[SMCARA] Fw: SAR Technology - 67 Year-Old Cold (Code) Case Solved

[John Johnson]

SAR Technology - STENDEC Cold Case SolvedFwd FYI

John J
WA3ZGD

----- Original Message ----- 
From: SAR Technology Inc. 
To: John Johnson 
Sent: Tuesday, December 08, 2015 11:12 AM
Subject: SAR Technology - 67 Year-Old Cold Case Solved


SAR Technology: 67 Year-Old Cold Case Solved...

The Mysterious Last Message of 'Star Dust'


      Lancastrian Aircraft 'G-AGWH' 
      Background: On August 2nd 1947 British South American Airways aircraft G-AGWH, ‘Star Dust’, was flying West over the High Andes, from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Santiago, Chile, when it disappeared. The Lancastrian aircraft, with eleven people on board, never arrived at Santiago Airport and its location remained unsolved for over fifty years. 
       
      Message: 'Star Dust' broadcast a last, cryptic, Morse message; "STENDEC" - just four minutes before it's planned landing time at Santiago Airport. The message was heard loud and clear, three times. Despite two government investigations, BBC and Nova documentaries, numerous websites and hundreds of attempts over the last 67 years the puzzling message had "never been satisfactorily explained".  
      Mount Tupungato 21,560 ft
      Credit: "Mount Tupungato" by Diode 
      
       
        Discovery: In 1998 wreckage from 'Star Dust' was found at the foot of a glacier below the 21,560 ft. Mount Tupungato, the third highest peak of the High Andes. Shortly afterwards an Argentine Army expedition began collecting evidence from the wreckage for an investigation.

       Investigation: The investigation concluded that ‘Star Dust’ probably entered the jet stream headwind, little known at the time, drastically reducing its real ground speed.   
      'Star Dust' Engine 
      

      'Star Dust' Wheel 
      Underestimating how far it had travelled West 'Star Dust' began its descent towards Santiago, in “heavy snowstorm in very cloudy weather”, too early - while still on the East side of the Andes. ‘Start Dust’ crashed into Mount Tupungato’s steep snowfields and its remains were probably quickly covered by snow and ice. The buried remains were gradually transported downhill over fifty years, before re-appearing at the foot of the glacier by 1998.  
       Los Cerrillos, Santiago Airport, Chile
      in 1947
      Radio Call Sign:  SCTI 
      While the probable cause of the accident appears to have been determined the meaning of the final, inexplicable "STENDEC" message, broadcast three times, had never been satisfactorily explained.

       Message Solution:
      - The triplicate transmission of the message from 'Star Dust', beginning with the airport's call sign, are standard communication protocols for trying to establish contact.
      - It appears highly probable that the airport had received the it's correct call sign “SCTI over” (as the Morse abbreviation “SCTIAR") but mis-heard the fast-sent transmission as “STENDEC”, as both words have an identical sequence of morse dots and dashes.  

      Identical sequence of dots & dashes 
      Summary: The “SCTI over” transmission appears to be a plausible explanation of the long-standing “STENDEC” mystery and one that is consistent with all of the facts and operational practices of that period.  


For more information on Cold Cases please contact:
  SAR Technology Inc. 

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