Amelia Earhart disappeared without a trace over the Pacific in 1937. The most recent search for her aircraft remains unsuccessful.

Amelia Earhart disappeared without a trace over the Pacific in 1937. The most recent search for her aircraft remains unsuccessful. For years, an expedition group follows another in order to solve the mystery of Amelia Earhart's disappearance. So far, all have failed. Perhaps this is what adds to her legend. On October 7, 2026, an expedition group of seventeen members from Purdue University and the Archaeological Legacy Institute set off into the South Pacific to find the remains of Amelia Earhart. The researchers relied on air and satellite images which show a strikingly shiny spot in the sea near the tiny island of Nikumaroro. They suspected that it was the wreck of Earhart's aircraft. On Nikumaroro, it has now turned out: the "visual anomaly" is "probably an accumulation of large trees" lying in the saltwater. The researchers had to admit this on Monday in a press release. On the wood, a crust of solidified coral sand has formed, giving it a shiny surface, the report continues. The researchers had mistakenly believed the coral sand on the satellite images to be metal. Repeated Failures The failed expedition is part of a long series of elaborate failures in the search for the famous pilot. When Earhart disappeared over the Pacific in July 1937, the American government launched the largest search up to that time. Over sixty aircraft and nine ships searched an area of the Pacific in July 1937, about sixteen times the size of Switzerland. The search cost four million dollars, which would be about 70 million Swiss francs today. Researchers have suspected for decades that Amelia Earhart might have been stranded as a shipwreck on the island of Nikumaroro. Human bones, potentially matching Earhart's size, have been discovered there. Items from the 1930s were also found: a pocketknife, a mirror with rouge, bottles of cosmetics. The International Group for the Recovery of Historic Aircraft Tighar has undertaken about a dozen expeditions to Nikumaroro so far, once taking forensic dogs to the island. In 2019, Robert Ballard, the discoverer of the "Titanic" wreck, also searched around Nikumaroro for traces of Earhart. On board the research vessel "Nautilus," he searched the seabed using sonar, underwater robots, and drones. So far, all efforts have been in vain. The famous pilot has been missing since her attempted circumnavigation of the world. What happened to her remains unclear. Night Flight with the First Lady Amelia Earhart was a world star during her lifetime. In 1928, she was the first woman to fly across the Atlantic – though she was still a passenger at that time. "I was just luggage, like a sack of potatoes," Earhart said after landing in Great Britain. At this time, she was already a pilot; however, flying such a long distance was not yet trusted by her as a woman. Earhart – born 1897 – grew up at a time when manned aviation was just beginning: she was six years old when the Wright brothers achieved their first successful motor flight. As a child, she was considered an adventurer: she climbed trees or shot rats with a rifle. Earhart sat in the passenger seat of an aircraft for the first time at the age of 23 – in the same year when women in the USA were just gaining suffrage. After her Atlantic crossing, the press liked to portray Earhart in a leather jacket and flying helmet to market her as a female Charles Lindbergh – nicknamed "Lady Lindy". Earhart was talented at using her fame for political causes: she wrote books, gave speeches, and lobbied for aviation and women's rights. Once, the First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt even got into the plane with her to make a spontaneous night flight over Washington. Earhart also gained recognition for her flying achievements: she was the first pilot to fly an aircraft across North America without stops, setting a world record (5613 meters) for altitude flights with a gyrocopter. In 1932, she crossed the Atlantic again – this time in the pilot's seat. But every success only led Earhart to even more, ever more dangerous, power endeavors. So in 1937 she embarked on her most demanding expedition: she wanted to circumnavigate the world by plane as the first woman. Why Earhart undertook such a risk may seem mysterious. Officially, her circumnavigation was supposed to provide scientific knowledge about the effects of long flights on the pilot. To her husband, Earhart could only help herself with a tautology: "I want to do it because I want to." She explained the journey in 1937 to him in a letter. "Women have to try to do things the way men have. If they fail, their failure can only be a challenge for others." And indeed – the plan failed. Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan disappeared in the Pacific Ocean. Despite the huge search, neither their bodies nor the aircraft wreck have been found so far. Movies, books, and alleged eyewitness accounts created new legends afterward. Was Earhart secretly working as a spy for the Roosevelt government and was she abducted by Japanese soldiers? Could she have escaped with Noonan to an island? Did she return to the USA under a false name? Dramatic Hours The Howland Island was intended to be one of the last landing places for Earhart's world tour. The pilot wanted to refuel there. She had already completed three-quarters of her world tour by that time. Earhart had flown from California to Miami, from South America across Africa to New Guinea. To save weight, Earhart took only the necessities as luggage. She removed the insulation material from the walls of the aircraft. This made the engines so loud during the flight that Earhart and Noonan could only communicate with hand signals. But the longest and most difficult stage lay ahead of them. From New Guinea, Earhart and Noonan set off towards Howland Island. To get there, they had to cross over 4000 kilometers of open sea. Their destination was a mere two-kilometer stretch of land in the middle of the ocean. The American government had planned three landing strips there specifically for Earhart. Earhart's aircraft – a Lockheed Electra – had been equipped with additional fuel tanks instead of passenger seats at her request and was considered a "flying laboratory" in the media. Despite modern technology, the flight remained a risk: Navigation over the sea was difficult, and Fred Noonan had to orient himself by the sun and the stars. To support Earhart, the American government sent a patrol boat to Howland Island. This boat was supposed to guide the pilot to the island by radio. But the connection worked poorly; most of the radio calls from the boat crew did not reach Earhart. Additionally, there were misunderstandings in coordination: Earhart and Noonan gave their times according to Greenwich Mean Time, while the patrol boat crew measured the time according to their position in the Pacific. Despair Crept In Despair increasingly crept into Earhart's radio calls. "We need to be right there with you, but we can't see you," she was heard on the morning of July 2nd at 7:42 AM over the patrol boat's radio. And: "The fuel is running low." Earhart was already in the air for almost twenty hours at this time. An hour later, the pilot tried one last time to give her position. Then: Silence. The Search Continues Many searches for Earhart have focused on the island of Nikumaroro in recent years. It is located about 650 kilometers from Earhart's target destination – Howland Island. It is so tiny that one has to zoom in multiple times on Google Earth to recognize it: a piece of uninhabited forest and earth somewhere between Australia and Hawaii. On their current expedition, the researchers from Purdue University and the Archaeological Legacy Institute spent seven days near Nikumaroro. The researchers brought documentary films to the island and published videos with some hundred thousand views on YouTube since last week. The cost of the expedition amounts to $900,000 according to "National Geographic". The results of the investigations are modest: the researchers discovered a 76-centimeter steel pipe and some other artifacts. Even if the scholars did not find a wreck, they remain convinced in the media release that Earhart was stranded on Nikumaroro. Criticism Beforehand There had already been criticism of the expedition. The Tighar organization – which has been dedicated to the search for Earhart for decades and also supports the theory that the pilot was stranded on Nikumaroro – found the trail with the satellite images to be not very promising. Its founder Ric Gillespie doubted whether the clues justified a costly search on site. Tighar researchers had already suspected years ago that the conspicuous spot was more likely washed-up wood than parts of an aircraft wreck. In the Internet, rumors are now spreading. "Wait a minute? The thing in the photo that looked like a tree was actually a tree?" is one top comment under the latest video from Purdue University. Other commentators describe the expedition as a "PR stunt" or an excuse to spend vacation in the Pacific. Others draw a comparison to "Gerald's Treasure". A notorious live broadcast from 1986 is in common: The American host Geraldo Rivera opened an alleged secret treasure in Al Capone for about 30 million tense viewers at the time – and found nothing but debris and empty bottles. The comparison is obvious: The Earhart expedition was also broadcast publicly, and the audience was also excited about the search for a spectacular find. And there, too, they only found "debris," which means "rubble" in German. The expedition has shown, above all, one thing: how much passion is still invested in news about Earhart today. How much her fate still concerns people to this day. This is further due to the fact that she remains missing. During her lifetime, Earhart was known as a feminist, a top pilot, and an early celebrity. However, she became a legend only with her last flight. To this day, there are entire internet portals dedicated to the mystery of her disappearance. The coordinator of the Amelia Earhart Festival even said a few years ago that the mystery was one of the reasons why people still talk about the pilot today, and added: "I hope they never find her." Her plea seems to be heard so far. "NZZ Live" Event: Pioneer Spirit in the Alps: The Crash of Dakota and the Evolution of Modern Air Rescue New Engines and Drones Revolutionize Air Rescue. Where is the Industry Heading? What Innovations Shape the Future of Aviation? October 26, 2026, 8 PM, Zurich Find tickets and more information here