Amelia Earhart’s plane found?
While I can't be certain how well an aluminum aircraft would hold up in sea water at a depth of 16,000 feet for over 80 years, the published sonar image of the find is very intriguing in that the shape is remarkably similar to the twin engine Lockheed Electra 10E Special that she was flying on her fateful attempt to circumnavigate the globe. Of course I'm talking about what it could possibly look like after an attempted water landing.
While that Electra model did not have true swept wings, it did have wings that tapered aft from the root of the leading edge to the wingtips giving it a sweptback look. It's entirely possible that an attempt to ditch in a rough ocean could have compromised the wing spars thus 'bending' the wings into a swept-looking configuration.
Though there doesn't appear to be any large radial engines in the area on the image where they are normally fitted near the root of the leading edge of the wings, there is a 'weak point' where these engines attach to the tubular engine mounts that could easily have separated the engines from the wings with the same impact force that could have 'swept' the wings. A hard ditch could easily pull the 4 bolts right off those mounts.
Also the sonar image seems to lack showing any portion of a conventional centerline vertical fin. Though some are speculating that this discovery is the remains of a casualty of the war, by far most war era aircraft had just such a fin and rudder structure and would likely reflect at least a portion of this significant part of the aircraft in the image. But Earhart's Electra had two smaller fins to control yaw at the tips of the horizonal stabilizer similar to an old Ercoupe. Not only would these have been much easier to break loose (they are bolted on), but it might explain why no part of a vertical fin is seen on the aft fuselage in the sonar image.
While I still think it's a long shot that they are actually on the verge of finding Earhart's airplane, it's the biggest clue toward solving the mystery that they have had in a very long time. Anyone who knows the story would likely be interested in seeing how this investigation turns out. I know I am!
While I can't be certain how well an aluminum aircraft would hold up in sea water at a depth of 16,000 feet for over 80 years, the published sonar image of the find is very intriguing in that the shape is remarkably similar to the twin engine Lockheed Electra 10E Special that she was flying on her fateful attempt to circumnavigate the globe. Of course I'm talking about what it could possibly look like after an attempted water landing.
While that Electra model did not have true swept wings, it did have wings that tapered aft from the root of the leading edge to the wingtips giving it a sweptback look. It's entirely possible that an attempt to ditch in a rough ocean could have compromised the wing spars thus 'bending' the wings into a swept-looking configuration.
Though there doesn't appear to be any large radial engines in the area on the image where they are normally fitted near the root of the leading edge of the wings, there is a 'weak point' where these engines attach to the tubular engine mounts that could easily have separated the engines from the wings with the same impact force that could have 'swept' the wings. A hard ditch could easily pull the 4 bolts right off those mounts.
Also the sonar image seems to lack showing any portion of a conventional centerline vertical fin. Though some are speculating that this discovery is the remains of a casualty of the war, by far most war era aircraft had just such a fin and rudder structure and would likely reflect at least a portion of this significant part of the aircraft in the image. But Earhart's Electra had two smaller fins to control yaw at the tips of the horizonal stabilizer similar to an old Ercoupe. Not only would these have been much easier to break loose (they are bolted on), but it might explain why no part of a vertical fin is seen on the aft fuselage in the sonar image.
While I still think it's a long shot that they are actually on the verge of finding Earhart's airplane, it's the biggest clue toward solving the mystery that they have had in a very long time. Anyone who knows the story would likely be interested in seeing how this investigation turns out. I know I am!