Researchers Near Potential Breakthrough in Decades-Old Amelia Earhart Disappearance
A research team is investigating a South Pacific site for Amelia Earhart's missing Lockheed Electra. Experts hope to solve the 1937 aviation mystery soon.
POLICY WIRE — Nikumaroro, Kiribati — A team of American researchers is currently conducting an intensive search in the South Pacific, aiming to locate the wreckage of Amelia Earhart’s long-lost aircraft.
The expedition, spearheaded by Steve Schultz of Purdue University and Richard Pettigrew of the Archaeological Legacy Institute, officially commenced their underwater survey this Wednesday. The group is searching for the remains of the Lockheed Electra 10-E that vanished during the aviator’s historic flight.
Schultz noted that the team remains firmly in the data-gathering phase of the operation. The 17-member crew endured a five-day journey at sea to reach the remote lagoon off the coast of Nikumaroro.
The search is centered on a visual anomaly identified as the Taraia Object. While this feature has appeared in aerial photography since 1938, it was specifically identified in 2020 satellite imagery, which served as the primary catalyst for this current mission.
Pettigrew explained that the next phase involves a comprehensive analysis of collected data, followed by the deployment of a hydraulic dredge to clear sediment from the seafloor. The team anticipates they will be able to confirm whether they have discovered the plane within a matter of days.
Amelia Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, disappeared on July 2, 1937, while attempting to circumnavigate the globe along the equator. They vanished after completing 22,000 miles of their journey.
Nikumaroro is situated within the archipelago of Kiribati, located roughly halfway between Australia and Hawaii. The site lies approximately 400 miles southeast of Howland Island, which was the intended final destination for the pair.
The disappearance of the aviators remains one of the most enduring mysteries in history. Pettigrew emphasized the unique nature of their approach, stating that they are the only group to have developed a plan of this specific nature, making the effort entirely new.
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)