Seventeen marine archaeologists have arrived at the remote Nikumaroro atoll. Backed by Purdue University, the group is investigating a submerged object that could be the lost Lockheed Electra of Amelia Earhart.
The $900,000 hunt for a satellite-detected shape
A 17-person marine archaeology team,supported by Purdue University, has landed on the remote Nikumaroro atoll to investigate a mysterious submerged object. The mission, which carries a $900,000 price tag, aims to determine if a shape seen in satellite imagery is the wreckage of Amelia Earhart’s Lockheed Electra 10-E.
The primary evidence driving this expedition is a multi-branched object first idenified in a 2020 satellite image of the island's lagoon. While the Purdue-backed team believes the shape resembles an aircraft fuselage and wings, the object has been a point of contention for years. As the report notes, some aerial images of the lagoon dating back to 1938 suggest the object may have been present long before the recent satellite captures.
Ric Gillespie’s "pandanus tree" rebuttal
Ric Gillespie, a veteran explorer and co-founder of TIGHAR, argues that the team is misinterpreting natural debris . Gillespie, who has led a dozen expeditions to the Phoenix Islands, contends that the object in the lagoon is actually a fallen pandanus tree. He asserts that the "branches" and "root ball" visible in the imagery are characteristic of this native evergreen rather than man-made metal.
This skepticism is not new to the Nikumaroro region,where Gillespie has led a dozen expeditions over three decades. He points to previous failed attempts to locate the plane, including a 2019 operation by famed marine archaeologist Robert Ballard, as evidence that the Electra is likely lost to the sea. Gillespie maintains that any wreckage was likely swept off the coral flats by tides and destroyed in the surf.
Purdue University’s deep roots in the 1937 mystery
Purdue University’s involvement in this expedition is rooted in a deep historical connection to the lost aviator. amelia Earhart served as a visiting faculty member at Purdue for two years, acting as a women's career counselor and an advisor to the aeronautics department. Furthermore, a Purdue research grant originally funded the development of the Electra, which Earhart famously referred to as her "flying laboratory."
The mission, led by Richard Pettigrew of the Archaeological Legacy Institute, seeks to settle a long-standing debate regarding the 1937 disappearance. The team hopes to provide evidence for the castaway theory, which stands in opposition to the official U.S. government view that Earhart crashed at sea near Howland Island.
Will the Kiribati government permit artifact recvery?
Several significant questions remain regarding the physical nature of the object and the legality of its recovery. It is still unverified whether the submerged shape possesses the metallic composition of a Lockheed Electra or the organic structure of a plant.. Additionally, the expedition faces potential legal hurdles regarding the recovery of any physical remains.
According to expedition member Steve Schultz, the team does not intend to remove any artifacts during this initial five-day stay on the atoll. Any future efforts to extract wreckage or historical items would require formal permission from the government of the Kiribati Republic. Until then, the team's findings will likely remain confined to visual observations and remote sensing data .
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