Fred Noonan

Fred Noonan was the navigator for aviator Amelia Earhart on her final, ill-fated flight around the world in 1937. He was with Earhart in a twin-engine Lockheed Electra when they departed from Lae, New Guinea, on July 2, 1937, heading for Howland Island. This leg of the journey was approximately 2,600 miles and was expected to be challenging due to the difficulty of locating the small atoll.1

Radio transmissions indicated that the plane was running low on fuel, and Noonan and Earhart were unable to reach Howland Island. Their last known communication stated they were "running north and south". Despite extensive searches, neither Earhart, Noonan, nor the plane were ever found, leading to their official declaration as lost at sea. The exact circumstances of their disappearance remain a mystery, with various theories proposed over the years.123