78ft-Long 'Debris' Spotted in Water could be Wreckage from Missing Flight MH370:
Australian PM Announces Sighting after New Satellite Data Calculations Narrowed Hunt to Remote Stretch of Indian Ocean
Two bits of wreckage that are possibly from the missing Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 have been found to the west of Australia, the country's prime minister said today. Tony Abbott said the debris had been spotted on satellite imagery and aircraft were being sent to investigate. The significant announcement comes after investigators halved the scope of the search for the missing jet to an area roughly the size of Arizona. Hourly satellite pings from the aircraft, refined by U.S. and British aviation officials, provided far more information than expected as to where a wreck may be found, allowing the search to be drastically narrowed to two possible flight paths.
Discovery of 'debris' means missing jet WAS deliberately flown off course:
Security expert says MH370 could not have reached search zone without 'human intervention'
- Two objects seen by satellite 1,500 miles southwest of Perth, Australia
- If MH370, we can definitely rule out technical malfunction, says expert
- Investigators 'probing phone call made by captain while in the ****pit'
- Four Australian aircraft have been dispatched to the new search area
- Malaysia 'held crucial satellite data for four days due to internal rows'
- Malaysia Airlines 'did not buy £6 app that found 2009 Air France crash'
By Daily Mail UK, 20 March 2014
Australian security expert Neil Fergus says if two objects spotted off the coast of Perth are confirmed as belonging to MH370 then its location would rule out any possibility of a technical error.
The Australian government released pictures taken by satellite on March 16 of possible plane debris seen around 2,500km (1,500miles) southwest of Perth.
Mr Fergus, who was Director of Intelligence for Sydney’s 2000 Olympics, told Australia's Channel 9 that a catastrophic malfunction on MH370 would mean the plane couldn’t have flown all the way to where the debris has been spotted.
His comments come as investigators were reportedly trying to identify a mysterious phone call made by pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah while he was in the ****pit.
New leads: Australian security expert Neil Fergus says if objects spotted by satellite off the coast of Perth are
confirmed as belonging to MH370 then its location would rule out any possibility of a technical error
Commercial satellites have been tasked with collecting higher resolution images of the floating objects
Vast: This Google Earth map shows just how remote the search area is in the southern Indian Ocean
It is not known who he rang or what was said, but officials believe the call could solve the mystery of the flight's disappearance, The Sun reported.
Bangkok-based specialist Mr Fergus said it could only have occurred with human involvement – either by passengers, crew or pilots Capt Shah and co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid.
‘If this debris does turn out to be the missing MH370 then, given its location, we can definitely rule out technical malfunction,’ he said.
‘There is no way with (some) sort of technical calamity or fire that it could have travelled to where it appears to be. It would in the first instance confirm human intervention.’
The actions of the pilots have come under fresh scrutiny in recent days after the Malaysian Prime Minister said the plane had changed course as a result of 'deliberate action' on the plane.
It was reported that Capt Shah had programmed a remote island in the middle of the Indian Ocean with a runway long enough to land a Boeing 777 into his home flight simulator.
Pictured: Satellite pictures released by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority of the object thought to be related to the search for MH370
Two pieces of wreckage that are possibly from the missing Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 - one estimated to be 78ft in size - have been found to the west of Australia, it was announced today.
The debris was spotted on satellite imagery and a total of four aircraft have been sent to investigate the sighting, some 1553 miles off the coast of Perth
The Malaysian government is seeking help in analysing any electronic files deleted last month from the pilot's simulator.
Malaysia's defense minister said investigators were trying to restore files deleted from the simulator last month to see if they shed any light on the disappearance.
The aircraft is to join the Australian Maritime Safety Authority-led search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370
in the southern Indian Ocean after two objects are found in the Indian Ocean
Royal Australian Air Force pilot Flight Lieutenant Russell Adams from 10 Squadron, flying his AP-3C Orion
over the Southern Indian Ocean during the search for missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370
Files containing records of simulations carried out on the program were deleted February 3.
The new satellite images were taken four days ago, but have only recently been analysed.
Reminded that the satellite image of the debris was four days old, Malaysian Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein denied there had been a reluctance by countries to hand over details.
'I can tell you there has been no reluctance to hand over information,' he said.
Mr Hishammuddin's strongest comment was a repetition of what Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott had told his parliament: that the satellite image was 'credible.'
He gave little more new information and the feeling was that he was now awaiting further results of the search for the debris.
Four aircraft have now been dispatched to an area within the southern search zone for the missing Malaysian Airlines plane, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott announced.
One of the objects is estimated to be 78ft (24m) in size and the sighting of the objects was said by Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott to be 'credible and potentially important'.
Mr Fergus said the Australian government would now focus on finding the plane’s black box, which would finally reveal what fate befell the Malaysian Airways flight.
Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott during his speech stated that Australia will take control over the 'southern vector'
carrying its duty in the search and rescue operations (SAR) for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370
‘The Orion will do a low-vis check that will be much clearer of course than the resolution from the satellite,’ he said.
‘And then they will drop sonar buoys, which have a particular relevance because black box recorders have a battery life of around 30 days… and it should pick up an emission coming from there.
