Does This High-Def Debris Field Show the Remains of Amelia Earhart's Plane?

DOVER, Del. (TheBlaze/AP) -- A group trying to solve the mystery surrounding famed aviator Amelia Earhart is reporting encouraging results from its latest expedition to the central Pacific.

Ric Gillespie is head of The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery, which is based in Delaware. He says high-resolution video taken in July shows what appears to be a debris field of manmade objects in the waters off an atoll that is part of the republic of Kiribati (KEER-uh-bus).

Gillespie says the debris field is in the same area where an object that the group says could be a landing gear can be seen sticking out of the water in a 1937 photograph. That photo was taken shortly after Earhart and Fred Noonan disappeared on an around-the-world flight.

Discovery News reports forensic imaging specialist Jeff Glickman saying he has looked at less than 30 percent of the video brought back from the expedition, but even from that he thinks it has "identified what appears to be an interesting debris field."

"The Bevington photo shows what appears to be four components of the plane: a strut, a wheel, a wom gear and a fender. In the debris field there appears to be the fender, possibly the wheel and possibly some portions of the strut," Glickman said according to Discovery News.

Still Gillespie told Reuters "we don't want to oversell this." He calls the footage "more evidence ... where it should be."

Gillespie says analysis of video from the July expedition is continuing. If that analysis is able to confirm parts of the plane, Discovery News reports recovery of the debris would be the next step.

Check out footage of the Discovery Channel's series "Finding Amelia" here.

Here's a promo for the episode that aired Sunday night with some of the underwater footage:

Related:

• Anti-Freckle Cream and Radio Signals? Researchers Make Major Amelia Earhart Discoveries
• New Clues? Amelia Earhart Endorses Project to Find Out What Really Happened to Amelia Earhart