Reason passenger plane purposely sunk

An abandoned passenger plane that was once mistaken for MH370 has gone viral again with incredible footage of the aircraft resurfacing.

Eerie footage of an abandoned passenger plane has gone viral after it was purposely sunk in 2019 — and then later mistaken for the wreckage of MH370.

Lockheed Martin L1011 Tristar was parked at and forgotten about for years at King Hussein International Airport in Jordan.

It had a long history prior to its abandonment. It was first registered in the 1980s servicing various airlines including Royal Jordanian, Portugal’s TAP Air and Sweden’s Novair before a final stint with Luzair, another Portuguese carrier, according to Planespotters.net.

After sitting in the airport throughout the early 2000s, it was then decided to intentionally sink the plane into Jordan’s Gulf of Aqaba, according to Jordan News Agency Petra, with the aim to promote dive tourism and coral growth.

Both have been successful with professional divers exploring the wreckage and its artificial reef over the past five years.

US underwater photographer and avid padi diver Brett Hoelzer has dived the depths of the wreckage, some 15 to 28 metres deep, to capture the eerie spectacle created by this aquatic airliner.

Lockheed Martin L1011 Tristar was purposely sunk in 2019, in Jordan’s Gulf of Aqaba. Picture: Instagram/deepbluedivecenter

In one of his most recent Instagram posts shared on Sunday, Brett shows footage of inside the Tristar as it rests on the ocean floor.

He captures footage the overhead lockers and rusty passenger seats, some with their heads rests still intact, as he glided in and out of the wreckage.

In 2022, Suba Diving magazine reported its three engines were still mounted on its wings and tail fin, with the cockpit, toilets and galleys also in tact.

However, middle row seats were removed to permit better access for divers.

“The cockpit is the shallowest part of the wreck and faces the beach at about 13 metres,” Brett previously told CNN Arabic.

It aim as to promote dive tourism and coral growth. Picture: Instagram/deepbluedivecenter

“Scuba divers can go to the back to the last two exit doors, which are at a depth of 28 metres

“Or they can exit from the middle doors, which are at a depth of about 20 metres.”

He told the publication it’s not unusual to find octopuses feeding near the coral heads, with the plane’s wings now sheltering numerous soft corals and the fuselage populated by a variety of sea life.

“This adventure gives a realistic diving experience inside a real commercial aircraft,” he said.

Deep Blue Dive Center, a diving company located in Aqaba, Jordan, revealed Tristar is one of its most visited Aqaba dive sites.

It served as a passenger plane for several airlines including Royal Jordanian, Portugal’s TAP Air and Sweden’s Novair.

“This large 400 seater aircraft is attracting fish, corals and other marine life. It is an amazing site to see this enormous plane in the sea,” it states on its site.

“Divers from around the world enjoy swimming through up through the intake valve. They also enjoy exploring the cabin and cockpit.”

Last year, a post went viral claiming Tristar was the wreckage of MH370 – but it was quickly shut down. Picture: archive.org

Last year, an Instagram post of Tristar - that has since been deleted – went viral after it claimed it was the wreckage of MH370. But the speculation was quickly shut down.

The May 2 Instagram post, according to USA Today, read: “Malaysia Airplane MH370 that disappeared 9 year ago has been found under ocean with no human skeleton. The plane had 239 passengers on board.”

However, the photo in the post matched an Instagram video posted by Deep Blue Dive Center on April 7, with its clip captioned: “Tristar Airplane Wreck. Red Sea, Aqaba.”

It’s the first pinned post on the page, boasting 4.3 million likes.

Meanwhile, the diving centre revealed that apart from Tristar being a popular attraction in Aqaba, so is the ‘The Tank and Seven Sisters’ — an old American anti-aircraft tank that is now populated with small corals and juvenile fish.

“It is very popular with underwater photographers,” the dive company explains.

“The Seven Sisters dive site is located a short distance from the Tank, and it is also easily reached from shore or boat. Before you reach Seven Sisters, you will swim over some patches of seagrass and small coral heads that house a lot of marine life.

“Once you reach Seven Sisters, you will see seven large coral pinnacles that are teeming with life. Underwater photographers love this site. They are at a depth of only 8-9 meters.”

Coral Garden Diving Center also advertises both the Tristar and tank as diving options on its site.