המטוס מעל לקרקה.
המטוס מעל הקרקה.
"מעל ה" is definitely correct. "מעל ל" and "מעל ה" sound almost the same in the average Israeli's speech.
I have just been looking at the Biblical Concordance, and I can't find an instance of "מעל ל".
The use of "מעל ל" in writing probably comes from analogy to "מתחת ל" (which is correct). This analogy would be confirmed in the writer's mind by the similarity in pronunciation between "מעל ל" ו"מעל ה"
Also, "קרקה" should be "קרקע".