MH370 - Missing

[Philip Argy]

$89.9 m was allocated in last night's Budget for the MH370 search and recovery operation. So far as I can see, that is the Australian Government's share of an operational cost to be shared with Malaysia and China and perhaps other nations too.

And today's resumed search didn't get off to a great start when comms was lost with Bluefin after only two hours. Let's hope the software upgrade that it received while in Perth was not the cause!

[Greg Hyde]

Four Corners
‘Lost: MH370'
ABC1, 8:30pm, Mon, 19 May 2014, 50 minutes
Four Corners charts what happened in the minutes and hours after Flight MH370 stopped communicating with authorities on the ground. The program raises many crucial questions about what went wrong with the emergency response and reveals new information about the sequence of events that night. Travelling to Malaysia, Caro Meldrum-Hanna speaks to the family of the pilot and prime suspect, Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, in their first television interview.

[Montague S]

and that's what happens when you have 20+ years of 1 party rule when an incident of this nature occurs.

[Laurent Sanhard]

Having just watched the four corners report I refer to my earlier statement
The Malaysian defence minister looked very nervous and could not give direct answers
WHAT is the point of military radar if it is not used , why did the Malaysian airforce not follow or escort the aircraft to identify it?
What is the Malaysian government hiding ?

Original message Posted 6 weeks ago

Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 125

I think the Malaysian government , Malaysia airline officials know a lot more than they are letting on , probably for security reasons they are holding back certain info from the public , for all we know the aircraft could be in the desert somewhere in the mid east / or Pakistan , etc??? we still don't really know what happened to TWA 800 , even though the wreckage was found

[Hugh Jarse]

Interesting the defence minister couldn't give a straight answer on anything. When asked about an intercept, he kept implying an intercept meant a 'shoot down'. Then when pressed asking why they did not send up aircraft to intercept, he made some stupid remark about America shooting down airliners.

He (and the Malay government) are clearly out of their depth. And it appears the rest of the world knows it, but Malaysia is in denial.

[Montague S]

Interesting the defence minister couldn't give a straight answer on anything. When asked about an intercept, he kept implying an intercept meant a 'shoot down'. Then when pressed asking why they did not send up aircraft to intercept, he made some stupid remark about America shooting down airliners.

He (and the Malay government) are clearly out of their depth. And it appears the rest of the world knows it, but Malaysia is in denial.


like I said...20+ years of one party rule will do this to you. Now you have the former PM Mahatir saying it's a CIA coverup and that Boeing is to blame.

Those buffoons have no idea...and would be out of their depth in a shallow puddle.

[Laurent Sanhard]

the Defence minister was very defensive ;)

[Philip Argy]

Sounds like we're back to the 800km x 70km arc based on the Inmaarsat ping data.

[Laurent Sanhard]

http://www.smh.com.au/business/aviation/malaysia-airlines-flight-mh370-where-were-the-fighters-asks-emirates-chief-20140602-39ehl.html

makes sense

[Grahame Hutchison]

ATSB Latest Update (http://www.atsb.gov.au/mh370.aspx#.VFmnnElf4wQ.twitter)


Over 3,000 square kilometres of the seafloor have been searched so far.

[Philip Argy]

The left hand sidebar on the ATSB site that Grahame links to has lots of useful reference information.

[Henning S]

I just read an interesting article on the Flight Global website about a senior B777 captain who explains the way he calculates the most likely MH370 crash position.
To me his theory makes quite a lot of sense.

http://www.flightglobal.com/features/mh370/

[Greg Hyde]

With the one year anniversary of the MH370 loss expect a large number of docos and revisits to the previous data.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Q6LDOAmiGTg

[Robert.M]

Currently on the Discovery Channel, "Flight 370: The Missing Links"

[MarkR]

Reports out this morning that possible debris has washed up on Reunion Island, and it does appear to be 777 debris:

https://mobile.twitter.com/PeurAvion/media/grid?idx=0&tid=626391215349612544

http://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/plane-parts-found-on-island-of-reunion-on-east-coast-of-africa-near-madagascar-but-is-it-mh370/story-fnizu68q-1227462555389

[MarkR]

Boeing engineers not connected with the investigation have confirmed the wreckage is consistent with it being the right wing flaperon of a 777.

