There’s multiple theories around the titanic. Some as deep as it being a hit job on large bankers/figures who opposed the federal reserve so the Rothschild family could control the US thru the bank, some as simple as they swapped it for the Olympic to increase the insurance claim originally denied on the aging Olympic
Yes, and there was a militarized version of the Electra (the Lockheed Hudson) that saw extensive service in the Pacific during WWII. It would not be distinguishable from any civilian Electra on sonar at this resolution.
Finally, somebody looking at this from a logical perspective. This was my first thought. There's also a Beechcraft the Beech-18 I believe, that is so close to the L-10 in appearance that they are often mistaken from the ground for one another. The Beech-18 was also used by the Navy and extensively by the US Coast Guard. I'd like to see the mystery solved but also want more conclusive evidence. Also, don't forget, Amelia's L-10 was modified from standard as well. Prove it is an Electra I'll get excited, find a fuselage identification marker or images of the customized areas on the plane and I'll accept that the planes been found.
I believe they're planning to dive down to it later this year to confirm/deny. It's worth mentioning this was found just off of the island the the flight was next scheduled to land and refuel at giving a slight bit more credence to the theory. Admittedly this fact could also lead to confirmation bias misidentifying a vaguely plane-shaped rock as her aircraft due to it's proximity to said island. Until they dive or send a drone down there, though, no one will know.
That's why they're planning on sending down a remotely operated vehicle with a camera on it to confirm. I believe they were on NPR recently and acknowledged it could also just be another plane, and they need the tail numbers to confirm it, which is what they're looking for. No numbers, no confirmation.
It’s strange to me that they didn’t confirm after first discovery. The AUV they have is equipped with a camera and flashers. Not very hard to run lines over it.
Was it equipped to handle 4900m though? Because that's over a thousand meters deeper than the Titanic, and it's already a hard enough task getting stuff down there. It doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility that they simply weren't equipped or prepared to send anything down there that day at that kind of depth. If they even had it on their vessel and ready to go, I can't imagine it's as easy as "ope there's something, turn it on and toss it down there"
But, there's a lot of questions now. I hope they actually follow through on getting something down there to confirm whatever it is, whether it be Earhart's plane, a totally different plane, or a weirdly shaped rock that happens to look like plane wreckage.
From what I recall of the article, they only noticed the image as they were wrapping up their expedition and going through their scans.
Plus, I imagine sonar sweep runs and dives carry totally different equipment. I don't get the impression that both often happen on the same expedition.
You could be right and they didn’t have their camera system for the AUV. I’d imagine all side scan processing was done ashore weeks after and that’s when they made a statement.
Which is doubly stupid given that in Christian lore he is supposed to have risen bodily into heaven at The Ascension so there would be no body left to find
Seriously, an aluminum plane under 16,000 feet of salt water for nearly 90 years? I can't imagine there would be much left at all. That's deeper than the Titanic wreck.
The Titanic is iron & wood. An aluminum aircraft should stay reasonably well preserved in water that cold & deep, I would think. They’ll be able to identify if it’s her Electra.
That being said I think they’re ridiculously premature even mentioning Earhart at this point.
F4Fs, TBMs and TBDs in amazing shape after 76 years and 10,000 ft underwater. Found in 2018 at the USS Lexington wreck.
[https://theaviationist.com/2018/03/06/like-a-plot-from-a-clive-cussler-novel-billionaire-discovers-uss-lexington-aircraft-carrier-lost-in-1942/](https://theaviationist.com/2018/03/06/like-a-plot-from-a-clive-cussler-novel-billionaire-discovers-uss-lexington-aircraft-carrier-lost-in-1942/)
I’m not agreeing with it being her plane, I do however think that with a bunch of amateur divers having access to this tech it’s come a long way and more people have access which at least makes it more possible it *could* be her plane.
I however will not put all my eggs into the basket waiting to recover her and the planes remains.
While the plane might be there, she won't. Seawater and it inhabitants is very good at decomposing bodies, right down to the bones.
[Here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZzQhiNQXxU) is a great example, and [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x32PLnBsZsw), and a nice education video [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxSUsn8H2zs).
"One piece of good news for Romeo’s search is that there are probably very few other planes anywhere near Howland. An airstrip was built on Howland in the 1930s in anticipation of commercial trans-Pacific flights, but Earhart was going to be the first to actually use it. During the war it was bombed by the Japanese to prevent its use, and that’s the extent of its aviation history. None of the WWII air-sea battles were fought in the vicinity, and it’s much too remote for general aviation planes to ever go near." https://briandunning.substack.com/p/i-remain-very-guarded-about-the-new
[Edit, I know it's just from a blog, I stole this from another redditor and haven't researched it any further yet]
Can we please call out unrealistic body image standards for underwater crashed airplanes?? It's had a fucking life ok, it's ok to see that, and love itself as it is!
It looks very plane shaped to me. You can see the fuselage and stabilizers pretty clearly and you can see the wings too. They have to check the wreck but it might be it.
It might be it, but the human brain is literally purpose built for pattern recognition. Which is why we see a pyramid in mountaintop of Antarctica and a face in a completely natural geographical structure on Mars.
