WHAT IF I TOLD YOU
THERE'S A PLACE THAT CLAIMS MORE BODIES
THAN THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE, BUT IT'S IN THE UNITED STATES? IT'S CALLED THE ALASKA TRIANGLE, AND IT HAS A DISAPPEARANCE RATE
16 TIMES THE NATIONAL AVERAGE. BUT WE'RE NOT JUST TALKING ABOUT
MISSING PEOPLE. SHIPS, PLANES,
AND THEIR ENTIRE CREWS APPEAR ON THE RADAR ONE SECOND AND VANISH INTO THIN AIR
THE NEXT. SO, WHAT EXACTLY
IS HAPPENING IN ALASKA AND WHAT'S THE CAUSE
OF THESE DISAPPEARANCES? IT'S TIME TO DECODE
THE ALASKA TRIANGLE. I'M BRAD MELTZER. I'VE SPENT MY LIFE
COLLECTING STORIES -- SIGNS, SYMBOLS, AND CODES
HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT. SOME HAVE BECOME THE BASIS
FOR MY NOVELS, BUT I'VE ONLY SCRATCHED
THE SURFACE. AND NOW HISTORY
HAS GIVEN ME THE RESOURCES TO INVESTIGATE THE REST. THIS IS "DECODED." [ WIND WHISTLING ] [ CELLPHONE RINGS ] McKinley: OH. Rolle:
THAT'S BRAD. HEY, BRAD. Levy:
HOW'S IT GOING? MELTZER: Okay, guys, I want you
to be careful up there, Because, ever year, thousands
of people go up to Alaska. And, unfortunately, many of them disappear
off the face of the Earth. REALLY? REALLY? WHAT DO YOU MEAN
"DISAPPEAR," BRAD? I mean vanish --
without a trace. I know that's the reason some people go to Alaska
in the first place, but these numbers
are too high to ignore. There e over 60,000
missing persons in Alaska since they started keeping track
in 1988. Some people are talking about it
as if it's a black hole. Some people refer to it
as the Alaska triangle. It's a triangle that extends from Juneau
to Barrow to Anchorage. BRAD,
THERE ANY EXPLANATION FOR WHERE THESE PEOPLE ARE GOING
OR HOW THEY'RE DISAPPEARING? That's what you need to
find out. SO, I GUESS, IF WE DON'T
COME BACK, THEN IT EXISTS. That's all the proof I need,
buddy. OH, MY WORD. WELL, YOU WANT TO
TALK ABOUT "MYSTERIOUS," YOU'VE GOT OUR INTEREST,
HERE. THIS IS MYSTERIOUS. OKAY, BRAD, WE WILL GET ON THIS,
AND WE WILL GET BACK TO YOU. YEAH,
OFF TO THE ALASKA TRIANGLE. ALASKA OFFICIALLY BECAME
THE 49th U.S. STATE ON JANUARY 3rd, 1959. AS THE BIGGEST STATE
IN THE UNION, IT IS 425 TIMES BIGGER
THAN RHODE ISLAND, AND HOME
TO THE COLDEST TEMPERATURES IN THE UNITED STATES, REGULARLY HITTING
70 DEGREES BELOW ZERO. ALASKA, QUITE SIMPLY, DOESN'T
WORK THE WAY OTHER STATES WORK. IN NORTHERNMOST BARROW, ALASKA,
WHEN THE SUN RISES ON MAY 10th, IT DOESN'T SET AGAIN
FOR THREE MONTHS. THE RESIDENTS THERE
MUST ENJOY IT WHILE THEY CAN, 'CAUSE WHEN THE SUN SETS
ON NOVEMBER 18th, IT'S DARK
UNTIL THE MIDDLE OF JANUARY. 50% OF ALL U.S. EARTHQUAKES
OCCUR IN ALASKA AT A RATE OF UP TO 100 A DAY. THERE ARE OVER 100 VOLCANOES
IN ALASKA -- AND THE ONE THAT CREEPS ME OUT? THE MOSQUITOES THERE CAN GROW
TO BE AS BIG AS HUMMINGBIRDS. BUT THE BIGGEST THING IN ALASKA
IS ITS DISAPPEARANCE RATE. EVERY YEAR, 4 OUT OF 1,000
ALASKANS WILL SIMPLY VANISH. THAT MAY NOT SOUND SHOCKING, BUT THE NEXT TIME
YOU GO TO A CROWDED MALL, LOOK AROUND AND IMAGINE EVERY
PERSON IN THE MALL DISAPPEARING, NEVER TO BE HEARD FROM AGAIN. THE STATE
HAS A RICH HISTORY GOING BACK
TO THE COAL-MINE DAYS. THE SECOND WORLD WAR --
WE'VE HAD PLANES THAT CRASHED THAT WERE BEING FERRIED
TO RUSSIA. THERE WAS A GUY WHO WAS
A FAMOUS ALASKAN BOMBER -- WALKED AWAY THERE
AND NEVER CAME BACK. BEGICH AND BOGGS
DISAPPEARED IN A PLANE CRASH. IT JUST KIND OF
GOES ON AND ON AND ON. THESE POLITICIANS --
BEGICH AND BOGGS -- WHAT DO YOU KNOW
ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM? THEY WERE IN A PLANE THAT WAS LAST FLYING ACROSS
PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND. AND THEY NEVER FOUND WRECKAGE.
THEY'VE NEVER FOUND ANYTHING. IT SEEMS STRANGE TO ME
THAT A PLANE COULD DISAPPEAR. YOU WOULD THINK THAT
SOMEBODY AS WELL-KNOWN
AS TWO CONGRESSMEN -- OH, THEY LOOKED, AND
THEY LOOKED, AND THEY LOOKED. I MEAN,
THEY PUT A LOT OF EFFORT INTO TRYING TO FIND
SOME SIGN OF THAT PLANE. AND THEY NEVER
FOUND ANYTHING. ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS
DISAPPEARANCES IN ALASKA HAPPENED IN 1972, WHEN TWO CONGRESSMEN
ABOARD A FOUR-PASSENGER PLANE BOUND FROM ANCHORAGE
TO THE STATE CAPITAL, JUNEAU, DISAPPEARED WITHOUT A TRACE. ONE OF THE MEN,
REPRESENTATIVE HALE BOGGS, A DEMOCRAT FROM LOUISIANA,
WAS THE HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER, WHICH MADE HIM ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL MEN
IN AMERICAN POLITICS. THE OTHER MISSING MAN,
NICK BEGICH, WAS A DEMOCRAT FROM ALASKA. NO TRACE OF EITHER MAN,
NOR THE PLANE THEY WERE IN, WAS EVER FOUND. TWO WELL-KNOWN CONGRESSMEN JUST VANISH
OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH. I MEAN, THAT'S
A PRETTY UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE. THAT'S A PRETTY
UNUSUAL OCCURRENCE, BUT HERE LESS SO THAN ANYWHERE,
BECAUSE, I MEAN, WE HAVE A FAIR NUMBER
OF AIRCRAFT THAT GO DOWN THAT DO DISAPPEAR. I HAD A FRIEND
WHO WAS A BIOLOGIST FOR THE ALASKA DEPARTMENT
OF FISH AND GAME. IT WAS THE SAME WAY --
PLANE DISAPPEARED AND
IT'S NEVER BEEN FOUND. THE PLANE OR THE PEOPLE
HAVE NEVER BEEN FOUND? NONE OF THEM
HAVE EVER BEEN FOUND. BUT WE HAD A SIMILAR ONE WHERE
A NATIONAL PARK SERVICE CREW -- LAST SUMMER,
AND THEY DISAPPEARED. THEY NEVER FOUND BODIES
OR ANYTHING ELSE. WE SPENT WEEKS AND WEEKS
SEARCHING FOR A COUPLE WOMEN WHO DISAPPEARED HERE
A COUPLE YEARS AGO. CLIMBERS? YEAH. NEVER FOUND THEM. IT MAY SOUND LIKE THE PEOPLE
WHO ARE GOING MISSING ARE EXACTLY WHO YOU
WOULD EXPECT -- OUTDOORSMEN. BUT, THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT IS THAT THESE ARE
EXPERIENCED PEOPLE. PEOPLE WHO KNOW
HOW TO HANDLE THEMSELVES IN UNFORGIVING ALASKA. AND, DESPITE THEIR EXPERTISE,
THOUSANDS HAVE JUST DISAPPEARED. AS A JOURNALIST,
CRAIG MEDRED HAS BEEN REPORTING ON THE OUTDOOR AND
ADVENTURE COMMUNITY FOR DECADES. AND IF HE'S TELLING US THAT THE STATE'S MOST
EXPERIENCED HUNTERS, FISHERMEN, CLIMBERS, AND PILOTS
ARE THE ONES GOING MISSING, THEN WE DEFINITELY NEED TO
LOOK DEEPER. SO,
HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH THAT? IT'S KIND OF ALASKA.
