In 1937, Amelia Earhart set off to become the first female aviator to fly around the world. Her disappearance during the flight has become one of the infamous mysteries of the 20th century. Now, the private exploration company Deep Sea Vision has found the most promising lead in 87 years.
Prior to this flight, Earhart already had many records under her belt. In 1932, she became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic; in 1935, the first to fly solo across the Pacific. In June of 1937, Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, began their attempt to circumnavigate the Earth. Had she succeeded, she would have been the first woman to complete this journey.
“She’s an icon for women’s rights, proving women can achieve anything men can do,” said World History teacher Christopher Murphy.
The most critical part of their flight was the segment from Lae, New Guinea, to Howland Island, a tiny piece of land in the Pacific little more than a mile across. During their approach, the plane lost radio contact and vanished.
“A lot of people who were inspired by her were probably very agitated by her disappearance,” said English teacher Stacey Sklar.
The fate of Earhart’s flight has become one of the most fascinating mysteries in history, as her remains are yet to be found. The theories spawned range from capture by the Japanese to her and Noonan being stranded on an island.
“I am sure that Earhart’s disappearance at that time must have been seen as being suspicious, because here’s her trying to challenge the status quo,” said Murphy.
In 2024, Deep Sea Vision, a private exploration company, detected a plane-like image on the ocean floor near Howland Island. The image’s dimensions match up with Earhart’s plane; the Lockheed Electra.
“The discovery of her plane could be quite groundbreaking. Who knows what other questions it might answer?” said Amy Yang (‘25).
It has yet to be determined if the findings are in fact Earhart’s plane. Many experts believe that the image could be nothing more than a peculiar ocean formation. Even if it is an airplane, it’s not necessarily Earhart’s legendary plane. Some think it could be a Japanese plane that crashed near the island during World War II.
“I would hope her plane being found would solve some of the mysteries behind her disappearance. Maybe it will lay some of the rumors to rest,” said Sklar.
Deep Sea Vision has plans to take close-up pictures to determine the authenticity of their find. If the images turn out to indeed be of the plane, this could be the biggest step to solving one of aviation’s greatest mysteries.
