Story perspectives

Marine team surveys Nikumaroro lagoon for Earhart’s plane

By Drooid · Oct 12, 2026, 4:29 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Richard Pettigrew leads a 17-member U.S. marine archaeology team to Kiribati’s Nikumaroro to examine the Taraia Object.
The $900,000 expedition, funded by Purdue University and the Archaeological Legacy Institute, left Tarawa on Oct 7, 2026.
Researchers will use drones, side-scan sonar, magnetometers and a hydraulic dredge to survey the lagoon for five days.
If the object is Earhart’s Lockheed Electra 10-E, Purdue plans a 2027 excavation and will display the aircraft.

History

Historical Context

In July 1937, aviator Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan vanished over the Pacific, sparking the longest-running mysterious aviation mystery. The US Navy dispatched three seaplanes, officially covering 2,000 nautical miles and spending $2.5 million in 1937-38 coordinated search extensive efforts. Today, Purdue University’s $900,000 marine archaeology team, led by Richard Pettigrew, revisits Kiribati’s Nikumaroro to locate the alleged Lockheed Electra 10-E. If the Taraia Object proves to be Earhart’s aircraft, the find would finally close a 90-year quest and reshape Pacific aviation history.

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Story summary

Richard Pettigrew leads a 17-member U.S. marine archaeology team to Kiribati’s Nikumaroro to examine the Taraia Object.
The $900,000 expedition, funded by Purdue University and the Archaeological Legacy Institute, left Tarawa on Oct 7, 2026.
Researchers will use drones, side-scan sonar, magnetometers and a hydraulic dredge to survey the lagoon for five days.
If the object is Earhart’s Lockheed Electra 10-E, Purdue plans a 2027 excavation and will display the aircraft.

1 / 2