Description:

Amelia Earhart's Last Flight, Co-Signed by her Co-Pilots. Incredible Signed Photo Taken in Hawaii Just Days Before Crash and Months Before Disappearance.

Signed Photo, measuring 6" x 8", March 17, 1937, taken shortly after landing in Hawaii after the first leg of Earhart's attempt at flying around the world. Earhart is pictured alongside Paul Mantz (co-pilot) and Fred Noonan (navigator) in this gorgeous sepia-toned black and white photo. Just below the signatures, an inscription reads "Shortly after landing in Hawaii on first attempt flight around the world. (Wheeler Field, TH)" Dealers notes on verso, slight crinkling and toning, else fine. 

On March 17, 1937, Earhart took off from Oakland and flew west en route to Hawaii in an around-the-world attempt. After landing in Hawaii, (and taking this photo) repairs and preparation for the second leg of her around-the-world flight took place. 

On March 20 Paul Mantz warmed the engines at about 5:00 a.m., 20 March, then shut them down. Amelia Earhart, Captain Manning and Captain Noonan boarded the Electra at 5:30 a.m. with Earhart restarting the engines. At 5:40 a.m., she began to taxi to the northeast corner of the runway. Just 13 minutes later at 5:53 a.m., Earhart accelerated for takeoff.

A United States Army Board of Investigation report describes what happened next:

"THE CRASH:

On reaching the end Miss Earhart turned and after a brief delay opened both throttles. As the airplane gathered speed it swung slightly to the right. Miss Earhart corrected this tendency by throttling the left hand motor. The airplane then began to swing to the left with increasing speed, characteristic of a ground loop. It tilted outward, right wing low and for 50 or 60 feet was supported by the right wheel only. The right-hand landing-gear suddenly collapsed under this excessive load followed by the left. The airplane spun sharply to the left on its belly amid a shower of sparks from the mat and came to rest headed about 200 degrees from its initial course. There was no fire. Miss Earhart and her crew emerged unhurt. The visible damage to the airplane was as follows:- Right wing and engine nacelle severely damaged, left engine nacelle damaged on under side, right hand rudder and end of stabilizer bent. The engines were undamaged. The oil tanks were ruptured. . . .

FINDINGS: . . . after a run of 1200 feet the airplane crashed on the landing mat due to collapse of the landing gear as a result of an uncontrolled ground loop; the lack of factual evidence makes it impossible to establish the reason for the ground loop; that as a result of the crash the airplane was damaged to an extent requiring major overhaul. . . ."

*See photo of aftermath of crash included above. Earhart and Noonan are pictured standing on the wing, as Mantz is pictured in the cockpit.*

Just three months after this photo was taken, Earhart took off from Lae, and headed out over the Pacific with Fred Noonan. The two disappeared without a trace.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

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