Was Amelia Earhart Smuggling Gold?

Yet another romanticized claim concerning the mystery of Amelia Earhart has risen to the top of the rumour mill. This time the tantalizing scenario comes from Papua New Guinea - with the finding of a sunken plane and the whisper of 1930s female pilots smuggling gold out of Lae - which was Amelia's last known stop before she and navigator Fred Noonan vanished.

Divers off the coast of Bougainville discovered a plane wreck containing two skulls in the cockpit and three boxes with bars of gold bullion. Businessman Cletus Harepa is financing the recovery and feels confident that the wreckage will prove to be Earhart's Lockheed Electra. Needless to say, other experts on the Amelia disappearance disagree.

Whatever the outcome, Amelia Earhart continues to take a place in the hearts of those inspired by this adventurous woman. No doubt one day, one of the many theories of the pioneer aviatrix will be proven out. Read about this one here.