YOU MOVE ON, YOU KNOW? YOU INEVITABLY KNOW PEOPLE
WHO END UP DEAD. DYING, I UNDERSTAND.
DISAPPEARING, I DON'T. THE DISAPPEARANCE THING
IS THE MOST TROUBLING. IT'S A REALLY HARD THING
TO GET YOUR HANDS AROUND -- THAT SOMEONE'S DISAPPEARED. THERE ARE MANY THEORIES
ABOUT WHAT COULD BE HAPPENING IN THE ALASKA TRIANGLE, RANGING FROM THE PARANORMAL
TO HARD SCIENCE. GEOLOGISTS SUGGEST
THAT THOSE WHO DISAPPEAR AT SEA MAY BE THE VICTIMS
OF FIRE ICE -- DEPOSITS OF METHANE
COMMON TO ALASKA THAT BUBBLE BENEATH THE SURFACE
OF THE OCEAN. THE METHANE
DECREASES THE BUOYANCY OF WATER, CAUSING SHIPS OR FALLEN PLANES
TO SUDDENLY SINK. SOME ALASKANS SWEAR THAT PEOPLE DISAPPEAR
OFF THE FACE OF THE EARTH BECAUSE
THEY'RE TAKEN TO ANOTHER WORLD OR ABDUCTED BY UFOs. AND OTHERS SAY THAT
ENERGY ANOMALIES AND VORTEXES CAUSE WORMHOLES --
A TEAR IN THE FABRIC OF SPACE THAT TRANSPORTS PEOPLE
TO ANOTHER TIME AND PLACE, AND, ALSO, THE SINGLE MOST
OVERUSED PLOT DEVICE IN STAR TREK. THESE THEORIES
MAY SEEM OUT THERE, BUT WITH THE DISAPPEARANCE RATE
1,500% HIGHER THAN AVERAGE, NO THEORY CAN BE OVERLOOKED. YOU KNOW, THIS -- IT SOUNDS LIKE
YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT -- PROMINENT PEOPLE
HAVE GONE MISSING, SKIERS, PEOPLE IN AIRPLANES --
IT SOUNDS ALMOST LIKE YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT
A SORT OF ALASKAN TRIANGLE WHERE PEOPLE GO IN
AND THEY JUST VANISH. ALASKA REALLY DOESN'T CARE
WHO YOU ARE. I MEAN,
IT DOESN'T CARE, YOU KNOW, WHAT YOUR TITLE IS OR HOW MUCH
MONEY YOU HAVE OR ANY OF THAT. IT'S AN
EQUAL-OPPORTUNITY KILLER. WE'VE HEARD THAT TWO PROMINENT
CONGRESSMEN AND THEIR PLANE DISAPPEARED IN ALASKA
IN THE 1970s. SO, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? IT MEANS THAT THE
U.S. GOVERNMENT WAS INVOLVED, AND THAT
THEY COLLECTED INTELLIGENCE ABOUT WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED
TO THAT PLANE. AND THAT MEANS BUDDY, MAC, AND
SCOTT NOW HAVE A LEAD TO FOLLOW. Levy: WHERE DID YOUR FATHER
BOARD THE AIRPLANE, AND WHERE
WERE THEY HEADING? Begich: THE FLIGHT WAS TO LEAVE
ANCHORAGE TO FLY TO JUNEAU. BASICALLY, SMALL PLANE --
FOUR PASSENGERS, THE PILOT, ONE OF MY FATHER'S AIDES,
AND THEN HALE BOGGS AND MY DAD. THE PLANE DISAPPEARED
ON OCTOBER 16th, 1972. AND, AT THAT TIME, IT WAS
THE LARGEST AIR AND SEA SEARCH IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD,
ACTUALLY. I MEAN, IT WAS HUGE. IT INVOLVED OVER
400 PRIVATE FISHING VESSELS, HUNDREDS OF PRIVATE PLANES,
12 COAST GUARD CUTTERS. THE SR-71, I BELIEVE,
WAS A SPY PLANE USED. SO, I MEAN, REALLY, REALLY
THE TOP OF THE LINE. AND, ACTUALLY, I WAS APPROACHED
BY A COUPLE OF GENERALS. THE PENTAGON HAD TOLD ME
WHAT THEY WERE USING. AND IT WAS ABSOLUTELY,
I MEAN, THE MOST CLASSIFIED, BUT THEY SAID IT WOULD PICK UP
A DIME FROM 30,000 FEET. Meltzer:
THE SR-71, OR BLACKBIRD, WAS DEVELOPED FOR PURPOSES
OF NATIONAL SECURITY. BUT, WHEN ONE OF
THE MOST IMPORTANT MEN IN CONGRESS WENT MISSING,
IT GOT THE CALL. THE BLACKBIRD WAS EQUIPPED
WITH INFRARED CAMERAS TO PICK UP HEAT SIGNATURES. BUT,
EVEN WITH ALL THIS TECHNOLOGY, NOT EVEN A TRACE OF THE PLANE
THEY WERE FLYING WAS EVER FOUND. WELL,
WHAT DID THEY FIND? NOTHING. NEVER FOUND A THING. AND ARE YOU SATISFIED, NOW, THAT
YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO HIM? NO. EITHER THE MILITARY
IS LYING, AND THEY FOUND THE AIRCRAFT
AND NEVER DISCLOSED IT -- WHICH DOESN'T
MAKE A LOT OF SENSE TO ME -- OR IT DISAPPEARED, BECAUSE THE TECHNOLOGY THEY HAD
SHOULD HAVE GIVEN US THE ANSWER. IT SHOULD HAVE
GIVEN US THE ANSWER. JUST SO WE GET THIS STRAIGHT --
WITHIN HOURS OF TAKING OFF, THIS PLANE EFFECTIVELY
VANISHED INTO THIN AIR? THAT'S RIGHT. WE'VE BEEN LOOKING AT SOMETHING
CALLED THE ALASKA TRIANGLE. RIGHT. HAVE YOU HEARD OF THAT? ABSOLUTELY. AND THIS COMES UP
BECAUSE OF THE DISAPPEARANCES -- NOT JUST PLANES,
BUT SHIPS AND BOATS AND... PEOPLE. ...PEOPLE. SO, IT'S NOT
INCONCEIVABLE TO YOU THAT THERE'S
AN ACTUAL ALASKA TRIANGLE THAT'S LIKE
THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE? VERY LIKELY COULD BE. THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE STRETCHES FROM BERMUDA
TO FLORIDA TO PUERTO RICO. AND IT'S FAMOUS FOR
ITS UNEXPLAINED DISAPPEARANCES OF PLANES, SHIPS, AND PEOPLE. NO ONE IS SURE WHAT CAUSES THE
DISAPPEARANCES OR WHERE THEY GO. BUT THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE HAS CLAIMED OVER 150 VESSELS
IN THE PAST CENTURY ALONE. ONE OF ITS
MOST HIGH-PROFILE DISAPPEARANCES IS THAT OF NAVAL FLIGHT 19. ON DECEMBER 5, 1945, FIVE TORPEDO BOMBERS
SET OFF ON A ROUTINE MISSION FROM FORT LAUDERDALE. NONE OF THEM WOULD EVER RETURN. ONLY ONE RADIO MESSAGE
MADE IT BACK TO THE BASE, FROM A PILOT DETAILING
HOW HIS INSTRUMENTS WERE FAILING AND THE NAVIGATIONAL EQUIPMENT
WAS GOING HAYWIRE. MOMENTS LATER, COMMUNICATION
SYSTEMS FAILED, TOO. THE FIVE PLANES SEEMED TO HAVE
VANISHED INTO THIN AIR. AND NEITHER THE PLANES
NOR THE PILOTS WERE EVER FOUND. SO YOU DO THINK
THERE'S SOMETHING MORE? WELL, THE IDEA OF
ENERGY VORTEXES WITHIN THE WORLD HAVE BEEN ANALYZED
BY PEOPLE. THE RUSSIANS DID SOME GREAT WORK
ON THIS. THIS TYPE
OF ENERGY ANOMALY CAN INTERFERE
WITH COMPASSES, FLIGHT AVIONICS. IT INTERFERES WITH WIRELESS
COMMUNICATIONS, SATELLITES. EVEN GROUND POWER GRIDS
CAN BE INTERFERED WITH. A VORTEX, BY DEFINITION, IS
A SWIRLING MASS OF AIR OR WATER. BUT, IT CAN ALSO BE
A MASS OF ENERGY. MANY SCIENTISTS BELIEVE THAT, MUCH LIKE STATIC ELECTRICITY
IS PRESENT IN A THUNDERSTORM, CERTAIN REGIONS OF THE EARTH POSSESS
AN ELECTROSTATIC SIGNATURE WHICH CREATES A VORTEX. AND, YES, I KNOW.
