Airplanes24.net

8 March 2014

Malaysia Airlines flight MH-370 , Boeing 777-200 registration 9M-MRO from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Beijing , China with 227 passengers and 12 crew it was en route about 1 hour at FL350 and over sea between Malaysia and Vietnam , 150nm from Malaysia  , in contact with Subang Center(Malaysia) when airplane lost contact at around 2.40(local time).A search for airplane is in progress.Airplane should have run our of fuel right now , without some report from some other airport that airplane landed there.

Airline reported that airplane is missing and search and rescue team operation is in progress.Airline said that airplane lost contact with radar at position 065515 North (longitude) and 1033443 East (latitude),  over the Gulf of Thailand.Airplane was piloting from a captain(53 , 18,365 hours) and First officer(27, 2,763 hours).The passengers are of 14 different nationalities. All crew on-board are Malaysians

2 passengers on airplane traveled with stolen passports.As announced Italian and Austrian authorities(that supposed that a passenger from Italy and a passenger from Austria was between the passengers) both passports from the Italian and Austrian citizen had stolen from Thailand the one in summer time and the other 2 years before

On 10 March an airline reported that saw a large place of debris about 50nm from Vietnam coast.Rescue teams are going to check the place.One day before also reported a debris in sea at Thailand Gulf but after check it was not related to airplane.

The next day however ships that went for check they found also nothing about debris in the area near Vietnam

On 11 March Malaysia air force reported that according to their radar airplane probably turned west over the Gulf of Thailand in a low level flight , passed the east coast of Malaysia near Kota Bharu and flown to west coast  , then over the Straits of Malacca sea that radar lost the airplane near Pulau Perak

Locals at the Kota Bharu reported that they saw an airplane to flight in a low level flight at around 1000m / 3000 feet height 

However the next day 12 March Malaysia authorities denied the information above , that airplane went west over the Straits of Malacca

Previous days Malaysia airlines reported that all their airplanes are equipped with ACARS transmitters and they said they didn't received some distress call not some other informaton

On 12 March China's State Administration of Science reported that their satellite discovered three large objects with size 13x18 meters , 14x19 meters and 24x22 meters at position N6.7 E105.63 (about 120nm east from the point that airplane disappeared).All of them inside a radius of 20km.

On 13 March Vietnamese rescue teams reached the position that China said and after search for about 3 hours they didn't find any debris

On 14 March the searching process extended to the west in the Indian Ocean and near Andaman Islands , because there are information that maybe airplane after deactivated identification systems probably on purpose moved west into the Indian Ocean.

On 14 March Malaysia's Transport Minister provided during a press conference more information about the first radar observations(that they said that probably is the flight MH-370 , but also probably some other airplane) and they said that airplane it was at waypoint IGARI at FL350(its the missing point of airplane over Thailand Gulf) then moved west to waipont VAMPI(over Straits of Malacca) , then waipont GIVAL and finally moved northwest to waypoint IGREX that after that radar lost the airplane.Airplane it was flying at FL295 when lost after waypoint GIVAL

On 15 March Malayisia's Prime Minister said in a press conference that airplane's ACARS system and the transponder were closed from somebody inside airplane with a difference of 14 mins.Airplane moved very delicate for avoid the primary radar and based to the signal that received from some satellite , airplane it was traveling for about 7 hours , but because of the type of signal its not possible to locate the exactly position only approximately from a northern corridor stretching from northern Thailand to the border of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan, or a southern corridor stretching from Indonesia to the southern Indian Ocean.The search has been stopped at Gulf of Thailland.

On 16 March the Malaysia Minister of Transport said that now the search it is extended to 25 countries.He said also the airplane took off with fuel only for reach their destination.The investigation it is going now to crew members , passengers and ground stuff.Police searched the home of pilots and from Captain's home took his flight simulator for further investigation.He added also that inside airplane there was not hazardous cargo products , all was searched according the standard procedure.At the end he said that the signals that satellite got after 7 hours it could be also from airplane while on ground if airplane had electric power

On 19 March Malaysia Transport minister said that after contacting with Maldives authorities(because there were reports from locals that they saw a large airplane with white and red lines to flighting very low and to going south) its not truth that the airplane it was there.Also said that according to investigation on captain's flight sumulator the logs had deleted recently and they try to recover them

On 20 March Australian authorities they reported that they show from one satellite from them 2 objects one around 24m and another one about 5m ,  2200km from perth inside the zone of south corridor that they are searching and it is possible to be to parts from Malaysia flight but possible also not.They are sending some ships and airplanes for check.

Until 22 March the search effort didn't bring some result to locate the objects that the Australians saw from satellite.At the same day China released another photo from satellite showing also an object closed to objects that Australia saw before(the photo was taken on 18 March) and with size  22 x 13 meters

On 23 March French authorities reported also that they saw objects from satellite images in the same area in south corridor near the other objects that China and Australia observer from satellite also

On 24 March a Chinese airplane spotted some objects in the search area in South Indian Ocean inside the south corridor where is the big search

On 24 March Malaysia's Prime minister reported that according to British AAIB calculations from the satellite signals airplane travel through the south corridor and ended at a location approximately west of Perth , Australia in Indian Ocean where there is not landing place there.

