Researchers from the Archaeological Legacy Institute and Purdue University will send a 17-person team to Nikumaroro, Kiribati, on October 7 to investigate the "Taraia Object," an anomaly first spotted in Apple Maps imagery in 2020 and visible in photos dating to 2015. The team will use underwater surveying, drone imaging and archaeological methods to determine whether the feature is aircraft wreckage. While the object's size and reflective outline are consistent with fuselage and tail sections, its identity remains unconfirmed and natural explanations have not been ruled out.
Expedition to Nikumaroro Launches to Investigate 'Taraia Object' — Could It Be Amelia Earhart's Electra?
Amelia Earhart in the Lockheed Wasp-powered Vega plane. The Taraia Object alongside a rendering of the Electra fuselage and tail.
Researchers from the Archaeological Legacy Institute (ALI) and Purdue University are launching a 17-person expedition to Nikumaroro, a remote atoll in Kiribati, to examine an unusual feature visible in satellite imagery that some believe could be the submerged remains of Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Model 10E Electra.
The feature—dubbed the "Taraia Object"—was first noticed in 2020 by researcher Michael Ashmore using Apple Maps. Archival imagery later revealed the same shape appeared in photos as far back as 2015, a detail that has helped shape investigators' theories about how it may have become exposed.
Leading the expedition is Dr. Richard Pettigrew, executive director of ALI. The team plans to employ underwater surveying, photogrammetry, drone reconnaissance and standard archaeological methods to determine whether the anomaly is man-made and, if so, whether it is related to Earhart's plane.
"This case has taken a long time," Dr. Pettigrew said in an earlier interview. "We have some new evidence. There's an object visible in the Nikumaroro lagoon. Everything that we see indicates it's very possible, perhaps even likely, that this is what remains of Amelia Earhart's aircraft."
Investigators point to the Taraia Object's elongated outline, apparent size and reflective appearance in satellite images as features consistent with aircraft fuselage and tail sections. They have also located the anomaly in aerial photographs and drone video obtained during preliminary research. However, experts emphasize that imagery alone cannot confirm identity; natural formations or other debris could produce similar signatures.
Researchers note that Tropical Cyclone Pam, which swept through the region in March 2015, may have shifted lagoon sediment and exposed a previously buried object—an explanation consistent with the object's visibility in 2015 imagery. If surveys on site confirm aircraft wreckage, the team anticipates returning with a larger operation to conduct a full-scale archaeological excavation and recovery.
The expedition is funded jointly by Purdue University and the Archaeological Legacy Institute. The team is scheduled to depart for Nikumaroro on October 7 and will document their work carefully to allow peer review and follow-up study. The investigators have emphasized transparency and scientific rigor, and they stress that any identification must meet archaeological and forensic standards.
Background: Amelia Earhart was a pioneering American aviator who disappeared in 1937 while attempting a round-the-world flight. She was among the earliest female transatlantic flyers and worked at Purdue University as a women's career counselor and adviser to the university's Aeronautics Department. In 2025, a presidential directive ordered the declassification of related U.S. government records, broadening access to archival material relevant to the case.
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