THIS IS NOT SCIENCE FICTION. SCIENTISTS
STILL DON'T FULLY UNDERSTAND EXACTLY HOW VORTEXES WORK OR WHY PEOPLE AND MACHINES ARE EFFECTED AND DISRUPTED
BY THEIR ENERGIES. RESEARCH IN THE AREA
OF ENERGY ANOMALIES IS PRETTY INTERESTING. WE DON'T HEAR MUCH OF IT
IN THE U.S., BUT I WORK WITH A LOT OF
SCIENTISTS AROUND THE WORLD AND THE REST OF MY LIFE. AND, SO, THIS IS
AN ISSUE THAT DOES COME UP. AND IT IS SOMETHING
THAT BEARS SOME LOOKING-INTO. NICK BEGICH, JR.'s FATHER
DISAPPEARED WHEN HE WAS ONLY 13. AND HE SPENDS HIS LIFE TRYING TO UNDERSTAND
WHAT HAPPENED TO HIS DAD. AFTER CONSULTING
WITH SEARCH-AND-RESCUE AND MILITARY LEADERS, AND STUDYING
THE OFFICIAL REPORTS, HE CONCLUDED
THE ONLY PLAUSIBLE EXPLANATION FOR HIS DAD'S DISAPPEARANCE
IS THAT IT DEFIED EXPLANATION. NICK IS THE SON
OF A CONGRESSMAN. HE WANTS AN ANSWER,
MORE THAN ANYTHING, ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED
TO HIS FATHER. AFTER EXPLORING
EVERY POSSIBILITY, HE'S STILL COMING UP EMPTY. SO, YOU BETTER BELIEVE I WANT TO
KNOW WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON. IT SOUNDS LIKE
WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS THAT IT'S POSSIBLE
THAT AN AIRPLANE COULD GO INTO THIS THING
CALLED THE ALASKA TRIANGLE AND BE EFFECTED
BY THE VORTEX. YES. I THINK
THERE'S THE POSSIBILITY OF SEVERAL EXPLANATIONS
FOR THIS. AND NONE OF THEM LINE UP
WITH THE OFFICIAL RECORD AT ALL. PERIOD. BUDDY, MAC, AND SCOTT
ARE IN ALASKA, LOOKING FOR A REASON BEHIND THE MULTITUDE OF PEOPLE
WHO GO MISSING THERE EVERY YEAR. THEY'VE JUST LEARNED ABOUT THE NOTORIOUS CASE
OF CONGRESSMEN BEGICH AND BOGGS, WHOSE PLANE DISAPPEARED
WITHOUT A TRACE IN BETWEEN ANCHORAGE AND JUNEAU
BACK IN 1972. SO, IF THERE IS
SOME SORT OF ENERGY VORTEX OR MAGNETIC ANOMALY THAT'S CAUSING PLANES TO DROP OFF
THE FACE OF THE EARTH IN ALASKA, WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT IT. NOW BUDDY AND McKINLEY
ARE INSISTING ON GETTING
AS CLOSE TO THE EYE OF THE STORM AS THEY POSSIBLY CAN. AND THE PILOT THEY FOUND WAS A MEMBER OF THE BEGICH-BOGGS
SEARCH PARTY. Levy: TERRY,
WE'RE WONDERING IF WE CAN GET UP INTO THE AREA
OF PORTAGE LAKE, AROUND WHERE
BEGICH-BOGGS DISAPPEARED. SO, THEY WERE COMING
FROM THERE DOWN, RIGHT? Holliday: RIGHT.
THEY WERE GOING TO JUNEAU. OKAY. ANCHORAGE IS HERE. WE GO DOWN
THROUGH TURNAGAIN ARM, HERE. WE CAN GET INTO
PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND. WE'LL GO UP THROUGH THE FJORD
HERE AND COME AROUND THIS WAY. OKAY, SO, LIKE, THERE --
WHITTIER AND -- OH, MAN. WE'RE HERE NOW. SO,
WE'RE GONNA GO FLY AROUND IN THE AREA
WHERE A PLANE DISAPPEARED. THAT'S IT. LET'S TAKE A SECOND TO REVIEW
WHAT BUDDY AND MAC ARE DOING. THEY'VE PINPOINTED
THE SPOT ON THE MAP WHERE THE HIGHEST NUMBER
OF PLANES GO MISSING. AND THEY'RE PAYING SOMEONE
TO FLY THEM TO IT. THIS IS WHY I LOVE THESE GUYS. Levy:
WE'RE INVESTIGATING AIRPLANE DISAPPEARANCES
IN ALASKA. HAVE YOU KNOWN
A LOT OF PLANES AND PEOPLE THAT HAVE GONE MISSING? OH, YEAH.
OVER THE YEARS, YEAH. PROBABLY, YOU KNOW, THERE'S BEEN SEVERAL REAL FAMOUS
PEOPLE THAT HAVE DISAPPEARED. YOU MEAN,
LIKE BEGICH AND BOGGS? LIKE BEGICH AND BOGGS,
YEAH. SO, WERE THEY FLYING
THIS ROUTE? THEY WERE HEADING
TOWARDS JUNEAU. UH-HUH. NOBODY FIGURES THEY MADE IT
MUCH PAST WHITTIER BORDERS, RIGHT THROUGH THERE. AND YOU WERE UP IN THE AIR
THAT DAY? I WAS UP IN THE AIR
THAT DAY. AND THEN, THE FOLLOWING DAY,
I GOT A TROOPER ON BOARD. AND WE WENT
ON THE SEARCH. YOU WERE ON THE SEARCH? YEP. OH, YEAH.
VERY DEFINITELY. WOW. HOW WOULD YOU
COMPARE THE WEATHER THEN TO THE WEATHER TODAY? OH, THIS IS BEAUTIFUL. OKAY. IT WAS REALLY RAINING HARD
AT THE LOW ELEVATIONS, AND IT WAS SNOWING
UP ABOVE. THERE HAD TO BE
REALLY GOOD ICING CONDITIONS. WELL, CLEARLY,
YOU FACED UP, RIGHT? OH, YEAH. THE PROBLEM IS, WITH ICE,
IS WHEN YOU GO INTO IT, IF YOU DON'T TURN AROUND
SOON ENOUGH -- IF YOU FLY TOO FAR BEFORE
YOU START TO TURN AROUND -- THEN YOU'RE
GOING BACK THROUGH IT AGAIN, SO YOU JUST
DOUBLE THE LOAD OF ICE. IT BUILDS UP. IT BUILDS UP. ICING, IN AN AVIATION CONTEXT IS
EXACTLY WHAT IT SOUNDS LIKE -- WHEN THE CONDITIONS
ARE WET ENOUGH AND COLD OUGH FOR ICE TO FORM ON THE WING. IT'S THESE CONDITIONS
THAT MAKE ALASKA ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS PLACES
TO FLY ON EARTH. AAH. WHAT'S THAT? WHAT KIND OF TURBULENCE
MAKES YOU UNCOMFORTABLE? THAT MAKES ME UNCOMFORTABLE. FREAKING ME OUT
A LITTLE BIT. Holliday: WE MIGHT GET
SOME MORE BUMPS, HERE. I CAN SEE THE WIND'S
GONNA START BLOWING. IT'S BLOWING OVER HERE
ON THE WATER, A LITTLE BIT. WHAT? AND IT'S BLOWING RIGHT IN FRONT
OF MY NOSE, GOING THIS WAY. YOU CAN SEE THE STREAKS
ON THE WATER. RIGHT. OKAY, TERRY, IS THAT -- WE'RE HEADING INTO WHAT
LOOKS LIKE A LOT OF WHITE -- LITERALLY,
A WALL OF WHITE CLOUDS. GONNA GO UP HERE
JUST A LITTLE BIT CLOSER -- TAKE A LOOK, HERE, AND JUST SEE
WHAT WE CAN SEE THROUGH HERE. DO WE NEED TO TAKE A LOOK? TERRY, RIGHT NOW, I'M NOTICING THAT YOUR COMPASS
IS GETTING A LITTLE BIT WEIRD. I DON'T KNOW. HE SAID IT'S OFF
AND IT'S BEHAVING PRETTY WEIRD. AND WE'RE...OKAY. I'VE NEVER SEEN A COMPASS
THAT'S JUST ACTING THIS WEIRD. YOU GOT TO LOVE TERRY. HE IS WHAT WE CALL
"A COOL CUSTOMER." SO, HE'S NOT GONNA LET ON JUST HOW DANGEROUS
IT CAN GET UP THERE. BUT, WHEN A PILOT LOSES
VISIBILITY AND HIS INSTRUMENTS, THAT'S WHEN BAD THINGS HAPPEN. AND NOW YOU'RE STARTING TO SEE HOW A PLANE, AND EVERYONE IN IT,
COULD SIMPLY VANISH. BUT, RIGHT NOW, SCOTT
IS ABOUT TO LEARN SOME THINGS THAT BUDDY AND McKINLEY
ARE GONNA WISH THEY KNEW BEFORE THEY GOT UP IN THE AIR. IN YOUR MANY YEARS AS
A STATE TROOPER AND AS A PILOT, HAVE YOU EVER
EXPERIENCED ANYTHING WHILE IN AN AIRPLANE
THAT MADE YOU THINK TWICE? Anderson: YES. THE FARTHER YOU GET NORTH
IN NORTH AMERICA -- THE CLOSER
TO THE MAGNETIC POLE -- THE MORE THE DEVIATION THERE IS
ON THE COMPASS. AND IT'S ABOUT 30%
IN ALASKA. PROFESSIONAL BUSH PILOTS
HAVE TO HAVE EXPERIENCE. AND YOU HAVE TO HAVE TRAINING
OVER A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. YOU JUST DON'T
BECOME A BUSH PILOT. IT TAKES YEARS. BUT, THE GOOD ONES REALLY KNOW
WHAT THEY'RE DOING. WAS THE BEGICH AND BOGGS PILOT
A BUSH PILOT? THE PILOT, DON JONZ,
HAPPENED TO BE A FRIEND OF MINE. AND, WHEN I LEARNED TO FLY,
HE WAS MY CHECK PILOT. SO,
I KNEW HIM PRETTY WELL. AND HE WAS
A VERY EXPERIENCED PILOT. TAKE ME BACK TO 1972. TWO VERY HIGH-PROFILE PEOPLE
TAKE OFF FROM ANCHORAGE, HEADING TO JUNEAU,
AND, ALL THE SUDDEN... GONE. ...THEY DROP OFF
THE FACE OF THE EARTH. EXACTLY. DOESN'T IT SEEM
COMPLETELY UNUSUAL TO YOU THAT THEY FOUND
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING? YES, IT DOES.
