SANTA FE, NM
November 14, 2001
Xpress Press

Scientific Expedition to Locate Amelia Earhart with ARGUS

Media entrepreneur Mike Kammerer announced today that his In Search of Amelia Earhart, LLC, will be sending a state-of-the-art underwater autonomous vehicle into the equatorial Pacific Ocean to find the world's most famous lost airplane: Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Electra 10E.

Amelia Earhart's fame rivaled that of Charles Lindbergh in the Depression decade before World War II. Thousands cheered the revered female aviator when she landed at airports around the world. Her disappearance over the Pacific near tiny Howland Island in 1937 - while attempting to become the first pilot to fly around the world at the equator - was the lead story in newspapers the world over for more than a week. No trace of the plane, pilot or navigator has ever been found.

The mystery of Earhart's disappearance has generated endless speculation and countless theories (including one that she was captured by the Japanese and forced to make World War II propaganda broadcasts as Tokyo Rose). But this new expedition, armed with 25 years of rigorous research and a number of independent scientific studies, is convinced that the simplest and most logical explanation is correct: Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan died after their plane ran out of fuel and ditched in the Pacific near Howland Island, just north of the equator.

The multi-million-dollar scientific expedition will search the seafloor under 17,000 feet of water off Howland Island with the autonomous underwater vehicle ARGUSTM (named after the all-seeing god of Greek mythology). The only underwater system in the world capable of conducting both sonar surveys and immediate photographic identification at these depths, ARGUS is the product of over two decades of underwater robotics research.

This expedition, along with a number of other deep-water search teams hoping to locate the downed aircraft, have identified the location of the plane within a manageable search area near Howland Island. If found, the twin-engine plane is likely to be in excellent condition due to the low temperatures and lack of sunlight and oxygen more than three miles beneath the ocean surface.

After being shrouded in conjecture, disinformation and folklore for almost 65 years, the final chapter in the mystery of Amelia Earhart's disappearance may soon be written. Amelia Earhart, the greatest American heroine of the twentieth century, may be coming home.

Contact info: Jeff Leach, COO Phone: (505) 438-0005 Fax: (212) 208-2476 E-mail: info@insearchofamelia.com Web Site: http://www.insearchofamelia.com