captain Lim,

This is Steven. I am curious to know if airplanes now fly through the Bermuda Triangle. I know, back in the days, lots of airplanes and ships were lost there. Do pilots still try to avoid that area? I have heard that there is a strong magnetic field or something there. Do you know what  really goes on there?

Thank you,

Steven

Hi Steven,

In my opinion, the Bermuda Triangle, like the Loch Ness Monster, is only a myth. Yes, I know many people, including those who love mysteries, would not agree with me. Well, the Triangle, located somewhere between Bermuda, Miami and San Juan in the Caribbean, is no more a dangerous part of the ocean than any other.

True, there were some planes and ships lost within or in the vicinity of the Triangle, and for sure, human beings, for what they are, would just love to attribute accidents to some causes, whether real or imagined. Yes, the Bermuda Triangle is also partly a paranormal pursuit of some that believe in the involvement of ghosts, demons or angels. Hence, the mysteries of the Triangle have flourished since the time of Christopher Columbus.

Remember, in the month of September 2005 where there were a series of air crashes, some theories were floating around that they were related or even explained through some supernatural intervention!

What theories have been raised to support the mysteries so far? Well, things like methane gas being released from the ocean floor; unexplained magnetic disturbances; some severe electrostatic charge affecting the human central nervous system and causing the pilot to lose consciousness are some of them. For example, there was the case of a private pilot flying in a single-engine airplane on a night solo cross-country flight, whilst under radar with Jacksonville approach, crashed into the sea somewhere around the area. Of course, the speculation was - the Bermuda Triangle factor! In reality, the NTSB attributed the probable cause to spatial disorientation - the main cause of accidents of a pilot who lacks experience in instrument flying. (He only had one hour solo night flying experience and the rest of his instrument flying times were under dual instruction. It was also a dark night with no visible horizon.) Spatial disorientation was also the cause of the JFK Junior crash – further away to the North of the Triangle. Had it been nearer, one would imagine what the speculation would be.

Do pilots still try to avoid this area? If they do, I believe they have to be those who are still obsessed with the Triangle mysteries. In reality, I see no reason why any pilots would avoid this Triangle if they have to fly through it.

In fact, from the Jeppesen Navigation Enroute Charts for pilots, there are five Airways that crisscross the Triangle. Of these, two (Airways B646, A637) connect air traffic from all over Florida to Bermuda. One from Nassau, Bahamas (Airways A555) links to San Juan and two more (Airways L435, L375) pass overhead the Triangle towards the African Continent. If the dangers of the Bermuda Triangle were true, the airspace above it would have been declared by ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) as a prohibited airspace to enhance air safety!

What about stories of strong magnetic field there? Well, magnetic field exists all over the Globe at varying strength. Hence, pilots need to be aware of the variations in different part of the world when navigating in the air.

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