Amelia Earhart investigators begin expedition to study mysterious object in Pacific:
A team searching for Amelia Earhart's lost plane has begun its expedition to the Pacific, where it plans to study a mysterious object that researchers say may be her aircraft.
Researchers identified the "visual anomaly" in a lagoon on Nikumaroro, a small island in Kiribati about halfway between Australia and Hawaii. The island is about 400 miles southeast of Howland Island, where Earhart and Noonan were planning to travel.
The team previously said they will take photos and videos of the lagoon and Taraia Object. Then, they will use magnetometers and sonar devices to scan the area before dredging the item from the water so researchers can attempt to identify it. The process will be documented by the Archealogy Channel, with short vlogs on their streaming platform, Heritage Broadcasting Service.
"We owe it to Amelia's legacy at Purdue to follow the evidence," Steve Schultz, a senior vice president at Purdue University and field assistant on the expedition, told CBS News. Earhart lectured at the school before embarking on her final flight. Some of her belongings remain on display in the university's archives.
Some experts are skeptical. Ric Gillespie, the executive director of the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery, told NBC News in 2025 that he does not think the Taraia Object is related to the Earhart expedition.
For nearly a century, researchers have tried to find Earhart's missing plane, believing it will help them answer the question of what happened to the famed aviator. In 2024, another expedition team captured a sonar image that seemed to resemble a plane resting at the bottom of the sea. But the object was later determined to be a rock formation.
"Amelia Earhart was out there. She was going through that exact same thing," Rover said. "So yeah - what happened? What did happen? I would love to know."
FlyDubai co-pilot planned to crash jet into Israeli airport, official says
FlyDubai co-pilot planned to crash jet into Israeli airport, official says
Dive deeper
- A team searching for Amelia Earhart's lost plane has begun its expedition to the Pacific, where it plans to study a mysterious object that researchers say may be her aircraft.
- Researchers identified the "visual anomaly" in a lagoon on Nikumaroro, a small island in Kiribati about halfway between Australia and Hawaii. The island is about 400 miles southeast of Howland Island, where Earhart and Noonan were planning
- The team previously said they will take photos and videos of the lagoon and Taraia Object. Then, they will use magnetometers and sonar devices to scan the area before dredging the item from the water so researchers can attempt to identify i
- "We owe it to Amelia's legacy at Purdue to follow the evidence," Steve Schultz, a senior vice president at Purdue University and field assistant on the expedition, told CBS News. Earhart lectured at the school before embarking on her final
- Some experts are skeptical. Ric Gillespie, the executive director of the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery, told NBC News in 2025 that he does not think the Taraia Object is related to the Earhart expedition.