According to TIGHAR's Federal Tax Exemption Form 990 for Non Profits, the organization's mission is to "promote responsible aviation archaeological and historic preservation".
[4][5][6] In 2012, TIGHAR was searching for clues around the Kiribati Islands using sonar equipment with the help of the State Department and undersea explorer Robert Ballard.
After days of searching the deep cliffs supporting the island and the nearby ocean using state of the art equipment and technology, Ballard did not find any evidence of the plane or any associated wreckage of it.
[10] Per a BBC report, TIGHAR's interest in Glenn Miller was inspired by a fisherman's claims that he caught a plane wreck in his nets, then released it.
Although TIGHAR has failed to independently corroborate the claims to date, and have not seen or verified the wreck, they maintain that there is a possibility that the reported debris could be associated with Glenn Miller.