IT'S BEEN A PUZZLE EVER SINCE. A LOT OF US
HAVE FELT THAT WAY, BUT IT'S --
THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED. THEY JUST DISAPPEARED. WHAT DO YOU THINK HAPPENED
TO THIS AIRPLANE? THERE'S
NO WAY OF KNOWING. IT'S ALL SPECULATION, BECAUSE THERE'S ABSOLUTELY
NO EVIDENCE OF WHAT HAPPENED. DO YOU THINK,
AT THIS LATE STAGE, THERE'S ANY POSSIBILITY
OF FINDING THIS AIRPLANE? I DOUBT
THAT IT'LL EVER BE FOUND. IRONICALLY, THE MONTH BEFORE
THE CRASH OR THE DISAPPEARANCE, HE WROTE AN ARTICLE
FOR FLYING MAGAZINE ON ICING. THE CONVENTIONAL WISDOM STATES THAT THE BEGICH-BOGGS PLANE
WENT DOWN AS A RESULT OF ICING. BUT JOHNS WAS A VERITABLE EXPERT ON MANEUVERING PLANES
THROUGH THE ALASKAN WILDERNESS, AND HIS ARTICLE DETAILED NEW WAYS FOR PILOTS TO
SAFELY OVERCOME SUCH PROBLEMS. SO, THAT DOESN'T MEAN IT
COULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED TO JOHNS, BUT IT DOES MAKE THE LIKELIHOOD THAT HE WOULD KNOWINGLY
FLY INTO ICING CONDITIONS SEEM FAR LESS LIKELY. THIS WAS NOT THE TYPE OF MAN TO
MAKE RASH DECISIONS IN THE AIR, WHICH TELLS ME THAT THERE'S
SOMETHING ELSE GOING ON HERE THAT THE CONVENTIONAL WISDOM
CAN'T EXPLAIN. THE THING THAT THE
BEGICH-BOGGS CASE BROUGHT OUT WAS THE MAGNITUDE OF IT. IT'S NOT THAT UNCOMMON
FOR PLANES TO BE MISSING, BUT IT'S, I WOULD SAY, ALMOST A ROUTINE SITUATION
TO HAVE A PLANE DISAPPEAR. WE'VE ALSO BEEN LOOKING INTO
MAGNETIC ANOMALIES, WHICH SEEM TO BE
PRETTY PREVALENT HERE IN ALASKA. DO YOU THINK THAT MIGHT HAVE HAD ANYTHING
TO DO WITH THIS DISAPPEARANCE? IT'S POSSIBLE. I MEAN, AS I SAID BEFORE,
I MEAN, THERE IS ABSOLUTELY ZERO
EVIDENCE OF WHAT HAPPENED. SO, YOUR IMAGINATION CAN KIND OF
BE YOUR GUIDE ON WHAT HAPPENED. Holliday: WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO
TURN AROUND, HERE. THIS IS
GETTING TOO DANGEROUS. Levy: ARE YOU --
DO YOU WANT TO GO BACK? McKinley: YEAH.
I WANTED TO GO BACK A WHILE AGO. OH, MY GOD. I MEAN, IT LOOKS LIKE YOU WOULD
BE COMPLETELY ENGULFED IN THERE. YEAH, THAT WATER IS LOOKING,
LIKE, TITANIC-COLD. [ GROANS ] WHAT I CAN SEE IS THAT THINGS CLOSE OUT
ALMOST INSTANTANEOUSLY. OH, YEAH,
THEY CLOSE DOWN REAL FAST. WE NEED TO SEE WHERE WE'RE GOING
TO GET BACK, SO WE'LL TURN AROUND HERE
AND WAIT FOR ANOTHER DAY. Meltzer:
McKINLEY GREW UP IN ALASKA, BUT TO THOSE OF US IN THE LOWER
48, ALASKA IS THE LAST FRONTIER, FULL OF VISTAS AND GLACIERS,
PRISTINE MOUNTAINS AND WILDLIFE. BUT IT'S ALSO A ROUGH,
RUGGED HINTERLAND WHERE EVERYTHING IS BIGGER, INCLUDING THE THREATS
TO HUMAN SURVIVAL. BUDDY, MAC, AND SCOTT ARE
INVESTIGATING THE POSSIBILITY THAT ALASKA IS MORE
THAN JUST UNSPOILED WILDERNESS AND FAR TOO MUCH SNOW -- THAT THERE ARE ACTUALLY
PHENOMENA CLAIMING HUMAN LIVES THAT OUR CURRENT
SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING IS ABSOLUTELY UNABLE TO EXPLAIN. I LOVE BUSH PLANES.
I LIKE BEING UP THERE. BUT EVERY TIME I'M BACK
WITH MY FEET ON SOLID GROUND, I FEEL A LOT BETTER. WHEN WE WERE UP IN THAT PLANE,
THE COMPASS WENT WONKY. I WAS MORE THAN HAPPY
TO LET YOU GUYS HANDLE THAT ONE, BUT IT DID SEEM
LIKE SOMETHING WAS -- YOU SEEMED A LITTLE FREAKED OUT
WHEN YOU GOT BACK, BOTH OF YOU. I DON'T LIKE IT WHEN THE PILOT
GETS VERY SERIOUS AND QUIET. HE KIND OF
JUST SHUT DOWN, WHICH MEANS
THAT HE'S CONCENTRATING ON SURVIVING THE FLIGHT. WELL, WHEN THE COMPASS
WENT CRAZY, DID YOU GUYS
FEEL ANYTHING STRANGE? I MEAN, DID YOU FEEL LIKE
THE PLANE WAS OUT OF CONTROL OR THAT YOU WERE REALLY
IN DANGER? WHEN I SEE
A SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENT -- AN OBJECTIVE INSTRUMENT --
DO SOMETHING WEIRD, THAT'S WHEN I TRUST THAT
SOMETHING WEIRD IS HAPPENING. SO, WHAT DO YOU
THINK IT WAS? I MEAN, WHAT COULD POSSIBLY
MAKE A COMPASS DO THAT? IT HAS TO BE MAGNETIC. IT'S RESPONDING
TO A MAGNETIC FIELD. THAT'S ALL A COMPASS
RESPONDS TO. OKAY, WELL,
CHECK THIS OUT. THIS IS A SITE OF
THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY, AND IT SHOWS THE MAGNETIC
ANOMALIES IN NORTH AMERICA, AND HERE, WHERE WE ARE
AND WHERE WE FLEW... OH, WOW. ...THIS IS ALASKA, AND IT IS
A MAGNETIC-ANOMALY HOT SPOT. IT'S A FIRE ZONE RIGHT HERE.
LOOK AT THAT. OH, YEAH.
HOLY COW. WHOA. THIS COULD BE MAGNETIZED ROCK.
