Purdue Expedition to Nikumaroro Seeks Earhart's Plane
Purdue University is launching an expedition to Nikumaroro, a remote Pacific island, to investigate a satellite image from 2016 that may show Amelia Earhart's lost Lockheed Model 10 Electra. The object, known as the Taraia object, could be a coconut tree or wreckage. Expedition leader Richard Pettigrew cites the Nikumaroro Hypothesis, supported by artifacts including a woman's shoe, compact case, freckle cream jar, and medicine vial from the 1930s, as well as a 1940 discovery of human skull and bones that a 2018 analysis suggested belonged to a woman. The crew departs October 7 from Tarawa, Kiribati, traveling 830 nautical miles over six days. They will use sonar and magnetometers to search the lagoon. Previous searches have yielded false hope, including a 2024 underwater drone image that turned out to be a rock formation.
Key facts
- Purdue University is organizing the expedition.
- The expedition targets Nikumaroro island in the Pacific Ocean.
- A 2016 satellite photo shows an object in the lagoon called the Taraia object.
- The object may be a coconut tree or Earhart's airplane.
- Expedition leader is Richard Pettigrew.
- Earhart disappeared on July 2, 1937, with navigator Fred Noonan.
- Artifacts found on Nikumaroro include a woman's shoe, compact case, freckle cream jar, and medicine vial from the 1930s.
- A 1940 discovery of human skull and bones was analyzed in 2018 as likely belonging to a woman.
- The crew departs October 7 from Tarawa, Kiribati.
- The journey is 830 nautical miles and takes six days by boat.
- Sonar technology and magnetometers will be used.
- In 2024, an underwater drone image of a rock formation was mistaken for the plane.
Entities
Artists
- Amelia Earhart
- Fred Noonan
- Richard Pettigrew
Institutions
- Purdue University
- Archaeological Legacy Institute
Locations
- Nikumaroro
- Pacific Ocean
- Tarawa
- Kiribati