Flying airplane
Flying airplane Hilmi Işılak/Pexels

US President Donald Trump announced on 26 September 2025 that he has ordered the declassification and release of all government files related to Amelia Earhart, the aviation pioneer who vanished in 1937.

Trump said his decision was motivated by the enduring public fascination with Earhart's fate, particularly the Northern Mariana Islands. The Pacific territory has long been linked to claims that Earhart may have been captured there after her disappearance.

'I am ordering my Administration to declassify and release all Government Records related to Amelia Earhart, her final trip, and everything else about her,' President Trump said on his Truth Social account.

Historians and aviation researchers have welcomed the publicity but expressed scepticism that any new documents will emerge. Many government records connected to the 1937 search were already released by the FBI and National Archives decades ago.

Researchers caution that much of the mystery lies in the absence of evidence rather than in withheld files.

Renewed Searches for Earhart's Missing Plane

The declassification announcement comes as several new expeditions are preparing to investigate possible crash sites in 2025. One project, backed by the Purdue Research Foundation and the Archaeological Legacy Institute, is set to examine the so-called 'Taraia Object' on the remote island of Nikumaroro in Kiribati.

Satellite imagery has suggested a possible aircraft-shaped object in the island's lagoon, which researchers plan to inspect in November.

Elsewhere, the Palm Springs Air Museum is supporting Expedition Amelia 2025, a search focused on Papua New Guinea. This mission will employ advanced technology such as LiDAR, magnetometers and AI-enhanced satellite imagery to scan dense jungle terrain where an Australian Army patrol once claimed to have seen wreckage.

Another major development involves the recreation of period-correct radio equipment identical to what Earhart used on her Lockheed Electra. By simulating radio transmissions from her final flight, researchers hope to narrow down her last known position and refine search zones.

What Happened to Amelia Earhart? The Theories That Persist

For nearly 90 years, multiple theories have circulated about what happened to Amelia Earhart and her missing plane.

The most widely accepted explanation remains the 'crash and sink' theory. According to this view, her aircraft simply ran out of fuel while approaching Howland Island in the Pacific, forcing her and navigator Fred Noonan into the sea. Despite extensive searches, no confirmed wreckage has been recovered.

A competing theory suggests that Earhart landed on Nikumaroro Island, where she and Noonan may have survived for some time as castaways. Human remains and artefacts discovered decades later have been debated as possible links to the aviator.

Other theories propose that Earhart was captured by Japanese forces in the Northern Mariana Islands and held during the build-up to the Second World War. Oral histories from Saipan residents have long suggested that they saw an American woman pilot in custody.

Another possibility is that her plane came down in the jungles of Papua New Guinea.

Past discoveries have at times raised hopes, such as a 2024 sonar image by Deep Sea Vision that appeared to show her aircraft under the sea. Subsequent analysis concluded that the object was a natural rock formation, reinforcing the difficulty of solving the mystery.

Why the Mystery Still Captivates

Amelia Earhart's disappearance continues to attract global attention. She was the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic in 1932 and became a symbol of courage and progress for women in aviation.

Her legacy is preserved at the Amelia Earhart Hangar Museum in Atchison, Kansas, which houses a restored Lockheed 10-E known as Muriel. In 2022, a statue of Earhart was placed in the US Capitol to honour her achievements.

Nearly nine decades after her final flight, public interest in what happened to Amelia Earhart and whether her missing plane will ever be found remains as strong as ever.

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