Modern Mysteries

Amelia Earhart expedition set to investigate site of 'plane crash'

By T.K. Randall
August 18, 2026

Image: Amelia Earhart
Credit: Library of Congress, Harris & Ewing Collection, LC-DIG-hec-40747 Back in October of last year, we reported on plans for a new expedition to the remote Pacific island of Nikumaroro in an effort to solve the disappearance of famed aviator Amelia Earhart once and for all.

It is here that researchers believe Earthart may have crash-landed her plane back in 1937 and may have even survived for a time while awaiting rescue.

A tantalizing satellite photograph showing an object that looks suspiciously like part of a plane wreckage at the edge of the lagoon on Nikumaroro has long prompted speculation that this theory could indeed be correct and that the island would be the best place to search for signs of her.

Sadly, last year's expedition was ultimately postponed due to a combination of concerns over the cyclone season and delays in acquiring the necessary permits.

This time, however, it looks like things will hopefully be going ahead as planned.The team - which includes researchers from Purdue University and the Archaeological Legacy Institute - will depart from Tarawa, Kiribati for Nikumaroro on October 7th.

Once there, they will spend their time investigating the lagoon to find out if the object - nicknamed the 'Taraia Object' - is actually a plane and if so, if it's Earhart's Lockheed 10-E Electra.

"The evidence supporting the Nikumaroro Hypothesis remains compelling, and the only way to answer this question is to go to Nikumaroro, inspect the Taraia Object firsthand and follow the evidence wherever it leads," said expedition leader Richard Pettigrew.

If the team actually does locate evidence of Earhart's plane, it will be a major discovery indeed.

"I am feeling very confident about this," Pettigrew told USA Today.

"I'm pumped."

Source: Independent

Tags: Amelia Earhart