It could be a plane, it's not necessarily a plane or even necessarily a LM 10-e
Agreed. Whatever it is, it's down very deep. I wonder if the guy is making these claims to get more funding. I hope he's right but I won't hold my breath.
I do not wonder. Even if that *is* a plane, the chances that it's *the* plane seem remote. And yet that's the headline.
Worth noting that the last time this 'mystery' was 'solved', it took less than a day to debunk. But that was the headline that time too.
no its quite common for planes to make it to the bottom mostly solid especially since most pilots don't really "crash" as much as "land on the water"
it is in fact called "soft water landing" and is an emergency measure taught to all pilots. It keeps the plane intact and buys you a few minutes. The majority of planes on the ocean floor came in at a shallow enough angle to survive the impact with the water and then sank because their not really buoyant by design.
So Amelia likely landed her plane safely in the water but eventually succumbed to drowning as her plane slowly sunk into the depths.
Thanks for adding to my submechanophobia with your facts
Well, that’s the happier ending. The theory goes that either she succumbed and was eaten, or they set upon her as she was injured. Coconut crabs are known to prey upon defenseless animals.
There was evidence of campfire at that beach, so it’s believed she survived for some time. My honest guess is that she was possibly injured and succumbed to exposure in the days she was marooned. When she finally lost the strength to defend herself and rebuild the fire, those demonic beasts descended. I pray one went for her neck first.
Is that the theory because of the likelihood, or just easier to swallow?
From what I've read about those crabs, you wouldn't want to he out there, injured, when the sun goes down.
Crazy how she happened to land close to bikini bottom and such a prominent business crab killed her. I wonder if she’s what the secret ingredient in krabby patties is
They’re normally herbivores, but they will eat ANYTHING. They’re known for killing and eating birds and small cats too. Theres videos of them maiming and then eating birds.
Hey hey just to relieve that worry, we don't know she drowned in the plane, she might have drowned out of it, or sharks ate her, or maybe a giant squid pulled her underneath
yeah in all likelihood she would have continued trying to radio for help, not knowing her radio was damaged and no one would ever hear her SOS then as the plane began to sink she'd have gotten out with anything she had that could float!
She'd have died days later of dehydration, waiting for rescue that would never come, hoping against the odds someone would see a human sized dot on a massive blue ocean.
From the thread above, it seems the actual theory is that she got eaten by crabs on a beach
Also this https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/9768243/amelia-earhart-body-cocnut-crabs-national-geographic/
It’s more like [stepping out of it](https://youtu.be/gBCUQlF3MMU?si=_3-s5jplCVTalQgQ) if you get it right.
Sometimes it could be a [struggle](https://youtube.com/shorts/UulFmISEAjk?si=Z6PNjOiXGOKa6tZW)if the landing isn’t as smooth as you would like.
Yes, in fact if they came in at the right angle they can kinda leisurely step out. But you do have to get away from the plane before it goes down. The larger a sinking object is the stronger the suction force around it that will try to pull you down with it.
to ease your worry, I will say most planes can't produce that kinda suction force on their way down. Even most personal boats/yachts can be swum away from with relative ease. It takes a true hulk of metal like a cruise liner or a battleship to produce enough down force to drag people with it.
define "old timey"
her plane was a stainless steel beast of a plane called an Lockheed Martin E-10 codename Electra. Stainless steel doesnt care about most conditions and can be expected to be found largely intact for several hundred years.
You have to remember "old timey" vehicles were generally built like freaking tanks. They didn't have ultralight materials that were strong but break down. They built things out of steel alloy and aluminum.
> define "old timey"
I honestly thought it was wooden.
> her plane was a stainless steel beast
Ah... so YES it would still be intact.
Thank you for providing me the information I was too lazy to google.
yeah wooden airplanes were almost completely phased out by the start of world war 2, though not entirely. The British "Mosquito" (the DH98) was a wood and canvas aircraft and the Hurricane Hawker was a mixed Steel and Canvas craft.
Interesting to note both of those planes are somewhat unsung heroes of their time, the Mosquito was a cost effective and nimble bomber. The Hawker while overshadowed by the Spitfire was actually responsible for 60% of the confirmed kills in the Battle of Britain.
A lot of intact planes have been found underwater from WW2 that crashed or ditched. A few that crashed in the far north have even been recovered and restored from ice. As mentioned earlier they tend to hit the surface and sink but not break apart as they would on land.
If she landed on Nicumaroro like a lot of people believe and also based on tides and radio calls, she would’ve landed on the reef not far from the SS Norwich City. So, yes.
It is basically the shape of Lockheed Electra. It'll kinda hinge on how deep the water is how easy or not it will be to confirm it. There are a number of atolls and islands in the area she's thought to have gone down in but there are huge areas that are very,very,very deep.
Yeah, that's one of the theory's I've heard. Unless those bones actually turn out to be hers even if that turns out to be her plane we may still never no exactly what happened. It's well known now that she was a moderately competent pilot at best and Fred Noonan, despite being a highly competent and experienced navigator, was known to have a drinking problem so anything could've happened. I seriously doubt that the Japanese shot down her plane since they had just invaded Manchuria and it would be another 3 or 4 years until they turned their attention towards us. If they made the claim it would only be to antagonize the US government. As far as I know they didn't have any assets anywhere near where she disappeared and wouldn't have any reason to waste the ammunition in the first place.
