By Tim Binnall
A research group dedicated to solving the disappearance of Amelia Earhart believe that a recently recovered piece of footage showing the aviatrix's plane on the day before it vanished may contain a critical clue about her ultimate fate. The organization known as The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR) has doggedly pursued the case of the famed pilot's mysterious disappearance for years. Over the course of their investigation, the group has employed a number of different tactics, including a forensic examination of bones found on an atoll in the Pacific Ocean where some suspect that Earhart perished, an expedition to the same location using cadaver dogs, and an analysis of possible distress signals which made headlines last year.
The most recent development to come from TIGHAR can be traced back to 2008 when the group was reportedly contacted by a woman from Lae, Papa New Guinea. This individual revealed to them that she possessed photos as well as a 16-millimeter film of Earhart's plane when it stopped at the location on July 1st, 1937. The authenticity of the material was confirmed by way of a letter dated the next day in which the author recalls seeing the pilot and recording his encounter with history. After a decade of negotiations with the woman, TIGHAR purchased the precious photos and film footage this year.
What makes the material particularly interesting, they say, is that it appears to show an intriguing patch of metal on Earhart's plane. The curious detail bears an uncanny resemblance to a piece of aluminum debris recovered from the area in 1991. TIGHAR now plans to digitally restore the 82-year-old film footage and subject it to forensic analysis in an attempt to see if the rivet patterns in the discovered debris match those found on the patch seen on Earhart's plane.
Unfortunately for those hoping to see the footage, which is presumably the last glimpse of Earhart's aircraft prior to her disappearance, TIGHAR has yet to release the material to the public, ostensibly because the decades-old film is undergoing restoration at this time. That said, the group has indicated that they intend to share it with the world at some point in the future. Considering that even the slightest bit of news concerning Earhart winds up making headlines year after year, it's a pretty safe bet that we'll hear about it when the video is digitized and the analysis is completed.