The disappearance and search for Amelia Earhart have been a global subject of interest for nearly a century. Several theories regarding the aviatrix's disappearance have surfaced over the years.
Who Was Amelia Earhart?
Ameila Earhart was the first female pilot to fly across the globe. On June 1, 1937, together with Fred Noonan, her navigator, Earhard embarked on a 29,000-mile, or 47,000-kilometer, journey from Miami. They were able to make several refueling stops before arriving at Lae, New Guinea. By this time, the duo already traveled around 22,000 miles or 35,000 kilometers.
However, her plane ended up vanishing near Howland Island in the Pacific Ocean.
No one has ever found traces of the female pilot and her navigator. This has triggered theories regarding their disappearance, including the speculation that she died on a remote island and that giant crabs fed on her.
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The Search for Amelia Earhart
Just last year, analysis revealed that there were some hidden numbers and letters carved over an aluminum panel that washed up on Nikumaroro Island shores. This was close to where the aircraft of Earhart was thought to have gone missing.
The finding was a source of great excitement regarding the closing of the case regarding this long-standing mystery.
However, analysis revealed that the panel was not from the Lockheed Electra but was part of a plane that crashed back in World War Two.
Nevertheless, this does not close the case. Experts have uncovered a new short, that is going through forensic analysis, that they think depicts an engine cover that was buried beneath the waters near Nikumaroro. They think that it could have originated from Earhart's aircraft.
The shot was taken during a Nikumaroro expedition in 2009. Executive director Ric Gillespie from the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR), which has directed the Earhart Project for over 30 years, explains that the photo contains an object that seems to be a cowling of the Lockheed Electra.
If the analysis shows that the object is truly an engine cover from Earhart's craft, it will still not shed light on what happened to the female aviator. Nevertheless, it could help narrow down theories regarding her disappearance and strengthen others. For one, it could support the long-standing belief of TIGHAR that the duo landed and died on the remote island of Nikumaroro.
The group also hopes that the aluminum panel and its hidden texts could help support their theory. The numbers and letters "XRO," "D24," and "335" or "385" were found to be carved over the said aluminum panel.
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