New evidence revealed in advance of a History Channel documentary suggests that famed pilot Amelia Earhart may have survived her plane crash in the Pacific Ocean.
Until now, experts had been in general agreement. They thought Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, were lost at sea when the plane crashed into the Pacific on July 2, 1937. But a mislabeled photo found in the U.S. National Archives is calling that assumption into question.
Les Kinney found the photo in the U.S. National Archives. It shows people on a dock in Jaluit Atoll, Marshall Islands. Two of the people pictured appear to be Caucasians—unusual for the Japanese-held location.
The photo was evaluated using facial recognition software and forensic testing. It appears to show Earhart (seated) and Noonan (standing, far left) on a dock with Japanese officials, watching the crashed plane being loaded onto a barge.
The documentary film will air on the History Channel on Sunday. It claims the U.S. government knew Earhart and Noonan had crash-landed on the Marshall Islands. It further says that the pair were taken prisoner by the Japanese military. “She [Earhart] may very well be the first casualty of World War II,” says the documentary host and former FBI Executive Assistant Director Shawn Henry.
(Library of Congress Photo: The undated photo, showing a seated figure thought possibly to be missing aviator Amelia Earhart)
