Amelia Earhart
Amazing how small the world really is...
During the 2025 Amelia Expedition to Papua New Guinea, Michael was introduced to a nearby village leader.
What happened next was the last thing Michael expected … especially in Papua New Guinea – 10,000 miles from home.
Expedition Amelia: Aiken Resident back in Papua New Guinea searching for Earhart
By Dede Biles dbiles@aikenstandard.com
AIKEN — Michael Carra’s third expedition to search for Amelia Earhart is is underway.
The Cedar Creek resident is back in Papua New Guinea, where he believes the aviation pioneer’s twin-engine Lockheed Electra airplane crashed in 1937.
Accompanied by her navigator, Fred Noonan, Earhart was attempting to become the first female pilot to circumnavigate the world.
Nearly 90 years later, the mystery of what happened to the airplane and the two people in it remains unsolved.
In an email to the Aiken Standard prior to his departure, Carra wrote that his latest expedition “is currently fully funded and is being sponsored by the Palm Springs Air Museum [in California].
“Currently, we return on September 4 and I should be back in South Carolina around the 14th,” he added.
Carra also journeyed to Papua New Guinea in 2021 and 2022 to look for Earhart.
The Discovery Channel funded Carra’s first expedition and also aired in 2024 the documentary “Finding Amelia” that focused on his experiences.
Carra used his own money to pay for his second trip, which had a budget of $150,000 and ended up costing $197,000.
Earhart’s aircraft vanished after taking off from Lae on the island of New Guinea.
Many people believe the Lockheed Electra plummeted into the Pacific Ocean near Earhart’s destination, Howland Island, which is between Australia and the Hawaiian Islands.
Aiken resident’s search for Amelia Earhart featured in Discovery Channel documentary
But Carra thinks Earhart, at some point, decided to turn her plane around and head back toward Lae.
Howland Island is tiny, and it’s possible Earhart and Noonan were unable to locate it.
Helping Carra narrow down his search for the Lockheed Electra to Papua New Guinea was a report in Australia’s war archives about a group of Australian soldiers who found the remains of an airplane there in 1945.
One of the soldiers took a metal engine tag from the aircraft, and the series of numbers and letters on it were only ever used for one plane “in aviation history … and it’s Amelia’s,” Carra has said previously.
Papua New Guinea was the site of intense battles during World War II, and hundreds of aircraft were shot down or crashed for other reasons there.
During a February presentation to the Town and Country Club in Aiken, Carra showed a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) image of what he believes is Earhart’s Lockheed Electra in the jungle.
Should that not be the case, Carra said he knew of “13 other targets to look at” in a roughly 12-square-mile area.
Based on his research and the information collected during his previous two expeditions to Papua New Guinea, Carra told the Aiken Standard that he was “90% confident” that his 2025 search for Earhart would be successful.
Amelia Earhart Briefing - South Carolina Governor McMaster
On Friday, July 31, Michael met with South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster to present a briefing on his upcoming expedition to the Western Pacific in his continuing search for Amelia Earhart.
Michael was joined by Palm Springs Air Museum representatives, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Dick Shalhoub, and Vice Chair – Museum Director, Fred Bell, who flew in from California to support the presentation. The Palm Springs Air Museum is sponsoring the expedition.
Also attending the briefing were Michael’s State Representative, Bill Taylor, and Attorney, Jim Corbett. Also attending, Advance Services Productions – VP, Mary Williams.
At the end of the briefing, Governor McMaster stated he was looking forward to being kept informed on how the expedition progressed and offered his support.
Palm Springs Air Museum - Press Release
Last year, a new documentary, with a fresh take on the mystery, aired worldwide, titled, “Finding Amelia” based on real evidence with eyewitness statements. To date, the documentary has been seen by millions of people worldwide and is currently showing on many cable and streaming networks.
The premise dates back in the 1990s, with research done by an Australian investigator, and refined most recently by historian and adventurer Michael Carra. The theory envisions that Earhart, unable to find her destination, followed her documented back-up plan, which was to turn around, and return to safety so that she could then continue her journey.