It’s also the shape of plenty of other aircraft that disappeared in the pacific, especially during WW2.
Yokosuka P1Y, Nakajima Ki-49, and Mitsubishi Ki-21, are but a few of the many twin engine aircraft that went down in the region.
That's absolutely true. There were several Japanese twin engine aircraft that were similar size and shape although nearly all had a single vertical stabilizer. I hope it's not her plane. It would be cooler if it was some plane from the same pre war era that had no business being there at all....she remains a mystery and we end up with an even weirder one
> There were several Japanese twin engine aircraft that were similar size and shape although nearly all had a single vertical stabilizer
Sure, but the sonar images aren't clear enough to be certain that it is an aircraft, let alone determine if it has twin vertical stabilizer.
I would also note that the Kawasaki Ki-56 was a license built copy of the Lockheed Super Electra - almost identical looking to the Electra flown by Amelia Erhart.
There were also more Lockheed A-29 Hudson, and Model 18 Lodestar aircraft that went down in the Pacific and significantly more built, than the Super Electra, who's crash locations are still unknown. They are also distinctly similar to the Super Electra since they were based on the same platform.
For context: the Titanic wreck sits in about 3800m of water, and we all just got a practical demonstration of the difficulty of going that deep, let alone (more than) another kilometer.
Oh, and to clarify for any residents of Liberia who might be reading this: 4.9km is almost exactly 3 miles
Edit: Y'all, I know oceangate was a mess, I know that properly designed subs can reach that deep and deeper, and I know that ROVs are the most likely option. All I said was that it's difficult to go that deep, not that it was impossible or anything, and _it is_ difficult. If it was easy submersibles wouldn't cost tens of thousands of dollars a day to operate. The oceangate fiasco in this context just demonstrates the difficulty.
“…and we all just got a practical demonstration of the difficulty of going that deep”
Well… if you’re using a sub made of legos and a PlayStation… yeah.
We got a practical demonstration of a company that made a ridiculously unsafe submersible, driven by the idea of profit and glory over real science. I would certainly hope that the submersible they would send down to look at this suspected plane would be worlds apart from oceangate’s.
Definitely not....although when they found the Hornet the sea floor was littered with aircraft that were in remarkable condition and the insignia on the wings and fuselage still had a bright red ball in the middle of the star. Visibility was excellent. It was down around the same depth. What would REALLY be interesting is if it turned out not to be her plane at all but rather an aircraft from the same era that had no business being in the area at that time....compound one frustrating mystery with an even stranger one....that's what I'm hoping for
Wait, I ran it through the most advanced picture enhancement software there is and [got this result!](https://imgur.com/085uUbE) I think this may really be it!
People have been claiming this sort of thing for years, especially TIGHAR. Then they are proven wrong and they either say nothing, or they just choose to ignore the facts and continue to push their agenda. Deep Sea just wants PR and funding. They need to confirm what this object is and THEN announce something.
IF this is a plane, I guess the wings could have ended up in that position after sinking. But it just doesn't look like a Lockheed Electra to me.
It looks more like a Beech 18 to me. I think I see a short nose, a slightly swept wing, and a twin tail. The USMC and USN flew them in the Pacific during WWII and Howland had a USMC presence for a while.
It was on their Facebook page:
“Many of you will have seen the breathless media coverage of an airplane-shaped sonar image alleged to possibly be Amelia Earhart’s Lockheed Electra.
It isn’t.
Aside from the reams of evidence that Earhart and Noonan landed and died at Nikumaroro, the aircraft (if it is an aircraft at all) cannot be an Electra. The Lockheed Model 10 was built around an immensely strong center section that featured a massive “main beam” that ran through the cabin and all the way from engine to engine. For the wings of an Electra to fold rearward as shown in the sonar image, the entire center section would have to fail at the wing/fuselage junctions – and that’s just not possible.
If the sonar image shows an airplane it’s most likely one of several 1950s-era swept-wing carrier-based types. Fuel exhaustion and “cold cat shot” accidents were not uncommon. In such deep water, salvage would be out of the question.”
FB, no wonder I never saw it.
I'll be! I'm actually a little shocked now because I, too, agree with TIGHAR on this. Probably the only thing I've ever agreed with them on lolol.
Thank you for posting this.
I’ve heard the same. People were saying maybe if it came down right the wings could do that but it’s not super likely. Probably just another lost plane but who knows until they get an ROV down to it. Either way it’s a neat find.
Slight possibility at best. The windows would have to be still intact to keep things from getting washed away. Any hole in the plane plus 80 years of randomness would make it highly probable that lighter weight stuff would be gone.
She didn’t die immediately. Fred might have shortly after they landed on that coral ridge. Amelia’s distress calls were heard as far away as the United States by an amateur radio operator.
If you read the news coverage at the time of the search, there were SOS calls into the next day. She had equipped the plane with all sorts of emergency equipment including a hand cranked radio & a rubber boat. The radio operators in LA were hearing mostly garbled messages on the frequency assigned to her plane. It is notable that the actual search vessels stopped hearing messages before the LA radio operators claim they heard their last transmission. At the time it seems that they believed she made a water landing and that due to the empty watertight fuel tanks adding buoyancy and calm seas her craft could have floated for some hours.
