Amelia Earhart theory that 'changes everything' as pilot claims missing aircraft is found
In July 1937, the renowned female aviator Amelia Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, embarked on a journey from Lae, New Guinea, and were never seen again.
Despite the most costly sea and air search in American history at that time, no trace of the pioneering female pilot or her aircraft has ever been discovered.
Now, nearly nine decades later, a British pilot believes he has located the wreckage of the female flight pioneer's lost plane.
Captain Justin Myers, a pilot with almost a quarter-century of experience, is '99 per cent certain' that he has pinpointed the exact spot where Earhart crash-landed.
By examining magnified images from Google Earth, Myers identified a collection of shapes he thinks are remnants of the downed aircraft, reports the Express.
Moreover, he asserts that these underwater objects correspond precisely to the dimensions of Earhart's Lockheed Electra 10E.
According to Myers, Earhart and Noonan crashed on the east coast of Nikumaroro Island, a secluded coral atoll in the Pacific Ocean.
The pilot is now urging for an expedition to the site to validate his theories.
Captain Myers is not the first to propose that Earhart and Noonan may have crashed near Nikumaroro Island.
Earhart was expected to land at Howland Island to refuel, approximately 400 miles (640km) north of the atoll.
However, a combination of low fuel and adverse weather conditions may have led the aircraft off its intended path, resulting in an attempted emergency landing on the minuscule Nikumaroro Island.
Previous explorations have unearthed artefacts such as makeshift tools, fragments of clothing, and a piece of plexiglas that corresponds to an Electra window.
This has led many of those searching for Earhart's wreckage to theorise that the pilot may have managed to land near the island and reached the shore before ultimately succumbing to the harsh elements.
What sets Captain Myers' discovery apart is his claim of having found photographic evidence of the crashed plane via Google Earth.
In a blog post, Captain Myers reveals his interest in Nikumaroro Island was sparked after viewing a documentary about Earhart's final flight.
He penned: 'Poor sleep, upper wind predictions not being accurate, probably fatigue and some anxiety would likely have played a part in the disappearance. '.
Myers went on to say: 'As a pilot, I thought to myself, if I was in Amelia's position trying to find a needle in a hay stack low on fuel and to be honest if we were in her position no doubt using some choice language, where would I force land my Lockheed Electra 10E?'
Choosing a long, sandy stretch on the island's East coast, Captain Myers zoomed in to discover a 'dark coloured perfectly straight object. '.
Intriguingly, the Google Earth measuring tool revealed the object to be 39 feet (12 meters) in length, identical to the Lockheed Electra 10E.
Captain Myers penned: 'A day or so later I had another look, just like that Bang!
'110ft to the west of the metal section was what appeared to be a perfect half exposed radial engine measuring 4-4.5ft in diameter.
'Just under the engine is a wheel, again half exposed, the wheel is perfect and is in absolute proportion in size; I was struggling to see this was anything other than the debris of a lost vintage aircraft that has been hidden away for years. '.
The Mysterious 'Taraia Object'
While Captain Myers admits he can't be entirely certain this is Earhart and Noonan's Electra, he is convinced it is a vintage plane of the same size.
He revealed to Popular Science: 'The bottom line is, from my interests from a child in vintage aircraft and air crash investigation, I can say that is what was once a 12-metre, 2-engine vintage aircraft. What I can't say is that is definitely Amelia's Electra.
'If this is not Amelia's Electra 10 E, then it's the answer to another mystery that has never been answered. '.
Myers added: 'This finding could answer some questions to someone who disappeared many years ago. '.
The pilot now expresses his desire for an expedition to be launched to investigate the objects and confirm once and for all whether they are Earhart's plane.
However, he has had little success in gaining support for his proposal.
Myers revealed that he forwarded the information to the National Transportation Safety Board in the U.S., the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, and the air crash investigation team in Brisbane.
He also attempted to engage Purdue University with the information to see if any historians would be intrigued enough to initiate an investigation.
Despite his outreach over three years ago, Myers is still awaiting a response.
The lack of response from Purdue University is likely due to the fact that the university already has its own plans to search for Earhart's wreckage.
Just last month, researchers announced the launch of an expedition to investigate the so-called 'Taraia Object', a visual anomaly inside the Nikumaroro lagoon widely believed to be the downed Electra.
The university's expedition is scheduled to set sail from Majuro in the Marshall Islands on 5 November and will spend five days on Nikumaroro inspecting the Taraia Object.
If the initial expedition proves successful in confirming the identity of the aircraft, the researchers plan to return for larger excavation efforts in 2026 to uncover and help return what remains of Earhart's plane.
In a statement at the time, Richard Pettigrew, director of the Archaeological Legacy Institute, said: 'What we have here is maybe the greatest opportunity ever to finally close the case.
'With such a great amount of very strong evidence, we feel we have no choice but to move forward and hopefully return with proof. '.
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