The Alaska Triangle: Disappearances & Mysteries | Ep. 98
Welcome to another episode of Believing the Bizarre. This week is the perfect blend of paranormal, mystery, and…true crime!
Similar to both the Lake Michigan Triangle and Missing 411, Alaska has its own bizarre triangle (from Anchorage to Juneau to formerly Barrow, now Utqiaġvik) where planes and people often go missing.
Could it simply be the rough and brutal terrain? Or could strange energy, black pyramids, and aliens be the cause? Listen now!
Alaska Triangle: The Most Dangerous Place in the World?
What could have led to 16,000 missing people in Alaska since 1988? Could it just be the rugged terrain? Or perhaps, is something more supernatural at play?
What’s up Bizarros? This week we dive into one of the Mysteries of Alaska, the Alaska Triangle.
This isn’t the first time we’ve talked about missing people. We covered that topic in our Missing 411 podcast. We’ve also talked about another famous paranormal triangle; in our podcast on the Michigan Triangle we discussed the strange activity in the Michigan Lake Triangle, and one of the theories for these missing people is actually a cryptid we’ve discussed on the podcast before.
What is the Alaska Triangle?
Similar to the very famous Bermuda Triangle, and the lesser discussed Michigan Lake Triangle, the Alaska triangle is an area that has a vast history of missing people, odd occurrences, and tons and tons of potential explanations.
Alaska is known for its icy mountain peaks. Desolate tundra areas and sprawling forests so – obviously – not the safest place in the world.
But, the fact that there are so many search and rescue missions each year that turn up completely empty is alarming.
So, where exactly does this triangle cover?
Where Is the Alaska Triangle?
The bottom left point of the triangle is anchorage, Alaska.
The bottom right point of the triangle is Juneau Alaska. And the top point of the triangle is Utqiagvik, Alaska which was previously known as Barrow.
So, essentially it kind of feels like the entire state, to be honest.
Missing People In The Triangle
According to Alaska missing person statistics, since 1988, a reported 16,000 people have gone missing. Which is more than twice the national average.
This isn’t the type of disappearance where people disappear and are later found dead. This is the type of disappearance where they are never found or heard from again.
Even with newer technology and in-depth search and rescue missions conducted by authorities, Alaska can expect 500 – 2000 people to go missing each year.
So, why live there if things are so strange? There seems to be something deeper to this Alaska Mystery.
Let’s dig into some of the more well-known Alaska missing persons cases.
Famous examples of people gone missing:
1. Douglas C-54 Spymaster -1950
In 1950, a Douglas C-54 Skymaster – which was a pretty large World War 2 aircraft – left Anchorage for Minnesota with 44 people on board. The pilots expected clear skies and excellent visibility for the journey.
That included 8 crew members, 3 engineers, 34 military service members, and 2 civilians.
It was expected that the plane would continue making regular radio contact as it traveled to Minnesota.
However, very shortly after taking off from Anchorage, the radio contact stopped.
There was one radio signal made, and the pilot sounded calm and routine. Never hinting at an issue or any distress.
The plane never arrived in Minnesota. More than 75 US and Canadian aircraft participated in an extensive search and rescue for the missing plane, but the plane and all 44 passengers were never seen again.
Apparently, a Canadian Forest Ranger reported seeing a low-flying plane traveling about 40 miles southwest, but then the plane suddenly disappeared.
He heard a loud explosion and then saw black smoke in the sky. That was all he saw.
2. U.S. Representative Hale Boggs and Nick Begich – 1972
On October 16, 1972, United States Representative Hale Boggs, Nick Begich, Begich’s special assistant Russell Brown, and pilot Don Jonz left Anchorage in a Cessna C-310 aircraft for what was supposed to be about a 3 and half hour flight to Juneau. (sing it with me < a 3-hour tour, a 3-hour tour>)
The intention was to attend a planned election rally.
However, unlike the previous story, this trip was expected to have a little turbulence, low visibility, and icy conditions.
According to sources, Jonz the pilot, was a bit of a risk-taker.
Jonz had called the tower about ten minutes after takeoff, but that was the last anyone heard from anyone in the plane.
The US Coast Guard, Navy, Army, Air Force, and Civil Air Patrol all searched for the plane and the passengers. After 39 days, the search was suspended and they were assumed dead.
America’s 49th state had added to its number of mysterious disappearances.
Two things about this disappearance case:
1 Posthumously – Boggs and Bewitch were actually re-elected. Isn’t that crazy?
2. A report said that there was no emergency transmission emitted from the plane. Apparently, the plane’s emergency transmitter, which was portable not attached to the plane – was found on a plane in Fairbanks, Alaska.
Also, a witness saw an unidentified object in the pilot’s briefcase that resembled a portable emergency transmitter.
The safety records confirmed that the plane had no emergency transmitter and claimed the pilot did not have one either.
Maybe the pilot sabotaged the plane? Elections get dicey, man.
3. Leonard Lane – 1995
In 1995, a 73-year-old World War 2 Veteran was hanging out in Fairbanks enjoying a 4th of July Parade when he vanished.
