This is a list of previously missing aircraft that disappeared in flight for reasons that were initially never definitely determined. The status of "previously missing" is a grey area, as there is a lack of sourcing on both the amount of debris that needs to be recovered, as well as the amount of time it takes after the crash for the aircraft to be recovered while searching, to fit this definition. According to Annex 13 of the International Civil Aviation Organization, an aircraft is considered to be missing "when the official search has been terminated and the wreckage has not been located", but this does not go into defining found aircraft.[1] The following entries are aircraft that gained widespread acclaim for once being missing.
| Date | Aircraft | People missing | Type of incident | Location | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hydrogen balloon (A-5597) | 5 | Unknown | Balloon found (without crew) on April 8, 1921. | ||
| Dixmude (Ex: Zeppelin LZ114) | Mid-air explosion following lightning strike (suspected) | A total of 42 crew members and 7 passengers were initially reported missing by the French government, who issued its own series of reports of rumoured sightings of the airship. It wasn't until December 26, 1923, when debris & the body of Jean du Plessis de Grenédan (commander) were found in the sea near Sciacca, Sicily that the French government admitted to the loss. Information which included eyewitness accounts had been intentionally withheld for political reasons. | |||
| Fokker T.III (Fokker 4146) | 2 (Artur de Sacadura Cabral & José Correia) | Crashed in fog (probable) | English Channel en route from Amsterdam to Lisbon | Aircraft debris (mechanical wreckage) from the seaplane was discovered on November 18, 1924.[2] | |
| Old Glory (Fokker F.VIIA) | 3 | Overloading (probable) | Wreckage was discovered by SS Kyle on September 12, 1927.[3] [4] [5] | ||
| Avro 618 Ten (VH-UMF) | 8 | Severe weather |