Nikumaroro expedition finds no conclusive evidence of Amelia Earhart’s plane2026-10-13A Purdue-backed expedition found no conclusive evidence that the Taraia Object in Nikumaroro’s lagoon was wreckage from Amelia Earhart’s plane.Researchers said the anomaly was most likely accumulated tree debris; only a small, Y-shaped remnant remained, and its reflective surface was a layer of carbonate sediment, not metal.The Taraia Object was noticed in satellite imagery in 2020 and appears to be visible in aerial photographs dating to 1938.The expedition also found artifacts, including a steel tube about 30 inches long in the lagoon, for further study.Nikumaroro is central to a theory that Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan landed there after disappearing in 1937; the theory has not been proven.‘No conclusive evidence’ of Amelia Earhart’s missing plane found in South Pacific expedition (NBC News)Mystery of Amelia Earhart's missing plane could be solved in days, researchers say (CBS News)89 yıldır kayıp olan uçağın izine rastlandı: 17 kişilik ekip ıssız adaya ulaştı (Sözcü)Amelia Earhart mystery draws new search to remote Pacific island (Daily Sabah)In 1937, Amelia Earhart disappeared over the Pacific; 89 years later, a 17-member expedition has set out on an 830-nautical-mile voyage to Nikumaroro to inspect a lagoon anomaly visible in aerial photos from 1938 (The Times of India)A 17-member $900,000 expedition set out on an 830-nautical-mile voyage to Nikumaroro to inspect a submerged object seen in satellite images; five days of sonar, magnetometer and dredging could test an Amelia Earhart theory (The Times of India)