Amelia Earhart mystery: New expedition to inspect Pacific anomaly

A Pacific expedition will travel to Nikumaroro Island in Kiribati in fall 2026 to inspect an underwater anomaly first spotted on satellite imagery in 2020 as part of an effort to solve the nearly 90-year-old mystery of Amelia Earhart's disappearance.

Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan vanished on July 2, 1937, while flying from Lae, New Guinea, to Howland Island, a distance of about 2,500 miles, during Earhart's attempt to become the first woman to fly around the world. The two were officially declared dead in 1939.

The expedition, led by Archaeological Legacy Institute executive director Richard Pettigrew and including members from Purdue University, will examine the 'Taraia Object' — a visual anomaly in the lagoon — to determine whether it is the remains of Earhart's Lockheed 10-E Electra. Pettigrew told USA TODAY he is 'very confident' about the mission.

Evidence supporting the Nikumaroro hypothesis includes human bones found on the island in 1940; a 2018 analysis suggested they belonged to a woman of Earhart's stature. Items such as a woman's shoe, compact case and freckle-cream jar from the 1930s were also discovered there. Pettigrew said in a July 24, 2026 press release: 'The evidence supporting the Nikumaroro Hypothesis remains compelling.'

The Taraia Object Expedition was first announced in 2025 but postponed pending approval from the Kiribati government. The team will set sail from Tarawa to Nikumaroro on Oct. 7, 2026, and spend several days on the island with archaeologists, filmmakers and scuba personnel.

Purdue senior vice president Steve Schultz, who will lead the university's representatives, said Earhart 'challenged conventions' and inspired others. Earhart served as a career counselor for women at Purdue and an advisor in its Department of Aeronautics. The Purdue Research Foundation bought her Electra, and the university said she intended to return it after her world flight for future research.