One More Good Flight: The Amelia Earhart Tragedy

by Richard E Gillespie

Shortly before embarking on her attempt to circumnavigate the globe, Amelia Earhart confided to a friend, “I have a feeling there is just about one more good flight left in my system and I hope this trip around the world is it.” This book is the product of The Earhart Project, a thirty-four-year investigation of the Earhart tragedy by The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery. TIGHAR investigators had no agenda. They were not out to advocate, excuse, honor, or impugn. They saw the Earhart disappearance as an aviation accident and reasoned the answer to its cause and outcome should be discoverable if they could find, assemble, and analyze the relevant data. To understand why she died it was necessary to strip away the myths and sentimentality that have grown up over the years and examine the hard truths behind how Earhart's trip around the world came about and why it went so terribly wrong. The U.S. Navy and Coast Guard were major players in the 1937 flight, disappearance, and search for Amelia Earhart, and in the aftermath. The story of the pressures and frustrations the services faced and the mistakes they made contain valuable lessons for today's commanders. Gillespie's first book, Finding Amelia – The True Story of the Earhart Disappearance (Naval Institute Press, 2006) chronicled what was known at that time. This new book updates the story with important new information from historical documents discovered since then and also provides extensive prequel and sequel narratives that complete the saga and give new perspective to the life and death of an American icon.  

Genres: Nonfiction, History

400 pages, Hardcover

Published September 17, 2024

Reviews

[David Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book. Throughly researched.

[Brandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is the product of The Earhart Project, a thirty-four-year investigation of the Earhart tragedy by The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR). I am a mystery lover at heart, and the Amelia Earhart tragedy has always intrigued me. Since this book was written by TIGHAR it was extremely technical, so much so that I skimmed a lot. But the thirty-four years of research that went into this book blows my mind. If you are an Amelia Earhart fan, this book is for you!

[Jazz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Raw and rigorous. An absolutely detail account of Earhart last days. It’s captivated me like no other book in years.

[Javier Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very forensic look into one of the great mysteries of classic aviation history, the book explores the factors that led to the disappearance of one of the greatest aviatrixes of her time. Since vanishing in her attempt to become the first person to span the world by the equator in 1937, many have speculated on the fate of Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan. With the help of avid aviation fans and good old fashion amateur detective work, Mr. Gillespie and his team from The International Group of Historic Aircraft Restoration (TIGHAR) make their strongest case for likeliest case for Earhart and her Lockheed Electra 10E plane (nicknamed 'the Flying Laboratory').

While the evidence is partially circumstantial, there is enough evidence to speculate that instead of crashing into the middle of the Pacific Ocean, Earhart and Noonan were able to land on a remote desert island known as Nikumaroro, part of the Pheonix group of islands which are now part of the nation of Kiribati (pronounced Kir-a-bAHs). The story is a page-turner, and well worth the read for those interested in learning for themselves the basics of this 80 year unsolved mystery.

The book lags a bit in the middle when speculating what Earhart may have done on the island, but the evidence of radio signals after her forced landing on the island is unique evidence which should not be ignored. The efforts of the Gillespie's and their TIGHAR members in attempting to resolve the mystery also take on a rather dogged (not obsessive) nature of hunters in search of the truth. Much like the discovery of King Richard III in the middle of an English carpark, one can imagine this dedicated group of volunteers and researchers might be able to resolve just what happend to Amelia more than 80 years after her untimely demise.

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book seems to be a sequel/update to Ric Gillespie's previous 2006 book, Finding Ameila, which I also read. In my Goodreads review of Finding Amelia, I wrote: "The author presents evidence suggesting that Earhart and Noonan landed on a coral reef off of Gardner Island, although he never actually comes out in the text and makes that claim."

Not this time, he doesn't. This book is written as the final word on the Amelia Earhart tragedy, and as such, it is unequivocal in presenting its conclusion.

New content in this book consists of a valuable description of Earhart's early flying career and the actions of Ameila and her husband, George Putnam, to make her famous. This new material sheds light on the "real" Amelia Earhart behind the myths and legend. Also new are descriptions of additional surveys, research, and analyses conducted since the earlier book's 2006 publication by Ric's organization, TIGHAR. As a result, this book provides a wider perspective on the subject matter, including addressing the theory that Earhart was captured and killed by the Japanese.

One gets the impression at the end of the book that Ric Gillespie and TIGHAR are finished investigating this topic, having spent millions of dollars and conducting multiple investigations of Gardner Island, and have come to the conclusion that there is no more physical evidence likely to be discovered regarding Earhart's final flight. However, they are willing to claim that all the historical, circumstantial evidence they have accumulated is more than enough to finally turn this mystery into history. Highly recommended.

[Boris · Rating 5 out of 5]

If possible, I would give this book 6 stars. It makes a convincing and overwhelming case that Amelia Earhart did land on Gardner Island and broadcast distress signals for four days after and survived for some time on the island after. The TIGHAR research was impressively exhaustive and demonstrates her ultimate fate is no mystery.

The author and TIGHAR have a harsh assessment of Earhart as a pilot did the Coast Guard and Navy members who were positioned to guide and meet her at Howland Island and then finally ended up searching for her. One shakes one's head in disbelief at the sloppiness and lack of preparation with communications and navigation for this final flight. The author also gives a more detailed account of Earhart's ground loop of the Electra on takeoff from Hawaii at the first attempt for the global circumnavigation flight. Because of ineptitude and lack of training and experience the plane was wrecked.

The harsh assessment includes her and her husbands ethics. It was essentially fraud when she and her husband persuaded Purdue University to finance the final flight on the pretext that it was for scientific research when it was just for self promotion.

[Linda]

Amazing! Incredibly well researched and kept me totally absorbed. But, if the author is correct--and I believe he is--this is also a heartbreaking story. Yes, Amelia Earhart made some bad decisions. And, yes, the search was totally botched. But to think of her on an uninhabited island--alone--waiting for helps that never came--is really hard to digest.

[Julia Atwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent,detailed and accurate

No one and no group has devoted more time and resources to solving the mystery of Amelia Earhart`s last flight than Ric Gillespie and TIGHAR. This book is a great read and brings the receipts that solve the mystery as well as it will ever be. Very detailed in all aspects of her life, relationships, the plane and events. I really enjoyed it.

[Miley Lewis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used to roll my eyes at the Earhart landed on Gardner Island” theory but this book changed my mind. The accumulation of physical evidence, radio signal analysis, and colonial records is overwhelming when presented together like this. Gillespie doesn’t overclaim; he lets the data speak. I came in doubtful, left convinced this is the closest we’ll ever get to the truth.

[SkipO · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book! Easy to read.