Amelia Earhart died when her plane crashed while searching for Howland Island
(1 of 4)
Next position >
Amelia Earhart died searching for Howland Island
Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan were searching for this tiny island. From their subsequent disappearance, it is obvious enough they did not succeed in finding the island.
(1 of 1)
Next argument >
The Argument
When Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan took off from Lae, New Guinea, they were aiming for Howland Island, a tiny island just north of the equator in the central Pacific Ocean. From their subsequent disappearance, it is obvious enough they did not succeed in finding the island. The official United States position on the death of Earhart is that while en route to Howland Island, Earhart and Noonan ran out of fuel and crashed into the Pacific Ocean.[1] This prediction has been supported by many experts over the course of 80 years, specifically due to the known end goal of the flight as well as triangulations made from their last radio messages. [2] The estimation is that Earhart died very close to and a bit north of Howland Island due to a miscalculation by navigator Fred Noonan. This argument is the most practical as it takes into account the facts of the day including navigational dilemmas, fuel dilemmas, and the mannerisms of how Earhart and Noonan would respond in a disaster scenario.
Counter arguments
Many experts have claimed full confidence that this is what occurred to Earhart and Noonan, staking their careers upon it. However, the area of ocean believed to be where the craft crashed has been explored many times. It is unsensible that Earhart’s aircraft would elude mission after mission to find it if it were truly in this area. Furthermore, if Earhart’s disappearance and death are so cut and dry, it would not have consumed the public imagination in the way it has for 80 years.[3]