Air Garetolia Flight 23

Air Garetolia Flight 23

Flight 23 shortly before takeoff
Accident
Date	June 28, 1990
Summary	Cause unknown, little debris found
Site	South Pacific Ocean (presumed)
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Boeing 727-251
Operator	Air Garetolia
Registration	N023KT
Flight origin	Ule'eka International Airport, Ule'eka
Destination	San Francisco International Airport, United States
Occupants	142
Passengers	135
Crew	7
Missing	145

Air Garetolia Flight 23 was a flight from Ule'eka International Airport to San Francisco International Airport, which, on June 28, 1990, disappeared, presumably over the South Pacific Ocean while en route.

The Boeing 727-251, operated by Air Garetolia, took off from Ule'eka at 8:05 AM KST (11:05 AM PDT). About an hour later at 9:18 AM (12:18 PM PDT), Hes'iki International Airport sent its final message to the plane before it flew too far out of range to communicate. Approximately 30 minutes later, Adamstown radio operators picked up a jumbled signal for a brief 3 minutes and 46 seconds before it disappeared. The contents of the signal are currently confidential and will be legally released in 2040.

A part of the number four engine was found washed up on shore on the island of Mangareva three months later. Two weeks later, a particularly large section of the fuselage was found on shore in Lak'eka, Filan. Over the course of next twenty-five years, few segments of the plane were found washed up on shore on Garetolia's eastern coast.

Some speculate that the cause of the disappearance was due to an unstable cockpit windshield. Most evidence points to this speculation, since the windshield had previously suffered a blow from a hailstorm while parked in San Francisco. Others say that it could have been due to the plane's low cost.

See Also

• Air Garetolia