Expedition to Find Amelia Earhart's Plane Will Begin This Year
8 hours ago
- An expedition to Nikumaroro Island to search for Amelia Earhart's plane is launching in October 2026, after a year-long delay for permits.
- The team of 16 people, including archaeologists and Purdue University representatives, will investigate the Taraia Object, a satellite anomaly in the island's lagoon.
- The expedition's hypothesis is that Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan landed on Nikumaroro after disappearing in 1937 and were stranded.
- Supporting evidence includes radio bearings, 1930s-era artifacts, and a 2018 analysis suggesting that bones found on the island in 1940 could be Earhart's.
- Skeptics, including aviation investigator Ric Gillespie, argue the satellite image shows a downed coconut tree, not the plane.