The old Lae Airfield — also known as Lae Drome or Lae Aerodrome — is a former airport in Lae, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea, that served both military and civilian purposes before closing in the 1980s when the larger Lae Nadzab Airport took over to accommodate jet aircraft. Today the site is, as Gates puts it on camera, "an empty lot, a place to stack shipping containers," its historic significance largely swallowed by overgrowth and the passage of time. What makes this otherwise unremarkable patch of ground extraordinary is its place in aviation history: on July 2, 1937, Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan lifted off from this very field in a fuel-heavy Lockheed Electra, beginning the roughly 2,500-mile overwater leg toward Howland Island that would be the last confirmed flight of their lives. A weathered, largely forgotten memorial at the site is the only physical acknowledgment of that historic departure. Gates visited the field in the premiere episode of Expedition Unknown as the emotional starting point for his broader investigation into Earhart's disappearance.
Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan depart Lae Airfield on July 2 aboard a Lockheed Electra, bound for Howland Island — the last confirmed sighting of either aviator alive
The airfield serves military operations during World War II, a period from which its wartime designation as a WWII airfield originates per Wikipedia
Lae Airfield closes in favor of the larger Lae Nadzab Airport, capable of accommodating modern jet aircraft
Gates visits the site for Expedition Unknown Season 1, Episode 1, describing it as a "powerful place" at the start of his Earhart investigation
The disappearance of Amelia Earhart and Fred Noonan on July 2, 1937, remains one of aviation history's most enduring unsolved mysteries, and Lae Airfield is the fixed point from which all serious investigation must begin. Earhart's around-the-world attempt — begun on May 21, 1937, from Oakland, California — had already covered roughly 22,000 miles across South America, Africa, the Middle East, India, and Southeast Asia before she reached Papua New Guinea. With only about 7,000 miles remaining, Howland Island was the next critical stop for refueling, a tiny speck in the vast Pacific that demanded precision navigation under the best of conditions.
The mainstream historical record is clear on the basics: the Itasca, a U.S. Coast Guard cutter stationed near Howland Island, received radio transmissions from Earhart but was apparently unable to establish two-way communication, likely due to radio equipment issues. Earhart's final transmissions indicated she and Noonan were running low on fuel and unable to locate the island. What happened after that — whether they crashed at sea, landed on a remote atoll, or survived for any period — remains genuinely contested among historians, aviation researchers, and organizations like TIGHAR (The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery), which has long investigated the hypothesis that Earhart landed on Nikumaroro Island.
Lae Airfield itself, though no longer a functioning airport, holds irreplaceable historical value as the last place where multiple witnesses observed Earhart and her aircraft on the ground. It was here that the Electra was fueled, final preparations were made, and the fateful takeoff was witnessed. The closing of the airport in the 1980s and its subsequent transformation into an industrial lot means that virtually no physical infrastructure from the 1937 era remains, making the surviving memorial all the more significant — even if, as Gates noted, it appears weathered and underappreciated.
Gates' visit in the series premiere of Expedition Unknown didn't produce new archival discoveries at the site itself, nor did the episode claim it did. Instead, the stop served its honest purpose: grounding the investigation in documented history before Gates moved on to interview local sources and explore competing theories about what happened after the Electra left this field. That kind of careful scene-setting — beginning where the facts end — is exactly the approach the broader Earhart mystery demands.
By the time Earhart and Noonan departed Lae on July 2, 1937, they had already traveled approximately 22,000 miles across multiple continents since leaving Oakland, California, on May 21, 1937.
Howland Island, Earhart's intended next stop, lies roughly 2,500 miles from Lae — an estimated 18-hour overwater flight with no intermediate landing options.
Lae Airfield served a dual historical role: it was both the departure point of Earhart's final flight and a World War II military airfield during the Pacific campaign.
The airfield was decommissioned in the 1980s when Lae Nadzab Airport opened to handle larger jet aircraft, leaving the historic site to gradually disappear under development and overgrowth.
The former Lae Airfield is located within the town of Lae, Morobe Province, and is generally accessible as a public open area, though visitors should expect to find little more than an open lot and a weathered memorial rather than a preserved historic site. Lae is Papua New Guinea's second-largest city and is reachable by air via Lae Nadzab Airport. Travelers are advised to check current safety advisories for Papua New Guinea before visiting, as conditions can vary.
Lae, Papua New Guinea — the airfield is situated within the city itself.
The driest months in the Lae region generally fall between May and October, which tend to offer the most manageable travel conditions. Humidity and rainfall can be significant year-round, so lightweight, breathable clothing is advisable regardless of season.
Australian Outback
The Australian Outback region connects broadly to Gates' Pacific and Oceania investigations, and Australia has been a staging point for numerous searches related to Earhart's disappearance in the South Pacific.
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean features in Gates' exploration of disappearances and aviation mysteries in the broader region, sharing thematic territory with the Earhart investigation.
Normandy Beaches, France
Normandy Beaches represent another Gates investigation rooted in 20th-century aviation and military history, connecting through the show's recurring interest in wartime and heroic figures whose fates shaped the modern world.
Historical data sourced from Wikipedia