# Amelia Earhart's plane found on the sea floor?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amelia-earharts-plane-found-on-the-sea-floor/58693
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [March 20, 2001, 8:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amelia-earharts-plane-found-on-the-sea-floor/58693 "2001-03-20T08:54:01Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 10
### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2025, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amelia-earharts-plane-found-on-the-sea-floor/58693/181 "2025-07-13T22:34:52Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#):
>
> Nope. There’s a swimming pool in suburban Cleveland that I’m certain Discovery Channel has never properly searched for Earhart or MH370. So it stands to reason that that’s where they are.
Sorry, but I biked past there just the other day, and there was no plane in the pool.
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### Author:  [@ASL\_v2.0](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASL_v2.0)
#### Post date: [July 13, 2025, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amelia-earharts-plane-found-on-the-sea-floor/58693/182 "2025-07-13T22:46:08Z")
Of course not. No one ever said the plane itself was there. But surely if you look a little closer, you’ll find the plane’s radio hooked up to a bicycle generator.
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### Author:  [@zbuzz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zbuzz)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2025, 5:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amelia-earharts-plane-found-on-the-sea-floor/58693/183 "2025-07-14T05:01:15Z")
> [@PastTense](#):
>
> “ **What we have here is maybe the greatest opportunity ever to finally close the case,** ” Pettigrew said in a news release. “With such a great amount of very strong evidence, we feel we have no choice but to move forward and hopefully return with proof.”
> “ **What we have here is maybe the greatest opportunity ever to finally ~~close the case~~ make stacks on stacks on stacks,** ” Pettigrew said in a news release. “With ~~such a great amount of very strong evidence~~ one single pixelated photo, we feel we have no choice but to ~~move forward~~ exploit this tragedy and hopefully return with ~~proof~~ mad cash.”
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### Author:  [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2025, 12:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amelia-earharts-plane-found-on-the-sea-floor/58693/184 "2025-07-14T12:04:04Z")
'Zactly. Nothing to see here. Time to move along to the next carnival barker seeking backers.
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### Author:  [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2025, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amelia-earharts-plane-found-on-the-sea-floor/58693/185 "2025-07-14T13:28:31Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#):
>
> Nope. There’s a swimming pool in suburban Cleveland that I’m certain Discovery Channel has never properly searched for Earhart or MH370. So it stands to reason that that’s where they are.
Along with the Nazi gold train. Check the deep end.
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2025, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amelia-earharts-plane-found-on-the-sea-floor/58693/186 "2025-07-14T13:44:01Z")
Now that you mention it, the changing room is made out of yellow bricks…
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### Author:  [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)
#### Post date: [July 14, 2025, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amelia-earharts-plane-found-on-the-sea-floor/58693/187 "2025-07-14T13:44:19Z")
ETA: @Jackmannii 2 posts up …
Yeah. That stuff is heavier than aluminum that will tend to gather instead near the steps in the shallows.
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### Author:  [@md-2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/md-2000)
#### Post date: [July 15, 2025, 12:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amelia-earharts-plane-found-on-the-sea-floor/58693/188 "2025-07-15T12:44:22Z")
It was about 8AM local time when she disappeared - so getting light out, it’s possible if she could see an island, any island, and gas was running low, that she’d attempt to land on the beach. (Assuming she could see an island and there was sufficient beach.) OTOH, if she thought she knew where she was, it would not be surprising if she took a gamble to head to where she thought Howland should be.
Inquiring minds want to know…
(If you use Google Maps, go to Nikumaroro Island and click on it, the last photo down shows an interesting shape just offshore. Weird. Is it real? -4.66834, -174.52832 already tagged as possibly “Amelia Earhart slept here…”)
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### Author:  [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)
#### Post date: [August 12, 2025, 12:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amelia-earharts-plane-found-on-the-sea-floor/58693/189 "2025-08-12T12:34:17Z")
[Amelia Earhart found!](https://ntv.ca/stolen-amelia-earhart-statue-found-sources-say/)
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### Author:  [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)
#### Post date: [August 12, 2025, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amelia-earharts-plane-found-on-the-sea-floor/58693/190 "2025-08-12T12:35:11Z")
[Yes, I shamelessly stole this gag from fark]
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### Author:  [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2025, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amelia-earharts-plane-found-on-the-sea-floor/58693/191 "2025-09-28T02:09:35Z")
Time to put the conspiracy theories to rest!
