- Amelia Earhart had a rich history with Tucson and southern Arizona, stopping to refuel during cross-country flights, signing the historic Davis-Monthan Airfield Register three times, and making an unscheduled emergency stop for engine repairs just weeks before her disappearance - May 1937 (The Final Emergency Stop): While embarking on the early legs of her fateful world-flight attempt, Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan flew from Burbank into Tucson ,,, Upon taxiing, the left engine of her Lockheed Electra caught fire ... Local Tucson mechanics successfully repaired the plane, allowing her to stay at the historic Pioneer Hotel before departing for New Orleans the following day - You can explore the "Women in Flight" exhibit at the Pima Air & Space Museum to learn more about her regional history ... The museum also features a Lockheed Model 10 Electra, the exact same aircraft type Earhart flew during her final journey