LuftAlva Flight 416

LuftAlva Flight 416 was a scheduled international passenger flight operated by LuftAlva that disappeared on 17 August 2017 while flying from Monte Real International Airport to its destination, Ambrosia International Aerodrome, originating from Alvastadt International Airport. The crew of the Ventos V440 aircraft last communicated with air traffic control (ATC) around 38 minutes after takeoff when the flight was over the Iapetus Ocean.

The aircraft was lost from ATC radar screens minutes later but was tracked by military radar for another hour, deviating southwestwards from its planned flight path, turning from Tiperyn towards the Iapetus. It left radar range 200 nautical miles (370 km) northwest of Keitel Island in western Teutonia. With all 315 passengers and 12 crew aboard presumed dead, the disappearance of Flight 416 was the deadliest incident involving an Ares Regina 400 and the deadliest in LuftAlva's history.

Timeline
The aircraft, a Ventos V440 operated by LuftAlva, last made voice contact with air traffic control at 19:19 AGT, 17 August (15:19 UTC, 17 August) when it was over the Iapetus, less than an hour after takeoff. It disappeared from air traffic controllers' radar screens at 19:32 AGT, but was still tracked on military radar as it deviated northwards from its planned flight path and entered the "Blackspot", a well-known radar blindspot in the middle of the Iapetus until it left the range of the military radar at 20:01 while over the Iapetus, --- nautical miles (--- km; --- mi) southwest of the island of in southwestern Airgialla.

The multinational search effort for the aircraft—which was to become the most expensive aviation search in history—began in the Northern Iapetus where the aircraft's signal was last detected on secondary surveillance radar and was soon extended to all of the Iapetus. Analysis of satellite communications between the aircraft and NSCsat's satellite communications network concluded that the flight continued until at least 20:20 and flew west into the Iapetus, although the precise location cannot be determined. Agrana y Griegro assumed charge of the search on 19 August, when the search effort began to emphasize the entire Iapetus. On 24 August, the Tiperyn government noted that the final location determined by PAC satellite communication was far from any possible landing sites, and concluded that "Flight 416 ended in the Northern Eurybian Sea." From August 2017 to March 2019, a comprehensive survey of ---,--- km2 (--,000 sq mi) of seafloor about 1,800 km (1,100 mi; 970 nmi) south of Airgialla, yielded no evidence of the aircraft. Several pieces of marine debris found on the coasts of xxxx—the first discovered on 13 January 2018 on the beaches of San Antonio—have all been confirmed as pieces of Flight 416. The bulk of the aircraft has not been located, prompting many theories about its disappearance.

Aircraft
Flight 416 was operated with a Ventos V440, serial number xxxxx, registration #x-xxx. It was the 582nd Ventos V440 produced, first flown on 14 May 2002, and was delivered new to LuftAlva on 31 May 2002. The aircraft was powered by two [name] engines and configured to carry 498 passengers in total capacity. It had accumulated [number] hours and [number] cycles (takeoffs and landings) in service and had not previously been involved in any major incidents, though a minor incident while taxiing at Boaga Baratza International Airport in August 2012 resulted in a broken wingtip. Its last maintenance "A check" was carried out on 23 February 2016. The aircraft was in compliance with all applicable Airworthiness Directives for the airframe and engines. Replenishment of the crew oxygen system was performed on 7 March 2016, a routine maintenance task; an examination of this procedure found nothing unusual.