Amelia Earhart expedition headed to remote island to in hopes of finding wreckage

A team of scientists are now headed to a remote island in the Pacific to find what they believe is the wreckage of Amelia Earhart's plane. The group, backed by Purdue University, first launched its expedition to solve the famed aviator's disappearance last year. The US-based Archaeological Legacy Institute (ALI) expect to arrive at Nikumaroro Island in the Pacific Ocean by Monday. There, they hope to find the mysterious Taraia Object, which was first spotted on the edge of lagoon on the island six years ago. TRENDING Stories Videos Your Say Amelia Earhart, a pioneering aviator who became the first woman to make a nonstop solo transatlantic flight, vanished in 1937 while attempting to circumnavigate the globe. Purdue University - where Ms Earhart worked as a visiting professor and consultant - said the angular Taraia Object has been visible in aerial photography dating back to 1983. Richard Pettigrew, head of the ALI, said: "Finding Amelia Earhart's Electra aircraft would be the discovery of a lifetime." The disappearance of the aviator has fuelled years of speculation. Last year, Donald Trump released the "Amelia Earhart files", which he claimed would reveal never-before-seen details of her "final trip". But the majority of the material released by the White House had previously been published in the US National Archives or was otherwise available to researchers. Steve Schultz, general counsel at Purdue and expedition member, said: "This would be solving one of the great mysteries in aviation history, certainly one of the great mysteries of the 20th century." But the latest 17-man mission to find the craft has its critics. ### MORE ON THIS AVIATION MYSTERY: - 'We know where she was!' Amelia Earhart's plane 'found in Pacific Ocean' by scientists using restored 1930s radio - Amelia Earhart's family speaks out for first time since 'plane' discovered - Amelia Earhart breakthrough is 'promising' admits family as 87-year-old mystery may finally be over This includes rival Earhart explorer Ric Gillespie, who founded The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery, who has cast doubt that Mr Pettigrew's team will be fruitful. He told Reuters: "I'd love to find that airplane. It ain't gonna happen." Mr Gillespie believes the plane has been swept away by tides off the coral flat and been broken apart by the ocean. Previous attempts to locate the plane, including a 2019 search by Titanic finder Robert Ballard did not find evidence of the historic craft. In 2024, researchers believed they had found it lying under the surface through sonar imaging - but this was a pile of rocks. Mr Gillespie also lodged his own theory for the unexplored Taraia Object. "You can see the root ball. You can see the branches," he said. "It's a tree. People see what they want to see." His skepticism is not likely to deter the ALI expedition, which will spend five days on Nikumaroro Island before taking a six-day return boat trip to Kiribati. Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter