Fascinating: Amelia Earhart: New evidence tells of her last days on a Pacific atoll

[cali]

New information gives a clearer picture of what happened 75 years ago to Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan, where they came down and how they likely survived – for a while, at least – as castaways on a remote island.

By Brad Knickerbocker, Staff writer / June 2, 2012


For decades, pioneer aviator Amelia Earhart was said to have “disappeared” over the Pacific on her quest to circle the globe along a 29,000-mile equatorial route.


Now, new information gives a clearer picture of what happened 75 years ago to Ms. Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan, where they came down and how they likely survived – for a while, at least – as castaways on a remote island, catching rainwater and eating fish, shellfish, and turtles to survive.

The tale hints at lost opportunities to locate and rescue the pair in the first crucial days after they went down, vital information dismissed as inconsequential or a hoax, the failure to connect important dots regarding physical evidence.

<snip>

Using what fuel remained to turn up the engines to recharge the batteries, they continued to radio distress signals for several days until Earhart’s twin-engine Lockheed Electra aircraft was swept off the reef by rising tides and surf. Using equipment not available in 1937 – digitized information management systems, antenna modeling software, and radio wave propagation analysis programs, TIGHAR concluded that 57 of the 120 signals reported at the time are credible, triangulating Earhart’s position to have been Nikumaroro Island.

<snip>

http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2012/0602/Amelia-Earhart-New-evidence-tells-of-her-last-days-on-a-Pacific-atoll

[alphafemale]

1. Sounds like they survived quite well for a period of time.

Almost adds to the mystery. On a Pacific Island with rainfall they should have been able to survive almost indefinitely. Neighboring islands supported populations for eons.

[Proud Liberal Dem]

2. Maybe they were injured in the crash and eventually succumbed to their injuries?

I think their fate has always been one of the most intriguing unsolved mysteries of the past century.

[alphafemale]

3. Evidence of human occupation but not bones?

No large predators to disrupt even turtle bones. But no human remains?

[Proud Liberal Dem]

5. Who knows?

Like I said, one of the greatest unsolved mysteries ever.

[dipsydoodle]

6. Could've been washed out to sea.

[yardwork]

7. The article says that human bones were found.

[IDemo]

19. See post #17

[independentpiney]

13. Or they might have survived for awhile before being 'rescued' by a Japanese recon patrol

[leveymg]

4. Now, all they have to do is find the remains of a Lockheed Electra.

Large enough bits and pieces, such as the crankshaft on the engines should still be intact and detectable after 70 years, even in seawater.

[dipsydoodle]

8. If you wiki Amelia

Last edited Sat Jun 2, 2012, 12:14 PM - Edit history (1)

you'll see close ot the bottom of the page that an undersea search will be carried out this coming July.

edied to add link : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amelia_Earhart

[snooper2]

9. Cool story..here's a pic of the reef/island

[OVERPAID01]

10. Great Hypothesis

Remember seeing one of many shows on her suspected where abouts (assuming she didn't die at sea). This island has always been at the top of a short list of possible locations, others dismissed it stating the remains were most likely that of a castaway soldier during the war. Still others believe the lagoon would have made an excellent ditching sight for an emergency landing. Without engine block numbers and other verifiable proof the mystery will not be solved. It is rumored (one of hundreds I'm sure), that she was captured alive along with her craft, and due to the cameras and spy equipment on the plane she was executed and the plane destroyed. If this is true, I feel there will never be closure on her unfortunate and brave history. She was truly a great human being, and an inspiration to all women of her era and many generations to follow.

[Richard D]

11. Video tour of the island.

[Vattel]

12. Long live Amelia Erhart!

She was awesome.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

14. bkmrkd and Thanks.

[Egalitarian Thug]

15. K&R. Thanks for posting. n/t

[1monster]

16. Thanks. Family interest here. My great-grandmother's brother was Amelia

Earhart's father.

[IDemo]

17. From a related article: "The reason why they found a partial skeleton"

"is that many of the bones had been carried off by giant coconut crabs. There is a remote chance that some of the bones might still survive deep in crab burrows."

http://news.discovery.com/history/amelia-earhart-resting-place.html

[1monster]

18. Those crabs are HUGE!

[Archae]

20. She and Noonan were kidnapped by aliens!

Well, they said so on "Star Trek: Voyager."