Malaysia flight MH370: more confusion over missing plane
Six days after the disappearance of flight 370, the awkward truth is that we are no closer to discovering what happened to this sophisticated jetliner and the 239 people on board.
Warning: video above contains flash photography
There is no shortage of new leads however and fresh attempts ways to explain its mysterious disappearance.
Chinese satellite images
On Wednesday, the Chinese technology and national defence agency released satellite images of what it says were “three suspicious objects” floating in an 8-square-mile area off the southern tip of Vietnam.
According to the agency, the objects were discovered on Sunday in a location close to where the plane lost contact with air traffic control.
On Wednesday’s Malaysia’s Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said the images were released accidentally.
“The Chinese government neither authorised nor endorsed (putting it on a website),” he said. “The image is not confirmed to be connected to the plane.”
‘Plane flew on for hours’
Scenario number two surfaced on Thursday morning in the Wall Street Journal, suggesting that flight 370 may have continued flying around for some hours after its last verified position near the mouth of the Gulf of Thailand.
The paper quotes aviation investigators and national security officials who have analysed, “data automatically downloaded and sent to the ground from the Boeing 777’s (Rolls Royce) engines as part of a routine maintenance and monitoring program.”
If this theory is credible, it would have the effect of dramatically widening the search area.
Press conference for #MH370 underway in Kuala Lumpur. Transport Minister at the mic. @c4sparks @C4annalisa @GoPro pic.twitter.com/GyVaGESE4W
— Matt Jasper (@Matt_Jasper) March 13, 2014
A total flight time of roughly five hours from Kuala Lumpur means the passenger plane could have flown to India, Pakistan – even the coast of western Australia.
However, Mr Hussein again denied the report. He said: “I would like to refer to news reports suggesting that the aircraft may have continued flying for some time after the last contact.
“Those reports are inaccurate. The last transmission from the aircraft was at 1.07am which indicated that everything was normal”.
‘Burst into flames’
The third lead is an intriguing one. It comes from a New Zealander called Mike Mckay who is currently working on the Songa Mercur oil rig off the coast of Vietnam.
In an email sent to his bosses, he claims to have witnessed the final minutes of flight 370.
Mr Mckay writes: “I observed (the plane?) burning at high altitude… from our surface location.”
Malay Min of Transport says search is getting more difficult but they’re trying hard – story about data from Rolls Royce engines is false
— John Sparks (@c4sparks) March 13, 2014
There is an investigation into the unsanctioned release of satellite images. #MH370
— Anna-Lisa Fuglesang (@C4annalisa) March 13, 2014
He estimated that the aircraft was approximately 50-70 KM from the rig and “appeared to be in ONE piece.”
Given the location of the rig, the original flight path of MH370 and compass bearings provided by Mr McKay, this theory deserves to be taken seriously.
The Vietnamese later confirmed that they had received the information but officials said they had failed to find anything in the area.
As the mystery deepens the attempts to explain it thus multiply – but there is one I think, we can be sure of – the investigation into the disappearance of flight 370 will take months.
The Malaysian transport minister put it this way: “we are looking at the long-haul.”
Members of the public are being asked to help search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370. The tomnod.com website allows users to scour satellite images of the earth in search of "anything that look interesting" and "any signs of wreckage or lifeboats."