Amelia Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, left Lae, New Guinea on June 2nd, 1937, with only 7,000 miles of their around-the-world trip remaining. Sadly, the duo would not be seen on the other side of the Pacific Ocean, disappearing forever. Here's a look at the mysterious incident 84 years later.

A trendsetting era

Earhart accomplished many outstanding feats in aviation before her disappearance at the age of 39. The pilot broke the women’s altitude record when she ascended to 14,000 feet. She also became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean and completed the first solo flight from Hawaii to California. These are just some of several groundbreaking achievements.

The legendary Wiley Post became the first person to solo around the world in July 1933. This event would spark a series of ambitious adventures across the aviation world for the remainder of the decade. One eager aviator to follow in the footsteps of Post was Earhart. She may not have been the first person to circumnavigate the globe, but she had her sights on circling the world via the longest path - the equator.

First Around The World Pilot Wiley Post
The Winnie Mae was a Lockheed Vega that Post entrusted on his groundbreaking feats across the globe, but it would not join the aviator on his final journey. Photo: Getty Images

On her way

Thus, Earhart had a Lockheed Electra specially modified with an enlarged fuel tank. The overall type was also the manufacturer's first all-metal design. She chose Noonan as her navigator due to his expertise in navigating both boats and planes.

Subsequently, on March 17th, 1937, the pair left for Hawaii from the West Coast. There was a crew of three to help out with this trip, which proved to be valuable when there were troubles that resulted in the plane returning to California for repairs.

Earhart and Noonan then set flight again, but this time to Florida from California. The pair were by themselves this time, departing Miami on June 1st, 1937. They made great progress, conducting several stops in South America, Africa, India, and Southeast Asia. By the time they made it to Papua New Guinea on June 29th, they had banked approximately 22,000 miles.

Amelia Earhart - Fliegerin; USA
Earhart was not afraid to try something new. Photo: Getty Images

A tragic turn

The duo only had one last hurdle to overcome, the longest expanse of water in the world - the Pacific Ocean. Despite being the last segment, it would naturally be one of the trickiest.

Earhart and Noonan left Lae Airfield on June 2nd, only to never be seen again. They planned to reach Howland Island, which is presently an unincorporated, unorganized territory of the United States in the middle of the Pacific. However, the two adventurers would not make it.

Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan
Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan in front of the twin-engine Lockheed Electra in Los Angeles in May 1937. Photo: Rogelio A. Galaviz C. via Flickr

Years of mystery

For eight decades, aviation enthusiasts have pondered over the disappearance. There has been an abundance of conspiracy theories, supposed clues, and investigations from the very beginning. The US government even launched a 16-day expedition that included nine vessels, 4,000 people, and 66 aircraft. The total cost of the program was $4 million. Regardless, there was no conclusion due to the expanse of the area.

Earhart was formally declared dead on July 2nd, 1937. Yet, this factor didn’t quell the mystery. Notably, George P. Putnam, the widow of Earhart, gave the go-ahead for the production of a movie that contained content related to Earhart’s achievements and disappearance.

This film would inadvertently spark further theories. For instance, some felt that the flight was part of a secret mission on behalf of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Meanwhile, others speculated that Earhart and Noonan were captured by Japanese soldiers.

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Plausible explanations

Nonetheless, there are a handful of grounded theories to what happened that day. The National Air and Space Museum explains two of these.

"Richard Gillespie, head of The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR), is an Earhart disappearance researcher who has gained some credibility. TIGHAR has made numerous trips to Nikumaroro (formerly Gardner Island), a remote coral atoll in the Western Pacific Ocean, the place where the organization believes Earhart and Noonan ended up,” The National Air and Space Museum shares.

“They have turned up some interesting finds: an aluminum panel that might possibly have come from an Electra; a piece of curved glass that might be a window from an Electra; a heel from a woman’s shoe like the kind of (footwear) Earhart wore, among other items. None of these, however, can conclusively be connected to Earhart and Noonan.”

Experienced pilot and notable theorist, Elgen Long, also shared an explanation that has gained traction. The Oregon-born aviator explains that in the harsh conditions during the long 4,113 km (2,556 mi) trip from Lea to Howland Island, the Electra used up its supply of fuel and crashed in the water.

Long highlights that Earhart’s voice sounded urgent on the radio while trying to track the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Itasca when on the way to Howland Island. This was the ship that was assigned the job of “providing navigational and radio links” to the Electra.

The American aviator, Amelia Earhart
Earhart was praised across the continents amid her ambitious adventures during her short career. Photo: Getty Images

Notably, Long wrote a book with his wife, Marie, called Amelia Earhart: The Mystery Solved. Within this text, the pair constructed a thought-out argument that the plane fell at the bottom of the Pacific near Howland Island.

One of the true pioneers

Whatever the cause of the disappearance was, Earhart is truly a legend in aviation history. Even until the very end, she was making and breaking records. Notably, during the flight around the world, she became the first person to fly from the Red Sea to India. Her ambitions inspired generations of pilots, influencing the course of aviation for decades.

What are your thoughts about the legacy of Amelia Earhart? Also, what do you make of the aviator’s disappearance and the stories that surround it? Let us know what you think of the pilot’s achievements in the comment section.