Scientists May Have Finally Found Amelia Earhart's Missing Plane After 88 Years

After more than 88 years of mystery and endless speculation, scientists now believe they might have finally uncovered the location of Amelia Earhart’s long-lost airplane. This could bring a major breakthrough in one of the most puzzling disappearances in aviation history.

Amelia Earhart, known as a trailblazing pilot and aviation pioneer, vanished while attempting to fly around the globe at just 39 years old. Her disappearance has remained one of the biggest unsolved mysteries in the world.

She had become a household name across the United States and beyond when she started flying. After becoming the 16th woman to earn a pilot's license, she went on to make history as the first female aviator to complete a solo, non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean.

She wanted to push things even further, so she set her sights on circumnavigating the globe. Together with her navigator Fred Noonan, the pair began mapping out their ambitious journey in early 1936.

Their planned route would cover roughly 29,000 miles in total. They officially took off from Miami on June 1, 1937. But just over a month later, something went terribly wrong. Their communication suddenly stopped, and they disappeared without leaving behind any solid clues.

Amelia Earhart mysteriously disappeared in 1937, and there remains no clear trace of what happened 88 years later Getty Stock

How did Amelia Earhart disappear?

Since no one has ever been able to track her down, the exact circumstances of Earhart and Noonan’s disappearance remain a mystery. Still, that hasn’t stopped people from coming up with theories of their own.

One of the more well-known theories is that the duo may have misjudged the International Date Line while flying between New Guinea and Howland Island, which caused them to veer off course and end up in unfamiliar territory.

Experts believe this mistake may have landed them around 70 miles off course near Gardner Island—now known as Nikumaroro which is about 400 miles from their intended stop. It’s also known that Earhart made multiple radio transmissions asking for immediate assistance around that time.

One particularly wild theory suggests that their plane may have crashed on that island. According to this speculation, Fred Noonan died in the crash, and the plane was eventually washed away by waves. Meanwhile, Earhart was said to have survived for a short while, stranded alone on the island.

Some speculate that Earhart's dead body was eaten by giant coconut crabs Majority World/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

After her death, some people have gone so far as to suggest that her body was eaten by giant coconut crabs, which can grow up to three feet long. Supporters of this theory often point to human bones that were found on the island in 1940, although medical experts at the time claimed the remains belonged to a male.

Now, nearly nine decades later, scientists believe they might be on the verge of solving the mystery once and for all. The aircraft that’s recently been spotted could very well be the one that vanished all those years ago.

Where have scientists found the plane?

According to a report from LADbible, a group of researchers says they’ve spotted what looks like an aircraft on the shores of Nikumaroro, part of the island nation of Kiribati, which lies roughly 1,000 miles away from Fiji.

The supposed discovery came while scientists were studying satellite images. The photos seemed to show what looks like part of an airplane starting to poke through the sand. Richard Pettigrew, who heads the Archaeological Legacy Institute in Oregon, said the aircraft’s size and design closely match that of the Lockheed Electra—the plane that Earhart was flying. He also noted that the location aligns with the route she and Noonan were following.

Researchers claim to have found evidence of Earhart's plane on Nikumaroro Island YouTube/NAIAFiji

While speaking with the Daily Mail, Pettigrew shared, "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."

Purdue University, which had helped fund Earhart’s mission to fly around the world, is now getting involved again. They’re preparing to send a team of experts to the island for further investigation after American-made tools and a small medicine vial were recently discovered near the area.