In 1937, Amelia Earhart disappeared after attempting to travel around the world. 90 years later, what happened to the female aviation pioneer?
Em 1937, Amelia Earhart He was already an aviation icon. After setting records, she dreamed of greater flights: she wanted to become the first woman to travel around the world. On March 17 of that year, she left Oakland, California, in her Lockheed Electra 10E plane.
In his company was the navigator Fred Noonan. They seemed determined to make history. Although, in the first part of the trip, they encountered some problems, which required the plane to be rebuilt; the second takeoff, on May 20 of the same year, seemed to be much calmer.
From California they went to Florida, before passing through South America, Africa and Asia. About a month into the journey, however, something went wrong. It was July 2nd when Amelia e Fred They departed Lae, New Guinea, bound for isolated Howland Island, in the Pacific.
The route of more than 11 thousand kilometers, which would have been used to supply fuel, was never completed. The plane disappeared forever. But what happened?
The mystery persists to this day. Although a team of investigators believes they have found the plane after almost 90 years, many things still need to be clarified about the episode.
The legend
About 40 years after its mysterious end, Amelia Mary Earhart was born July 24, 1897, in Atchison, Kansas. Although she became known as a pioneer of female aviation, Amelia did not always show enthusiasm for the activity.
According to PBS, when younger, Earhart He had other hobbies that attracted him more, such as hunting, sledding and even climbing trees.
“It was a thing made of wire and rusty wood and it didn’t look interesting at all,” he recalled of the first airplane he saw at the Iowa State Fair in 1908, recalls the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum. She would only change her mind more than a decade later, when, in 1920, at the age of 23, Amelia attended an air show in Long Beach and flew with a pilot.
After starting flying lessons, within six months she used her savings to buy her own aircraft — a second-hand yellow Kinner Airster that she affectionately called “Canary.”
From then on, Amelia began breaking records. NASA describes her achievements: the first woman to fly alone across North America in 1929; a world altitude record in 1931, when she flew at 18,475 feet; and the first woman to fly alone across the Atlantic Ocean in 1932.
Pilot Amelia Earhart – Public Domain
That same year, further proof of his audacity. Upon landing in a field in Ireland on May 21, a farmer asked how far she had flown. “From America,” she said; proving the feat by showing him a copy of a newspaper from the previous day.
For your exploits, Amelia Earhart won admiration. But she was looking for more. So in 1937, she decided to circumnavigate the globe. The trip established the aviator’s legacy, not in the way she expected, it’s true; and also made it the target of one of the greatest mysteries in the history of aviation.
Last trip
The trip that culminated in the mysterious disappearance of Amelia Earhart began in a troubled way. NASA recalls that it initially planned to fly from east to west.
On March 17, 1937, Earhart took off from Oakland for Honolulu, Hawaii, in the company of three other crew members: the navigator Fred Noonan (who disappeared with her), the captain Harry Manning and the aerobatic pilot Paul Mantz.
Technical problems frustrated the crew from leaving Honolulu to continue the journey three days later. At the time of takeoff, the Lockheed Electra 10E plane ended up doing a loop on the ground and needed to be repaired.
When fixed, Manning e Mantz they decided not to continue the trip. On May 20th, Earhart e Noonan landed in Miami, Florida. Despite the initial problem, everything went well from then on — with the pair flying from South America to Africa and South Asia.
“We were grateful that we were able to successfully cross those remote regions of sea and jungle—strangers in a strange land,” she wrote from Lae, New Guinea, on June 29, StoryMaps recalls.
Three days later, on July 2, the pair left New Guinea for isolated Howland Island, in the Pacific. That would be one of the last stops before returning to America. In total, they completed 35 thousand kilometers of travel; with just 11 thousand left to reach the final goal. But Earhart e Noonan they never made it.
At 7:42 am local time, Amelia found in radio contact with a Coast Guard cutter, the USCGC Itasca. According to NBC News, the vessel was waiting on Howland Island to offer support.
Pilot Amelia Earhart – Public Domain
“We must be on you, but we can’t see you. But we’re running out of gas,” he said. Earhart. “I haven’t been able to reach you by radio. We’re flying at 1,000 feet.”
The vessel, however, was unable to contact her back, recalled PBS. About an hour later, Earhart communicated again: “We are bearing 157 337,” Earhart said at 8:43 a.m., pointing out possible compass bearings to indicate her location.
Let’s repeat this message. We will repeat this at 6,210 kilocycles. Wait.” Amelia Earhart, however, never sent another message.
End of the mystery?
After almost 90 years, the mystery surrounding the whereabouts of the plane Amelia Earhart would be nearing its end. At least, that’s what a Deep Sea Vision search team announced last weekend.
In September 2023, a crew of 16 began the search for the Lockheed 10-E Electra of Earhart at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, near Howland Island, near Tarawa, Kiribati.
About a month later, they captured, using sonar, an image that resembles the shape of an airplane 160 kilometers from the island.
However, it is worth noting that confirmation that this is the aircraft remains pending; although Tony Romeothe pilot and real estate investor who led the search, expressed confidence in this regard.
Pilot Amelia Earhart – Public Domain
There are no other known accidents in the area, and certainly not from that era or that type of design with the history you see in the image,” he said.
Former US Air Force intelligence officer, Romeo has invested around 11 million dollars in the searches — so far. The underwater archaeologist Andrew Pietruszka emphasized the need for a physical investigation before confirming the identity of the wreckage.
If the wreckage is confirmed to actually be from the Lockheed 10-E Electra, the next big question will be how they will be able to rescue and preserve the wreckage.