New sonar images may reveal location of Amelia Earhart’s plane

THE LATEST EXPEDITION WAS OVERTAKEN WHOSE SONAR IMAGES MAY SHOW HER PLANE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN. FOR 90 YEARS, THE MYSTERY OF WHAT HAPPENED TO AMELIA EARHART INTRIGUED GENERATIONS AFTER SHE VANISHED IN 1937. NOW, ONE MAN BENT ON SOLVING THE MYSTERY BELIEVES HE’S FOUND A MAJOR CLUE. HE BELIEVES THIS SONAR IMAGE COULD SHOW HER PLANE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PACIFIC OCEAN. >> YOU COULD BE HARD PRESSED TO CONVINCE ME IT IS ANYTHING BUT AN AIRCRAFT, ONE. AND, TWO, IT IS NOT AMELIA’S AIRCRAFT. >> HE FOUNDED AN EXPEDITION LAST YEAR TO THE SUSPECTED

AREA OF THE CRASH. THE TEAM WAS REVIEWING THE SONAR DATA WHEN SOMETHING CAUGHT THEIR EYE. >> I MEAN, IT WAS A SURREAL MOMENT. >> A SONAR EXPERT TELLING NBC NEWS IT IS TOO SOON TO SAY FOR SURE THE IMAGES SHOW A PLANE, LET ALONE AMELIA EARHART’S. BUT ROMEO IS CONFIDENT. >> THERE IS NO OTHER KNOWN CRASHES IN THE AREA, AND CERTAINLY NOT OF THAT ERA IN THAT KIND OF DESIGN WITH THE TAIL THAT YOU SEE CLEARLY IN THE IMAGE. >> THE IMAGE WAS TAKEN 100 MILES, HALFWAY BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND HAWAII. AMELIA EARHART EXPECTED TO LAND

THERE IN JULY OF ’37 FOR A REFUELLING STOP. THEY NEVER ARRIVED. SINCE THEN, SEVERAL EXPEDITIONS SOUGHT TO FIND CLUES ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED WITHOUT SUCCESS. NOW THE TEAM WILL RETURN TO THE SITE, HOPEFULLY LATER THIS YEAR. >> NEXT UP IS

CONFIRMATION. THERE IS A LOT WE NEED TO KNOW ABOUT IT. IT LOOKS LIKE THERE IS SOME DAMAGE. I MEAN, IT HAS BEEN SITTING THERE FOR 87 YEARS AT THIS POINT. >> HOPING TO FIND ANSWERS ABOUT THE FATE OF A LEGEND 16,000 FEET UNDER THE SEA. >> I THINK MYSELF IT IS THE GREATEST MYSTERY OF ALL TIME

AND CERTAINLY THE MOST ENDURING AVIATION MYSTERY OF ALL TIME. >> WE HAVE TO SOLVE THIS MYSTERY. >> NOW THAT THEY HAVE THE COORDINATES OF THIS POSSIBLE WRECKAGE SITE, THEY WANT TO GO OUT THERE WITH A CAMERA AND ROV, REMOTELY OPERATED VEHICLE, TO GET AN EXACT UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT COULD BE DOWN THERE. OF COURSE, THESE DEEP SEA EXPEDITIONS ARE EXPENSIVE. HE SAYS HIS TEAM IS HOPING TO GET OUT THERE LATER THIS YEAR OR NEXT YEAR. >> OF HIS OWN MONEY?