‘It will confirm the location of the black box which is the key to unravelling this horrible mystery
Michael Daniel, a retired United States Federal Aviation Administration official told The Straits Times that it could take up to 48 hours for Australian search teams to confirm if the debris belongs to MH370.
It emerged last night that four days were wasted searching the wrong area because of delays by Malaysian officials in releasing crucial satellite data that changed the entire course of the investigation, according to the Wall Street Journal.
On March 11, a British satellite operator released data analysis and other documents that showed how the plane could have taken one of two corridors - north and south - stretching some 3,000 miles from the plane's last known location.
It was handed to a partner company then passed to the Malaysian government the following day.
Satellite operator Inmarsat also handed the information to British security and air-safety officials at the same time.
Security expert Neil Fergus said the plane could only have flown to the new search area with
human involvement – either by passengers, crew or pilots Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah and Fariq Hamid (above)
Anxious wait: Chinese relatives of the passengers onboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH370,
wait for the latest information at Lido Hotel in Beijing, China.
Australian Prime Minister, Tony Abbott said that authorities have spotted two objects in the Indian Ocean that may be related to flight MH370
Two people familiar with the investigation said the information may not have been made available to the search teams until March 13.
But disputes about cross-checking the data and how much of it to release meant the decision to shift resources from the South China Sea did not happen until March 15 - the day Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak admitted the flight was diverted as a result of 'deliberate action' on the plane.
Reports overnight also suggested that Malaysia Airlines did not buy a basic app that helped locate the Air France plane that crashed in 2009.
The software, which costs just £6 a flight, would have continued sending crucial data such as direction, speed and altitude even after the transponder and ACARS systems were switched off, the Washington Post reported.
It proved pivotal to finding the Air France flight which crashed into the Atlantic ocean by enabling search teams to triangulate the search area to around 64 kilometres. They found the debris in just five days.
But the app, called Swift, was reportedly not being used on MH370.
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THE BAFFLING SEARCH FOR MH370 HOW EVENTS HAVE UNFOLDED:
March 8 - Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 takes off from Kuala Lumpur at 12.41am local time bound for Beijing carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew.
Someone, apparently the co-pilot, makes the final voice communication from the ****pit at 01.19am, saying 'All right, good night' to air traffic controllers.
The plane is last seen on military radar at 02.14am heading west over the Strait of Malacca. Half an hour later the airline reveals to the public it has lost contact with the plane. The plane was due to land around 6.30am.
Officials reveal two passports used to board the flight were stolen, raising the first suspicions of terrorist involvement.
March 9 - Malaysia's air force chief says that military radar indicated the missing Boeing 777 jet may have turned back.
March 10 - Vietnamese aircraft search for a plane door spotted in their waters but find nothing.
March 11 - The hunt is widened to cover a 115-nautical mile radius involving 34 aircraft and 40 ships from several countries.
The Malaysian military claims it has radar evidence showing that the missing plane changed course and made it to the Malacca Strait which is hundreds of miles away from the last location reported by civilian authorities. The aircraft was believed to be flying low.
The two male passengers travelling with stolen passports were Iranians who had bought tickets to Europe and were probably not terrorists, Malaysian police said.
March 12 - Satellite images on a Chinese government website shows suspected debris from the missing plane floating off the southern tip of Vietnam, China's Xinhua News Agency says.
The report includes co-ordinates of a location in the sea off the southern tip of Vietnam and east of Malaysia, near the plane's original flight path.
March 13 - Malaysian authorities expand their search for the missing jet into the Andaman Sea and beyond after acknowledging it could have flown for several more hours after its last contact with the ground.
Nothing was found when planes were sent to search an area off southern Vietnam identified by Chinese satellite images.
The Chinese Embassy notifies the Malaysian government that the images were released by mistake and did not show any debris from the missing flight.
March 15 - Prime Minister Najib Razak's says the missing airliner was deliberately diverted and continued flying for more than six hours after losing contact with the ground. The plane could have gone as far north west as Kazakhstan or into the Indian Ocean's southern reaches.
Malaysian police have already said they are looking at the psychological state, family life and connections of pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah, 53, and co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid, 27. Both have been described as respectable, community-minded men.
March 16 - The search area now includes 11 countries the plane might have flown over. The number of countries involved in the operation had increased from 14 to 25.
Malaysian defence minister Hishammuddin Hussein said he had asked governments to hand over sensitive radar and satellite data to try to help get a better idea of the plane's final movements.
March 17 - Officials release a new timeline suggesting the final voice transmission from the ****pit of the missing Malaysian plane may have occurred before any of its communications systems were disabled.
Investigators have not ruled out hijacking, sabotage, or pilot suicide, and they are checking the backgrounds of the 227 passengers and 12 crew members, as well as the ground crew, to see if links to terrorists, personal problems or psychological issues could be factors.
March 18 - Ten days after a Malaysian jetliner disappeared, Thailand's military said it saw radar blips that might have been from the missing plane but did not report it 'because we did not pay attention to it'.
March 19 - Distressed relatives of the missing passengers threaten to go on hunger strike over the lack of information about the investigation.
March 20 - Two objects which could be connected to the missing jet are detected in the southern India Ocean, the Australian prime minister Tony Abbott said.
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