Amelia Earhart's Plane Possibly Found in Pacific Lagoon, Researchers Assert

A team from Purdue University plans to embark on an expedition to a remote Pacific island to investigate whether an unusual object found there is Amelia Earhart's missing aircraft. Experts are convinced of the strong likelihood that this discovery could be connected to the legendary pilot.

In an attempt to become the first woman to circumnavigate the globe, Earhart vanished while flying over the Pacific with her navigator, Fred Noonan, on July 2, 1937. Neither the pair nor their aircraft, a Lockheed Electra 10E, have been found since.

In 2020, analysts studying satellite images noted an oddity in a lagoon on Nikumaroro, part of Kiribati. Situated nearly halfway between Australia and Hawaii, the island lies about 400 miles southeast of the planned destination, Howland Island. This newly spotted feature in photos could potentially be linked to Earhart's aircraft.

The research team from Purdue University, in conjunction with the Purdue Research Foundation and the Archaeological Legacy Institute, will visit Nikumaroro in November. Their goal is to photograph and videotape the area. They then plan to apply advanced tools like magnetometers and sonar equipment to evaluate the underwater anomaly before attempting a careful extraction.

The quest to unravel the mystery of Earhart's disappearance, which has persisted over decades, continues to fuel speculation. One hypothesis suggests she landed on Nikumaroro and subsequently perished there. The Pennsylvania-based International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery holds pieces of evidence supporting this hypothesis. Richard Pettigrew of the Archaeological Legacy Institute believes this journey might finally unearth definitive proof.

According to Pettigrew, extensive satellite imagery and historical research have been gathered to back their claim. There is optimism that if this object is indeed Earhart's plane, they might have found the elusive Lockheed Electra. Nonetheless, they acknowledge the possibility of being incorrect, awaiting confirmation through their expedition.

Still, Ric Gillespie from the International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery remains unconvinced. He shared his doubts with NBC News, maintaining that prior inspections of the same location yielded no tangible results.

In an unusual twist, Purdue University's Steve Schultz will accompany the team as a field assistant. If their hunch proves right, the institution anticipates bringing the aircraft back home, recognizing Earhart's former association with the university. Her plane, originally funded by Purdue University, was meant to return to its origins upon completing the global flight.

Schultz emphasized that this discovery could mark the initial step toward fulfilling Earhart's ambition of flying the Electra back to West Lafayette, marking a symbolic return of the historic aircraft.