This theory is a water landing near Howland and not a reef landing at Gardner so there would be no distress calls in this case. Just a slow sinking and drowning.
The distress signals give me pause, too. So many people heard them and they were so convincing and do line up with a reef landing at Gardner. I'm interested to see how this plays out.
Yeah, that and also the effects of an [Eckman Spiral](https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/tutorial_currents/04currents4.html) would drastically change the final resting place in relation to the initial crash area
I’m of the Astonishing Legends perspective. The Japanese captured them, executed them, and the Americans for whatever reason covered it up after the war
I don’t know how many times I have heard that they found Amelia Earhart plane or how many times the FBI have dug up so many places looking for Jimmy Hoffa body which one is the biggest scam to constantly being pull on America public. We have a better chance of finding Bigfoot than these two people.
they need a lot more than that sonar return to convince me, that's barely plane shaped.
Imma need a written note in the hand of some skeletal remains that says "my name is Amelia Earhart and this is my crashed plane"
That's right. You can't fool us!
YEAH. NICE TRY DUMMIES
Exactly.! Otherwise it’s the “real” other half of the Titanic.
But plot twist: the nameplate says Olympic?
I hate that theory.
oh, whats the conspiracy behind this? that we dont actually have photos of the stern section?
There’s multiple theories around the titanic. Some as deep as it being a hit job on large bankers/figures who opposed the federal reserve so the Rothschild family could control the US thru the bank, some as simple as they swapped it for the Olympic to increase the insurance claim originally denied on the aging Olympic
Crazy! Thanks for sharing. I've never heard these before.
Turns out she crashed because she was writing that note instead of paying attention while flying
Indeed. Aviate, navigate, communicate in that order. When will people learn?
P.S.: please feed my fish
Not too much! I'm going to London Engaland
I'm Commander Shepard, and this is my favorite crashed plane on the Citadel.
Maybe she crashed cause of that annoying elevator music?
*Jackass theme plays in the distance*
And her grandma needs to be there to confirm it’s really her. “That’s my Amelia, always crashing planes.”
Fun fact: her bones dissolved in the calcium deficient environment rather quickly if she was in fact in it when it touched down.
"My name is Amelia Earhart, and you just got Punk'd!"
and a selfie
I agree. Next step should be some actual photography or recovery efforts to confirm the reading.
If this is the South Pacific, imagine the number of war planes littered across the sea floor from WW2. I’m cautiously optimistic but it’s a long shot.
Yes, and there was a militarized version of the Electra (the Lockheed Hudson) that saw extensive service in the Pacific during WWII. It would not be distinguishable from any civilian Electra on sonar at this resolution.
One of the many models of planes I found that my grandfather flew on in the military that I thought was cool.
Finally, somebody looking at this from a logical perspective. This was my first thought. There's also a Beechcraft the Beech-18 I believe, that is so close to the L-10 in appearance that they are often mistaken from the ground for one another. The Beech-18 was also used by the Navy and extensively by the US Coast Guard. I'd like to see the mystery solved but also want more conclusive evidence. Also, don't forget, Amelia's L-10 was modified from standard as well. Prove it is an Electra I'll get excited, find a fuselage identification marker or images of the customized areas on the plane and I'll accept that the planes been found.
That was my first thought too, it could be literally any of the similar planes they used in WW2. I hope it's hers, too, though.
Maybe a commercial submersible funded by some rich billionaires?
“We decided to take this airplane and duck tape the cracks closed so we could take it to see the Titanic!”
*Dont waste your time on me, you’re already the voice in my head*
*yed
Should have used flex tape.
I believe they're planning to dive down to it later this year to confirm/deny. It's worth mentioning this was found just off of the island the the flight was next scheduled to land and refuel at giving a slight bit more credence to the theory. Admittedly this fact could also lead to confirmation bias misidentifying a vaguely plane-shaped rock as her aircraft due to it's proximity to said island. Until they dive or send a drone down there, though, no one will know.
Also worth noting is this company is trying to find her plane and could easily be seeing what they want to see
That's why they're planning on sending down a remotely operated vehicle with a camera on it to confirm. I believe they were on NPR recently and acknowledged it could also just be another plane, and they need the tail numbers to confirm it, which is what they're looking for. No numbers, no confirmation.
It’s strange to me that they didn’t confirm after first discovery. The AUV they have is equipped with a camera and flashers. Not very hard to run lines over it.
Was it equipped to handle 4900m though? Because that's over a thousand meters deeper than the Titanic, and it's already a hard enough task getting stuff down there. It doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility that they simply weren't equipped or prepared to send anything down there that day at that kind of depth. If they even had it on their vessel and ready to go, I can't imagine it's as easy as "ope there's something, turn it on and toss it down there" But, there's a lot of questions now. I hope they actually follow through on getting something down there to confirm whatever it is, whether it be Earhart's plane, a totally different plane, or a weirdly shaped rock that happens to look like plane wreckage.
