A batch of newly declassified records on the mysterious disappearance of Amelia Earhart has revealed intimate, heart-pounding details of her final moments before vanishing in 1937.
Some 4,624 pages of thousands of documents were made available on Friday, at the order of Donald Trump, who ruled in September that the government would release all records related to the pilot’s final trip and ‘everything else about her.’
The files, announced by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, included newly declassified intercepts with ‘information on Earhart’s last known communications, weather and plane conditions at the time.’
The last radio transmissions from Earhart occurred on July 2, the day she and navigator Fred Noonan disappeared, when she told the US Coast Guard cutter Itasca that her plane was near Howland Island in the Pacific Ocean but was running low on fuel.
The aviator continued to transmit fragments, sounding increasingly desperate as she called for help, saying she was lost and asking for the Itasca, a boat stationed off the tiny atoll, to act like a giant radio compass to guide her in.
The records, released by the US National Archives (NSA), have now explained that the crew on Itasca tried to help, but it took them a critical two full minutes to switch their equipment to the right frequency (7500 kHz) and start sending the signal she needed.
Earhart’s last confirmed transmission, at 8.43am local time, showed the aviator circling in vain, as she believed she was flying up and down along an invisible straight line that runs through Howland Island.
However, she could not see the atoll or the Itasca’s smoke screen through the clouds. ‘We are on the line 157-337… circling but cannot hear you… Go ahead on 7500,’ were among the final words spoken over the radio by Earhart, followed by her plea to repeat on 6210 kHz: ‘Will repeat this message… Wait.’
The trove of newly declassified records about Amelia Earhart’s final moments have revealed her last transmission before vanishing 88 years ago
The records also revealed a massive naval investigation into her disappearance, which was deemed the largest ever at the time
Even more tantalizing was the revelation that the US listening posts in Hawaii picked up a faint ‘echo’ of her voice at the same moment, a detail buried in classified NSA files until last week’s release.
The files have also debunked rumors of Earhart captured and executed by Japanese forces, plus a trove of 1937 public letters, from a woman claiming to locate her via ‘telepathy’ to a man insisting her grave was in Spain.
However, aviation historians said these declassified documents will not ‘solve’ the 88-year mystery, but they humanize the chaos of the era’s search.
Earhart took to the sky on June 1, 1937, hoping to become the first female aviator to fly around the world.
She and Noonan departed from Oakland, California, flew to Miami, continued down to South America, crossed the Atlantic to Africa and then headed east through India and South Asia.
A few weeks later, they left Lae in Papua New Guinea with plans to stop on Howland Island on July 2 to refuel. But somewhere over the Pacific, they lost radio contact and were never seen or heard from again.
Their disappearance sparked one of the greatest aviation mysteries of all time, leading to countless theories, from crashing at sea to becoming castaways on a remote island or even being captured by the Japanese.
Weather logs were also unredacted, showing ‘excellent visibility south/east of Howland,’ but ‘continuous heavy cumulus cloud banks north/west,’ with east winds at eight to 13mph, which likely led to her failure to spot the Itasca’s smoke screen.
Radio transmissions revealed Earhart was running low on fuel as she approached Howland Island (pictured) in the Pacific Ocean. She called on the Coast Guard to use a ship in the area to help guide her
Pictured is some of the last communications of Earhart before she vanished
Previously blacked-out notes have now confirmed that overcast skies forced her through clouds overnight, causing a navigation drift.
Aircraft condition assessments released on Friday revealed Earhart’s plane was inspected before her final flight, and mechanics found problems with how the engine mixed fuel, damage connected to her earlier crash in Hawaii.
Earhart crashed in Hawaii on March 20, 1937, during a takeoff attempt at Luke Field on Ford Island. The incident occurred while she was on her first attempt to fly around the world, and her plane was significantly damaged but no one was injured.
The records showed that the plane was carrying too much fuel and cargo, which made it heavier and harder to fly.
Because of that extra weight, Earhart burned fuel faster than expected, about 20 percent faster, according to the documents.
Earhart took to the sky on June 1, 1937, hoping to become the first female aviator to fly around the world. Here she is pictured with her navigator, Fred Noonan, who also vanished
The newly declassified records showed there was a massive naval search for the aviator, the most extensive ever conducted up to that time.
On July 4, 1937, a Coast Guard dispatcher transmitted an urgent message to Earhart, hoping she was still alive, informing her that they were using ‘every possible means to make contact.’
Despite extensive air and sea searches, no transmissions were ever received from Earhart’s Lockheed 10-E Electra, raising concerns that she may have gone down near Howland Island, roughly halfway between Hawaii and Australia, according to historical records.
A switchboard operator shared a poignant message describing the team’s continuous communication with Earhart before her disappearance, noting their admiration for her.
The message dated July 5, 1937, recalled: ‘Amelia spoke at length, as if seeking a confidant. Those who admired her courage could hear it in her measured words.
‘Only in the final transmission did her emotions surface. Noonan was reportedly with her, though unconfirmed.’
The following day, hopes were briefly lifted when lights were reported near Howland Island, but these were later identified as meteors, according to the documents.
Earhart’s disappearance remains one of the most enduring mysteries of the 20th century.