It was acknowledged that he walked with a limp due to injuries sustained in the war, so it’s expected he wouldn’t have easily been able to slip away.
Police had no leads or information as to what happened to him or where he may have gone. Later he was legally declared dead.
4. Thomas Anthony Nuzzi – 2001
Thomas Anthony Nuzzi was a nurse that traveled throughout Alaska, picking up shifts at various locations.
This left him without a permanent address and he often stayed in motels during his assignments.
In 2001, while staying at a Super 8 in Anchorage, Nuzzi was reported missing after not showing up for work in Bethel, Alaska. Which is reported as a “short flight” from Anchorage.
Investigators eventually found gas station surveillance footage of Nuzzi the night before he was reported missing.
He was very casually buying cigarettes, a lighter, chips, and a soda and was accompanied by a woman.
When the investigators interviewed staff at the motel, one of the employees claimed that they encountered a strange man laying on the floor inside Nuzzi’s room.
She left and came back, and noticed this man was not Nuzzi, as he was sitting on Nuzzi’s bed. She asked him to leave.
A few days later Nuzzi’s bicycle was found at a storage unit so he didn’t ride away on that and his jeep was 12 miles away – significantly outside of Anchorage.
Nuzzi is now another Alaska unsolved mystery.
5. Richard Lyman Griffis – 2006
Richard Lyman Griffis from Spokane, Washington, invented a wilderness survival cocoon, and in the summer of 2006, he headed into the wilderness of Southeast Alaska to test his invention.
No one reported him missing for a year, because they all assumed he was still out in the wilderness, using Dr. Squatch, doing his thing.
When police began searching for him, they discovered a bus dropped off Griffis along the Alaska Highway.
He stopped at a lodge near the White River, where he left some of his gear and told folks there that he planned to hike upriver to McCarthy, a small town in the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.
He was never seen again. Since Griffis told friends he might spend the winter in Alaska, no one worried about him for several months, but finally, a friend called the Canadian Mounties and reported him missing.
6. Alan Foster – Sep. 9, 2013
In September of 2013, a very skilled and professional pilot, Alan Foster, was flying his PA-32-360 airplane from Atlanta to Anchorage.
He had over 9000 hours of flight time, so he was pretty aware of what he was doing.
When he was less than 400 miles from Anchorage, he stopped in Yakutat, Alaska to refuel his plane.
After leaving Yakutat, he called the Juneau flight service for a weather update and mentioned to them that if the weather wasn’t clear enough he would just stay in Cordova.
About 20 minutes later, radar showed a transponder target at Foster’s plane at about 1100 feet.
Maybe obvious, but a transponder provides aircraft identification and barometric altitude for folks at control stations or whatever they are called on the ground.
That transponder target was the last anyone ever seen or heard from Foster.
He never made it to Anchorage and after an extensive search, no one found Foster or any sign of his plane.
That is the weird part right, no sign of the plane? People and planes were just disappearing into thin air.
7. Shanna Oman – 2019
Shanna Oman disappeared after leaving her friend’s house in Fairbanks, Alaska at 12:30 a.m. on June 3, 2019.
Originally from Eagle River, Alaska, Shanna was visiting a friend in Fairbanks at the time of her disappearance.
Her friend was supposed to give her a ride back home to Eagle River and when she dropped out of sight, her friend assumed she had made other arrangements to get home until her roommate called and said she never arrived home.
Shanna ended up at a cabin on Pleasant Valley Road after leaving her friend’s home.
The owner of the cabin said she “walked away” on June 4. Authorities checked the area but found no indication of her whereabouts.
She has never been heard from again.
Oddly, Shanna left all her belongings behind, including her money and her dog. She did take her cell phone with her, but the phone’s battery was dying the last time she spoke to anyone.
The last ping on her phone was near the area of 17 mile on Chena Hot Springs Road on June 4.
Let’s dig into some of these missing person cases and see what possible theories could lead to them never being found again.
Possible Theories For Those Lost In Alaska
1. Natural rugged land:
Let’s start with the most boring, yet probably most likely scenario.
This theory adheres to the belief that Alaska’s geography is so tough it sets people up to go missing. This includes massive glaciers with giant holes, hidden caves, and crevasses the size of skyscrapers.
This naturally makes a tough terrain to walk and or hike and could explain why so many crashed planes are unable to be found.
Now, I’ll argue that doesn’t explain why people all of a sudden go missing or what is causing the planes to crash in the first place, but for the folks that wander and the planes that do come down – this makes sense.
I also saw that it’s possible for planes to crash, fall down, cause avalanches, and be buried incredibly quickly.
Even without an avalanche, it would be possible for remains to be buried.
The avalanche theory ended up being true for a British South American Airway plane from the 40s. It was missing for decades until two mountain climbers from Argentina were ascending Mount Tupungato and found the wreckage in 1998.
They believe it hit a glacier, caused the avalanche, and was actually buried within minutes.
2. Energy Vortex:
Here is an interesting theory – the energy vortex. It may not be exactly this but in Sedona, in 2008 I did a long hike with my family that ended up a mountain that was supposed to be an energy vortex.
