Originally Posted by
tonytales
I think this is the definitive of what went wrong on Amelia Airheart's round the world flight. No answer to your question on phonetic codes,
Please excuse thread drift - The narrative described in the above link implies (very plausibly) that Earhart and Noonan survived a ditching close to shore. Her voice was heard and recognised, but the experienced operator could not make out her words.
Also this:
She was heard by the Nauru operator long after the plane would have run out of gas.
• Noonan survived. A man’s voice was distinctly heard on the “peculiar signal” by Midway. It was unintelligible.
• Either Earhart or Noonan, or both, were alive and with the plane at least until 0948 5 July 5 1937 (GMT). The peculiar signals were last heard then.
• The peculiar signals probably were coming from the eastern or southeastern part of the Marshall Islands.