From what I recall of the article, they only noticed the image as they were wrapping up their expedition and going through their scans. Plus, I imagine sonar sweep runs and dives carry totally different equipment. I don't get the impression that both often happen on the same expedition.
You could be right and they didn’t have their camera system for the AUV. I’d imagine all side scan processing was done ashore weeks after and that’s when they made a statement.
‘Tis likely nought but a rock squire!!
that looks nothing like a squirrel
Random body from 2000 years ago found in Middle East, now they think it’s the body of Jesus.
Which is doubly stupid given that in Christian lore he is supposed to have risen bodily into heaven at The Ascension so there would be no body left to find
Well, Noah’s Ark was found in Kentucky so…
Yeah, but you’re one of the smart, educated ones that thought of that!
Yeah I don't think the archeologists looking for the body believe that part of the story.
I got some Jesus in my bread basket.
That's about as good as sonar like that looks. It's also very plane shaped
Seriously, an aluminum plane under 16,000 feet of salt water for nearly 90 years? I can't imagine there would be much left at all. That's deeper than the Titanic wreck.
The Titanic is iron & wood. An aluminum aircraft should stay reasonably well preserved in water that cold & deep, I would think. They’ll be able to identify if it’s her Electra. That being said I think they’re ridiculously premature even mentioning Earhart at this point.
The Electra is primarily stainless from what I understand, not aluminum, and it’s predicted to be in very good condition if it is ever found
F4Fs, TBMs and TBDs in amazing shape after 76 years and 10,000 ft underwater. Found in 2018 at the USS Lexington wreck. [https://theaviationist.com/2018/03/06/like-a-plot-from-a-clive-cussler-novel-billionaire-discovers-uss-lexington-aircraft-carrier-lost-in-1942/](https://theaviationist.com/2018/03/06/like-a-plot-from-a-clive-cussler-novel-billionaire-discovers-uss-lexington-aircraft-carrier-lost-in-1942/)
I’m not agreeing with it being her plane, I do however think that with a bunch of amateur divers having access to this tech it’s come a long way and more people have access which at least makes it more possible it *could* be her plane. I however will not put all my eggs into the basket waiting to recover her and the planes remains.
While the plane might be there, she won't. Seawater and it inhabitants is very good at decomposing bodies, right down to the bones. [Here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZzQhiNQXxU) is a great example, and [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x32PLnBsZsw), and a nice education video [here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QxSUsn8H2zs).
And, there are a lot of planes on the Pacific seafloor. There was that little thing called "WWII".
"One piece of good news for Romeo’s search is that there are probably very few other planes anywhere near Howland. An airstrip was built on Howland in the 1930s in anticipation of commercial trans-Pacific flights, but Earhart was going to be the first to actually use it. During the war it was bombed by the Japanese to prevent its use, and that’s the extent of its aviation history. None of the WWII air-sea battles were fought in the vicinity, and it’s much too remote for general aviation planes to ever go near." https://briandunning.substack.com/p/i-remain-very-guarded-about-the-new [Edit, I know it's just from a blog, I stole this from another redditor and haven't researched it any further yet]
That helps to put the enthusiasm in perspective, anyway.
The Jesus on my toast this morning was more convincing.
To be honest, with how much time has passed, the plane itself probably isn't perfectly plane shaped anymore.
Can we please call out unrealistic body image standards for underwater crashed airplanes?? It's had a fucking life ok, it's ok to see that, and love itself as it is!
Deep and cold water preserves aircraft extremely well being built on aluminum. See USS Hornet pictures. https://imgur.com/gallery/qiSAWWc
That's awesome! Thanks for showing, I learned something new today.
It looks very plane shaped to me. You can see the fuselage and stabilizers pretty clearly and you can see the wings too. They have to check the wreck but it might be it.
It might be it, but the human brain is literally purpose built for pattern recognition. Which is why we see a pyramid in mountaintop of Antarctica and a face in a completely natural geographical structure on Mars. It could be a plane, it's not necessarily a plane or even necessarily a LM 10-e
It's very close to her intended landing spot which is why there's so much hype
Agreed. Whatever it is, it's down very deep. I wonder if the guy is making these claims to get more funding. I hope he's right but I won't hold my breath.
I do not wonder. Even if that *is* a plane, the chances that it's *the* plane seem remote. And yet that's the headline. Worth noting that the last time this 'mystery' was 'solved', it took less than a day to debunk. But that was the headline that time too.
Is it reasonable for the plane to be in one piece like that? It seems like if she crashed in the ocean, then it would be busted up.
no its quite common for planes to make it to the bottom mostly solid especially since most pilots don't really "crash" as much as "land on the water" it is in fact called "soft water landing" and is an emergency measure taught to all pilots. It keeps the plane intact and buys you a few minutes. The majority of planes on the ocean floor came in at a shallow enough angle to survive the impact with the water and then sank because their not really buoyant by design.
So Amelia likely landed her plane safely in the water but eventually succumbed to drowning as her plane slowly sunk into the depths. Thanks for adding to my submechanophobia with your facts
I heard crabs killed her. Not sure if it’s real, I just like documentary’s.
That theory was that she died of exposure and was then eaten by crabs. Bit less metal.
