Nearly a century later, American aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart's aircraft may have been found at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, according to a marine exploration company that has released a sonar image.
The North American company Deep Sea Vision (DSV) said that the image was captured after extensive searches in an area west of Howland Island, an uninhabited reef lost in the middle of the Pacific between Australia and Hawaii.
Amelia Earhart
With the company of Fred Noonan, Amelia Earhart took off on May 20, 1937 from Oakland, California, to become the first woman to fly around the world, five years after being the first woman to cross the Atlantic alone.
Amelia disappeared in the Pacific Ocean near Howland Island while attempting a flight around the globe in 1937. She was pronounced dead on January 5, 1939. This disappearance has remained one of the most intriguing mysteries in aviation history.
According to DSV, the image captured by the company's underwater robot “reveals the contours that correspond to the unique twin tails and wingspan of its legendary aircraft”.
In this regard, the company posted sonar images on social media that appear to show an airplane-shaped object on the seabed. The 16-member team, which used a state-of-the-art underwater drone during the search, also released a new video of the expedition:
“We always thought she would have done everything she could to try to land the plane smoothly, and the signature of the plane we see in the sonar image suggests that was the case.”, highlighted the head of DSV, Tony Romeo.
The company claims it spent 90 days researching 13.500 km² of ocean floor.
Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace. – Amelia Earhart
Our translation: “Courage is the price that life demands to guarantee peace.”