[Greg Hyde]

http://australianaviation.com.au/2015/07/mh370-investigators-headed-to-reunion-island-to-examine-wing-debris/

Includes photos of debri

[Philip Argy]

Breaking news: Officials have confirmed that the wing flaperon [flap/aileron] found washed up on the eastern shore of Reunion is from a Boeing 777 aircraft. The only such aircraft currently missing is MH370, and the location of the debris is consistent with oceanographers' projections of where debris would drift if MH370 had entered the southern Indian Ocean in the region of where the current underwater search is being conducted.

[Greg Hyde]

Ch7 Syd is reporting that an aircraft door has also washed up on Reunion Island.

Also, The flaperon is in Tolouse for positive id by French officials.

[Andrew P]

Per ch9 part found today had Malaysian writing on it

[MarkR]

Given the Malay alphabet is the same as ours, one wonders what that means??

[David O.]

I assume it means there was Malay words on there, rather than just letters.

[Greg Hyde]

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-33750811

Simulation of where debris in search area could end up shown at bottom of page

[Greg Hyde]

Revealed: 'MH370 plane door' that was found on Reunion island beach is just a LADDER, say police - as locals claim seats and suitcases washed up there months ago

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3182784/Now-plane-door-Reunion-Island-debris-suspected-MH370-tested-France.html

[Greg Hyde]

More debris reportedly on Reunion Island include window and seat cushion.

Also 60mins on Aug9 will include an MH370 update based on debris found on Reunion Island.

[MarkR]

Good article by the CSIRO saying essentially the flaperon find has in fact confirmed they are looking in the right neighbourhood.

http://www.marine.csiro.au/~griffin/MH370/

[Greg Hyde]

More Debris found

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-03/mh370-high-possibility-mozambique-debris-belonged-to-boeing-777/7215880

[Rowan McKeever]

The serial number you can see on that rivet should be very helpful. Fingers crossed this helps lead to something.

[Fred C]

Rivets are not serialised. It is a part number you are seeing.

[Rowan McKeever]

lol right well not so helpful then, maybe!? Unless that part number is only for 777s. But that doesn't seem likely.

[Greg Hyde]

More Debris found

Found last December and not handed in.

http://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-updates/incidents/fears-souvenir-hunters-hoarding-mh370-wreckage-as-south-african-family-comes-forward-with-find/news-story/6eb0a9ede6f2a61aa78ccee25dbfffde

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/mar/11/mh370-debris-found-by-teenager-on-holiday-to-be-tested-in-australia

Makes you wonder, how long before bits and pieces appear on ebay.

[Greg Hyde]

More Debris found

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-03-22/malaysia-to-inspect-debris-south-africa-for-possible-mh370-link/7268566

[MarkR]

Mozambique debris consistent with those from a MAS 777 according to the Government

[Greg Hyde]

Australian government says debris from Mozambique “almost certainly” from MH370

Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester says the two pieces of aircraft debris found off the coast of Mozambique were “almost certainly” from missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

The two aircraft fragments, possibly from a wing and a horizontal stabiliser, have been in Canberra undergoing analysis since March 20. That work has now been completed, with the Malaysian investigation team finding the two items were consistent with panels from a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 aircraft.

“The analysis has concluded that the debris is almost certainly from MH370,” Chester said in a statement on Thursday.

“That such debris has been found on the east coast of Africa is consistent with drift modelling performed by CSIRO and further affirms our search efforts in the southern Indian Ocean.

“I would like to acknowledge the work undertaken by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, Geoscience Australia, Boeing and Australian National University which assisted the Malaysian Investigation Team with their examination of the debris.”

Flight MH370 went missing enroute from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8 2014, with 239 passengers and crew on board. Efforts to locate the Boeing 777-200ER, 9M-MRO, have centred around a 120,000 square kilometre area in the Indian Ocean, with 95,000 square kilometres having been searched so far.

The two fragments from Mozambique, as well as a wing flaperon that washed up on the coast of Reunion Island in July 2015 and a fourth piece that was discovered in South Africa that is yet to undergo thorough analysis, have been the only trace of the aircraft since it disappeared.

