Nikumaroro expedition finds no wreckage of Amelia Earhart's plane in lagoon
The gist
A 17-person expedition to Nikumaroro found no conclusive evidence that Amelia Earhart's plane wreckage lay in a lagoon.
The anomaly was likely trees, leaving the castaway theory unproven but still defended.
How it unfolded
- Jul 2, 1937Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan disappeared during an attempt to become the first woman to fly around the world, last seen taking off from Lae, New Guinea for Howland Island.
- 2020The Taraia Object, a blurry plane-shaped anomaly in a lagoon on Nikumaroro, was first detected in satellite imagery, spotted by a Navy veteran during the COVID pandemic.
- Oct 6, 2026The Taraia Object expedition launched from Tarawa in the Republic of Kiribati.