It was believed that Earhart crashed-landed, but a weekslong search by the U.S. government at the time found no trace of the plane. Nearly a century later, the historic female aviator’s disappearance remains one of the world’s great mysteries.
The island of Nikumaroro is very close to where Earhart’s plane was at the time of her last radio transmissions. It’s an uninhabited island that’s part of the Phoenix Islands belonging to the Republic of Kiribati.
Some artifacts have been found on the island that indicate Earhart and Noonan’s plane may have landed there, including glass bottles from the 1930s and a woman’s makeup compact.
It’s expected to take the crew at least three weeks between travel and searching the island before they return home, according to Purdue University.
The project is a “huge logistical feat,” according to Steve Schultz, senior vice president and general counsel at Purdue University. Schultz, who is also one of three members of the crew from Purdue, noted last week that moving more than a dozen people with large amounts of equipment has become its own obstacle.
“Even when you think you’ve done enough planning and preparation, everything has to fall into place once you’re underway,” he said. “The amazing thing is that it has been a series of small victories.”
Earhart was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean.Bettmann Archive
Now that they’ve reached Nikumaroro, they’ll have to hack through heavy vegetation as they make their way to the lagoon and then attempt to identify the object as Earhart’s lost Lockheed Electra 10E. The journey is further complicated by the very large crabs that inhabit the island, preventing the crew from camping on the land. Each night, the crew members will have to return to their boat and sleep in pods below deck.
The expedition is being led by Richard Pettigrew, executive director of the Archaeological Legacy Institute. He said in a statement prior to the team embarking on the journey that the project comes with “an array of strong feelings.”
“I feel truly lucky to be in a position to possibly solve one of the greatest mysteries of all time, whether or not that happens,” Pettigrew said.
If the crew does end up finding Earhart’s plane, Purdue University’s research foundation hopes to raise money to excavate the aircraft and bring it back to Indiana.