The Disappearance of Amelia Earhart by: Makenzie Gass

In the United States of America, the total number of unsolved mysteries is at an all-time high. One of the most notable cases is the disappearance of Amelia Earhart in 1937 as she was pursuing a flight over the Pacific Ocean while accompanied by a male partner. Several speculations, theories, questions and accusations have been pondered upon, yet no real conclusion has been drawn about what happened to Earhart and her company. Did Amelia’s plane run out of gas and crash into the ocean beneath? Were Amelia Earhart and her partner captured by the army personnel in Japan? Did the aviation team land on the wrong island and become castaways? Without further ado, let’s explore the theories on how Earhart and her co-pilot passed away, and the possibility that the plane they were flying crashed into the ocean because of their fuel deficiency.

Amelia Earhart was a woman recognized for accomplishing many goals, not only in the air, but on solid ground as well. The young and avid aviator, Amelia Earhart, was rebellious, especially against gender norms. Typically, women were not interested in the things that she invested herself within, as she was known for:

Defying conventional feminine behavior, a young Earhart climbed trees, “belly slammed” her sled to start it downhill, and hunted rats with a .22 rifle. She also kept a scrapbook of newspaper clippings about successful women in predominantly male-oriented fields, including film direction and production, law, advertising, management, and mechanical engineering. (“Biography – The Official Licensing Website of Amelia Earhart”)

Because Earhart openly defied social norms, it allowed for her to achieve her desired goals of being “the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, and the first person ever to fly solo from Hawaii to the U.S. mainland” (“Amelia Earhart”). Women in the 1930’s were inspired by Earhart, resulting in women taking action in fields that were never once explored by women before.

Determination was a strong suit of Earhart’s, and in her eyes, giving up on her set goals was never an option. Although Earhart encountered many bumps in the road throughout her aviation journey, she always found a way to overcome the struggles and excel. In Amelia Earhart’s earlier years, she was the most famous women pilot, but she was not the most skilled pilot in the field which sparked internal determination to prove herself by flying across the Atlantic Ocean alone (“Women in Aviation and Space History: Amelia Earhart”). Because of Earhart’s never-ending determination, she was able to accomplish many goals within her career that several others whom lacked steady determination could ever do.

Amelia was known for being passionate about the things that she pursued. Gore Vidal, one of Amelia’s best friend’s son’s, would be the first to tell you that Earhart “was a very passionate person who felt things deeply…” (“The Sound of Wings: The Life of Amelia Earhart” 166). Earhart took her knowledge of aviation and “She wrote three books herself, mainly about her flying exploits” (17). With the experience she carried and the burning passion that filled her, Amelia Earhart was able to teach those who were curious about flying and airplanes through her written works. Because of Amelia and her teachings, the popularity of women in the field of aviation spiked, especially with those of courage and braveness.

Earhart is also recognized for her effortless, and overwhelming beauty that was present inside and out. Despite Amelia’s non-conventional lifestyle preferences, many claimed that she was appealing to the eyes without trying. Amelia’s stepson, David Binney Putnam, once said:

“She was interested in everything and wanted to know about everything,” he said. He also thought her very attractive, “long-legged and graceful,” with “a lovely head, like a beautiful choir boy,” yet very feminine. “She looked like a bag of bones in a bathing suit, she was so thin,” he said, “but she had beautiful clothes and she knew how to wear them. When she was all dressed up, she didn’t look like she had tried to be all dressed up.” (Rich)

Amelia’s accomplishments were responsible for the publishing of her face across social media, radio broadcasts, television channels, and even the furthest reaching media in her time, but her captivating looks are also accredited for much of her popularity (Winters 140).

In regard to Amelia Earhart’s death, several conspiracies have arisen and are often pondered upon by many. One of the three possible theories suggest that “Earhart and Noonan ran out of fuel on the way to Howland Island and crashed in the Pacific Ocean” (“Top 3 Theories for Amelia Earhart’s Disappearance”). The second possible theory suggests that Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan “headed north to the Japanese-controlled Marshall Islands” and “were taken hostage by the Japanese, possibly as U.S. spies” (1). The third conspiracy theory refers to the fate of Earhart and Noonan as castaways on the island of Nikumaroro (1).

In the first conspiracy theory, Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan were said to have run out of airplane fuel over an area in the Pacific Ocean as they were trying to locate their designated landing spot (“Tantalizing Theories About the Earhart Disappearance”). When looking for the minute island, Earhart called the nearby coastguards to warn them that she was low on fuel and that she was going to land on the nearest island to refuel, but her plane, the Electra, never made it to any dry land (“Top 3 Theories for Amelia Earhart’s Disappearance”). A survey that was conducted through the famous social media app, Twitter, brought in results that suggest that most people believe Earhart and Noonan ran out of fuel and crashed into the Pacific Ocean resulting in their death. Out of the 118 people that voted, 60% of the individuals believed that the aviation team did crash into the Pacific Ocean and sink; Whereas, the remaining 40% believed that Earhart and Noonan’s death was not caused by a fuel deficit. In addition, 58% of those who participated in the survey were females and the remaining 42% were males. Although there is plenty of evidence to support the “crash-and-sink theory”, a few individuals oppose this theory as being true because there was never any physical evidence that washed up on shore (“Tantalizing Theories About the Earhart Disappearance”).

