Purdue-backed team to probe possible Earhart wreckage at Nikumaroro lagoon
A new expedition backed by Purdue University will travel to Nikumaroro Island in October 2026 to investigate an unexplained object in the lagoon that is believed to be wreckage from Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Electra 10E. The uninhabited atoll lies roughly 400 miles southeast of Howland Island, the pair's intended destination.1
The target, known as the Taraia Object, appears in satellite imagery near the tip of a sandy peninsula, and the team will employ underwater drones, sonar and magnetometers to examine the shallow‑water site and its surroundings.1