New Expedition Seeks to Locate Amelia Earhart’s Lost Aircraft

Purdue University, where the legendary aviator served as a faculty member, is funding the project.

Ryan Ewing

Thursday, July 03, 2025 at 09:27 AM ET

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Edited By:

Travis Tingle

Amelia Earhart in the cockpit of her Lockheed Electra 10-E. [Courtesy: Purdue University Libraries]

Key Takeaways:

A new expedition will launch in November to Nikumaroro island in the Pacific to investigate a "visual anomaly" in satellite imagery, which researchers believe could be the wreckage of Amelia Earhart's lost Lockheed 10-E Electra.
This effort is considered the most promising lead in 88 years due to the object's size and composition matching the plane, coupled with significant circumstantial evidence found on Nikumaroro (e.g., location, distress calls, human remains, and artifacts).
The expedition, involving the Purdue Research Foundation and Archaeological Legacy Institute, aims for a five-day inspection from November 5, with potential recovery efforts planned for next year to finally solve the mystery of Earhart's disappearance.
Purdue University, having funded Earhart's original aircraft, holds a special stake in the search to honor her legacy, though some long-time Earhart researchers express skepticism about the satellite imagery.

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A new expedition will head to a remote Pacific island in November in what researchers call their most promising effort yet to solve one of aviation’s greatest mysteries—the disappearance of pilot Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan.

The Purdue Research Foundation and Archaeological Legacy Institute announced Wednesday it will investigate a “visual anomaly” spotted in satellite imagery of a lagoon at Nikumaroro, a tiny island between Hawaii and Australia. The object, dubbed the Taraia Object, matches the size and apparent composition of Earhart’s Lockheed 10-E Electra that vanished 88 years ago.