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The claim often includes details like:
A European airline (sometimes called Santiago Airlines) departing in the 1950s
88 or 92 passengers and several crew members on board
The aircraft vanishing without explanation
Reappearing many years later, intact
Skeletonized remains found inside
Social media and meme posts have repeatedly re‑shared this anecdote, especially on Facebook, TikTok, Whatsapp, and YouTube, often accompanied by dramatic images and fabricated news headlines.
However…
The Truth: It’s a Hoax — Not Real History
Despite how eerie or compelling the story sounds, there is no credible evidence that such an event ever occurred. Major fact‑checking organizations and researchers have debunked this story thoroughly:
PolitiFact investigated viral posts claiming this flight landed decades later with skeletons on board and concluded that “there is no evidence to support the claim.” It traced the source to a tabloid publication known for fictional articles.
NewsChecker and other independent outlets found that the entire story originated from Weekly World News, a U.S. satire and tabloid magazine famous for sensational, untrue stories.
There are no aviation records, accident reports, airline registries, rescue operations, or historical documents supporting the existence of “Santiago Flight 513,” an airline called “Santiago Airlines,” or a mysterious decades‑lost passenger plane.
In other words: the tale is a fabricated urban legend — an entertaining but untrue story that spread widely because it plays on our fascination with mystery.