Researchers Conclude Gardner Island Is Where Amelia Earhart Crashed

One of the greatest mysteries in aviation for decades has been what happened to Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan. The duo set off on an attempt to fly around the world and was forced to make an emergency landing on a reef when they ran out of fuel according to researchers. The researchers have now concluded that the small Pacific island of Gardner Island is where Earhart and Noonan crashed and lived out their final days.

The researchers based their conclusion on artifacts that were linked to the two aviators reported to have been discovered on the island in 1940. More recently, artifacts have been found including a jar believed to be some sort of face cream Earhart was known to use. The researchers believe Earhart, and Noonan were able to use the plane's radio before it washed off the reef to send SOS messages.

However, no one ever found the aircraft or the two aviators, and they are believed to have died on the island. The pair is believed to have survived the crash and succumbed to starvation and lack of water. The researchers say that their next step in the investigation will be to search for the wreckage of the aircraft on the ocean floor using a remote-controlled submersible.

[via UPI]