Researchers from Purdue University have announced they may have discovered the wreckage of Amelia Earhart’s plane, potentially solving one of aviation history’s greatest enigmas. The claim comes after analysis of satellite imagery revealed a “visual anomaly” on Nikumaroro, a remote island in Kiribati, approximately 400 miles southeast of Howland Island, where Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan were last believed to have been traveling in 1937.
Earhart, a pioneering aviator, vanished during her attempt to circumnavigate the globe when her Lockheed Electra 10E disappeared over the Pacific Ocean on July 2, 1937. For decades, theories about her fate have ranged from crashing into the ocean to being captured by foreign forces. The new discovery centers on an object spotted in a lagoon on Nikumaroro, which has appeared in photographs since 1938.
A team from Purdue University, the Purdue Research Foundation, and the Archaeological Legacy Institute plans to investigate the site in November. They will use sonar, magnetometers, and underwater imaging to examine the anomaly before attempting to retrieve it for analysis. Richard Pettigrew, executive director of the Archaeological Legacy Institute, described the expedition as a chance to uncover “smoking-gun proof” linking the object to Earhart’s disappearance.
The findings follow President Donald Trump’s 2020 directive to declassify government records related to the case, though no official documents have been released publicly. Theories about Earhart’s fate continue to captivate historians and aviation enthusiasts, with some suggesting she may have landed on Nikumaroro before perishing there.
The research team has not yet confirmed the object’s identity but emphasized the “very strong” evidence supporting its connection to the missing aircraft. Further details are expected after the upcoming expedition.
