# Guys misses airplane flight, airplane crashes: True or myth?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-misses-airplane-flight-airplane-crashes-true-or-myth/488953
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [March 10, 2009, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-misses-airplane-flight-airplane-crashes-true-or-myth/488953 "2009-03-10T13:54:41Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@No\_Wikipedia\_Cites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_Wikipedia_Cites)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2009, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-misses-airplane-flight-airplane-crashes-true-or-myth/488953/1 "2009-03-10T13:54:41Z")
How many times have I heard some story where the guy just misses his airplane flight, and sure enough the plane crashes. Has this actually happened? Who are these people? Or is it just a myth?
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### Author:  [@R.P.McMurphy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/R.P.McMurphy)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2009, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-misses-airplane-flight-airplane-crashes-true-or-myth/488953/2 "2009-03-10T13:57:32Z")
They rarely write news stories about the guy that misses his plane (happens all the time, done it myself) and the plane doesn’t crash.
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### Author:  [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2009, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-misses-airplane-flight-airplane-crashes-true-or-myth/488953/3 "2009-03-10T13:59:00Z")
Perhaps the famous [plane](http://www.findadeath.com/Deceased/h/Buddy%20Holly/buddy_holly.htm) crash that killed Buddy Holly?
> [@](#):
>
> Buddy was tired of the malfunctioning bus and did not want to take it to the next stop on the tour, Moorhead, Minnesota, several hundred miles away. He arranged to charter a plane to Fargo, North Dakota, the nearest airport to Moorhead. Two other members of the group could go with him at $36 per person. Dion balked at paying the tab. Waylon Jennings wanted to fly with Buddy, but exchanged his seat with J.P. Richardson because he had a cold. Tommy Alsup was included in the group, but Ritchie Valens offered to flip him for the seat since he was ill. The local host of the “Winter Dance Party,” Bob Hale, flipped the coin. Ritchie called “Heads.” and won the toss. Years later, Tommy Alsup would open a dance club named “The Head’s Up Saloon” to commemorate this life-saving coin toss.
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### Author:  [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2009, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-misses-airplane-flight-airplane-crashes-true-or-myth/488953/4 "2009-03-10T14:03:45Z")
People miss, or make last minute changes to, flights all the time. On the rare occasion that one crashes it is quite likely that someone who was originally booked on the flight, didn’t end up flying.
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### Author:  [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2009, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-misses-airplane-flight-airplane-crashes-true-or-myth/488953/5 "2009-03-10T14:05:28Z")
I had a college professor tell me his story about this. He was in the Navy getting ready for a flight. He got out of line for the flight to get coffee and thus ended up missing a flight that crashed with no survivors.
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### Author:  [@anson2995](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anson2995)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2009, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-misses-airplane-flight-airplane-crashes-true-or-myth/488953/6 "2009-03-10T14:09:08Z")
For 99% of flights, there’s someone who missed the departure or had to reschedule at the last minute. Oscar-nominee Mark Wahlberg was booked on one of the 9-11 flights out of Boston, but ending up chartering a plane so he could leave earlier.
Yankees infielder Enrique Wilson was scheduled to be on flight 587 that crashed in Queens two months later, but he left town earlier because the Yankees lost the World Series.
I’m sure there are countless other examples.
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### Author:  [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2009, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-misses-airplane-flight-airplane-crashes-true-or-myth/488953/7 "2009-03-10T14:09:19Z")
> [@sassyfras](#):
>
> How many times have I heard some story where the guy just misses his airplane flight, and sure enough the plane crashes.
Excellent question.
I give up.
So, tell us: How many times have you heard such stories?
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### Author:  [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2009, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-misses-airplane-flight-airplane-crashes-true-or-myth/488953/8 "2009-03-10T14:16:04Z")
I had a friend who was scheduled to be on USAIR 427 from Chi to Pit in 1994 (crashed, no survivors). Because of rush hour traffic, he got to the airport only 20 minutes before takeoff. He was deathly afraid of flying, so he needed to have a few drinks and ended up missing the plane.
He likes to talk about how his alcoholism and fear of flying saved his life. 🙂
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### Author:  [@Scougs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scougs)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2009, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-misses-airplane-flight-airplane-crashes-true-or-myth/488953/9 "2009-03-10T14:21:24Z")
There’s a few stories on Wiki regarding passengers that were meant to be on Pan Am Flight 103, including a guy who got drunk in the departure lounge and just missed the flight even though his luggage was on it - he was subsequently questioned by police, obviously.
Linky: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan\_Am\_Flight\_103#Flight\_reservations](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_Am_Flight_103#Flight_reservations)
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### Author:  [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2009, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-misses-airplane-flight-airplane-crashes-true-or-myth/488953/10 "2009-03-10T14:27:37Z")
> [@Scougs](#):
>
> There’s a few stories on Wiki regarding passengers that were meant to be on Pan Am Flight 103, including a guy who got drunk in the departure lounge and just missed the flight even though his luggage was on it - he was subsequently questioned by police, obviously.
I always wondered from where Elmore Leonard had lifted that plot point for _Get Shorty_. Now, I know.