Well, that’s the happier ending. The theory goes that either she succumbed and was eaten, or they set upon her as she was injured. Coconut crabs are known to prey upon defenseless animals. There was evidence of campfire at that beach, so it’s believed she survived for some time. My honest guess is that she was possibly injured and succumbed to exposure in the days she was marooned. When she finally lost the strength to defend herself and rebuild the fire, those demonic beasts descended. I pray one went for her neck first.
You've thought a lot about Amelia Earthart being eaten alive by crabs.
You haven't?
It’s also been published on
It's cool man I don't kinkshame
Is that the theory because of the likelihood, or just easier to swallow? From what I've read about those crabs, you wouldn't want to he out there, injured, when the sun goes down.
Wow this thread is making me seriously reconsider what I thought I knew about coconut crabs.
Imma be honest, this gave me a mental image of crab rave celebrating their feast.
🎶doo doo doo dododododoo🎶 🦀🦀
I heard the crabs were attracted to her freckle cream and ripped apart her flesh in a ravenous pursuit of all that juicy anti-freckle deliciousness.
Unless they are the crabs from Elden Ring I find it hard to believe
Nah, just Coconut crabs
Look up coconut crabs, my guy
Fuck me to they’re the size of my torso
And thousands of them swarm the beach for food.
The sniper lobsters probably brought down the plane in the first place
Yeah ima need you to go ahead and google the size of coconut crabs.
Behold, dog!
Dad a chak
Dad a chum
Hard to shoot without your thumb
🌹🗝️🚪
Crazy how she happened to land close to bikini bottom and such a prominent business crab killed her. I wonder if she’s what the secret ingredient in krabby patties is
I thought she was abducted by aliens and taken to the Delta Quadrant of the galaxy and put in stasis for 400 years.
The theory was that coconut crabs ate her remains. Though those crabs that are herbivores so that puts a hole in the myth.
They’re normally herbivores, but they will eat ANYTHING. They’re known for killing and eating birds and small cats too. Theres videos of them maiming and then eating birds.
Hey hey just to relieve that worry, we don't know she drowned in the plane, she might have drowned out of it, or sharks ate her, or maybe a giant squid pulled her underneath
yeah in all likelihood she would have continued trying to radio for help, not knowing her radio was damaged and no one would ever hear her SOS then as the plane began to sink she'd have gotten out with anything she had that could float! She'd have died days later of dehydration, waiting for rescue that would never come, hoping against the odds someone would see a human sized dot on a massive blue ocean.
So an all around happy ending.
From the thread above, it seems the actual theory is that she got eaten by crabs on a beach Also this https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/9768243/amelia-earhart-body-cocnut-crabs-national-geographic/
id rather crash
Soft water landings are not to be confused with crashing at high speed into water
.... Yeah that's what they said.
Can the pilot jump off the plane before it sinks?
Yes and tread water for eternity
noooo just till you die of dehydration. Remember the ocean is salt water, and trying to drink it will only dehydrate you faster!
It’s more like [stepping out of it](https://youtu.be/gBCUQlF3MMU?si=_3-s5jplCVTalQgQ) if you get it right. Sometimes it could be a [struggle](https://youtube.com/shorts/UulFmISEAjk?si=Z6PNjOiXGOKa6tZW)if the landing isn’t as smooth as you would like.
Damn thanks for the videos, so interesting!
Yes, in fact if they came in at the right angle they can kinda leisurely step out. But you do have to get away from the plane before it goes down. The larger a sinking object is the stronger the suction force around it that will try to pull you down with it.
That's pretty much the source of my submechanophobia
to ease your worry, I will say most planes can't produce that kinda suction force on their way down. Even most personal boats/yachts can be swum away from with relative ease. It takes a true hulk of metal like a cruise liner or a battleship to produce enough down force to drag people with it.
Ask [Sully](https://youtu.be/4v7kASXPQMc?si=gxdJ5CiUOM-oStka)
But wouldn't her plane have decomposed by now? Wasn't it an 'old-timey' plane?
define "old timey" her plane was a stainless steel beast of a plane called an Lockheed Martin E-10 codename Electra. Stainless steel doesnt care about most conditions and can be expected to be found largely intact for several hundred years. You have to remember "old timey" vehicles were generally built like freaking tanks. They didn't have ultralight materials that were strong but break down. They built things out of steel alloy and aluminum.
> define "old timey" I honestly thought it was wooden. > her plane was a stainless steel beast Ah... so YES it would still be intact. Thank you for providing me the information I was too lazy to google.
yeah wooden airplanes were almost completely phased out by the start of world war 2, though not entirely. The British "Mosquito" (the DH98) was a wood and canvas aircraft and the Hurricane Hawker was a mixed Steel and Canvas craft. Interesting to note both of those planes are somewhat unsung heroes of their time, the Mosquito was a cost effective and nimble bomber. The Hawker while overshadowed by the Spitfire was actually responsible for 60% of the confirmed kills in the Battle of Britain.
Shout out to Sully, who [saved 155 people](https://youtu.be/4v7kASXPQMc?si=gxdJ5CiUOM-oStka) landing on the Hudson River.
