Colorized image of Amelia Earhart posing on top of a plane

Amelia Earhart sits atop the plane she piloted during her final flight. 

Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

Article Options

Presentation View
Teaching Resources

Lexile® measure

Language

Vanished!

For decades, people have wondered what happened to Amelia Earhart. Will new images finally give an answer?

As You Read, Think About: Why does Amelia Earhart continue to fascinate people?

On July 2, 1937, Amelia Earhart was well on her way to making history. The world-famous pilot was about three-quarters of the way through a journey that would make her the first woman to fly around the world. But she never finished the trip. Her plane vanished somewhere over the Pacific Ocean that day, and Earhart was never heard from again. 

Nearly 87 years later, exactly what happened to the legendary aviator remains one of history’s greatest mysteries. But in January, an ocean exploration group announced that it may have found an important clue: Earhart’s plane.

On July 2, 1937, Amelia Earhart was well on her way to making history. The world-famous pilot was about three-quarters of the way through a great journey. It would make her the first woman to fly around the world. But she never finished the trip. Her plane vanished somewhere over the Pacific Ocean that day. Earhart was never heard from again. 

Nearly 87 years have passed since then. What happened to the legendary aviator remains one of history’s greatest mysteries. But in January, a group of explorers announced that they may have found an important clue. Did they find Earhart’s plane?

Celebrity Pilot

NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images

Earhart was a pioneer in flight at a time when few women flew airplanes. In 1932, she became the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Three years later, she became the first pilot—male or female—to fly alone from Hawaii to California.

“She was one of the most famous people of the time, kind of like Taylor Swift is today,” says Dorothy Cochrane, an aviation expert at the National Air and Space Museum. 

For her next big challenge, Earhart wanted to circle the globe. She was joined by navigator Fred Noonan, who would plot the course of their round-the-world trip. In May 1937, the pair took off from Oakland, California. 

Earhart was a pioneer in flight at a time when few women flew airplanes. In 1932, she became the first female aviator to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Three years later, she became the first pilot—male or female—to fly alone from Hawaii to California.

“She was one of the most famous people of the time, kind of like Taylor Swift is today,” says Dorothy Cochrane. She’s an aviation expert at the National Air and Space Museum. 

For her next big challenge, Earhart wanted to circle the globe. She was joined by navigator Fred Noonan. He would plot the course of their round-the-world trip. In May 1937, the pair took off from Oakland, California. 

Lost at Sea

By early July, they had reached the island of New Guinea in the Pacific Ocean. They had traveled more than 21,000 miles, making more than two dozen stops on five continents. Their next stop would be tiny Howland Island, more than 2,500 miles away.

But something went terribly wrong during the flight. The sky was cloudy, and Earhart and Noonan had trouble spotting the island. After about 20 hours in the air, their plane was low on fuel. Earhart sent urgent radio messages to a U.S. Coast Guard ship near Howland Island. Her final message was received at about 8:43 a.m. on July 2. Earhart’s disappearance shocked the world.

“The press was covering her flight, and big crowds greeted her everywhere,” Cochrane says. “Then she was just gone.”

By early July, they had reached the island of New Guinea in the Pacific Ocean. They had traveled more than 21,000 miles. They made more than two dozen stops on five continents. Their next stop would be tiny Howland Island. It was more than 2,500 miles away.

But something went terribly wrong during the flight. The sky was cloudy. Earhart and Noonan had trouble spotting the island. They had been flying for about 20 hours. Their plane was low on fuel. Earhart sent urgent radio messages to a U.S. Coast Guard ship near Howland Island. Her final message was received at about 8:43 a.m. on July 2. Earhart’s disappearance shocked the world.

“The press was covering her flight, and big crowds greeted her everywhere,” Cochrane says. “Then she was just gone.” 

Deep Sea Vision

The Deep Sea Vision team says this fuzzy sonar image (left) could show Earhart’s Lockheed Electra plane (right). What do you think?

The Search Begins

Search teams spent about two weeks looking for signs of Earhart, Noonan, or their plane. But the crews had no luck. Because no one knew exactly where the plane had disappeared, the search area was huge—about the size of Texas. 

Over the years, people have come up with many theories about what happened to Earhart and Noonan (see “Did They Survive?”). Cochrane and many other experts believe the answer is simple. They think the plane ran out of fuel, crashed into the ocean, and sank. 

Now, decades later, people are still trying to solve the mystery. In January, an ocean exploration group named Deep Sea Vision announced that it may have located her plane. 

Using sonar and an unmanned underwater vehicle, the crew searched thousands of square miles of the Pacific Ocean floor. They spotted an object they think could be Earhart’s long-lost plane within 100 miles of Howland Island.

The Deep Sea Vision team plans to investigate further. In the meantime, the debate about what happened to Earhart lives on.

“It’s a great mystery,” Cochrane says. “Someday we’ll find something—I’m hopeful.”

Search teams spent about two weeks looking for Earhart, Noonan, or their plane. But the crews had no luck. No one knew exactly where the plane had disappeared. Because of this, the search area was huge. It was about the size of Texas. 

Over the years, people have come up with many theories about what happened to Earhart and Noonan (see “Did They Survive?”). Cochrane and many other experts believe the answer is simple. They think the plane ran out of fuel, crashed into the ocean, and sank. 

Now, decades later, people are still trying to solve the mystery. Deep Sea Vision is an ocean exploration group. The group announced in January that it may have located Earhart’s plane.

The crew used sonar and an unmanned underwater vehicle. They searched thousands of square miles of the Pacific Ocean floor. They spotted an object they think could be Earhart’s long-lost plane. It was found within 100 miles of Howland Island.

The Deep Sea Vision team plans to investigate further. In the meantime, the debate about what happened to Earhart lives on.

“It’s a great mystery,” Cochrane says. “Someday we’ll find something—I’m hopeful.”

Did They Survive?

Rob Barrel/NAI’A

Is it possible that Amelia Earhart landed here?

Some people think Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan survived after their plane went missing. 

One popular theory is that they crash-landed on a tiny island called Nikumaroro (nik-uh-muhr-OR-oh), about 400 miles from Howland. Days after the plane disappeared, radio operators in the Pacific reported hearing distress calls coming from near Nikumaroro. Over the decades, artifacts have been found there, including scraps of metal that could be from a plane. 

Still, the island and the waters surrounding it have been searched using everything from trained dogs to deep-sea robots. Nothing linked to Earhart or Noonan has ever been found.

Some people think Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan survived after their plane went missing. 

One popular theory is that they crash-landed on a tiny island called Nikumaroro (nik-uh-muhr-OR-oh), about 400 miles from Howland. Days after the plane disappeared, radio operators in the Pacific reported hearing distress calls coming from near Nikumaroro. Over the decades, artifacts have been found there, including scraps of metal that could be from a plane. 

Still, the island and the waters surrounding it have been searched using everything from trained dogs to deep-sea robots. Nothing linked to Earhart or Noonan has ever been found.

1. Based on the article, why do you think the disappearance of Amelia Earhart is considered “one of history’s greatest mysteries”?

2. What made the 1937 search for Amelia Earhart’s plane difficult?

3. What is the purpose of the sidebar, “Did They Survive?”

1. Based on the article, why do you think the disappearance of Amelia Earhart is considered “one of history’s greatest mysteries”?

2. What made the 1937 search for Amelia Earhart’s plane difficult?

3. What is the purpose of the sidebar, “Did They Survive?”

videos (1)
Skills Sheets (3)
Skills Sheets (3)
Skills Sheets (3)
Games (1)
TEACHER SUPPORT (1)
Leveled Articles (1)
Text-to-Speech