The new expedition will seek to locate Amelia Earhart

An expedition to a remote and small island this fall will try to locate Amelia Earhart plane In the Pacific Ocean.

The effort, announced on Wednesday by the Purdue Research Foundation and the Archaeological Legacy Institute, will focus on a “visual anomaly” on satellite and other images in a lagoon in Nikumaroro, an island located between Hawaii and Australia. Nikumaroro was previously known as Gardner Island.

A team will travel in November to inspect what is called Taraia’s object to find out if it is the Earhart plane.

“What we have here is perhaps the biggest opportunity to finally close the case,” said Richard Pettigrew, executive director of the institute, in a press release. “With a lot of very strong evidence, we feel that we have no choice but to advance and hopefully return with evidence.”

Earhart and Fred Noonan browser missing Through the Central Pacific 88 years ago on July 2. Flying an electra Lockheed 10-E, Earhart was trying to become the first aviator to surround the world when they disappeared.

Since then, several theories have emerged about their destiny. One of them suggests that Earhart landed instead of crashing, and was abandoned on an island where she died. As the Purdue Research Foundation and the Institute of Legacy Archaeological point out, this idea is called Nikumaroro hypothesis. The International Historical Recovery Group of aircraft, a non -profit organization based in Pennsylvania, has compiled evidence that says it supports the theory.

A field team plans to travel from the Marshall Islands on November 5 and spend five days inspecting the object of Taraia, said the Foundation and the Legacy Archaeological Institute in its press release. If the effort confirms the identity of the plane, the excavations will take place next year to try to return what remains of the aircraft.

Earhart worked for the University of Purdue, and the Purdue Research Foundation helped finance its flight attempt around the world, according to the press release.

“Both Earhart and her husband and manager, George Putnam, expressed their intention to return the electra to Purdue after their historical flight,” said Steven Schultz, Senior Vice President and General Advisor at the University of Purdue. “According to the evidence, we agree with Ali that this expedition offers the best opportunity not only to solve perhaps the greatest mystery of the twentieth century, but also to fulfill Amelia’s wishes and take the electra home.”

• Plane accident
• Amelia Earhart