The mystery of Amelia Earhart enters a critical phase as explorers approach the mysterious object

A 17-member Taraia Object expedition team has arrived at Nikumaroro Island to investigate a satellite anomaly that could be Amelia Earhart's Lockheed Electra.

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The search crew for Amelia Earhart's missing plane has reached a remote Pacific island — and they're preparing to investigate new clues that could shed light on her disappearance.

Purdue University in Indiana announced on Monday that the 17-member Taraia Object expedition team had arrived at the island of Nicomaru after a five-day journey across the Pacific Ocean.

An aptly named team is investigating a mysterious anomaly spotted in satellite imagery that some researchers believe could be Earhart's missing Lockheed Electra.

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The expedition focuses on the Nicomaroro hypothesis, a theory that Earhart's plane crashed near a remote Pacific island.

The team arrived shortly after sunset, so the field work was postponed until the morning.

During the night the ship moved to the east of the island for calmer waters as the crew prepared to go ashore in the morning.

On the first day of the beach, Purdue said in a statement, the team focused on "transporting equipment, clearing vegetation and establishing staging operations on the beach and south side of the lagoon."

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"Upon arrival at the beach, the team will split into two teams, one of which will use smaller transport boats through Tatiman Pass, a natural opening on the west side of the island, to access the lagoon and place floats along the way to guide the return trip to Marin Mainiko at the end of the work," the university added.

The second team will take a path through the jungle of the island and connect the landing site to the southern side of the lagoon.

The statement also noted that "staging areas will be established at both ends of the forest track to support the first day's work, before the focus shifts to the Taraya Peninsula on Wednesday" - i.e. October 14.

The team is active 16 hours ahead of ET, with Wednesday's action on the island beginning Tuesday afternoon in the US.

Earhart disappeared on July 2, 1937, while attempting to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the globe by air.

Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, disappeared on one of the last legs of their voyage after departing Lae, New Guinea, bound for Howland Island.

The members of the expedition arrived at Nicomaruru Island shortly after sunset and postponed their initial fieldwork until morning, preparing to examine the Taraya object. (Google Maps)

Earhart, one of the most famous people in the world at the time, was only 39 years old.

In a statement, expedition leader Rick Pettigrew called the prospect of the survey "exciting."

"It is gratifying to bring our investigation of the Taraya object to this point and finally solve the outstanding mystery of the disappearance of Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan more than 89 years ago," he said.

Earhart disappeared on July 2, 1937. She was trying to be the first female pilot to circumnavigate the world by air.

Purdue has a long-standing relationship with Earhart, who served as a career counselor and adviser to women students at the university in the 1930s. The Purdue Research Foundation also helped finance his Lockheed Electra, which he used on his ill-fated final flight.

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The university engaged in the latest search after Pettigrew approached the Purdue Research Foundation in February 2025.

"The final treatment 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 dream of returning the plane to Purdue for display, in keeping with Amelia's original wishes," he added.

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