"We, at this point, are just interested right now in making an identification as to whose plane it is," Snavely said. Live Science is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. According to Live Science, a diving expedition initiated by Project Blue Angel in August 2017, encountered remains of a Lockheed Electra 10E - the aircraft Earhart was supposedly flying during her disappearance. Half Way to Howland, Earhart has passed her flying radius. William Snavely, the director of Project Blue Angel, first learned of the Buka Island crash site in 2005 after being tipped off to it by a local corrections officer. (This is disputed, however, by Bolam herself. Via/ Flickr. What's causing rare allergic reactions to Pfizer's vaccine? Snavely has been researching a reported wreck site near on Buka Island near Papua New Guinea. An investigative team has been working for months at the site of a wrecked airplane off the coast of Buka Island in eastern Papua New Guinea that could be the craft piloted by Amelia Earhart when she and her navigator disappeared in 1937. The team also found a glass disc that could possibly be a light lens from the front of the plane, Snavely said. That's what we're getting checked right now.". So, that's what he set out to do. (The once little boy was still alive in 1995 when the diver first spotted the plane, but has since passed away, so there's no way to verify his story. "Somebody died in that plane, and we'd like to know who it was to be able to tell their families.". Others say it’s unlikely the island was where Earhart’s life ended. On July 2, 1937 Model 10 Electra 1055 piloted by Amelia Earhart with navigator Fred Noonan took off from Lae Airfield, New Guinea and was never seen again.Earhart's last radio message was estimated to be within 200 miles of her destination Howland Island.Most likely, she ran out of fuel and perished at sea or in the crash. The majority of these hypotheses fit into five main categories, Williamson said. Snavely rattled off some features: The plane had a twin engine, a twin tail, a door on the pilot's side, a loop on the front of it for navigation purposes and a spar for an antenna. The information about the hair and the bone are almost 82 years old, since 1937, and it is impossible to find anything on them. For the past 13 years, Bill Snavely has been studying and researching a reported aircraft wreck site in the near coastal waters of Buka Island near Papua New Guinea. Stay up to date on the coronavirus outbreak by signing up to our newsletter today. Video. He even had a toy replica of the Lockheed Electra 10E. If we stop this expedition now to wait for referendum in October, who is going to finance this operation?”. SALISBURY, Md. “No one has ever searched the area,” Snavely says. As a result, in March 2019 Project Blue Angel arrived on Buka Island for another dive expedition with marine biologist and filmmaker Stephani Gordon from Open Boat Films and other experts. "We're still exploring to try to find out whose plane it is. Papua New Guinea was the last stop Earhart and Noonan made before they disappeared, and a team was assembled to examine the wreckage, which was discovered by divers. This is the group that recovered the remains and prompted the shutdown by MP Massat, which will last at least until the next referendum in October. Noonan and Earhart were declared dead in absentia in 1938 and 1939, respectively. “The Bougainville government leader in charge of the area where the Amelia Earhart aircraft salvage expedition is being undertaken has put a stop to any further diving at the site. Williamson commended Snavely for his skeptical approach. And it might not be just any plane: One amateur historian thinks it could belong to Amelia Earhart. As a result, the search has been shut down. William Snavely, who has been researching Amelia Earhart since he was a child. In the late 1930s, a little boy on a Papua New Guinean island saw a plane — its left wing engulfed in flames — crash onto the beach. NY 10036. One man seems to hold the latest and possibly biggest piece of evidence. (Image credit: Stephani Gordon, Open Boat Films). A local points to the site of the crash, near Matsungan Island. 10 She Crashed Near Buka Island In 2011, locals in Papua New Guinea claimed they found parts of the wreckage of Earhart’s plane on a reef near Buka Island, Bougainville. Beware of the “Metroplex Monsters” – There are More Than a Few of Them! On a diving expedition in August 2018, divers with Project Blue Angel said the sunken plane matched certain characteristics of Earhart's plane, a Lockheed Electra 10E. However, much more analysis is needed, he said. While in Buka searching for clues, Snavely received a tip that an airplane had crashed in 1937 and still lays submerged off the coast in 100' of water. We don't want to jump ahead and assume that it's Amelia's," said William Snavely, the director of Project Blue Angel, the group spearheading the project to identify the plane. "But everything that we're seeing so far would tend to make us think it could be." “The crash site is in direct alignment with Earhart’s flight path out of Lae…” Or, perhaps, Earhart purposefully landed (ditched) the plane on the water, and then it sank. The group now has a GoFundMe page to raise money for a second trip to Papua New Guinea. "He's being very cautious about it," Williamson told Live Science. Chris Williamson of chasingearhart.com joins the Matt Bubala Show to talk about the mystery behind Amelia Earhart and new updates. Earhart and Noonan became castaways on a distant island. Because of her charisma and her courage in breaking down barriers, she became an inspiration to countless individuals. Operating on a hunch that due to low fuel, Earhart may have decided to turn back to a viable landing strip, which would have taken her directly over the path of Buka Island, east of Papua New Guinea. The wreckage sits off a small, inhabited island near the town of Buka on the eastern side of Papua New Guinea. Researchers say that a site in Papua New Guinea may contain the long-lost remains of Amelia Earhart’s plane. Buka Island, an island in the Solomon Sea is the site where Amelia Earhart's plane may have crashed. It’s unclear from the reports who has the remains or if they will undergo DNA analysis while the search is postponed. In 2005, he flew over to Rabaul, Papua New Guinea, with the plan of talking to locals who might have information about a mysterious plane crash. New wreck site discovered, possible link to cracking Amelia Earhart disappearance Matt Bubala / 2 years ago. This, however, is subject to debate; there is no definitive evidence that would indicate how much fuel was put on board that day, according to Mary Lovell's book "The Sound of Wings: The Life of Amelia Earhart" (St. Martin's Griffin, 1989). On her return flight to Lae, her flying radius only reaches Buka Island. Then, during a tumultuous thunderstorm, it's possible Earhart crashed down on the island next to Buka, Snavely said. That way, he could have the sponge diver revisit the wreckage to see if it matched up. On February 28, 2011 Papua New Guinea’s Post-Courier reported that there are “strong indications” that Amelia Earhart’s Lockheed Electra has been discovered under 70 meters (230 feet) of water near Buka Island in Bougainville. Perhaps the aviators realized they wouldn't make it to Howland Island and rerouted the flight, flying toward Buka, which had the closest known runway, Snavely said. Buka Island, an island of Papua New Guinea in the Solomon Sea, southwestern Pacific Ocean, where a new theory says Amelia Earhart's plane may have crashed +13 A … [Up She Goes! Amelia Earhart's mysterious disappearance over the Pacific Ocean in 1937 has vexed historians and fueled conspiracy theories for decades. Up She Goes! 8 of the Wackiest Early Flying Machines]. You will receive a verification email shortly. ), The corrections officer asked Snavely for five characteristics that set the Electra apart from other planes. A dive team at the site has recently discovered human remains amongst the wreckage. Q) Did Famed Psychic Edgar Cayce Once Locate Amelia Earhart? Buka Island Chasing Amelia Earhart: researcher, creator talks updates Matt Bubala / 1 year ago. Related: Photos: The Incredible Life and Times of Amelia Earhart "It's obviously glass that appears to be old and covered significantly with barnacles," Snavely told Live Science. Earhart and Noonan became castaways on a distant island… Flying into Buka Island, she crashes and sinks in 100 feet of water. – William Snavely, Jr. from Salisbury may be one step closer to solving one of the greatest mysteries of all time, the disappearance of aviator Amelia Earhart. 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