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### Author:  [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2009, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-misses-airplane-flight-airplane-crashes-true-or-myth/488953/11 "2009-03-10T14:31:46Z")
I remember reading that someone missed an 8:30 appointment at the WTC on 9/11 and his flight on the plane that crashed in Queens two months later.
If that is true, he is the luckiest person on the planet.
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### Author:  [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2009, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-misses-airplane-flight-airplane-crashes-true-or-myth/488953/12 "2009-03-10T14:40:06Z")
[Passenger Missed Connection to Doomed Continental Flight 3407 That Killed 50](http://www.abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=6879539&page=1)
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### Author:  [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2009, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-misses-airplane-flight-airplane-crashes-true-or-myth/488953/13 "2009-03-10T14:40:35Z")
Seth MacFarlane, creator of Family Guy & American Dad, was booked on one of the planes that was hijacked on Sept 11, but [missed his flight](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seth_Macfarlane#Experience_with_September_11.2C_2001_attacks).
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### Author:  [@footballisplayedwithyourfeet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/footballisplayedwithyourfeet)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2009, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-misses-airplane-flight-airplane-crashes-true-or-myth/488953/14 "2009-03-10T14:53:28Z")
I remember that a dutch musician (I dread to call him famous, but I think most people here would recognize him) missed the Turkish Air plane that crashed in Amsterdam a couple of weeks ago.
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### Author:  [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2009, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-misses-airplane-flight-airplane-crashes-true-or-myth/488953/15 "2009-03-10T14:57:44Z")
According to Casey Casem, duo [McFadden and Whitehead](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McFadden_&_Whitehead), missed a flight @1980, a flight that would later crash. Don’t remember which crash it was supposed to have been.
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### Author:  [@Pushkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pushkin)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2009, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-misses-airplane-flight-airplane-crashes-true-or-myth/488953/16 "2009-03-10T15:18:24Z")
> [@Scougs](#):
>
> There’s a few stories on Wiki regarding passengers that were meant to be on Pan Am Flight 103, including a guy who got drunk in the departure lounge and just missed the flight even though his luggage was on it - he was subsequently questioned by police, obviously.
>
> Linky: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan\_Am\_Flight\_103#Flight\_reservations](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pan_Am_Flight_103#Flight_reservations)
> [@muldoonthief](#):
>
> Seth MacFarlane, creator of Family Guy & American Dad, was booked on one of the planes that was hijacked on Sept 11, but [missed his flight](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seth_Macfarlane#Experience_with_September_11.2C_2001_attacks).
I always remember those two examples. Hardly surprising that someone survives like this, there always seems to be someone turning up late or not being allowed onto a plane on the fly on the wall documentaries on airlines.
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### Author:  [@davekhps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davekhps)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2009, 3:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-misses-airplane-flight-airplane-crashes-true-or-myth/488953/17 "2009-03-10T15:56:19Z")
> [@jtgain](#):
>
> I had a friend who was scheduled to be on USAIR 427 from Chi to Pit in 1994 (crashed, no survivors). Because of rush hour traffic, he got to the airport only 20 minutes before takeoff. He was deathly afraid of flying, so he needed to have a few drinks and ended up missing the plane.
>
> He likes to talk about how his alcoholism and fear of flying saved his life. 🙂
Really? I too have a friend who missed that flight. He works for the Department of Energy out in West Virginia. He and his office mates were in Chicago for a conference. They were all returning home on a later flight, but some people rescheduled to take the earlier flight that crashed. My friend didn’t know there was even a plane crash until he got off the plane and everyone was waiting there looking to see if their loved ones got on the later flight or not.
About half his office died that day, including his boss. Strange, sad world sometimes.
In relation to the OP, think about how much THAT sucks: It’s one thing to miss a flight and thus not get into a plane crash; it’s that much worse to change your flight to the one that _does_ crash.
Karma sucks.
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### Author:  [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2009, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-misses-airplane-flight-airplane-crashes-true-or-myth/488953/18 "2009-03-10T16:13:23Z")
You never seem to hear the stories of people who were booked on later flights but managed to bump a place on the doomed aircraft because one of the original passengers no showed.
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### Author:  [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2009, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-misses-airplane-flight-airplane-crashes-true-or-myth/488953/19 "2009-03-10T19:50:24Z")
> [@muldoonthief](#):
>
> Seth MacFarlane, creator of Family Guy & American Dad, was booked on one of the planes that was hijacked on Sept 11, but [missed his flight](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seth_Macfarlane#Experience_with_September_11.2C_2001_attacks).
Yep, him and about 100,000 other people. (not saying his experience isn’t true because I think it is, but you hear so many stories of someone who either was booked on one of those flights or “knew someone” who was you have to be skeptical)
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [March 10, 2009, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/guys-misses-airplane-flight-airplane-crashes-true-or-myth/488953/20 "2009-03-10T20:02:54Z")
> [@](#):
>
> (not saying his experience isn’t true because I think it is, but you hear so many stories of someone who either was booked on one of those flights or “knew someone” who was you have to be skeptical)
Sure, if you include the people who “knew someone”. People know a heck of a lot of other people.
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