> **[Trump to declassify files of aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgkn84e1nvxo)**
>
> The story of Earhart, who vanished in 1937 while flying over the Pacific Ocean, "has captivated millions", the US president says.
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### Author:  [@bengangmo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bengangmo)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2025, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amelia-earharts-plane-found-on-the-sea-floor/58693/192 "2025-09-28T02:36:28Z")
Given that this happened 88 years ago, I’d have to wonder….
What sort of relevant files could the government possibly have? Unless her disappearance is related to Roswell?
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### Author:  [@ZonexandScout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZonexandScout)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2025, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amelia-earharts-plane-found-on-the-sea-floor/58693/193 "2025-09-28T13:25:52Z")
This is one “conspiracy theory” that I might actually see some basis for. What if US/Allied military personnel came across wreckage or human remains during WWII, but the information was classified because it was decided not to make public where they had been found? No military wants to say publicly, “Hey, we were poking around checking out this island/area over here yesterday and guess what we found?” Eventually, the information could just be filed for possible future action.
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### Author:  [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2025, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amelia-earharts-plane-found-on-the-sea-floor/58693/194 "2025-09-28T16:12:54Z")
It could put the final nail in the theory that she was abducted by the Japanese and forced to become Tokyo Rose.
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### Author:  [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2025, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amelia-earharts-plane-found-on-the-sea-floor/58693/195 "2025-09-28T18:02:46Z")
never mind - not FQ
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### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [September 28, 2025, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amelia-earharts-plane-found-on-the-sea-floor/58693/196 "2025-09-28T19:15:57Z")
> [@garygnu](#):
>
> It could put the final nail in the theory that she was abducted by the Japanese and forced to become Tokyo Rose.
We know who that was, and in a sense “Tokyo Rose” never existed.
> **[Tokyo Rose](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo_Rose)**
>
> Tokyo Rose (alternative spelling Tokio Rose) was a name given by Allied troops in the South Pacific during World War II to all female English-speaking radio broadcasters of Japanese propaganda. The programs were broadcast in the South Pacific and North America to demoralize Allied forces abroad and their families at home by emphasizing troops' wartime difficulties and military losses. Several female broadcasters operated using different aliases and in different cities throughout the terr During t...
Mind you, it is not impossible that she was captured and executed. Very doubtful.
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### Author:  [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2025, 1:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amelia-earharts-plane-found-on-the-sea-floor/58693/197 "2025-09-30T01:42:29Z")
> [@PastTense](#):
>
> Time to put the conspiracy theories to rest!
>
> [Trump to declassify files of aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart](https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cgkn84e1nvxo)
> [@](#):
>
> The story of Earhart, who vanished in 1937 while flying over the Pacific Ocean, “has captivated millions”, the US president says
Should be enough theories, guesses and unconfirmed reports in there to distract folks from those, um, other files.
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### Author:  [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2025, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amelia-earharts-plane-found-on-the-sea-floor/58693/198 "2025-09-30T02:01:01Z")
> [@ZonexandScout](#):
>
> This is one “conspiracy theory” that I might actually see some basis for. What if US/Allied military personnel came across wreckage or human remains during WWII, but the information was classified because it was decided not to make public where they had been found?
According to my grandfather, the US battleships (due to the 14" guns) were not allowed to cross the International Date Line to look for Earhart because of an agreement with the Japanese. So this might be true.
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### Author:  [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2025, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amelia-earharts-plane-found-on-the-sea-floor/58693/199 "2025-09-30T04:12:16Z")
No, that was because when they crossed it would become yesterday’s date, and they didn’t want to give the Japanese any hints that they were developing time travelling warships a la the _Philadelphia Experiment_ and John Birmingham’s _World War 3.1_ series.
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### Author:  [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)
#### Post date: [September 30, 2025, 4:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amelia-earharts-plane-found-on-the-sea-floor/58693/200 "2025-09-30T04:54:29Z")
The possibilities that she went anywhere but straight to Davy Jones’s locker are infinitesimal.
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