Newly Declassified Amelia Earhart Records Show Her Last Communications Before Her Plane Went Missing

Newly declassified government files on Amelia Earhart released by the U.S. National Archives are offering fresh details after decades of speculation surrounding one of aviation’s most intriguing mysteries.

The documents, published online on Friday, Nov. 14, include hundreds of pages from intelligence agencies, military units and federal departments tied to Earhart’s 1937 disappearance at age 39 during her attempted around-the-world flight with navigator Fred Noonan, 44. 

Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard stated in the press release that the first batch features “newly declassified files from the National Security Agency, information on Earhart’s last known communications and location, weather and plane conditions at the time, and potential search locations, as well as subsequent inquiries and theories regarding her disappearance.”

Gabbard noted more material will be posted on a “rolling basis” as reviews are completed.

Among the most closely watched documents is a July 1937 radio log from the U.S. Coast Guard cutter, Itasca, the last known point of contact with Earhart’s twin-engine Lockheed Electra before it vanished on approach to Howland Island in the Pacific Ocean. The log notes repeated attempts to reach her with no response. The final message attributed to her aircraft was recorded just before 9 a.m. local time on July 2, 1937.

The newly posted archive spans far beyond the initial disappearance. Files include military search reports, interagency memos, telegrams exchanged in the aftermath and a large amount of press clippings reflecting how quickly theories grew and spread. 

Another clipping from 1970 relays an account from a researcher who said a former Pan Am employee had discovered evidence suggesting Earhart survived long enough to transmit a distress message.

While some of the material has circulated previously among aviation historians, its formal release has reignited public interest — even as experts caution that the documents, though historically rich, are unlikely to rewrite what is widely accepted about the final flight. 

Most researchers continue to believe that Earhart and Noonan ran out of fuel on a 2,500-mile leg of their journey between Papua New Guinea and Howland Island, where they were expected to stop to refuel before continuing east.

Earhart had launched her round-the-world attempt from Oakland, Calif. in May 1937, hoping to become the first woman to complete the daunting route. Her success during the early 1930s — including her trailblazing solo flight across the Atlantic — made her one of the world’s most celebrated pilots. Her final mission and the mystery that followed have led to numerous books, films, documentaries and countless theories for over nine decades.

The latest release coincides with renewed attempts to locate her aircraft.

A research team from Purdue University and the Archaeological Legacy Institute had been scheduled to travel this month to Nikumaroro, a remote island in the Republic of Kiribati, to investigate what they call the “Taraia Object” — a shape seen in archival imagery dating back to 1938 that some believe could be the Lockheed Electra. The mission has since been postponed to 2026 as the team awaits additional government clearances and braces for the start of cyclone season.

Their planned work will include capturing high-resolution imagery, scanning the anomaly with magnetometers and sonar and, if feasible, retrieving the object from a lagoon to determine whether it is metallic aircraft debris or something organic.

Back in July, aviation-recovery expert Ric Gillespie told NBC News that his teams had already investigated the location and found “nothing there.”

The push also comes on the heels of yet another letdown. Last year’s Deep Sea Visions’ expedition identified a sonar silhouette resembling the Electra, only for researchers to confirm the shape was “just a natural rock formation.” 

While the newly released files add background to the ongoing saga, firm answers remain out of reach.