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She is still considered a pioneer of the skies: the American pilot and women’s rights activist Amelia Earhart (born 1897, disappeared in 1937). She achieved international fame in 1928 when, at the age of 31, she became the first woman to cross the Atlantic Ocean as a passenger on a 20-hour non-stop flight.
From that moment on, her rise seemed unstoppable. She was celebrated as a heroine and from then on was considered an idol of young American women.
Disappeared without a trace on her last leg
After a few more spectacular and historic flights, this time as a pilot, in 1937 she attempted her biggest coup yet: she wanted to be the first person to ever fly around the Earth around the equator. At first everything seemed to go smoothly. She had already completed three quarters of the journey when she left New Guinea with her Lockheed 10E-Electra on July 2 to fly across the Pacific Ocean to Howland Island.
However, she wasn’t supposed to get there. On her last leg she disappeared without a trace and was then left behind as if swallowed by the earth. Since then, there have been many myths surrounding the missing pilot.
Now the nearly 90-year-old mystery could be solved once and for all. Because: An underwater drone may have found the wreckage of Earhart’s plane. At least that’s what a sonar image suggests.
Pilot had the expedition cost $11 million
Tony Romeo, a pilot and former US Air Force intelligence officer, is behind these latest investigations, as the Wall Street Journal reports. Apparently the mission surrounding Earhart’s fate was worth a lot to him. To finance the expedition, which cost no less than eleven million dollars, Romeo, from South Carolina, sold his business premises.
With a research vessel and a crew of 16, Romeo departed near Howland Island in early September 2023. Also on board: the high-tech underwater drone Hugin. This scanned approximately 5,200 square kilometers of the seabed during several trips and finally made a breakthrough after 30 days.
Last December, Romeo returned along with a sonar image of an aircraft-like object. This is located approximately 5,000 meters underwater within about 160 kilometers of Howland Island. The pilot is convinced: this must be Earhart’s missing plane.
“I feel like a ten year old”
Maybe he’s even right about that. According to Dorothy Cochrane, curator of the aviation department at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC, the location where the photo was taken roughly matches the suspected crash site. Unfortunately, the researchers only came across the snapshot 90 days after their return.
Romeo therefore wants to return to the site to take better photos. “This might be the most exciting thing I will ever do in my life. I feel like a ten-year-old going on a treasure hunt.” (ced)
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