IT COULD BE -- ANYTHING THAT ELECTRIC CURRENT
CAN RUN THROUGH COULD CREATE
A MAGNETIC FIELD. AND WHAT'S SCARY IS, LIKE,
WE FLEW RIGHT THERE, WHERE IT'S LIKE A -- LITERALLY, A FIREBALL
OF MAGNETIC ANOMALY. WELL, AND OUR BRAINS
ARE ELECTRICAL. OUR NERVOUS SYSTEM
IS ELECTRICAL. IF IT CAN AFFECT
INSTRUMENTATION, IT CAN AFFECT THE
INSTRUMENTATION OF YOUR BODY. YOU KNOW, THAT'S A GOOD POINT,
AND THAT WAY, YOU GET LOST OR YOU CAN'T FIND YOUR WAY BACK
OR YOU GET DISORIENTED. WAIT, CHECK IT OUT. "THERE HAVE BEEN MANY REPORTS
OF TIME-AND-SPACE DILATIONS "THAT WERE ACCOMPANIED
BY LOSS OF COMPASS, ALTIMETERS, "ARTIFICIAL HORIZON,
LOSS OF RADIO CONTACT, "AND OTHER STRANGE PHENOMENA. "DEVIL'S GRAVEYARDS
ARE TRIANGULAR AREAS "WHERE PHYSICAL ANOMALIES
HAVE BEEN REPORTED, "SUCH AS MYSTERIOUS
DISAPPEARANCES OF SHIPS AND AIRPLANES." OKAY, AND THEY'RE
IN TRIANGLES. "PLANES ARRIVE
AFTER ARRIVAL TIME, "AND ALL THE WATCHES ON BOARD
ARE LATE BY EXACTLY THE SAME AMOUNT
OF TIME." OKAY, THAT'S SPOOKY AS HELL,
ACTUALLY. OKAY, CHECK IT OUT. 12 GEOGRAPHIC AREAS -- THESE ARE VORTEXES
ALLEGED BY SCIENTISTS TO HAVE BEEN SITES
OF MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCES -- THE 12 DEVIL'S GRAVEYARDS
AROUND THE WORLD. THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE,
STONEHENGE, THE ANCIENT EGYPTIAN PYRAMIDS, AND THE STONE MONUMENTS
ON EASTER ISLAND ALL STAND EQUIDISTANT
FROM EACH OTHER, AND EACH OF THEM FITS
INTO THE PLANETARY GRID OF DOCUMENTED VORTEXES. ALL OF THESE ALLEGED
DEVIL'S GRAVEYARDS HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED
WITH UNEXPLAINED PHENOMENA DATING BACK THOUSANDS OF YEARS. IS ALASKA ONE OF THEM? OHH, IT IS. HOLY COW. HOW DOES IT FEEL THAT YOU JUST
FLEW THROUGH A DEVIL'S GRAVEYARD AND LIVED
TO TELL ABOUT IT? OH, MY GOD, YEAH. SOMETHING WEIRD
IS GOING ON HERE. I WOULD LIKE TO TALK
TO A VORTEX EXPERT -- SOMEONE WHO REALLY UNDERSTANDS
WHAT A VORTEX IS IN THE WAY THAT THESE GUYS
ARE DESCRIBING IT. WHAT IS A VORTEX,
EXACTLY? IN GENERAL, A VORTEX
IS A SPINNING ENERGY, LIKE A HURRICANE. WHAT HAPPENS TO<i> PEOPLE</i>
IN THE ALASKA TRIANGLE? WELL, I BELIEVE
THAT WE ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO SHIFTS
IN CONSCIOUSNESS WHEN WE EXPOSE OURSELF
TO THESE ENERGIES. YOU MIGHT POSSIBLY
HAVE HALLUCINATIONS. YOU MIGHT HAVE, YOU KNOW,
LOST TIME. HALLUCINATIONS
AND LOST TIME COULD GET ONE LOST
OR MAKE THEM DISAPPEAR. RIGHT, WELL, LOST TIME COULD POTENTIALLY BE AN EFFECT
OF CONSCIOUSNESS. DO YOU THINK
THAT THE VORTEX IS CONTRIBUTING TO THE PEOPLE
GOING MISSING IN ALASKA? I BELIEVE
THAT IT'S POSSIBLE. I DON'T THINK YOU CAN EXPLAIN
ALL THE MISSING PEOPLE. THEY HAVEN'T ALL
BEEN EATEN BY BEARS. HOW WILL WE KNOW
WHEN WE'RE IN A VORTEX? DIFFERENT PEOPLE EXPERIENCE IT
DIFFERENT WAYS. SOME PEOPLE
HAVE PSYCHIC SIGHT. THEY CAN SEE
THE LINES OF ENERGY. I TEND TO FEEL A TINGLING
IN MY FACE WHEN I COME TO, EFFECTIVELY,
THE BOUNDARIES, WHERE THE ENERGY
TENDS TO BE STRONGEST. YOU CAN THINK OF, LIKE,
A SPINNING PHONOGRAPH RECORD AND HOW FAST IT SPINS
AT THE EDGES. THERE IS A TOOL
THAT YOU CAN USE THAT MAY HELP YOU
TO IDENTIFY THE VORTEX. THIS DEVICE IS CALLED
THE GOLDEN VORTEX. ONE OF THE RESEARCHERS
IN MY VORTEX-RESEARCH GROUP HAS DISCOVERED A CERTAIN
ARRANGEMENT OF MAGNETS. THERE ARE THREE MAGNETS IN HERE
IN A SPECIFIC ARRANGEMENT, AND HE CLAIMS THAT THIS
IS A PORTABLE VORTEX. ONE OF THE PHENOMENA
THAT YOU SEE AT A VORTEX IS THAT PEOPLE WILL APPEAR
TO CHANGE HEIGHT, SO IF YOU HAVE TWO PARTICIPANTS
ON A PERFECTLY LEVEL PLATFORM FACING EACH OTHER ACROSS
THE BOUNDARY OF A VORTEX, YOU'LL NOTICE, OVER TIME, THAT THERE SEEMS TO BE
AN APPARENT SHIFT IN THE RELATIVE HEIGHT
OF THE TWO PARTICIPANTS. WE COULD DO
A LITTLE EXPERIMENT HERE AND SEE IF THE TWO OF YOU EXPERIENCE ANY CHANGE
IN RELATIVE HEIGHT. OKAY. I DON'T WANT
TO BE HER HEIGHT. [ BOTH LAUGH ] I'M HAPPY. HOW TALL ARE YOU? ABOUT 6'. AND HOW TALL ARE YOU? 5'9". OKAY, WELL, I WOULD SUGGEST
THAT YOU STAND UP ON THIS NEARLY PERFECTLY LEVEL
PLATFORM HERE COUPLE FEET APART AND FACE EACH OTHER. FIRST, LET ME PULL THE VORTEX
OUT OF THE EQUATION, AND WE'LL JUST --
WE'LL DO THE VORTEX SALUTE, WHICH IS YOU GOT TO PUT YOUR
HAND HERE AT YOUR EYE LEVEL, AND YOU LOOK AS STRAIGHT ACROSS
AS YOU CAN, AND YOU NOTICE, "OKAY, I'M LOOKING AT THE BRIDGE
OF THE PERSON'S NOSE." NOTICE THAT PLACE
WHERE YOU'RE... OKAY. ...YOU'RE LOOKING
AT EACH OTHER. AND NOW I'M GONNA PUT
THIS VORTEX DEVICE IN BETWEEN
THE TWO OF YOU HERE. OKAY. AND WE'LL SEE. YOU KNOW, AGE IS GONNA
MAKE ME SHORT ENOUGH. I DON'T NECESSARILY NEED A
GOLDEN VORTEX TO HELP ME ALONG. ARE YOU NOTICING
ANY DIFFERENCE? YOU LOOK TALLER! ARE YOU GONNA DO IT? YOU LOOK TALLER TO ME.
[ Laughing ] I SWEAR. ARE YOU SERIOUS? I SWEAR TO GOD. I'VE GROWN? YES! I THOUGHT I WAS GONNA
GET YOUR HEIGHT, BUT... NO, I LOOKED ACROSS, AND I WAS LIKE, "BEFORE,
IT WAS THERE..." ACTUALLY, THAT'S TRUE. I FEEL SHORTER THAN YOU --
WAY SHORTER THAN NORMAL. [ Laughing ]
THAT'S REALLY WEIRD. KIND OF CRAZY, RIGHT? BELIEVE ME, THIS IS NOT
SOME TRICK OF OUR CAMERAS. BUT JUST WAIT.
IT GETS BETTER. NOW, WHAT IF -- LOOK AT WHERE THE OTHER PERSON'S
STANDING AND CHANGE PLACES. SWITCH WITH
EACH OTHER? SWITCH PLACES
AROUND THE... THE GOLDEN VORTEX. OH, MY --
I'M TOWERING OVER YOU NOW. YES, YOU ARE. AM I? YEAH. YOU LOOK THINNER, TOO. OH, GOOD.
