Nearly 89 Years Later, New Search for Amelia Earhart Begins
A long-awaited expedition to solve one of aviation's most enduring mysteries is finally set to launch this fall, nearly 89 years after Amelia Earhart vanished over the Pacific Ocean.
Purdue University, the Purdue Research Foundation and the Archaeological Legacy Institute announced the Taraia Object Expedition will depart Oct. 7 for Nikumaroro Island, a remote Pacific atoll roughly halfway between Australia and Hawaii. Researchers plan to investigate the Taraia Object, a satellite-imaged anomaly in a lagoon on the island that some believe could be the remains of Earhart's Lockheed Electra 10-E.
A Trip Years in the Making
The expedition had originally been planned for 2025 but was delayed while organizers secured permissions from the government of Kiribati, which oversees Nikumaroro. Final approval has now come through, clearing the way for the team to depart this fall after the setback.
"I am feeling very confident about this," lead archaeologist Richard Pettigrew told USA Today. "I'm pumped."
The 16-member team includes archaeologists, divers, filmmakers, logistics personnel, safety specialists and representatives from Kiribati. Members will gather in Tarawa before traveling roughly 830 nautical miles by ship to Nikumaroro, where they plan to spend several days examining the site.
Earhart's Ties to Purdue
Purdue's involvement traces back to Earhart herself. She joined the university in 1935 as a career counselor for women and an adviser to its Department of Aeronautics. The Purdue Research Foundation later helped finance the purchase of her Lockheed Electra through the Amelia Earhart Fund for Aeronautical Research.
Purdue will be represented on the expedition by senior vice president and general counsel Steve Schultz, along with alumni Sirisha Bandla and Marc Hagle, both members of the university's Cradle of Astronauts.
What Happened to Earhart
Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan disappeared on July 2, 1937, while attempting to fly around the world along the equator. The pair vanished en route to Howland Island, a tiny, uninhabited landmass in the middle of the Pacific, and were never found.
Researchers involved in the Nikumaroro theory believe Earhart did not crash at sea but instead made an emergency landing on the island and survived there for a period before dying. The theory has drawn both dedicated supporters and skeptics over the decades, and previous searches, including several by the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery, have not produced conclusive evidence.
What Comes Next
If researchers confirm the Taraia Object is Earhart's aircraft, Purdue spokesperson Trevor Peters said the team hopes to pursue a full-scale archaeological excavation next year with the proper permissions in place.
The mystery has also drawn attention beyond the research community. President Donald Trump previously ordered the declassification of government records related to Earhart's disappearance, though Purdue officials have said they are not aware of any classified material that remains unreleased.
For now, the answer to what happened to Earhart on that July morning in 1937 remains open, but this fall's expedition marks the most concrete attempt yet to close one of the 20th century's most persistent mysteries.
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