The disappearance of Amelia Earhart continues to be a mystery, with theories ranging from alien abduction to an emergency landing on a remote island.
Now, Deep Sea Vision claims it may have discovered the wreckage of her Lockheed 10-E Electra aircraft on the ocean floor, IGN reports.
Over the weekend, the company, funded by former Air Force intelligence officer Tony Romeo, posted on social media sonar images of what it claims is Earhart's plane.
"On July 2, 1937, Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan took off from Papua New Guinea, nearing the end of their record-breaking round-the-world trip, after which they were never seen again. Until today. Deep Sea Vision has discovered what appears to be Airhart's Lockheed 10-E Electra aircraft," the post reads.
Earhart originally disappeared in 1937 with navigator Fred Noon in the midst of her attempt to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the globe. Famous for her time, Earhart set numerous records and was the first woman to make a solo transatlantic flight without a break. Her mission and the mysterious nature of her disappearance have become part of American folklore, being referenced in works of science fiction ranging from Star Trek to Starfield.
Romeo expressed his excitement over the potential discovery of the remains, telling the Wall Street Journal that he felt like "a 10-year-old going on a treasure hunt." Deep Sea Vision initially set out in September to search for Earhart's plane with the help of the Hugin submarine, with the sonar image captured about 30 days after the trip began. It was found less than 100 miles from Howland Island, where Airhart was originally scheduled to refuel, and about 16,500 feet under the ocean. The team didn't discover the image in the submarine's data until much later, making it impossible to turn around, but planned to return to the site of the image.
Social media users were quick to point out that the visible silhouette doesn't look much like Airhart's plane, with some noting that the image looks more like a spread-wing design. Others argued that the discrepancies could be due to broken wings from a surface impact.
If this is not Airhart's plane, Romeo suggested that the images could be of another missing aircraft or possibly a man-made object that fell from a shipping container.
For now, experts are reportedly interested in the findings, with National Air and Space Museum curator Dorothy Cochran saying the image is in roughly the right place. Others say some visual confirmation is needed.
"Until you physically look at it, you can't tell for sure what it is," said underwater archaeologist Andrew Pietruska.
Romeo said Deep Sea Visions plans to use a robotic submarine to try to get better images of the site. If it turns out to be Earhart's plane, he plans to collaborate with the Smithsonian Institution and other investors to try to recover the wreckage.
"I don't think we're there yet," Romeo says. "But I think Americans want to see this at the Smithsonian; that's where it belongs. Not at the bottom of the ocean." / BGNES
