Earhart plane search resumes on Pacific atoll after storms delay expedition

Researchers investigate the 'Taraia Object' in a Nikumaroro lagoon as newly released 1938 images add historical evidence

By LineZotpaper

Published19 October 2026

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A search for the wreckage of Amelia Earhart's plane has resumed on the remote Pacific island of Nikumaroro after three days of severe weather, as researchers investigate an object in the atoll's lagoon that some believe could be the remains of the aviator's Lockheed Electra.

The expedition, led by Purdue University and the US-based Archaeological Legacy Institute (ALI), returned to the water after weather cleared on Sunday. The team had been confined to its research vessel, the Marin Mainiku, as strong winds and rough seas made it unsafe to land on the uninhabited atoll, part of Kiribati.

"We are finally getting off the ship and able to land on Nikumaroro," Sirisha Bandla, a technology specialist on the expedition, said in a video update. "We're working to get everything done today if we can. The crew's really excited."

The researchers arrived at the atoll last week and began an underwater survey of the area around the so-called Taraia Object, a feature visible in aerial imagery, including photography dating back to 1938, that could be the remnants of a small aircraft sitting in shallow water. The weather, driven by strong El Niño conditions in the Pacific, has so far prevented the team from beginning the second of three phases, in which underwater objects would be probed to determine their depth and sediment dredged. As a result of the hold, the expedition has been extended.

Earhart vanished in 1937 while trying to reach Howland Island, a remote coral island near Nikumaroro, to refuel during her attempt to circumnavigate the globe. One theory holds that she unintentionally navigated to Nikumaroro, ditched her plane and died as a castaway.

The team's interest in the island was boosted this week when New Zealand's Air Force Museum published previously unseen reconnaissance images of Nikumaroro, taken from a seaplane in 1938. While the Taraia Object is not obviously visible in them, the images show the beached wreck of the SS Norwich City, a British merchant vessel that ran aground on the island in 1929, killing 11. Purdue said the wreck may lend credence to the researchers' theory: a 15-year-old in Florida reported hearing Earhart's voice repeating "New York City" over a shortwave radio shortly after she vanished, which proponents argue may have been a misunderstanding of Earhart giving her location as near the Norwich City.

ALI director Rick Pettigrew said the team was aware of the global interest in the expedition and would share its results "as soon as we are able". Before the poor weather hit, Purdue suggested it could identify the Taraia Object in a matter of days, but the team has not indicated whether it has found any promising evidence.

Not all researchers are convinced. Some skeptics believe the Taraia Object is simply a tree that fell from the atoll into the lagoon. Previous attempts to find the Electra have also come up short: a 2024 sonar sighting near Howland Island was later confirmed to be a rock formation, and a 2019 expedition investigating a photograph of possible landing gear near Nikumaroro found nothing.

Analysis

Why This Matters

The expedition could resolve one of aviation's most enduring mysteries, the 1937 disappearance of Amelia Earhart, which has fueled speculation for nearly 90 years
A confirmed find would either validate or close the long-standing castaway theory centred on Nikumaroro
The release of long-unseen 1938 reconnaissance images adds a fresh historical evidence trail beyond the expedition itself

Background

Amelia Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic and one of the most famous aviators of her era. She disappeared in July 1937 with navigator Fred Noonan while attempting to become the first woman to fly around the world, vanishing en route to Howland Island. Her fate has never been established. Nikumaroro, an uninhabited coral atoll in Kiribati, has long been central to one leading theory: that Earhart landed or crashed there and died as a castaway. Previous research has found evidence of a human presence on the island around the time of her disappearance, which has kept the theory alive, though no wreckage has ever been confirmed.

