(CNN) There's an entire chapter in Amelia Earhart's life that history ignores, says new research: The legendary American pilot died as a castaway, not in a plane crash. Earhart was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic. Her plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean while she attempted to circle the Earth. It was always assumed Earhart died in the crash and that her remains were lost to the deep waters. But now, the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR) reveals a new theory. The skeleton of a castaway found on the island of Nikumaroro, Kiribati, in 1940 may belong to Earhart.Skeleton of a castaway found in 1940 may belong to Earhart.She may have survived months in an island in the Pacific
_ has been trying to prove the bones uncovered belong to the American pilot since 1998. "The morphology of the recovered bones, insofar as we can tell by applying contemporary forensic methods to measurements taken at the time, appears consistent with a female of _'s height and ethnic origin," they said in a statement.