On 26 March Malaysian Transport minister said in the daily press conference that satellite from France identified 122 objects , in a field of debris inside the search area west of Perth , Australia with the bigger object 23m 

On 5 April A Chinese ship that taking part to search for flight recorders reported that cought a 37.5 kHz signal at position S25 E101 about 900nm west of Perth Australia.However its not clear yet if this signal coming from MH-370.The flight recorders beacons are in 37.5kHz

On 20 April the underwater searches near the signal that they believe that it was from MH370 they have not shown any result.The searches are about 50% from the total area that the underwater submarine will going to search

On 29 May the Australian TSB release a media report

Yesterday afternoon, Bluefin-21 completed its last mission searching the remaining areas in the vicinity of the acoustic signals detected in early April by the Towed Pinger Locator deployed from ADV Ocean Shield, within its depth operating limits.

The data collected on yesterday's mission has been analysed. As a result, the Joint Agency Coordination Centre can advise that no signs of aircraft debris have been found by the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle since it joined the search effort.

Since Bluefin-21 has been involved in the search, it has scoured over 850 square kilometres of the ocean floor looking for signs of the missing aircraft.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has advised that the search in the vicinity of the acoustic detections can now be considered complete and in its professional judgement, the area can now be discounted as the final resting place of MH370.

Ocean Shield departed the search area last night and is expected to arrive at Fleet Base West on Saturday.

As advised by the Australian Deputy Prime Minister on 5 May 2014, the search for MH370 continues and now involves three major stages:

    reviewing all existing information and analysis to define a search zone of up to 60,000 square kilometres along the arc in the southern Indian Ocean;
    conducting a bathymetric survey to map the sea floor in the defined search area; and
    acquiring the specialist services required for a comprehensive search of the sea floor in that area.

The expert satellite working group continues to review and refine complex analyses of radar and satellite data and aircraft performance data to determine where the aircraft most likely entered the water. The findings of the review will be made public in due course.

The Chinese survey ship Zhu Kezhen has already begun conducting the bathymetric survey—or mapping of the ocean floor—of the areas provided by the ATSB. Its operations are being supported by the Chinese ship Haixun 01 and Malaysian vessel Bunga Mas 6 which are assisting with transporting the survey data to Fremantle weekly for further processing by Geoscience Australia. A contracted survey vessel will join the Zhu Kezhen in June.

The bathymetric survey is expected to take about three months. Knowing the seafloor terrain is crucial to enabling the subsequent underwater search.

The underwater search will aim to locate the aircraft and any evidence (such as aircraft debris and flight recorders) to assist with the Malaysian investigation of the disappearance of MH370.

It is anticipated that this component of the search will begin in August and take up to 12 months.

The ATSB will shortly release a formal request for tender to source the capability to undertake the underwater search. A single prime contractor will be chosen to bring together and manage the expertise, equipment and vessels to carry out the search.

On 26 June 2014 the Australian TSB released another report:

"

On 8 March 2014, flight MH370, a Boeing 777-200ER registered 9M-MRO, lost contact with Air Traffic Control during a transition of airspace between Malaysia and Vietnam. An analysis of radar data and subsequent satellite communication (SATCOM) system signalling messages placed the aircraft in the Australian search and rescue zone on an arc in the southern part of the Indian Ocean. This arc was considered to be the location where the aircraft’s fuel was exhausted.

A surface search of probable impact areas along this arc, coordinated by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, was carried out from 18 March – 28 April 2014. This search effort was undertaken by an international fleet of aircraft and ships with the search areas over this time progressing generally from an initial southwest location along the arc in a north-easterly direction. The location of the search areas was guided by continuing and innovative analysis by a Joint Investigation Team of the flight and satellite-communications data. This analysis was supplemented by other information provided to ATSB during this period. This included possible underwater locator beacon and hydrophone acoustic detections.

No debris associated with 9M-MRO was identified either from the surface search, acoustic search or from the ocean floor search in the vicinity of the acoustic detections. The ocean floor search was completed on 28 May 2014.

Refinements to the analysis of both the flight and satellite data have been continuous since the loss of MH370. The analysis has been undertaken by an international team of specialists from the UK, US and Australia working both independently and collaboratively. Other information regarding the performance and operation of the aircraft has also been taken into consideration in the analysis.

Using current analyses, the team has been able to reach a consensus in identifying a priority underwater search area for the next phase of the search.

The priority area of approximately 60,000 km2 extends along the arc for 650 km in a northeast direction from Broken Ridge. The width of the priority search area is 93 km. This area was the subject of the surface search from Day 21-26.

Work is continuing with refinements in the analysis of the satellite communications data. Small frequency variations can significantly affect the derived flight path. This ongoing work may result in changes to the prioritisation and locale of search activity."

9M-MRO

© Wong Chi Lam

First Flight:14-05-2002

Age:11.8 years

Engines:2x RR Trent 892