Search finds no trace of Amelia Earhart’s aircraft on Nikumaroro

A search on the remote Kiribati island of Nikumaroro has found that a mysterious object seen in satellite images was probably driftwood, not the wreckage of Amelia Earhart’s aircraft. The finding does not resolve what happened to the aviator, who disappeared in 1937 while attempting to fly around the world with navigator Fred Noonan. [1]

Researchers from Purdue University and the institute ALI travelled to the uninhabited island to investigate the object, known as the Taraia Object. They concluded it was probably trees washed ashore near a sandbank. [1]

Expedition leader Rick Pettigrew called the trip a success, saying the team had achieved its aim of identifying the object. [1]

Earhart and Noonan’s fate remains unknown. Many experts believe they crashed into the ocean, but their disappearance has prompted a range of theories. [1]