THAT'S GOOD. THAT HAPPENS, ACTUALLY. IS THIS
AN OPTICAL ILLUSION? I DON'T SEE HOW IT CAN BE
AN OPTICAL ILLUSION IN THE ORDINARY WAY THAT WE
UNDERSTAND OPTICAL ILLUSIONS. IT MAY BE
PURELY VISUAL PHENOMENA, SOMETHING LIKE REFRACTION,
BUT IT'S ALSO POSSIBLE -- I WANT YOU TO CONSIDER
THE POSSIBILITY -- THAT THERE'S SOMETHING PHYSICAL
GOING ON. I PROMISE THIS IS NOT
A SPECIAL EFFECT. IN FACT, OUR CAMERA OPERATORS
COULDN'T BELIEVE THEIR EYES, AND OUR CAMERA EQUIPMENT
WAS GOING CRAZY AND INEXPLICABLY MALFUNCTIONING. SOMETHING ABOUT THIS TINY VORTEX MADE THE PERSON STANDING ON ONE
SIDE SEEM STRETCHED OUT AND THIN AND THE PERSON ON THE OTHER SIDE
SEEM SHORT AND COMPACTED. WE KNOW MAGNETS CAN PULL AT
AND STRETCH MATTER. IS IT POSSIBLE
A MAGNETIC ANOMALY THAT WE DON'T FULLY UNDERSTAND
COULD PULL AND STRETCH LIGHT? OUR CAMERAS SEEM TO THINK SO. I PERSONALLY HAVE NO IDEA, BUT IF A VORTEX
THE SIZE OF A QUARTER CAN DO THIS TO OUR EQUIPMENT
AND OUR OWN EYES, IMAGINE WHAT A VORTEX
THE SIZE OF THE ALASKA TRIANGLE CAN ACTUALLY DO. IN ALASKA,
THERE'S EVERY CHARACTERISTIC THAT WE WOULD EXPECT TO FIND
FOR A VORTEX, AS WE FIND VOLCANOES,
WE FIND MOUNTAIN PEAKS, WE FIND GLACIERS, FIND
ORE AND MINERAL DEPOSITS, DISAPPEARANCES,
EXTREME WEATHER. WE HAVE
THE ATMOSPHERIC ELECTRICITY AND THE ELECTRICAL CURRENTS
IN THE EARTH. WE FIND REPORTS
OF CRYPTOZOOLOGIC CREATURES. SO, THERE ARE ANY NUMBER
OF SOLID, SCIENTIFIC REASONS TO EXPECT THAT WE'RE GONNA FIND
SOME ANOMALOUS PHENOMENA THERE. CRYPTOZOOLOGICAL CREATURES ARE ANIMALS WHOSE EXISTENCE
HAS NOT YET BEEN DOCUMENTED. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING
WE'RE TELLING YOU TO BELIEVE. THIS IS ONE CULTURE'S THEORY. SO, SCOTT IS TALKING TO SOMEONE
WHOSE ANCIENT ALASKAN ANCESTORS HAVE A CRYPTOZOOLOGICAL
EXPLANATION FOR THE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE VANISHED HERE
OVER THE CENTURIES. I AM ALASKA NATIVE.
MY TLINGIT NAME IS DA-YUSH. AND I BELONG
TO THE SUN HOUSE. EVER SINCE I'VE GROWN UP, I'VE KNOWN PEOPLE
WHO HAVE DISAPPEARED OR WENT OUT BOATING OR INTO
THE WOODS OR THE MOUNTAINS AND HAVE NEVER
COME HOME AGAIN. OUR PEOPLE A LOT OF TIMES
ATTRIBUTE IT TO EVIL BEINGS THAT EXIST
IN THIS WORLD WITH US THAT IT'S BASICALLY THEIR JOB
TO CAPTURE US, TAKE US. AND IN SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA
WITH THE TLINGIT PEOPLE, IT IS USUALLY ATTRIBUTED
TO THE KUSHTAKA. IN TLINGIT, KUSH'TAK'A. THROUGHOUT HISTORY, WHEN A PEOPLE COULDN'T
EXPLAIN SOMETHING WITH SCIENCE, THEY TURNED TO MYTH. THE GREEKS COULDN'T EXPLAIN THAT LIGHTNING WAS
AN ELECTROSTATIC DISCHARGE, SO THEY SAID
IT WAS THE ANGRY ZEUS HURLING HIS WEAPON
FROM MOUNT OLYMPUS. ALASKANS COULDN'T EXPLAIN THE HUGE NUMBER OF PEOPLE
DISAPPEARING EVERY YEAR, SO THE DIFFERENT TRIBES
DEVELOPED THEIR OWN MYTHS. TO THE NORTH, THE ALASKAN
ESKIMOS CALLED IT THE URAYULI, OR HAIRY MAN, OR WHAT WE
MIGHT THINK OF AS BIGFOOT. TO THE SOUTH, THE ALASKAN
INDIANS CALLED IT THE NANT'INA, BUT THE TLINGIT, WHO COME FROM THE CENTER
OF THE ALASKAN TRIANGLE, HAVE THE KUSHTAKA, THE MOST DEADLY AND TERRIFYING
OF THEM ALL. AND SO WHAT EXACTLY
IS A KUSHTAKA? THE KUSHTAKA IS AN -- PROBABLY THE MOST EVIL SPIRIT
IN TLINGIT CULTURE. IT IS SOMETHING THAT AS CHILDREN
WE'RE TAUGHT ABOUT AND EXTREMELY AFRAID OF. HIS GOAL IN THIS UNIVERSE
IS TO TAKE YOUR LIFE BUT TO CAPTURE YOUR SOUL
AND TAKE YOUR SOUL SO THAT IT BECOMES HIS SLAVE --
A SPIRIT SLAVE, IN ESSENCE. YOU HAVE NO CHANCE OF A PEACEFUL
AFTERLIFE AT THAT POINT. YOU ARE HIS SLAVE. YOUR ELDERS HAVE BASICALLY
TOLD YOU THIS AS AN EXPLANATION FOR SOME OF YOUR PEOPLE
THAT HAVE GONE MISSING? WE'LL HEAR SOMEONE SAY,
"OH, KUSHTAKA GOT HIM." SUCH KIND OF
A TABOO SUBJECT THAT PEOPLE JUST REALLY PREFER
NOT TO TALK ABOUT IT. SO, ETHAN, DO YOU BELIEVE THAT
PEOPLE THAT YOU PERSONALLY KNOW THAT HAVE GONE MISSING
WITHOUT EXPLANATION WERE THE VICTIM
OF THE KUSHTAKA? I THINK THAT SOME OF THEM
PROBABLY WERE. HIS WAY TO GET YOU IS NOT TO JUST SNEAK UP ON YOU
AND ATTACK YOU. THE WAY HE GETS YOU
IS TO ATTRACT YOU TO HIM. HE'S, I GUESS, KIND OF
A SHAPESHIFTER IN A WAY, EITHER CHANGING HIS SHAPE OR MAKING YOU THINK THAT YOU'RE
SEEING SOMETHING DIFFERENT. SO, AS A KID, YOU KNOW,
YOU'RE OUTSIDE PLAYING. YOUR GRANDMOTHER'S WORKING
IN THE SMOKEHOUSE, AND YOU'RE OVER HERE
PLAYING. WELL, MAYBE OVER HERE,
ALL OF A SUDDEN, YOU LOOK UP, AND THERE'S YOUR GRANDMOTHER,
AND YOU THOUGHT, "WOW, I THOUGHT SHE WAS
IN THE SMOKEHOUSE," BUT NOW SHE'S OVER HERE, AND SHE'S STANDING
BY THE EDGE OF THE WOODS IN THE SALMONBERRY BUSHES, AND SHE'LL BE MOTIONING TO YOU
TO COME TO HER. SHE'S GOING LIKE THIS,
NOT SAYING A WORD. AND IF YOU
JUST FOLLOW HER, SHE'LL RETREAT
BACK INTO THE FOREST, AND WHEN YOU GET INTO
THE FOREST, HE'S ENTICED YOU, HE'S TRICKED YOU TO FOLLOW HIM,
YOU'RE DONE. MAKING MY HAIR STAND UP
TALKING ABOUT IT. YOU'RE MAKING MY HAIR
STAND UP, TOO. YEAH. I MEAN,
IT SOUNDS TO ME, ETHAN, LIKE YOU ABSOLUTELY BELIEVE
THE KUSHTAKA EXISTS. I KNOW GROWN MEN,
EVEN OLD MEN, WHO ARE EXTREMELY FEARFUL
OF THIS BEING, KUSHTAKA. IN FACT, MANY OF US DON'T EVEN
LIKE TO SAY HIS NAME. WHEN WE HEARD THAT THIS CONCEPT
WAS COMING UP, A LOT OF US HERE WERE LIKE, "UNH-UNH, DON'T WANT
TO TALK ABOUT IT." ETHAN WASN'T KIDDING
WHEN HE SAID THAT HIS PEOPLE DON'T LIKE
TO TALK ABOUT THE KUSHTAKA. THE ONLY REASON HE TOLD US
HE WAS EVEN WILLING TO DO IT WAS BECAUSE HE FELT
IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT WE GET THE STORY STRAIGHT. IN FACT, THE KUSHTAKA
IS A BEING OF SUCH EVIL OMEN IN THE TLINGIT CULTURE
THAT ONCE WE WERE THROUGH, ETHAN HAD TO HAVE A SHAMAN
PURIFY THE AIR IN THE CLAN HOUSE
WHERE WE SHOT THE INTERVIEW. IT JUST SEEMS LIKE
ALMOST EVERYBODY I'M MEETING HERE IN ALASKA HAS A STORY
OF SOMEBODY GOING MISSING AND NEVER
BEING HEARD FROM AGAIN. NOW, ONE OF THE EXPLANATIONS
THAT WE'VE HEARD IS THESE VORTEXES
OR MAGNETIC ANOMALIES. DO YOU THINK, IN A SENSE, THE KUSHTAKA IS THE EXPLANATION
FOR A VORTEX? I MEAN, PEOPLE HAVE GONE MISSING
WITHOUT EXPLANATION, AND YOU'VE GOT
AN EXPLANATION. WHAT WE HAVE ARE STORIES
THAT ARE THOUSANDS OF YEARS OLD IN REGARDS
TO THESE EVIL DEMONS OR THESE SPIRITS
SUCH AS KUSHTAKA. THEN THESE OTHER STORIES COME LIKE VORTEXES
AND THINGS LIKE THAT. AND I DON'T KNOW.