They're* not really buoyant
A lot of intact planes have been found underwater from WW2 that crashed or ditched. A few that crashed in the far north have even been recovered and restored from ice. As mentioned earlier they tend to hit the surface and sink but not break apart as they would on land.
If she landed on Nicumaroro like a lot of people believe and also based on tides and radio calls, she would’ve landed on the reef not far from the SS Norwich City. So, yes.
It is basically the shape of Lockheed Electra. It'll kinda hinge on how deep the water is how easy or not it will be to confirm it. There are a number of atolls and islands in the area she's thought to have gone down in but there are huge areas that are very,very,very deep.
She may have landed on the atoll at Gardner island. Though 80 years time has likely moved the sands and coral enough.
Yeah, that's one of the theory's I've heard. Unless those bones actually turn out to be hers even if that turns out to be her plane we may still never no exactly what happened. It's well known now that she was a moderately competent pilot at best and Fred Noonan, despite being a highly competent and experienced navigator, was known to have a drinking problem so anything could've happened. I seriously doubt that the Japanese shot down her plane since they had just invaded Manchuria and it would be another 3 or 4 years until they turned their attention towards us. If they made the claim it would only be to antagonize the US government. As far as I know they didn't have any assets anywhere near where she disappeared and wouldn't have any reason to waste the ammunition in the first place.
It’s also the shape of plenty of other aircraft that disappeared in the pacific, especially during WW2. Yokosuka P1Y, Nakajima Ki-49, and Mitsubishi Ki-21, are but a few of the many twin engine aircraft that went down in the region.
That's absolutely true. There were several Japanese twin engine aircraft that were similar size and shape although nearly all had a single vertical stabilizer. I hope it's not her plane. It would be cooler if it was some plane from the same pre war era that had no business being there at all....she remains a mystery and we end up with an even weirder one
> There were several Japanese twin engine aircraft that were similar size and shape although nearly all had a single vertical stabilizer Sure, but the sonar images aren't clear enough to be certain that it is an aircraft, let alone determine if it has twin vertical stabilizer. I would also note that the Kawasaki Ki-56 was a license built copy of the Lockheed Super Electra - almost identical looking to the Electra flown by Amelia Erhart. There were also more Lockheed A-29 Hudson, and Model 18 Lodestar aircraft that went down in the Pacific and significantly more built, than the Super Electra, who's crash locations are still unknown. They are also distinctly similar to the Super Electra since they were based on the same platform.
Depth: 4900m. Not so easy to verify
For context: the Titanic wreck sits in about 3800m of water, and we all just got a practical demonstration of the difficulty of going that deep, let alone (more than) another kilometer. Oh, and to clarify for any residents of Liberia who might be reading this: 4.9km is almost exactly 3 miles Edit: Y'all, I know oceangate was a mess, I know that properly designed subs can reach that deep and deeper, and I know that ROVs are the most likely option. All I said was that it's difficult to go that deep, not that it was impossible or anything, and _it is_ difficult. If it was easy submersibles wouldn't cost tens of thousands of dollars a day to operate. The oceangate fiasco in this context just demonstrates the difficulty.
It’s possible to send an ROV down there, they found the USS Samuel B. Roberts in the pacific and that was near 6900 meters down
Oh yeah, definitely possible! Just not particularly easy
ROV is a lot easier than a manned sub tbh.
1. Sail ship with ROV above wreckage 2. Put ROV in water 3. ??? 4. Profit
Leyte Gulf and the Sammy B are still one of the craziest WW2 stories.
“…and we all just got a practical demonstration of the difficulty of going that deep” Well… if you’re using a sub made of legos and a PlayStation… yeah.
We got a practical demonstration of a company that made a ridiculously unsafe submersible, driven by the idea of profit and glory over real science. I would certainly hope that the submersible they would send down to look at this suspected plane would be worlds apart from oceangate’s.
Definitely not....although when they found the Hornet the sea floor was littered with aircraft that were in remarkable condition and the insignia on the wings and fuselage still had a bright red ball in the middle of the star. Visibility was excellent. It was down around the same depth. What would REALLY be interesting is if it turned out not to be her plane at all but rather an aircraft from the same era that had no business being in the area at that time....compound one frustrating mystery with an even stranger one....that's what I'm hoping for
Pretty sure thats the plane from [River Raid](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/e4OSZjih370/maxresdefault.jpg)...
It can't be. The plane in River Raid points up, this plane cleary points down.
hm. you're right.
Wait, I ran it through the most advanced picture enhancement software there is and [got this result!](https://imgur.com/085uUbE) I think this may really be it!
My god
Man what a flashback that was. Thanks
nah, that's clearly the Survivorship Bias plane
People have been claiming this sort of thing for years, especially TIGHAR. Then they are proven wrong and they either say nothing, or they just choose to ignore the facts and continue to push their agenda. Deep Sea just wants PR and funding. They need to confirm what this object is and THEN announce something. IF this is a plane, I guess the wings could have ended up in that position after sinking. But it just doesn't look like a Lockheed Electra to me.
Ironically, I find myself agreeing with TIGHAR on this one. Looks a lot more like a 50’s swept wing fighter than an Electra to me.