“The search for MH370 continues. There are 25,000 square kilometres of the underwater search area still to be searched. We are focused on completing this task and remain hopeful the aircraft will be found,” Chester said.

http://australianaviation.com.au/2016/03/australian-government-says-debris-from-mozambique-almost-certainly-from-mh370/

[MarkR]

http://www.atsb.gov.au/media/5770117/debris-examination-mh370_19april2016.pdf

Both parts are from the starboard side of the aircraft.

[Greg Hyde]

More Debris found and confirmed

http://australianaviation.com.au/2016/05/more-mh370-debris-confirmed/

[MarkR]

First part from inside though.

[Greg Hyde]

Assistance to Malaysian Ministry of Transport in support of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 on 7 March 2014 UTC

http://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2014/aair/ae-2014-054/

[Greg Hyde]

Wreckage thought to be from MH370 found on Kangaroo Island (7News tonight)

[Greg Hyde]

ATSB analyses wing flap believed to be from missing MH370

A wing flap found off the coast of Africa in late June believed to be from missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has been sent to Canberra for further analysis.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) and Department of Civil Aviation Malaysia said the piece of aircraft debris was discovered on Pemba Island near Tanzania on June 23.

“Malaysia and Australia have worked with Tanzanian officials to assume responsibility for the wing flap,” the pair said in a joint statement.

“Technical specialists from the ATSB are working with Malaysian investigators to determine if it is from the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777, MH370.”
A supplied image of ATSB investigators looking at a wing flap believed to be from MH370. (ATSB)
Investigators from the ATSB analyse the wing flap. (ATSB)

The statement said the ATSB had previously determined four pieces of debris to be “almost certainly” to be from the 777-200ER, 9M-MRO, that went missing enroute from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8 2014 carrying 239 passengers and crew. Meanwhile, a flaperon that washed up on La Reunion Island in July 2015 was positively identified by French investigators as a part from MH370.

Meanwhile, the ATSB said efforts to locate the missing aircraft continue to be hampered by poor weather in the Indian Ocean.

“Ongoing poor weather conditions have severely impacted search operations and resulted in delays to search operations of around 6-8 weeks,” the ATSB said in its weekly operational update.

“Since the onset of poor conditions associated with winter weather, progress has slowed with only a minimal area searched during this time.”

As a result, the ATSB reaffirmed previous guidance that should the run of bad weather continue, the remaining 10,000 square kilometres yet to be searched could run “well beyond the winter months”.

About 110,000 square kilometres of the 120,000 square kilometre search area has been covered.

The governments of Australia, Malaysia and China have said previously that in the absence of new leads the search would not be expanded beyond the current 120,000 square kilometre area.

The ATSB said marginal weather conditions still allowed the use of deep tow equipment. Further, the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) used to search areas that the deep tow sonar could not was only able to be used in calmer conditions in spring and summer.

Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester said he would meet with representatives from Malaysia and China on Friday to discuss the search effort.

Also attending the Ministerial Tripartite Meeting at Putrajaya just outside Kuala Lumpur will be Malaysian Minister of Transport Dato’ Sri Liow Tiong Lai and Chinese Minister of Transport Yang Chuantang, Chester said.

“I’m looking forward to meeting with our international partners in the search for MH370. The search has been unprecedented in both size and scale, conducted in some of the world’s most isolated waters and at times in extremely challenging weather,” Chester said in a statement on Wednesday.

“The meeting will provide an opportunity to reflect on achievements to date and discuss next steps as we near completion of the 120,000 square kilometre search area.”

http://australianaviation.com.au/2016/07/atsb-analyses-wing-flap-believed-to-be-from-missing-mh370/

[Greg Hyde]

MH370 Search will be Suspended if nothing is found in current search area

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-07-22/hunt-for-mh370-to-be-suspended-if-current-search-unsuccessful/7653216

[MarkR]

Exhaustive analysis by Defence scientists of automated signals *received from Flight MH370 in its final moments has revealed that the Malaysia Airlines jet fell very fast — up to 20,000 feet a minute — as it crashed into the Indian Ocean off Western Australia.

The scientists have found that happened at 8.19am (WA time) on March 9, 2014, after the aircraft ran out of fuel and the two giant engines flamed out, the left engine first and then the right about 15 minutes later.

The Australian has been told in a series of briefings that simulations by Boeing, the aircraft’s manufacturer, indicate that once engine power was lost, MH370 would have slowed and lost lift. Its nose would have dropped and it would have descended in what the scientists call a fugoid motion in a series of downward swoops.

