The U.S. National Archives has made public newly declassified government records related to the disappearance of famed aviator Amelia Earhart, shedding light on the 1937 incident during her trans-Pacific flight. The release of 4,624 pages includes her final known communications, a detailed U.S. Navy search report, and analysis of potential landing sites such as Gardner Island (Nikumaroro). The documents provide critical insights into the extensive search operations conducted by the Navy, which spanned nearly 250,000 square miles of the Pacific over 16 days following her last transmission.
Earhart’s last known radio transmission was documented on July 2, 1937, the day of her disappearance over the Pacific. It reads,