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Andrew Carnegie Whitfield Missing Person Case

Last seen in Long Island, New York on Apr 17, 1938

Victim Details

Created

Jan 27, 2026

Case Added

Jan 27, 2026

Firstname

Andrew

Lastname

Carnegie Whitfield

Current Age

116

Age At Disappearance

Height

5'8 inches

Weight

155 lbs

Ethnicity

White

Gender

Male

CaseIsResolved

On the morning of April 17, 1938, a 28-year-old man named Andrew Carnegie Whitfield, a nephew of the famous steel magnate Andrew Carnegie, prepared for a short flight. An accomplished amateur pilot with 200 hours of flying experience, he took off from Roosevelt Field on Long Island, New York, after 9:00 a.m. His aircraft was a small, silver and red Taylor Cub monoplane, and his planned destination was an airfield in Brentwood, a mere 22 miles away. The flight was expected to last only fifteen minutes. Dressed in a dark gray Brooks Brothers suit, a white shirt, a gray fedora, and low black shoes, Andrew carried a silver wristwatch and wore a gold signet ring with a dove engraving. However, Andrew Carnegie Whitfield never arrived at his destination, and neither he nor his plane has been seen since. The mystery deepened as investigators delved into the hours surrounding his disappearance. It was discovered that on the very day he vanished, Andrew had checked into a hotel in Garden City, Long Island, using the alias Albert C. White. He paid the $4 for the room in advance and never checked out. Left behind in the hotel room were his personal belongings, including his passport, clothing, and cuff links engraved with his initials. Also found were two life insurance policies, each worth $6,000, naming his wife, Elizabeth Halsey Whitfield, as the beneficiary, along with various stocks and bonds in both their names. Adding to the perplexing nature of the case, phone records indicated that Andrew had called his home while his family was out searching for him. A telephone operator recalled hearing him say something to the effect of, "Well, I am going to carry out my plan," before the call ended. In the absence of any wreckage, despite extensive searches of the Atlantic Ocean surrounding Long Island, authorities considered the possibility of suicide. The cryptic phone call seemed to lend some weight to this theory. However, there was no evidence to suggest that Andrew was experiencing personal or business problems. He had only been married the previous year and was planning to move to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, with his wife that same month. Over the years, there were several unconfirmed sightings of Andrew across the country, but none could be substantiated. Ultimately, with no answers and the passage of time, Andrew Carnegie Whitfield was declared legally dead in 1946. His wife, Elizabeth, had previously sued him for desertion. The case remains a baffling mystery, an overview of a life that seemingly vanished into thin air on a short, routine flight, leaving behind a trail of perplexing clues but no definitive answers.

Last Seen

Apr 17, 1938

City

Long Island

State

New York

Zip Code

Long Island

Agency Name

None

Last Updated

09/20/2026

Case Description

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On April 17, 1938, Andrew Carnegie Whitfield, a 28-year-old business executive and nephew of steel magnate Andrew Carnegie, vanished after taking off in his silver and red Taylor Cub monoplane from Roosevelt Field on Long Island, New York. Whitfield, an accomplished amateur pilot with 200 hours of flying experience, was scheduled for a brief 15-minute flight to an airfield in Brentwood, approximately 22 miles away. His plane, which had enough fuel for a 150-mile journey, never arrived at its destination and has never been found.

The mystery deepened when investigators discovered that on the day of his disappearance, Whitfield had checked into a hotel in Garden City, Long Island, under the alias "Albert C. White." He paid $4 in advance for the room but never checked out. Left behind in the hotel room were his personal belongings, including his passport, clothing, cuff links with his initials, two life insurance policies worth $6,000 each with his wife as the beneficiary, and several stocks and bonds in both his and his wife's names.

Further investigation revealed that Whitfield had made a phone call to his home while his family was out searching for him. A telephone operator reportedly overheard him say, "Well, I am going to carry out my plan." This led police to theorize that he had committed suicide by intentionally flying his plane into the Atlantic Ocean. However, extensive searches of the ocean surrounding Long Island yielded no wreckage or any sign of the aircraft. There was also no evidence to suggest Whitfield was experiencing personal or business problems; he had recently married in 1937 and was planning a move to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Elizabeth Halsey Whitfield.

In the years following his disappearance, numerous unconfirmed sightings of Whitfield were reported across the United States. His wife, Elizabeth, later sued him for desertion, explaining that she did not believe he had abandoned her but hoped the legal action would generate more publicity for his case. Andrew Carnegie Whitfield was declared legally dead in 1946. Despite the passage of time and the official closing of the case, the disappearance of the young aviator and nephew of a famed industrialist continues to be a baffling mystery.
Last Seen: Apr 17, 1938