Strangest Mysteries of the World and Beyond !

Aemelia Earhart

 Aemelia Earhart 

The Mystery of Aemelia Earhart has captured the imagination of young and old, amateur and professional, since she disappeared on July 2, 1937 on her flight over the Pacific which would complete her around-the-world flight - the longest (following the equatorial route) and the first by a woman.

From the time of her first ride in an airplane as a child, Aemelia Earhart was hooked on flying. Her passion led her to break flight records and become a public celebrity. In one of her letters, she hoped that the around the world flight would finally rid her of her compulsion to fly and she could settle down. Though she did not survive it, it was indeed her last flight. She vanished into the Pacific Ocean 24 hours after leaving Lae, New Guinea.

Crossing the 2,500 mile Pacific was the most dangerous part of her flight. The U.S. Coast Guard cutter Itasca was standing off Howland Island for several days to act as a radio contact for her. Radio communications in the area were very poor and the Itasca was overwhelmed with commercial radio traffic as a result of the celebrated flight.

She and her navigator, Fred Noonan, left with 1100 gallons of fuel, good for around 24 hours of flight (the flight should have been about 19 hours), but she ran out of fuel 2 hours early. She carried as much as possible. The plane was so heavy on takeoff she wasn't sure even to the end if she could get it off the runway.

Their intended destination was Howland Island, a tiny piece of land a few miles long, 20 feet high, and 2, 556 miles away. Their last positive position report and sighting were over the Nubian Islands, about 800 miles into the flight.

After 4 hours and 18 minutes, she called in and reported her speed and height - the right speed and height for optimal fuel consumption. Management tables had been prepared for Earhart by Lockheed's Kelly Johnson. She signed off with her signature line, "everything OK." There is disagreement over what happened next.

The theory put forward by Elgen M. Long is that a combination of weather and equipment failure forced her to use more fuel than expected and come in toward Howland Island too far north. First a storm forced her to go higher to avoid it. The climbing used a great deal of fuel and then she had to fight a strong headwind. This also used more fuel. After 10 hours they spotted a ship, which they assumed was the half way marker. Instead it was probably a different ship farther north. She spoke to Leo Bellarts on the Itaska but she was apparently unable to hear him as he attempted to guide her in. He sent morse code, but she had left her morse code equipment behind. She was 100 miles from Howland Island but her radio direction finder was malfunctioning. If it was clear they could have seen Howland Island from 50 feet or more if high enough and they would almost certainly have found it. But because of the weather they could not find it. She sent her last message giving her position as she plunged into the water. As she reached to crank the transmitter, the engine coughed. The Long theory is that they died on impact or drowned.

Another popular theory is that they landed on the island of Nikumaroro in the Pheonix Islands, 350 miles southeast of Howland Island and fended for themselves for serveral months until they succumbed to injury or disease. Improvised tools and bits of Plexiglas that are consistent with that of an Electra window were found on the island.

A few theorists reckon that she Earhart was spying on Japan and had been captured and executed. This theory has been discounted by the American authorities and press.

A rumour claimed that she was one of many women sending messages on Tokyo Rose, an English-language Japanese propaganda station designed to attack the Allies' morale.

An Australian aircraft engineer said he found a map that showed Earhart and Noonan may have turned round to try and refuel but crashed before getting to an airstrip.