New evidence suggests pilot Amelia Earhart did not die in plane crash… and lived ‘heroically’ as a castaway
The pioneering female pilot made 100 distress calls in July
PIONEERING female pilot Amelia Earhart may have died as a castaway, rather than in a plane crash, according to new evidence which emerged today.
The American woman's right activist was the first lady to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.
She disappeared in 1937, at the age of 39, after her plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean as Amelia attempted to fly around the world.
Amelia was declared dead two years later, and it has always been assumed she died in the smash, with her remains being lost to the deep waters.
But now new evidence has emerged that Amelia could have been living as a castaway.
The human remains were originally dismissed by British authorities, who thought they belonged to a man.
But it’s now been suggested Amelia had longer-than-average arms for a man, and it could have been her corpse.
There’s also evidence that Amelia made more than 100 cries for help in radio transmissions between July 2 and July 6 of the year she went missing, which rules out her plane crashing.
The radio would not have worked if the plane’s engine was not running.
Neither Amelia’s body nor the plane’s wreckage were ever found.
Ric told CNN: "There are historical documents that prove official airlines received radio calls for help in 1937. If we look at the press of the time - people believed she was still alive.
“It was only when planes where sent to fly over the islands where the distress signals were coming from and no plane was seen that the searches shifted towards the ocean.”
TIGHAR think Amelia’s plane was dragged back into the ocean by the waves, but the group have found evidence of bonfires being lit in an area where fish and bird bones were found – and Amelia may have lived.
Ric added: "We believe she survived heroically, and alone, for a period of time, in terrible circumstances. History needs to tell her story right."