MAYBE THOSE ARE TRUE. I'VE JUST NOT HEARD ABOUT THEM
IN OUR CULTURES. THOSE OF US
GROWING UP HERE, WE'RE PRETTY WEDDED
TO THE CONCEPT THAT SOMETHING'S MAIN MISSION
IS TO DESTROY OUR SOULS -- TO CAPTURE OUR SOULS AND KEEP
THEM FOR HIMSELF FOREVER. IN 1778,
WHILE THE WAR OF INDEPENDENCE WAS BEING WAGED
ON AMERICA'S EAST COAST, A CAPTAIN IN THE ROYAL NAVY
NAMED JAMES COOK WAS BOLDLY CHARTING
THE WEST COAST OF ALASKA. THIS MAN HAD SAILED
ALL AROUND THE WORLD AND WAS THE FIRST EUROPEAN TO LAND ON THE EAST COAST
OF AUSTRALIA AND CIRCUMNAVIGATE NEW ZEALAND, BUT HE MET HIS MATCH
IN THE ICY NORTH. SEVERAL TIMES, HE ATTEMPTED
THE NORTHWEST PASSAGE, TRYING TO SAIL THROUGH
THE BERING STRAIT, BUT FOUL WEATHER
AND UNFRIENDLY SEAS CAUSED HIM TO TURN BACK
AGAIN AND AGAIN. IT WAS REPORTED
THAT DURING THIS TIME, THE CAPTAIN
BEGAN BEHAVING STRANGELY, SUFFERING
FROM AN UNKNOWN AILMENT AND FORCING HIS CREW TO EAT WALRUS MEAT
AGAINST THEIR WISHES. COULD IT BE THAT CAPTAIN COOK, WHO IS NOW KNOWN
AS AN INTERNATIONAL HERO, WAS ONE OF THE FIRST WHITE MEN TO EXPERIENCE THE DISORIENTING
EFFECTS OF THE VORTEX? BUDDY, MAC, AND SCOTT ARE IN
ALASKA TRYING TO FIND OUT MORE. Rolle: WE'VE TALKED TO A LOT
OF THE LOCAL FOLKS AROUND HERE, AND THEY TELL US THAT THERE'S
A NUMBER OF PEOPLE THAT GO MISSING, AND YOU
ARE NEVER ABLE TO FIND THEM OR RESCUE THEM
OR EVEN FIND A BODY. DOES THAT
SEEM TO BE COMMON? IT HAPPENS WITH A LOT MORE
FREQUENCY HERE IN ALASKA THAN I THINK
IN SOME OTHER PLACES BECAUSE OF THE FACT
OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE HAVE
HERE IN ALASKA. I THINK I'VE GOTTEN
USED TO THE IDEA THAT PEOPLE GO MISSING
BECAUSE IT'S ALASKA, BUT IN ANY OTHER PART
OF THE WORLD, I THINK, OR UNITED STATES, IF THAT HAPPENED AT
THE SAME RATE IT HAPPENS HERE, IT WOULD BE STRANGE. BILL ROMBERG IS A MODEST GUY, BUT WHAT HE'S NOT TELLING YOU
IS THAT AS ONE OF THE PREMIER SEARCH-AND-RESCUE SPECIALISTS
IN ALASKA, HE'S TRAINED TO PULL OFF
THE TYPES OF RESCUES THAT ARE SO COMPLEX
AND DANGEROUS THAT HOLLYWOOD WOULD NEED
AN ENTIRE SPECIAL-EFFECTS STUDIO TO PULL THEM OFF IN A MOVIE. JUMPING OUT OF HELICOPTERS AND BEING LOWERED DOWN BY
THE ANKLES INTO CREVICES OF ICE TO RETRIEVE PEOPLE
WHO HAVE MINUTES LEFT TO LIVE, RISKING AVALANCHES, AND PLUNGING AHEAD
INTO WHITEOUT CONDITIONS -- THIS IS ALL IN A DAY'S WORK. IF THERE IS A VORTEX, CHANCES ARE THIS GUY HAS GONE
ON BELAY INTO THE MOUTH OF IT AND BEEN HOISTED BACK OUT
TO TELL THE STORY. THIS ALASKAN TRIANGLE, WHERE MOST OF
THE DISAPPEARANCES OCCUR, HAS BEEN SHOWN TO US
TO GO FROM BARROW TO ANCHORAGE TO JUNEAU. WHY DO YOU THINK THE DISAPPEARANCES
ARE HAPPENING THERE? THAT'S WHERE
MOST OF THE PEOPLE AND WHERE MOST OF THE ACTIVITY
IS IN TERMS OF SHEER NUMBERS. IS IT FAIR TO SAY, BILL,
THAT IN ALASKA, THE MINUTE
YOU LEAVE YOUR AREA AND HEAD OUT INTO THE MOUNTAINS
OR THE WOODS, YOU MAY NOT
BE COMING BACK. ALASKA IS ONE OF THE MOST
DIFFICULT PLACES TO SURVIVE ONCE YOU'RE AWAY FROM
ALL THE COMFORTS OF HOME, YOU KNOW, IN THE CITY. HAVE THERE BEEN
ANY RESCUE SITUATIONS THAT, YOU KNOW,
YOU HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT AND THAT YOU STILL
PONDER OVER, THAT THEY SORT OF
KEEP YOU UP AT NIGHT? YEAH, I THINK YOU COULD SAY
THAT EVERY MISSION THAT WE HAVE WHERE WE HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE
TO FIND THE PERSON WHO WE WENT AFTER --
WE WERE ASKED TO GO AFTER -- THERE'S ALWAYS THAT QUESTION
IN THE BACK OF YOUR MIND. TYPICALLY, IF YOU WERE PERSONALLY INVOLVED
IN THE MISSION, IT'S ALWAYS KIND OF
IN THE BACK OF YOUR MIND. WE HAD ONE UP IN DENALI NATIONAL
PARK ABOUT SIX YEARS AGO THAT I WAS INVOLVED IN. WE SPENT A WEEK
LOOKING FOR AN INDIVIDUAL, AND WE NEVER FOUND A CLUE THAT WE KNEW WAS ATTACHED
TO THAT PERSON, AND WE NEVER FOUND THAT PERSON,
AND WE NEVER WILL. HAVE YOU EVER SEEN
ANYTHING STRANGE THAT YOU COULDN'T EXPLAIN? EARLY IN MY YEARS IN ALASKA,
WHEN I WAS CLIMBING MOUNTAINS, I HAD HEARD OF THE MAGNETIC
ANOMALIES OR VORTEX, BUT WHAT HAPPENS
IS YOU HEAR THIS BUZZING SOUND, LIKE JUST HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS
OF BEES, AND THAT HAPPENED TO ME
ON A COUPLE OCCASIONS. YOU COULD FEEL IT. ICE AX WAS VIBRATING,
YOU KNOW, AND THE AIR WOULD BECOME CHARGED
WITH ELECTRICITY, AND YOU DON'T SEE LIGHTNING
PER SE. YOU DON'T HEAR THUNDER,
BUT IT WAS QUITE STRANGE. OH, THAT WOULD BE
ABSOLUTELY FREAKY. WE KIND OF WENT,
"THIS IS WEIRD," AND WE FIGURED IT OUT
AFTER A LITTLE WHILE THAT IT HAD TO BE
ELECTRICITY. BUT IT'S TRULY A LAND
OF EXTREMES IN A NUMBER OF WAYS. WE'VE BEEN INVESTIGATING THE
HUGE NUMBER OF DISAPPEARANCES THAT OCCUR IN ALASKA EVERY YEAR. THE CRAZY THING IS, WE HAVEN'T EVEN TOUCHED
ON ALL THE DEATHS THAT OCCUR WHERE THE VICTIMS
ARE ACTUALLY FOUND. FOR EVERY HALE BOGGS
AND NICK BEGICH DISAPPEARANCE, THERE'S A SENATOR TED STEVENS, WHOSE PLANE WENT DOWN
IN THE ALASKA WILDERNESS AND WAS RECOVERED. THERE'S NO QUESTION THAT ALASKA IS A MARVELOUS
