Possible Amelia Earhart Evidence Found That Suggests She Died As Castaway
Contrary to popular theory, Amelia Earhart may not have been killed in a plane crash. Researchers [...]
Contrary to popular theory, Amelia Earhart may not have been killed in a plane crash. Researchers have been led to believe that Earhart died as a castaway on a remote island.
The legendary pilot was last heard from on July 2, 1937. She was attempting to establish a world record and become the first female to fly around the world.
Four months after Earhart departed on her trip, she ran into issues on July 2, 1937. Her plane was last seen on radar on this day as she was flying at 375km in search of Howland Island, southwest of Honolulu. She was believed to be low on fuel, and was forced to land the plane to the ground.
In September of this year, the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR) announced that they located evidence that showed Earhart making more than 100 radio transmissions in the days after her plane went missing.
Because these mayday calls were made after the alleged crash, TIGHAR has been led to believe that Earhart died on the remote island of Nikumaroro. The group said that the radio transmissions prove that Earhart actually landed the plane safely, and was trying to use the radio to call for help, according to USA Today.
In a statement released on October 22, TIGHAR said that partial skeletal remains were discovered in 1940 on the island located between Hawaii and Australia. The remains could possibly belong to Earhart.
In 1940, the bones were analyzed, but a doctor concluded at the time that the bones belonged to a male. The remains were later lost.
TIGHAR was able to discover documents about the remains in 1998. The files even included skeletal measurements and were consistent with a female of Earhart's size.
Anthropologist Richard Jantz recently observed that the skeleton's forearm bones were larger than normal. However, he was not able to determine whether the forearm bones were similar to the Earhart's arms.
Jantz and TIGHAR then went on to request that forensic examiner Jeff Glickman analyze the remains. By looking at a historical photograph where her arms are visible, Glickman was able to determine Earhart's forearm length.
According to the statement released by TIGHAR, Earhart's "humerus to radius ratio was 0.76 - virtually identical to the castaway's."
"The match does not, of course, prove that the castaway was Amelia Earhart, but it is a significant new data point that tips the scales further in that direction," TIGHAR said in a statement.
What do you think about these new revelations regarding the death of Amelia Earhart?