89 years after she disappeared: The finding that may reveal what happened to Amelia Earhart
An expedition of 16 researchers will set out in October to Nikumaroro Island following an object seen in satellite imagery on the edge of a lagoon. The researchers will try to determine if these are the remains of the Lockheed Electra in which the pilot and navigator Fred Noonan disappeared in 1937.
The mystery of the disappearance of American pilot Amelia Earhart is taking a new turn: a 16-member expedition will set out in October to a remote island in the Pacific Ocean, following a finding that researchers claim may be the plane she flew in 1937.
The expedition, which received approval from the government of Kiribati, will arrive at Nikumaroro Island, an isolated atoll in the Pacific Ocean, as part of a collaboration between the Purdue University Research Foundation and the Institute for Archaeological Heritage. The researchers will examine closely an object known as the "Taraya object," which appears in satellite imagery like an aircraft resting on the edge of a shallow lagoon.
The lead researcher, archaeologist Richard Pettigrew, expressed optimism ahead of the mission:
"I feel very confident about this. I'm excited," he told USA Today.
The 89-year-old mystery
Earhart, who was born in the city of Atchison, Kansas, disappeared in 1937 during an attempt to circumnavigate the globe by flight. She was flying in a Lockheed Electra 10E aircraft along with navigator Fred Noonan, and in the final leg of the journey, she attempted to reach Howland Island, where supplies and assistance from the US Coast Guard were waiting for her.
During the flight, Earhart reported via radio that the fuel in the plane was running low. The search for the two became one of the largest search operations of its kind at the time, but did not yield findings that determined what became of them. Later, Earhart and Noonan were declared legally dead, but the circumstances of their disappearance remained a mystery.
Since then, additional searches have been conducted in the area, but without a breakthrough. In one of them, near Howland Island, a finding was identified that was initially considered promising, but later turned out to be a rock.
What are they looking for on the island?
This time, the researchers are focusing on the "Taraya object" — a formation first identified in 2020 in satellite imagery. According to the Hungarian historical news site Múlt-kor, the researchers estimate that a tropical storm in 2014 may have moved sand and exposed for a limited time the outlines captured in the images.
The expedition is expected to sail for six days until it reaches the island, and then clear a path through the dense vegetation and use hydraulic excavation equipment to remove the sand from the area. The researchers will look for possible aircraft parts, including parts of the fuselage, wings, or metal rivets characteristic of aircraft.
However, the researchers emphasize that at this stage there is no proof that the finding is an aircraft, and certainly not Earhart's plane. Those involved in the research believe that there is some object at the site, but are divided on the question of what it is.
If aluminum parts originating from an aircraft are discovered at the site, the researchers plan to install security cameras and return to the location in 2027 for a full archaeological excavation. Purdue University is already holding talks with the government of Kiribati regarding the possibilities for preserving findings, if any are discovered that have historical significance.
