Hidden discovery nearly lost: breakthrough in 87-year mystery emerges from ocean depths

In a riveting twist to the 87-year-old mystery surrounding Amelia Earhart’s disappearance, a potential breakthrough in the form of sonar images revealing a plane-shaped mass at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean has emerged. The discovery, part of an $11 million expedition funded by former US Air Force officer Tony Romeo, has ignited hopes of uncovering the fate of the legendary aviator.

Deep Sea Vision CEO Tony Romeo, who financed the ambitious search by selling off his commercial real estate, believes the sonar images depict Earhart’s Lockheed 10-E Electra plane. Joined by his brother Lloyd, the duo is gearing up for a second expedition later this year or in 2025 to scrutinize the wreckage further and confirm its identity.

However, the journey to this potential groundbreaking evidence was perilous. A 16-member team, equipped with an underwater drone, scoured approximately 5,200 square miles of the ocean floor near Howland Island. Disaster struck when the hard drive storing crucial data seemed corrupted and on the brink of erasure. A timely intervention by Deep Sea Vision COO salvaged the data, turning a potential catastrophe into a triumph.

“We realized that we had something there — an area that’s very sandy and flat, this immediately stuck out as something that was very likely an aircraft,” revealed Romeo.

The sonar image, resembling a plane, was located within 100 miles of Howland Island, a critical detail adding weight to the discovery. The team followed the Date Line theory, proposed by former NASA employee Liz Smith in 2010, suggesting navigator Fred Noonan’s calendar error could have led them off course.

While sceptics question the theory, Romeo acknowledges the possibility of fatigue playing a role, stating, “As we looked at it as pilots, you do get exhausted when you’re flying.” The second expedition aims to provide a closer examination of the wreckage, offering clarity on this historic aviation mystery.

As the world watches with bated breath, this revelation stands as the closest anyone has come to unraveling the enigma surrounding Amelia Earhart’s disappearance.