Christine McKinley Strikes Out Again

On a recent episode of “Brand Meltzer's Decoded”, the crew is investigating the “Alaska Triangle,” an area delimited by the cities of Juneau, Anchorage and Barrow. Apparently there is a much higher rate of disappearance of people and aircraft in this area than in the rest of the state. This triangle contains three of the largest cities in the 49th state, Juneau, Anchorage and Fairbanks as well as the Alaska Pipeline. This is the area where the majority of travel occurs and therefore the greatest chance of disappearance. Engineer Christine McKinley and writer Buddy Levy take a bush plane ride to follow the route taken by Congressmen Nick Begich and Hale Boggs whose plane disappears in Alaska during the 1960s. McKinley notes that the plane's compass is gyrating and says that when a scientific instrument acts in an anomalous fashion, it must indicate an unusual occurrence. It is not unusual for a compass to swing back and forth after a turn. It takes a few seconds to a minute for it to settle on the new heading. The bush plane is also experiencing turbulence, which could also cause compass gyrations. It is not clear if the pilot is making a turn or if they are feeling the effects of turbulence, but Christine McKinley, claiming science assumes the mantle of fool.