New sonar images could be the key to unlocking one of the greatest mysteries in history. According to a company called Deep Sea Vision, they believe they may have found the remains of Amelia Earhart’s plane at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.

In a press release, the company says they were following the theory that a simple miscalculation by Earhart’s navigator, Fred Noonan, led them to be way off course.

In short, after going over the international dateline, Noonan miscalculated his star navigation. This would have led them to 60 miles from their planned route. The area where the plane would have ended up has never been searched until now. 

Earhart pioneered early aviation and set new records and standards for women in the industry. She made history by becoming the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. In 1937, she attempted to become the first woman to circumnavigate the world successfully but disappeared on July 2. Her last known location was near Howland Island in the Pacific Ocean.

Since her disappearance, there have been many theories. However, no one has come to a solid conclusion on what happened to her and Noonan.

The dateline theory suggests they were lost over the ocean.

Searching for Amelia Earhart

“We always felt that she [Earhart] would have made every attempt to land the aircraft gently on the water, and the aircraft signature that we see in the sonar image suggests that may be the case,” says Deep Sea Vision CEO Tony Romeo. “We’re thrilled to have made this discovery at the tail end of our expedition, and we plan to bring closure to a great American story.”

The Deep Sea Vision team says they searched a 5,200 square mile area of the ocean floor with an autonomous underwater device called the HUGIN 6000. The submersible can use sonar to scan large areas. On the last day of their trip, the sonar picked up something that appeared to be the shape and size of Earhart’s plane.

The team says many officials are interested in their findings. The company plans to continue looking into the area to fully unlock the mystery.

What do you think of the images they found?

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