After nearly nine decades of mystery, researchers believe they may have located the long-lost plane of Amelia Earhart, the pioneering aviator who vanished over the Pacific Ocean in 1937. A new expedition led by Purdue University and the Archaeological Legacy Institute is heading to Nikumaroro Island, a remote atoll in the South Pacific, to investigate a submerged object believed to be Earhart’s Lockheed Electra 10E.
🔍 The Discovery: The Taraia Object
The object, dubbed the Taraia Object, was first identified in satellite imagery in 2020 and appears to resemble an aircraft fuselage and tail. Historical aerial photos from 1938, just one year after Earhart’s disappearance, also show the anomaly in the island’s lagoon. Researchers believe this could be the wreckage of the plane Earhart flew with navigator Fred Noonan during her attempt to circumnavigate the globe.
🧭 The Expedition
A 15-person team will travel by sea from Majuro in the Marshall Islands to Nikumaroro in early November 2025. Their mission includes:
Capturing high-resolution images and video of the site
Using magnetometers and sonar to scan the lagoon
Conducting underwater excavation with hydraulic dredging
Attempting to lift and identify the object
If confirmed, this would be the first physical evidence of Earhart’s aircraft and could rewrite aviation history.
Earhart was a visiting faculty member at Purdue University in the 1930s. The university helped fund her aircraft through the Amelia Earhart Fund for Aeronautical Research. Officials say returning the plane to Purdue would fulfill Earhart’s original plan to bring it home after her historic flight.
Not all experts are convinced. Ric Gillespie of the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery (TIGHAR) expressed doubts, stating his team had previously searched the same location without success. Still, the current team believes the evidence is stronger than ever, citing sediment shifts and storm surges that may have recently exposed the wreckage.
Whether this expedition confirms the identity of the Taraia Object or not, it represents the most promising lead in decades. For historians, aviators, and fans of Earhart’s legacy, the possibility of solving one of the greatest aviation mysteries of all time is closer than ever.
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