Race to find Amelia Earhart's missing plane as the deadline approaches in rough seas

A Purdue University expedition near Nikkomaruru ran into rough weather, halting efforts to identify a wetland object that may have been Amelia Earhart's plane.

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Days into their journey, the team searching for Amelia Earhart's missing plane battles tough weather - and races to identify a mysterious object that could finally solve the pilot's disappearance.

Purdue University said in an update Thursday that the 17-member expedition was forced to halt field operations because wind and rough seas made it too dangerous to reach Nikomaru by transport boat.

The group is investigating Object Taraya, a visual anomaly in the island's lagoon that researchers believe could be the wreckage of Earhart's Lockheed Electra 10-E.

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Purdue University said winds and rough seas near Nicomaruru "have made conditions unsafe."

"Despite Thursday's weather delay, the expedition remains on schedule, with two more days of field operations planned — and an update on the Taraya object detection — before the team must leave the atoll and return to Tarawa, Kiribati," the university said.

Because Nikumaroro is 17 hours ahead of Eastern time in the United States, an update could come as early as Saturday, though Purdue has not announced a specific release time.

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The university also said the team had begun collecting data on the Taraia object, but cautioned that it was too early to draw conclusions.

Rick Pettigrew, chief executive of the Archaeological Heritage Institute and one of the expedition's leaders, said in a statement: "We understand the tremendous interest in what we are doing at Nicomaruru and appreciate everyone's patience."

He added: "This is a complex scientific process.

You don't simply land on a site and immediately recognize what's there.

Earhart disappeared on July 2, 1937 while attempting to become the first woman to fly around the world.

She and her seaman, Fred Noonan, disappeared on one of the last legs of their voyage after departing from The Hague, New Guinea, bound for Howland Island.

Earhart was only 39 years old when she disappeared - one of the most famous people in the world at the time.

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Purdue became involved in the latest search in February 2025, when expedition leader Rick Pettigrew approached the Purdue Research Foundation to investigate the Taraya object.

Nicomaru is a remote, uninhabited atoll in the central Pacific Ocean, part of the Republic of Kiribati, where investigators are searching for clues to the disappearance of Amelia Earhart. (Google Maps)

"The final review of the wreckage has been the subject of discussions with [the Republic of] Kiribati, and although nothing has been finalized, ALI [Archaeological Heritage Institute] and the Purdue Research Foundation are sharing the return of the plane to Purdue for display in accordance with Amelia's original wishes."

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