New Evidence Suggests Amelia Earhart May Have Survived Crash, Researchers Say
WASHINGTON – A renewed examination into the disappearance of Amelia Earhart is underway, fueled by a bold claim that the famed aviator and her navigator, fred Noonan, may have survived a crash landing and later perished as castaways on a remote Pacific island. Researchers are preparing for an expedition to Nikumaroro, an uninhabited island roughly halfway between Australia and Hawaii, to investigate a potential aircraft anomaly detected via satellite imagery.
The search, a joint effort between the Purdue Research Foundation and the National Geographic Society, comes after former President Donald Trump reportedly ordered the release of any classified material pertaining to EarhartS final flight. However, Steven Schultz, chief legal officer of the Purdue Research Foundation, stated at a press conference Wednesday that, “To our knowledge, there are no records, there are no such records that remain to be unclassified.” The renewed focus on Nikumaroro centers on the “Taraia Object,” a visual anomaly identified in satellite data that researchers hope will yield clues about Earhart’s fate.
Earhart and Noonan vanished on July 2, 1937, during their attempt to circumnavigate the globe. The disappearance became one of the 20th century’s greatest mysteries, spawning countless theories and expeditions. While the official position has long been that their plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean, a growing body of evidence suggests a different scenario.
Researchers have long focused on Nikumaroro, believing it may have been a landing site for Earhart’s Lockheed Electra. in 1940, skeletal remains were discovered on the island, initially thought to be male, but later analysis suggested they belonged to a woman of European descent, roughly Earhart’s height. the remains, along with artifacts found on the island in the decades following the disappearance, have fueled speculation that Earhart and noonan may have survived the crash, only to succumb to the harsh conditions of the remote island.
The upcoming expedition, scheduled for November, will utilize advanced technology to further analyze the “Taraia Object” and search for additional evidence. The team hopes to definitively determine whether the anomaly represents wreckage from Earhart’s aircraft and, ultimately, shed light on the final days of the aviation pioneer. A photograph taken June 21, 1932, shows Earhart with President Herbert Hoover at the White House.