 In the second conspiracy theory, Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan were said to have landed on Japanese territory that is known as Marshall Islands when they couldn’t locate Howland, where they were held captive as spies for the United States (“Top 3 Theories for Amelia Earhart’s Disappearance”). While they were searching for Howland beneath them, it is said that they concluded that they were going to need to execute their Plan B because they were clueless as to where to descend at and the fuel tank of the Electra was near empty (1). The Plan B that Earhart and Noonan had in mind was to land and ditch the Electra on Marshall Islands where the U.S. government could rescue them and scheme on the Japanese at the same time (1). According to Reineck, a retired U.S. Air Force colonel, “Earhart radioed that she was headed north, the message was intercepted, and the Japanese took her hostage” (1). Contrasting Reineck’s belief’s is a world-famous pilot, Fred Patterson, who states that he knows how much fuel the Electra burns per hour and that Earhart and Noonan wouldn’t have possibly made it to the Marshall Islands with the amount of fuel they had left (1). Although several residents of the Marshall Islands claim that Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan landed in their home country, there has been no actual spotting of the aviation team on Japanese territory, and no evidence of the Electra or the landing of the Electra has ever been discovered.

 In the third conspiracy theory, Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan were said to have landed on the island of Nikumaroro as a last resort when they were low on fuel and unable to find the island, Howland (“Top 3 Theories for Amelia Earhart’s Disappearance”). When Earhart and her partner could not locate the island that the Electra was originally supposed to land on, the aviation teams last indication was the longitude and latitude of their location to the nearby coastguards in case they ran out of fuel (1). Earhart reported that they were on the line 157 337 which is far past Howland leading researchers to believe that their only hope of dry land near would’ve been Nikumaroro (1). For several days after this occurrence, radio operators received transmissions that were more than likely from the plane of Earhart (1). Individuals have claimed that on the island of Nikumaroro there was airplane parts, navigation tools, old clothing remnants, and bones once spotted (1). Although the evidence that was founded on the island and the radio signals that were said to have come from the island form a good theory, the remains of the plane and bones were tested and stated inconclusive which leads the population to believe that Earhart and Noonan did not land on Nikumaroro and live as castaways.

Since the disappearance of Earhart and her navigation partner, Fred Noonan, many conspiracy theories have transpired regarding their fate:

• Did Earhart and Noonan crash into the Pacific Ocean because of the lack of fuel in the Electra?
• Did Earhart and Noonan land on Marshall Islands and get taken hostage by the Japanese?
• Did Earhart and Noonan land on Nikumaroro and live as castaways as their last resort?

After examining each of these conspiracy theories surrounding the fate of Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan, the evidence points to the “crash-and-sink theory” as being the most accurate explanation to the disappearance and assumed death of the aviation team of two. Because Earhart indicated that she was low on gas near her designated landing place, we can gather that her plane crashed and sunk into the Pacific Ocean.

Works Cited

“Amelia Earhart.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 9 Nov. 2009,

www.history.com/topics/exploration/amelia-earhart.

“Biography - The Official Licensing Website of Amelia Earhart.” Amelia Earhart,

2018, www.ameliaearhart.com/biography/.

Cochrane, D., and Ramirez, P.. “Women in Aviation and Space History: Amelia Earhart.” Women in Aviation and Space History - Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, airandspace.si.edu/explore-and-learn/topics/women-in-aviation/earhart.cfm.

Hanes, Elizabeth. “Tantalizing Theories About the Earhart Disappearance.” History.com, A&E

Television Networks, 2 July 2012, www.history.com/news/what-happened-to-amelia-9

tantalizing-theories-about-the-earhart-disappearance.

Lovell, Mary S. “The Sound of Wings: The Life of Amelia Earhart.” Google Books, Jan. 1988,

books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=bba8-1Xtmr4C&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=amelia%2Bearhart%2B&ots=doV9oC4iq2&sig=PQEw1458RxB0_EqtVwJRt6h8s0U#v=o

Rich, Doris L. “Amelia Earhart: A Biography.” Google Books, Smithsonian Institution , 9 July

2013,

books.google.com/books?id=AKVqBgAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=amelia%2Bearhart&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjNx4LSl4neAhUPMawKHbqEAh0Q6AEILzAB#=onepage&q=beautiful&f=false.

Shea, Rachel Hartigan, et al. “Top 3 Theories for Amelia Earhart's Disappearance.” National

Geographic, National Geographic Society, 11 July 2017,

news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/07/amelia-earhart-disappearance-theories-spd/?user.testname=none.

Winters, Kathleen C. “Amelia Earhart: The Turbulent Life of an American Icon.” Google Books,

St. Martin's Press, 23 Nov. 2010, books.google.com/books?id=UCS_YY677z0C&printsec=frontcover&dq=amelia%2Bearhart&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwimzsmqnYneAhUDPq0KHcWhCBgQ6AEINTAC#v=onepage&q=media&f=false.