Search for Amelia Earhart’s plane resumes at Pacific atoll

The search for Amelia Earhart’s missing plane has resumed at a remote Pacific atoll after rough seas and strong winds kept researchers aboard their vessel for three days.

The team is investigating an underwater feature known as the Taraia Object in the lagoon of Nikumaroro, part of Kiribati. Purdue University and the US-based Archaeological Legacy Institute are leading the expedition, which aims to establish whether the object could be aircraft wreckage.

Researchers began an underwater survey after arriving last week. Their next phase involves probing underwater objects to measure their depth and dredging sediment. Expedition member Sirisha Bandla said the crew was able to land on the island after the weather cleared on Sunday and was “really excited” to continue. The team has extended its stay to make up for the delay. [1]

The search is based on the theory that Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, reached Nikumaroro after disappearing in 1937 while trying to reach Howland Island. Supporters of the theory say Earhart may have ditched her plane and died as a castaway. Images of the Taraia Object, which Purdue says can be seen in photographs dating back to 1938, appear to show a possible small aircraft in shallow water. Other explorers remain sceptical; some believe it could be a tree fallen into the lagoon. [1]

No promising evidence has yet been reported. Earlier searches have also produced false leads: a sonar feature thought in 2024 to be Earhart’s plane was later identified as a rock formation, while a 2019 expedition found nothing at a suspected landing-gear site near Nikumaroro. [1]

The weather delay reflected the hazards of reaching the lagoon, which can be entered only through a narrow gap in the reef. Purdue said gusts of up to 27 knots (31mph) had risked pushing the transport boat into the reef. The expedition’s results have not yet been announced; Archaeological Legacy Institute director Rick Pettigrew said the team would share them “as soon as we are able”. [1]