Energy vortexes are thought to be swirling centers of energy concentrated in specific places where the energy crackles most intensely.
The energy radiates in a spiraling cone shape clockwise or counterclockwise, creating positive and negative effects. They are thought to affect humans in various physical, mental, and emotional ways.
An upward, clockwise spiral energy vortex (like the one I visited in Arizona), is thought to be conducive to meditation, increased energy, inspiration, and creativity.
Locations that folks claim have positive energy vortexes include the Egyptian pyramids, the Sedona desert, and Stonehenge.
However, negative energy vortexes spiral downward in a counterclockwise motion have draining and depleting effects.
This includes:
- Depression
- Nightmares
- Disorientation
- Confusion
- Hallucinations
They are also theorized to cause electronic instruments and machines to malfunction – such as an airplane. Locations associated with negative vortexes include the Bermuda Triangle and Japan’s Devil’s Sea.
And – you guessed it – people think that there are negative energy vortexes inside the Alaska triangle.
3. Aliens / UFOs Are Responsible For The Missing People Mysteries
Here is a UFO encounter from 1986 in Alaska.
Japan Airlines (JAL) flight 1628 was en route from Paris to Tokyo with a cargo of wine.
The flight was scheduled to refuel in Anchorage.
During the flight, Captain Terauchi, seated on the cockpit’s left side, saw bright lights shining through his window.
The lights were to the left and below and the Captain assumed they were military planes. He completely ignored the lights until he realized they were keeping pace with his aircraft.
The captain quickly contacted the Anchorage Center and asked if any other aircraft, either civilian or military, were in the vicinity of his plane. The Anchorage Center flight controller said there were no military aircraft in the area, and ground radar did not show any air traffic other than his plane, flight 1628.
At that moment, the lights began moving erratically.
They suddenly appeared directly in front of the plane, and Terauchi said the inside of the cockpit shined brightly, and he felt the warmth of the UFO’s thrusters on his face.
The captain and his crew were not immediately frightened but instead watched in amazement as the lights pulsed and kept pace with the jumbo jet. When Terauchi reported the strange lights, the Anchorage Center controller said he saw nothing on his radar.
The plane’s radar, though, showed a large, green, round object seven to eight miles away.
When the cargo plane arrived above Eielson Air Force Base near Fairbanks, it was a clear night, and the bright city lights lit up the sky. Terauchi looked out his window and saw the silhouette of a gigantic spaceship following their plane.
He later said the UFO was twice the size of an aircraft carrier. He could only guess this was the mother ship of the smaller UFOs the plane had previously encountered.
The massive, unidentified aircraft struck fear in Terauchi, and he attempted evasive maneuvers to avoid it. The UFO mirrored his every move.
The Anchorage Center controller offered to scramble a military jet, but Terauchi declined, fearing the enormous spaceship would consider such an action confrontational.
When a United Airlines passenger jet flew into the area near the JAL cargo plane, the air traffic controller asked the United flight crew to get a visual of the situation. Terauchi said that as soon as the United Airlines plane arrived, the UFO disappeared, and he did not see it again.
So – perhaps the aliens are abducting people in Alaska and the spaceships are causing planes to crash?
4. Black Pyramid
An even wilder theory claims a black pyramid twice the size of the Great Pyramid of Giza lies buried near Mt. Denali.
The energy from this pyramid could be causing people, planes, and boats to completely disappear, along with putting out strange energy waves that make wildlife more aggressive toward humans.
There is a video I watched on KODIAK Daily Mirror that talked about how a 1992 nuclear underground explosion sent shockwaves across the world and US seismographs picked up geological anomalies just north of Anchorage.
A journalist named Linda Moulton Howe was asked to look into this and she was contacted by an ex-naval worker (who stayed anonymous) who claimed his father had a navy career and continued working on a special project in Alaska.
He said there were mining shaft elevators in the region and he would go to the bottom of a huge black pyramid and his job was to test and study this structure as it was giving off an immense amount of energy.
5. Yeti/Creature:
Maybe there is a creature lurking around that is harming these hikers. Not an excuse for planes crashing and disappearing, but still.
Kushtaka sightings might be playing a part as well.
6. Simulation
So, here is a trippy theory. Some people believe we are in a simulation and the reason people get lost in the woods and such is that Earth has a rendering issue.
Think about it like a video game and going off the map, which causes a glitch. The world is a simulation is actually a fantastic episode for another day because there is so much into it.
Cleveland native Nick Hinton discusses this in great detail – I think it’s like the Saturn Cube he calls it. I don’t want to misspeak.
But, anyway, maybe in Alaska the simulation is weak or perhaps easily broken, like a scratched CD. More likely to skip or glitch out.
What Are Your Theories About The Alaska Triangle?
What do you think Bizarros? Why do so many people and planes go missing in the triangle?
Could there be a creature, or cryptid, that is taking people? The Kushtaka? A Yeti?
What about UFOs or aliens? Alaska seems to be a hotbed for paranormal activity.
Would you venture into the Alaska Triangle?