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An ocean geographic expedition team believes they ’ve found iconic pilotAmelia Earhart ’s aeroplane in the heart of the Pacific Ocean . But some experts say they ’re not so sure .
The group , love as Deep Sea Vision , recently bring out underwater sonar imagesthat resemble a plane lodged more 16,000 feet ( 4,900 meter ) underwater , equivalent to around 12 Empire State Buildings stacked on top of each other .
Sonar images show what explorers believe is the missing airplane of Amelia Earhart, the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic.
The team captured the image around 100 Roman mile ( 160 kilometers ) off Howland Island , an uninhabited coral atoll in the fundamental Pacific Ocean where Earhart was presuppose to refuel during her second and final attempt to flee around the world at the equator in 1937 . During this expedition , Earhart flew a Lockheed Electra 10E , a twin - engined plane about the sizing of a schoolhouse busbar .
" One of the most unique key characteristic[s ] of [ Amelia Earhart ’s ] aircraft were the distinctive matching vertical stabilizer on the tail , " Tony Romeo , a former pilot and CEO of Deep Sea Vision , wrote in an email sent to go Science . " The sonar look-alike shows what appears [ to be ] two strong replication from where these two vertical stabilizers would be positioned . "
Between September and December 2023 , a 16 - member crew from Deep Sea Vision surveyed more than 5,300 square feet ( 492 solid metre ) of the sea floor using an underwater " Hugin " drone , a hit man - regulate equipment that autonomously maneuvers through the water and scans the seabed .
The sonar image is shown side by side with Earhart’s Electra at scale.
Some expert say the paradigm are credible enough to elicit the possibleness that this was Earhart ’s plane . However , others , includingThe International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery(TIGHAR ) , throw doubt on the idea . TIGHAR representative said they believe Earhart landed on an island in Kiribati and lived as a pariah before dying .
Romeo offered an explanation for this variance .
" It is of import to note that sonar data point will appear more and more stretched the further the target is from the sonar . For this grounds the wings come along to be stretched or ' swept ' , " say Romeo , who has invest $ 11 million in the slip . " You ’ll notice that the tail section also is likely ' swept ' for this same reason , " he said . " If the tail and wings are both ' straighten ' out the shape of the target looks very much like [ Amelia Earhart ’s ] Lockheed Electra . "
Sonar search
Sonar has long been used to map the seafloor for navigational purposes or to search for wanting objective , like sheet and shipwrecks . However , images from the uttermost profundity where Deep Sea Vision captured the scan can look unclear , saidEric Terrill , a nautical scientist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography , part of University of California , San Diego .
" Due to the substantial astuteness of many ocean expanse , channel gamey - frequency sound suitable for fancy over foresighted distance while obtaining a exonerated return signal nonplus significant challenges to the necessary size of it of the transmitter and the physics of the propagating sound , " Terrill recount Live Science in an email . However , the figure of speech is " compelling and deserve further attention , " he added .
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The Deep Sea Vision team did n’t ease off the sonar image until they were sift through their data , about 90 day into their pleasure trip , which was two months after the data was first bewitch . By that sentence , it was too belated to turn back , and their trailer did not have a functional camera when it did egest over the site , Romeo toldThe Wall Street Journal . As a outcome , they have not yet reinforced their finding with photographic evidence or uncovered details , such as serial numbers , that could confirm that the craft matches Earhart ’s Electra .
" There is the possibility that it is another aircraft or even a WWII plane , " Romeo say . However , there are no known aircraft disappearance on record in this region , he bestow .
The Deep Sea Vision team plans to go back to the site later this year to investigate further , agree to The Wall Street Journal .
