The Search for Amelia Earhart

On July 2, 1937, Amelia Earhart was on her way to soaring into history. The world-famous pilot from Kansas was about three-fourths through the most daring mission of her career: to become the first woman to fly around the world. But something went wrong after she took to the skies that day. Earhart’s plane vanished over the Pacific Ocean, and she was never heard from again.

Decades later, people are still trying to figure out why.

On July 2, 1937, Amelia Earhart was on her way to soaring into history. The world-famous pilot from Kansas was about three-fourths through the most daring mission of her career. She wanted to be the first woman to fly around the world. But something went wrong after she took to the skies that day. Earhart’s plane vanished over the Pacific Ocean. She was never heard from again.

Decades later, people are still trying to figure out why.

Few aviators in the 1930s were women, so Earhart was a huge celebrity. In 1932, she became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Three years later, she became the first pilot—male or female—to fly alone from Hawaii to California.

In the spring of 1937, she and navigator Fred Noonan took off from Oakland, California, aboard a twin-engine plane. Earhart was trying to circle the globe flying eastward. As she flew, they used navigational tools to stay on course. Reporting their coordinates using latitude and longitude allowed flight controllers on the ground to track their location (see sidebar, below).

Few aviators in the 1930s were women. That made Earhart hugely famous. In 1932, she became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Three years later, she became the first pilot, male or female, to fly alone from Hawaii to California. 

In the spring of 1937, she and navigator Fred Noonan took off from Oakland, California. They were aboard a twin-engine plane. Earhart was trying to circle the globe flying eastward. As she flew, they used navigational tools to stay on course. They reported their coordinates using latitude and longitude. This allowed flight controllers on the ground to track their location (see sidebar, below).

Over the years, people have come up with several theories about what happened. Most experts believe the plane went down in the Pacific Ocean, and Earhart and Noonan drowned.

Some others think the pair flew off course and crash-landed on an island called Nikumaroro (nik-uh-muhr-OHR-oh). Days after the plane disappeared, radio operators in the Pacific reported hearing distress calls coming from near the tiny island, which was uninhabited. Over the decades, several artifacts have also been found there, including scraps of metal most likely from a plane.

Over the years, people have come up with several ideas that might explain what happened. Most experts believe the plane went down in the Pacific Ocean. They believe Earhart and Noonan drowned.

Some others think the pair flew off course and crash-landed on an island called Nikumaroro (nik-uh-muhr-OHR-oh). Days after the plane disappeared, radio operators in the Pacific reported hearing distress calls. The calls were coming from near that tiny island, which was uninhabited. Over the decades, several artifacts have been found there. They included scraps of metal most likely from a plane.

Still, both Nikumaroro and waters near Howland Island have been searched using everything from trained dogs to deep-sea robots. 

No human remains linked to Earhart or Noonan have ever been found.

The mystery may never be solved, says Dorothy Cochrane, an aviation expert at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. People can still learn a lot from Earhart’s bravery, though, she adds.

“I hope we find her someday,” Cochrane told reporters. “But . . . what is important to me is her legacy.”

Still, both Nikumaroro and waters near Howland Island have been searched. Searchers have used everything from trained dogs to deep-sea robots. No human remains linked to Earhart or Noonan have ever been found.

Dorothy Cochrane is an aviation expert at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. She says the mystery may never be solved. But, she adds, people can still learn a lot from Earhart’s bravery.

“I hope we find her someday,” Cochrane told reporters. “But . . . what is important to me is her legacy.”