AND TREACHEROUS PLACE. THE QUESTION IS, IS THERE
SOMETHING MORE GOING ON THERE, SOMETHING THAT HASN'T YET
BEEN ADEQUATELY EXPLAINED BY MODERN SCIENCE? BUDDY, MAC, AND SCOTT
HAVE THEIR OWN CONCLUSIONS. THIS HAS BEEN A GREAT TRIP,
HUH, YOU GUYS? WE CAME TO ALASKA, WE TOUCHED
THE VOID, AND WE SURVIVED. IT'S BEEN
REALLY INCREDIBLE. YOU KNOW, I THINK WE'VE HAD
A LOT OF EVIDENCE TO LOOK AT IN THIS CASE. I MEAN, WE LOOKED INTO
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF TWO PROMINENT CONGRESSMEN
BACK IN 1972 -- DROPPED OFF THE FACE
OF THE EARTH. I TALKED
TO A NATIVE ALASKAN WHO BASICALLY SAID THAT HE KNOWS
PEOPLE THAT HAVE DISAPPEARED AND IT'S HIS BELIEF THAT THERE'S
A SUPERNATURAL POWER THAT TOOK THOSE PEOPLE
FROM HIS TRIBE. YOU KNOW, I HAVE TO SAY,
GROWING UP HERE, WE HEARD OF
THE BERMUDA TRIANGLE. WE NEVER HEARD OF
ALASKAN TRIANGLE, OF ANY OF THIS SORT OF BLACK
HOLE OR VORTEX KIND OF STUFF. WE DID KNOW ABOUT BEARS, ABOUT
DROWNING, ABOUT MUD FLATS -- ALL THOSE THINGS
THAT CAN GET YOU. TO ME, WHAT HAPPENS IN ALASKA
IS THAT IT HAULS YOU IN BECAUSE THE KIND OF PEOPLE
WHO COME HERE ARE THE SORTS OF PEOPLE WHO WANT
TO PUSH TO THE OUTER EDGES, WHO WANT TO HAVE RISK -- THRILL-SEEKERS, ADVENTURERS,
HUNTERS, FISHERMEN -- ALL THE PEOPLE
WHO LIKE TO DO THE MOST DANGEROUS JOBS
IN THE WORLD. YOU KNOW, YOU MAKE
A REALLY GOOD POINT BECAUSE WE LOOK AT IT
AS A VORTEX. THE NATIVE ALASKANS
LOOK AT IT AS SOME SORT OF SUPERNATURAL
CREATURE -- THE KUSHTAKA -- WHO LURES PEOPLE INTO THE WOODS
AND LETS THEM DISAPPEAR, AND I WISH YOU GUYS COULD HAVE
HEARD THE STORY ABOUT THAT BECAUSE IT LITERALLY
SENT CHILLS UP MY SPINE. BUT WHAT REALLY GRABS ME
ABOUT THAT IS THAT THEY<i> NEEDED</i> AN
EXPLANATION FOR WHAT'S GOING ON BECAUSE THAT MANY
OF THEIR PEOPLE WERE DISAPPEARING IN ALASKA. AND THE KUSHTAKA TAKES YOUR SOUL
AND KEEPS IT FOR ALL ETERNITY. IN A SENSE,
THERE'S NO CLOSURE THERE, AND FOR PEOPLE
WHO'VE HAD MISSING PERSONS IN THEIR FAMILIES,
THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT. SO, I GUESS WE HAVE TO
BOTTOM-LINE THIS. MM-HMM. IS THERE
AN ALASKAN TRIANGLE? IS THERE A PLACE HERE
WHERE PHENOMENA ARE UNEXPLAINED? I THINK
IT'S ABSOLUTELY CLEAR THAT THERE ARE
UNEXPLAINED PHENOMENA HERE. I THINK WE SAW IT
ALL ACROSS THE BOARD. WE HEARD STORIES
FROM PEOPLE ABOUT FEELINGS OF ELECTRICITY IN
THEIR BODY AND THINGS LIKE THAT. THERE MAY BE AN ULTIMATE
SCIENTIFIC EXPLANATION FOR IT, BUT RIGHT NOW, IT'S UNEXPLNED
PHENOMENA -- LOTS OF IT. I HAVE TO ADMIT
THAT COMING BACK HERE, THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT
THE SMELL OF ALASKA AND THE FEEL OF ALASKA THAT I CAN'T EXPLAIN
AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND, AND NOW I'M HAVING
A HARD TIME LEAVING. IS THERE AN ALASKAN TRIANGLE
THAT'S STUCK INTO THE STATE THAT, LIKE, HAS BORDERS AND THEN WHEN YOU ENTER IT,
IT'S OVER FOR YOU? I DON'T THINK SO. BUT THERE ARE
UNEXPLAINED PHENOMENA. THE BEGICH/BOGGS SITUATION
IS ONE OF THEM. WE HAVE THEORIES
ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM, BUT WE DON'T REALLY KNOW. THIS PLANE FLEW OVER
THE WHITTIER PASS AND WITHIN MINUTES
HAS NEVER BEEN SEEN AGAIN ON THE FACE OF THIS EARTH. AND TO ME,
I WANT AN EXPLANATION FOR THAT. WILL I EVER HAVE ONE?
I'M NOT SURE. IS THERE
A PROBABLE EXPLANATION? THE PLANE PROBABLY GOT ICING
ON ITS WINGS AND WENT DOWN
IN PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND, BUT BECAUSE
WE DON'T KNOW THAT, PEOPLE ARE GONNA KEEP COMING
TO ALASKA TO GET ON THOSE VERY EDGES,
NEAR THOSE VORTEXES, NEAR THOSE ANOMALIES TO TRY
TO SEE WHAT IT FEELS LIKE. I THINK THERE'S AN ENERGY
IN ALASKA THAT'S DIFFERENT. EVERY TIME I'VE BEEN HERE, THERE'S BEEN AN ADRENALINE
CHARGE, A KIND OF PSYCHIC CHARGE THAT I'VE NEVER HAD
ANYWHERE ELSE. YEP. I THINK YOU'RE RIGHT. NATIVE ALASKAN TRIBES USE
THE LEGEND OF THE KUSHTAKA TO EXPLAIN WHAT THEIR SCIENCE
COULD NOT. BUT WHEN WE TRY TO DISMISS
THE ALASKA TRIANGLE AS SIMPLY BAD WEATHER
OR DANGEROUS TERRAIN, WE'RE DOING THE SAME THING
OURSELVES. ALASKA IS A PLACE WHERE
WHEN THE SUN COMES UP, IT DOESN'T GO DOWN
FOR THREE MONTHS. ITS MAGNETISM, ENERGY,
AND VORTEXES ARE UNLIKE THOSE
OF ANY PLACE ON EARTH, SO ISN'T IT POSSIBLE THAT
THERE ARE CONDITIONS IN ALASKA THAT WE DON'T YET COMPREHEND WHICH COULD BE RESPONSIBLE
FOR THESE DISAPPEARANCES? IT MAY HAVE ELUDED
OUR UNDERSTANDING FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS, BUT SOMEDAY
SCIENCE WILL EXPLAIN IT. DON'T FORGET -- MAGIC IS SIMPLY
WHAT SCIENCE CAN'T EXPLAIN YET. SO, THE ALASKA TRIANGLE
SHOULDN'T BE LOOKED AT AS A DANGER ZONE,
BUT AS AN OPPORTUNITY -- AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXPLORE ONE OF THE EARTH'S
LAST UNCHARTED FRONTIERS AND TO DISCOVER
SOMETHING BRAND-NEW. AND TO ME, THIS IS WHAT THIS
SHOW, "DECODED," IS ALL ABOUT. WE SEE, WE EXPLORE,
AND MOST IMPORTANT, WE SHOW THESE STORIES
DIRECTLY TO YOU -- NOT TO SCARE YOU, BUT SO THAT
WE CAN FIND THE TRUTH TOGETHER. [ WIND WHISTLING ]