As it gathered speed, it would have gained lift and climbed again. As that speed fell off, its nose would have dropped rapidly once more, the aircraft falling into *another steep dive.

That process is likely to have been repeated until it hit the water, probably with one wing down.

The impact would have been catastrophic. That fits with new analysis of sets of brief signals sent automatically between the aircraft and a satellite.

Read more at http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/aviation/mh370-in-catastrophic-death-dive-says-analysis/news-story/be03222dadaaae33c476b7ffc8b531da

[Nigel C]

Again, another subscriber-only article.

[MarkR]

Not much one can do about a paywall, other than google the title ;), I would happily paste the whole article if it didn't :

1. Possibly infringe copyright of the holder
2. Possibly unleash the wrath of the various rights holders on this website for depriving them of possible monetary loss.

From my time as a mod on a frequent flyer site I have come into the habit of posting "news" without ever copying and pasting the full article, as a way of respecting the original content and origin whilst minimalising risk for the forum. I am not a fan of paywalls, and rarely is the press worth paying for, today's Australian is probably a rare exception for someone interest in Aviation.

[Nigel C]

That works....thank you :)

[Greg M]

Possible evidence of an on board fire on MH370.

New wreckage that may be from missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370 could be the first proof for the theory that the plane was exposed to intense heat or fire.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-09-12/mh370-possible-debris-could-prove-fire-theory/7835992

[Philip Argy]

Here's the latest update on the most likely location: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-07-05/mh370-search-narrows-to-seventh-arc/8678532

Surely Australian, Chinese and Malaysian submarine fleets could now be sent out on exercises in that vicinity - who knows what they might find!

[MarkR]

ATSB have released a report using satellite images of possible debris and more drift analysis.

Consistent with our commitment to the public release of information pertaining to the search for MH370, we have today released two reports, prepared by Geoscience Australia and the CSIRO,” said Mr Hood. “They provide analysis and findings relating to satellite imagery taken on 23 March 2014, two weeks after the disappearance of MH370, over the southern Indian Ocean.”

The satellite imagery was acquired through the assistance of French authorities. The images were captured by satellite two weeks after the aircraft went missing on 8 March 2014. The area covered by the imagery was not one that was searched from the air at that time, but is close to the underwater search area.

https://www.atsb.gov.au/newsroom/news-items/2017/mh370-satellite-imagery/

[MarkR]

The CSIRO report makes a very bold claim for scientists and published work:

Taking drift model uncertainty into account, we have found that the objects identified in most of the images can be associated with a single location within the previously-identified region suggested by other lines of evidence. Furthermore, we think it is possible to identify a most-likely location of the aircraft, with unprecedented precision and certainty. This location is 35.6°S, 92.8°E. Other nearby (within about 50km essentially parallel to the 7th arc) locations east of the 7th arc are also certainly possible, as are (with lower likelihood) a range of locations on the western side of the 7th arc, near 34.7°S 92.6°E and 35.3°S 91.8°E.

While we cannot be totally sure which of these locations in the southern half of the 2016-proposed search area is most likely, we do have a high degree of confidence that an impact in the southern half of the 2016-proposed search area, near 35°S, is more consistent with detection of debris in the images than is an impact in the northern half.

[Greg Hyde]

Search on again.

Malaysian government accepts “no find no fee” offer to search for MH370

The Malaysian government has accepted an offer from a private company to resume the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester has confirmed.

Chester said the fresh search for the Boeing 777-200ER 9M-MRO that disappeared enroute from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8 2014 carrying 239 passengers and crew would be conducted by US-based Ocean Infinity.

“The Malaysian Government has accepted an offer from Ocean Infinity to search for the missing plane, entering into a ‘no find no fee’ arrangement,” Chester said in a statement on Thursday.

“Malaysia’s decision to proceed with the search shows the commitment to find MH370.”

The renewed effort to locate the aircraft comes after a fruitless search of 120,000 square kilometres in the Indian Ocean ended in January 2017.

Since then, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) published two reports prepared by Geoscience Australia and the CSIRO analysing satellite imagery taken some two weeks after the flight went missing.

The imagery, obtained from French authorities, identified 12 objects that were “probably” manmade, as well 28 items that were “possibly” manmade.