During World War II in 1945, an Australian army patrol in the jungle of Papua New Guinea, stumbled upon a crashed airplane. Solid evidence points to the fact that they stumbled across Amelia’s bent and broken aircraft in the jungle, lost as she attempted to find a landing point.
This August 2025, a third “Expedition Amelia” team is returning to the jungles of Papua New Guinea where it is believed her plane remains to this day as documented by that Australian army patrol so long ago. This upcoming expedition will be searching an area where it is thought the Australian patrol had found the aircraft. In this region, magnetometers, LiDAR, and new satellite imagery with the support of AI generated locations will be utilized to complete the search.
Along with Amelia’s airplane, there are reportedly 385 to 500 missing aircraft from World War II in this area of the Pacific. We hope that while searching for Amelia’s plane, several other airplanes will be found, and their long-lost crews brought home.
Join us for this exciting adventure, with daily updates from Michael and his team, as they navigate one of the most hostile environments on the planet. Sponsored by the Palm Springs Air Museum in California, this expedition will be filmed, and a follow up documentary to “Finding Amelia” will debut in the near future.
Proceeds from this expedition benefit the Palm Springs Air Museum’s “Women in Aviation Scholarships” program. Visit Expedition Amelia 2025 – Palm Springs Air Museum to make a donation.
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- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/PalmSpringsAirMuseum
- Website: https://www.michaelcarra.com
CONTACT: ann@palmspringsairmuseum.org / 323-363-8243
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/expedition-amelia—-the-search-continues-302507384.html
SOURCE Palm Springs Air Museum
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“Coast to Coast AM with George Noory” Feb 20th, 2025
By Tim Binnall
A South Carolina man on a quest to solve the mystery of Amelia Earhart’s disappearance will embark on a new expedition this August in the hopes of locating the pioneering pilot’s downed plane. According to a local media report, Michael Carra is spearheading the ambitious search of Papua New Guinea, where he believes the famed aviatrix crashed in 1937. The expedition will focus on around a dozen locations on the island where he suspects Earhart’s plane may be, including one particularly intriguing spot where a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) scan picked up a peculiar anomaly resembling the lost aircraft.
August’s expedition will be Carra’s third such visit to the island following similar efforts in 2021 and 2022. While saying that he is “90% confident” that the trip will be a success thanks to insights from his previous searches, he also acknowledged that solving the longstanding aviation mystery is no small feat. “If it were easy, she would have been found by now,” Carra mused, “it’s amazing she has been gone all this time.”
The forthcoming expedition has been made possible by an anonymous benefactor who has provided “pretty open-ended” funding for the trip. “He asked me how much I needed for a week, and I told him,” Carra recalled, “then he said, ‘you can go for two and I will take care of it if you need to stay longer.” That generosity allowed him to assemble a search team that includes “one of the top metal detectors in the world.” Time will tell whether Cerra’s latest effort will prove successful or if the answer to what he calls “the greatest American mystery in our history” will remain maddeningly out of reach. -Sponsored by the Palm Springs Air Museum-
Michael Carra Will Make His 3rd Exhibition to Papua New Guinea - August 2025
By Dede Biles | dbiles@ aikenstandard.com
A 71-year-old Aiken resident is preparing to embark on his third expedition to search for Amelia Earhart, who disappeared in 1937 along with her twin-engine Lockheed Electra aircraft and her navigator, Fred Noonan.
“I’m like a little kid waiting for Santa Claus to come down the chimney,” said Michael Carra following a presentation to the Town and Country Club at St. John’s Methodist Church earlier this month.
In August, Carra will travel to Papua New Guinea, where he believes Earhart’s plane crashed while she was attempting to become the first female pilot to fly around the world.
Carra also journeyed to that country in 2021 and 2022 to look for the legendary aviatrix.
While speaking to the Town and Country Club, he showed a LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) image of what he believes is Earhart’s Lockheed Electra in the jungle.
And if it’s not, “I’ve got 13 other targets to look at” in a roughly 12-square mile area, Carra said.
Based on his research and information collected during his previous two trips with the aid of a helicopter and drones, Carra told the Aiken Standard that he is “90% confident” that his search later this year will be successful.