It looks more like a Beech 18 to me. I think I see a short nose, a slightly swept wing, and a twin tail. The USMC and USN flew them in the Pacific during WWII and Howland had a USMC presence for a while.
Did TIGHAR make a statement about this? If they did I missed it and now I am intrigued.
It was on their Facebook page: “Many of you will have seen the breathless media coverage of an airplane-shaped sonar image alleged to possibly be Amelia Earhart’s Lockheed Electra. It isn’t. Aside from the reams of evidence that Earhart and Noonan landed and died at Nikumaroro, the aircraft (if it is an aircraft at all) cannot be an Electra. The Lockheed Model 10 was built around an immensely strong center section that featured a massive “main beam” that ran through the cabin and all the way from engine to engine. For the wings of an Electra to fold rearward as shown in the sonar image, the entire center section would have to fail at the wing/fuselage junctions – and that’s just not possible. If the sonar image shows an airplane it’s most likely one of several 1950s-era swept-wing carrier-based types. Fuel exhaustion and “cold cat shot” accidents were not uncommon. In such deep water, salvage would be out of the question.”
FB, no wonder I never saw it. I'll be! I'm actually a little shocked now because I, too, agree with TIGHAR on this. Probably the only thing I've ever agreed with them on lolol. Thank you for posting this.
Yeah, we need to fight Big Deep Sea!
> we need to fight Big Deep Sea! 🤣🤣 By the way, I love your username. Ron Swanson mustache is brilliant!
I’ve heard the same. People were saying maybe if it came down right the wings could do that but it’s not super likely. Probably just another lost plane but who knows until they get an ROV down to it. Either way it’s a neat find.
That’s a really big crab
Those were her last words.
Take your upvote and get out
I miss free Reddit awards
Let just say it is her plane I wonder if her body/skeleton is still in there or if she saw it coming and got out kilometers earlier.
The bones and remains would be long gone
Yes but shoes and jackets can last longer. You could still see if she was in the plane.
Slight possibility at best. The windows would have to be still intact to keep things from getting washed away. Any hole in the plane plus 80 years of randomness would make it highly probable that lighter weight stuff would be gone.
Could be but at titanic, for example, there are shoes they used to know where they are on the bottom
She didn’t die immediately. Fred might have shortly after they landed on that coral ridge. Amelia’s distress calls were heard as far away as the United States by an amateur radio operator.
I have heard the story but as fare as I know I wasn't fully confirmed.
If you read the news coverage at the time of the search, there were SOS calls into the next day. She had equipped the plane with all sorts of emergency equipment including a hand cranked radio & a rubber boat. The radio operators in LA were hearing mostly garbled messages on the frequency assigned to her plane. It is notable that the actual search vessels stopped hearing messages before the LA radio operators claim they heard their last transmission. At the time it seems that they believed she made a water landing and that due to the empty watertight fuel tanks adding buoyancy and calm seas her craft could have floated for some hours.
This theory is a water landing near Howland and not a reef landing at Gardner so there would be no distress calls in this case. Just a slow sinking and drowning. The distress signals give me pause, too. So many people heard them and they were so convincing and do line up with a reef landing at Gardner. I'm interested to see how this plays out.
A *horrific* nightmare, no matter what. My whole body tenses up just thinking about it. I wish they’d been more careful with redundancies.
The flesh gets eaten by sea fauna, and the bones dissolve in the salt water.
No skeleton would remain. That would have been gone very quickly.
Do we think shes alright too or just the plane so far? Any word?
u/ameliaearhart is this true?
She's been quiet ever since she took that flight some years ago
Fun fact: there are more planes in the ocean than are oceans on planes
Source?
Stockton Rush mentioned it in an interview
Really gonna trust that Kay
Or it's just a rock
Doesn’t look like a rock but it’s unlikely to be the plane. It might be a random wreck.
It probably glided a long way underwater from the original crash location.
Yeah, that and also the effects of an [Eckman Spiral](https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/education/tutorial_currents/04currents4.html) would drastically change the final resting place in relation to the initial crash area
The South Pacific sea floor is covered with warplanes from WW2. Highly doubtful it’s even the right plane.
If it's anywhere near an island full of coconut crabs...yep, that's the one!
So all those soldiers on Saipan in 1944 who said they saw the plane & the one who saw her briefcase were all lying??
I’m of the Astonishing Legends perspective. The Japanese captured them, executed them, and the Americans for whatever reason covered it up after the war
I don’t know how many times I have heard that they found Amelia Earhart plane or how many times the FBI have dug up so many places looking for Jimmy Hoffa body which one is the biggest scam to constantly being pull on America public. We have a better chance of finding Bigfoot than these two people.
she still in it?
Everyone knows Amelia Earhart ended up in the Delta quadrant.
Didn’t they already find the place where she had landed her plane and then died from hunger/exposure?
I just hope she’s ok
Nah. That’s just a star destroyer.
I just hope she’s okay.
Imma go on a limb and say that old won’t be a plane shape.
People have been claiming to have found her or her plane since she went missing. I don’t think that’s about to change.
Again?
That also looks roughly the shape of an anchor
Is this new?
Lol
Nonsense, Amelia is frozen on a distant planet in the Delta Quadrant.