The reports, published in August, said the movements of these items during the following three and a bit years due to ocean drift was determined using data from several types of earth-observation satellites, as well as Australia’s most powerful super-computer and more than a decade of government investment in operational ocean modelling.

Chester said the Ocean Infinity search would focus on an area that previously had been identified by experts as the next most likely location to find MH370.

Further, Australia would provide technical assistance to the Malaysian government and Ocean Infinity.

“While I am hopeful of a successful search, I’m conscious of not raising hopes for the loved ones of those on board,” Chester said.

“No new information has been discovered to determine the specific location of the aircraft, however data collected during the previous search will be provided.

“I hope that this new search will bring answers, both for the next of kin and for the rest of the world.”

http://australianaviation.com.au/2017/10/malaysian-government-accepts-no-find-no-fee-offer-to-search-for-mh370/

[Greg Hyde]

ABC Mediawatch debunking the latest MH370 found story.

http://www.abc.net.au/mediawatch/transcripts/s4821777.htm

Worth a watch if you didn't see it (Aired Episode 8, 26 March 2018)

[Greg Hyde]

60mins last Sunday (13/5) night did a MH370 Special.

Haven't seen it but there seems to be nothing new ?

It's on youtube if you need to watch.

[Philip Argy]

An interesting opinion published today contends that the captain hijacked MH370 after locking the first officer out of the cabin and depressurising the aircraft to kill everyone on board:
https://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/inquirer/mh370-pilots-emotional-final-farewell/news-story/7e3bf6e92be203f1876d2eccd059c12f
:eek:

[Greg Hyde]

Malaysian government launches new search from MH370 with company Ocean Infinity

A fresh search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has been launched more than a decade after the plane went missing in one of aviation's greatest enduring mysteries.
Maritime exploration firm Ocean Infinity has resumed the hunt for the missing plane, Malaysian transport minister Anthony Loke announced on Tuesday.

Loke told reporters contract details between Malaysia and the firm were still being finalised but welcomed "the pro-activeness of Ocean Infinity to deploy their ships" to begin the search for the plane which went missing in March 2014.

Loke added that details on how long the search would last had not been negotiated yet.
He also did not provide details on when exactly the British firm kicked off its hunt.
The Malaysian government in December had said it had agreed to launch a new search for MH370, which disappeared more than a decade ago.

The Boeing 777 carrying 239 people disappeared from radar screens on March 8, 2014, while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Despite the largest search in aviation history, the plane has never been found.
Two-thirds of the passengers were Chinese, while the others included Malaysians, Indonesians and Australians, as well as Indian, American, Dutch and French nationals.
Will we ever know what happened to MH370? (Hagar Cohen)

"We're very relieved and pleased that the search is resuming once again after such a long hiatus," Malaysian Grace Nathan, 36, who lost her mother on the doomed jet, told AFP.
In December, Loke had said the new search would be on the same "no find, no fee" principle as Ocean Infinity's previous search, with the government only paying out if it finds the aircraft.

Ten years have passed since the disappearance of MH370 and the 239 people on board, but the same question remains: a hulking commercial aircraft can't simply vanish into thin air, can it?

The contract was for 18 months and Malaysia would pay $70 million ($) to the company if the plane was found, Loke previously said.

Ocean Infinity, based in Britain and the United States, carried out an unsuccessful hunt in 2018.

The company's first efforts followed a massive Australia-led search for the aircraft that lasted three years before it was suspended in January 2017.

The Australia-led search covered 120,000 square kilometres in the Indian Ocean but found hardly any trace of the plane, with only some pieces of debris picked up.

In December, Loke said a new 15,000 square kilometre area of the southern Indian Ocean would be scoured by Ocean Infinity.

"They combined all the data and they felt confident that the current search area is more credible," Loke said on Tuesday.

"They [Ocean Infinity] have convinced us that they are ready."

The plane's disappearance has long been the subject of theories — ranging from the credible to outlandish — including that veteran pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah had gone rogue.

A final report into the tragedy released in 2018 pointed to failings by air traffic control and said the course of the plane was changed manually.
AFP/ABC

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-25/new-search-for-mh370-begins-malaysia-airlines-ocean-infinity/104982340

[Philip Argy]

It would be amazing if they could find some trace of the aircraft, let alone the black boxes!

They must be confident, betting US$70m on the outcome!