Key Perspectives

Purdue University and the Archaeological Legacy Institute: The expedition team treats the Taraia Object as a credible lead, supported by aerial imagery dating to 1938 and evidence of human presence on the island, and argues the nearby Norwich City wreck may explain a reported radio transmission after the disappearance. Skeptical researchers: They note the object could be a fallen tree and point to a history of false alarms, including a 2024 sonar sighting near Howland Island that proved to be a rock formation and a 2019 expedition that found nothing. Air Force Museum of New Zealand: By publishing 1938 reconnaissance images, the museum has contributed historical material to the search, even though the Taraia Object is not clearly visible in them.

What to Watch

The second phase of the survey, which will probe the Taraia Object to determine its depth and dredge sediment, and whether it yields wreckage or debris
Whether the expedition reports an identification of the object in the coming days, as Purdue suggested before the weather delay
Independent verification by outside researchers, given the pattern of earlier unconfirmed sightings

Sources

Search for Amelia Earhart's plane resumes after stormy weather · BBC News

Checked

12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 9 supported.

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SupportedThe Nikumaroro search resumed on Sunday after severe weather halted work for three days.BBC News: “Rough seas and strong winds forced the team to remain on their research vessel for three days, until the weather cleared on Sunday.”
SupportedResearchers are investigating the Taraia Object in Nikumaroro's lagoon.BBC News: “A team has travelled to Nikumaroro Island, part of Kiribati, hoping to solve the mystery of the famed aviator's disappearance by investigating the so-called Taraia Object, spotted in the atoll's lagoon in aerial imagery.”
Partly supportedNewly released 1938 images add historical evidence to the investigation.BBC News: “However, it said the Norwich City wreck may lend credence to the researchers' theory.”
SupportedThe Taraia Object could be the remains of a small aircraft in shallow water.BBC News: “Images of the so-called Taraia Object - which Purdue University says is visible in photography dating back to 1938 - show what could be the remnants of a small aircraft sitting in shallow waters, though other explorers remain sceptical .”
Partly supportedThe Taraia Object is visible in photography dating to 1938.BBC News: “Images of the so-called Taraia Object - which Purdue University says is visible in photography dating back to 1938 - show what could be the remnants of a small aircraft sitting in shallow waters, though other explorers remain sceptical .”
SupportedSirisha Bandla said, "We are finally getting off the ship and able to land on Nikumaroro," "We're working to get everything done today if we can," and "The crew's really excited."BBC News: “"We are finally getting off the ship and able to land on Nikumaroro," Sirisha Bandla, a technology specialist who is part of the expedition, said in a video update from the deck of the Marin Mainiku.”
SupportedWeather linked to strong El Niño conditions prevented the second of three survey phases from beginning.BBC News: “But the weather - powered by strong El Niño conditions in the Pacific - has so far prevented them from beginning a second of three phases, in which underwater objects will be probed to determine their depth and sediment will be dredged.”
SupportedThe expedition was extended because of the three-day weather hold.BBC News: “As a result of the three-day hold, the research team has extended the expedition time to complete its fieldwork and has yet to indicate whether they had found any promising evidence of Earhart's plane.”
Not in the sourcesPublication of the museum's 1938 images boosted the team's interest in Nikumaroro.BBC News: “Interest in the expedition prompted New Zealand's Air Force Museum to publish, external previously unseen reconnaissance images of Nikumaroro on Friday.”
SupportedThe 1938 images show the SS Norwich City, a British merchant vessel that ran aground in 1929, killing 11.BBC News: “they do show the beached wreck of the SS Norwich City, a British merchant vessel that ran aground on the island during a storm in 1929, killing 11.”
SupportedPurdue said a 15-year-old in Florida reported hearing Earhart repeat "New York City" over shortwave radio shortly after she vanished.BBC News: “Purdue said a 15-year-old in Florida reported hearing Earhart's voice repeating "New York City" over her father's shortwave radio shortly after the aviator vanished.”
SupportedRick Pettigrew said the team would share its results "as soon as we are able".BBC News: “ALI director Rick Pettigrew said the team was aware of the global interest in the expedition and would share its results "as soon as we are able".”