Expedition Launches to Probe Possible Amelia Earhart Plane Wreck in Pacific
A 17-person team led by archaeologist Dr Richard Pettigrew will sail to Nik Nikumaroro in Kir Kiribati to examine a mysterious lagoon object that may be Amelia Earhart's missing aircraft.
An international research team of 17 members is set to travel to the remote island of Nikumaroro in Kiribati to investigate a metallic shape visible in the lagoon’s satellite imagery. The object, dubbed the “Tara Object,” has been linked to the possible remains of Amelia Earhart’s 1937 Lockheed Model 10E Electra, based on its elongated form and reflective surface. Dr Richard Pettigrew, director of the Archaeological Legacy Institute, leads the expedition, which is financed by Purdue University and his institute.
The team will conduct underwater surveying and archaeological analysis beginning October 3, hoping to verify whether the feature is indeed aircraft wreckage that may have been uncovered after Cyclone Pam shifted lagoon sediments in 2015. Pettigrew indicated that a positive identification would trigger a larger excavation effort the following year. The search follows a 2020 discovery of the anomaly in Apple Maps imagery and a 2025 directive by President Donald Trump to declassify related government records.