The Discovery Channel funded Carra’s first expedition and also aired a documentary, “Finding Amelia,” in 2024 that focused on his experiences.
A generous donor, who wants to remain anonymous, will be covering the costs of Carra’s third journey to Papua New Guinea.
Carra met his benefactor through the Palm Springs Air Museum in California at its vice chairman/manager, Fred Bell. The museum is also sponsoring Carra.
While in Papua New Guinea, Carra and his team will sleep on a live-aboard boat and will go ashore to search for Earhart’s plane during the daytime.
“I called the cameramen from the first two expeditions, and they went, ‘Absolutely, we’re in,’” Carra said. “And one of the top metal detectors in the world, who was on the first expedition and the second one, said he’s coming back also.”
Earhart’s aircraft vanished 88 years ago after taking off from Lae on the island of New Guinea.
Many people believe the Lockheed Electra went down near Howland Island in the central Pacific Ocean.
But Carra thinks Earhart at some point, decided to turn the plane around and head back toward Lae.
Howland Island is tiny, and it’s possible Earhart and Noonan were unable to locate it.
Helping Carra narrow down the search for Earhart’s Lockheed Electra to Papua New Guinea a report in the Australian War Archives about a group of Australian soldiers who found an airplane there in 1945. The report was first discovered by an Australian researcher in the early 1990’s.
One of the soldiers took a metal tag from that discovery, and the series of numbers and letters on it were only ever used for one plane “in aviation history…and it’s Amelia’s,” Carra said.
Papua New Guinea was the site of intense battles during World War II. Hundreds of planes were shot down or crashed there.
“If it were easy, she would have been found by now,” Carra said. “It’s amazing she has been gone all this time. I’m convinced that this is the greatest American mystery in our history. I think people have always wanted her to be found and they’re still enamored with her.
“With a little bit of luck, we’re going to get it done on this next trip [in August],” he added. “I’m getting too old for this, but I want to go back one more time.”
For more information about Carra, visit AdvanceServicesProductions.com.
Michael Carra is an Aviation and Military Historian, and a professional speaker.
Michael selected for membership in the world famous, The Explorers Club.
December 31, 2024
With the recent airing of the “Finding Amelia” documentary on Discovery Channel, Michael was honored by being invited to become a member of the exclusive and world-famous, The Explorers Club. It is the honor of a lifetime.
Founded in 1904 with the most famous explorers in history as members, this private organization has continued to promote exploration and scientific research around the world.
Michael was accepted into the society as a full national member by the Board of Directors this month. He will be guest speaking next month regarding the scientific successes of his Western Pacific expeditions in search of Amelia Earhart.
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Michael Carra Featured in "Stroll" Magazine
Michael Carra was featured in the “Stroll Woodside Plantation” Magazine in their December 2024 issue.
The full article with amazing images can be found on pages 12 through 17.
"Finding Amelia" now available on AMAZON PRIME, Max, Apple+, History Channel, Discovery+, and YouTube!
Finding Amelia – The Search for Amelia Earhart
- A look at the historical background and current information on a true legend. Still today, America’s Greatest Mystery.
- Presentation on the theories and evidence plus a look at the 2021 and 2022 expeditions to locate Amelia Earhart.
In August 2022, a second expedition went out in search of Amelia Earhart. This expedition was funded by Advance Services Productions. The expedition was once again returned to the jungles of Papua New Guinea. A film crew was contracted to film the latest adventure. Because of the cost, the trip was only for eleven days. Unfortunately, with three days of rain plus personnel injuries, the trip was cut short.
Additional Reference: Partial List
Discovery+ Announces Expansive Slate of Documentaries for 2022
UNDISCOVERED: FINDING AMELIA (June 9, 2022)
Director: David Carr
Producers: Mark Kadin, Will Ehbrecht, Greg Spring, Michael Carra, Mary Williams
It is the greatest unsolved mystery in American history. Amelia Earhart disappears while attempting to be the first woman to fly around the world in 1937. Credible theories remain unproven, and decades of searching have turned up nothing. But now, a team has irrefutable evidence they know Amelia’s final resting place and are launching an expedition to finally bring her home.
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