A new ocean debris drift analysis shows missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 is most likely within a proposed expanded search area rejected by Australia and Malaysia in January, the Australian government’s scientific agency said yesterday.
A A$200 million (US$150.7 million) search for the aircraft, which went missing in 2014 with 239 people on board, was suspended when the two nations rejected a recommendation to search north of the 120,000km2 area already canvassed, saying the new area was too imprecise.
The new debris drift analysis suggests the missing Boeing 777-200ER might be located in a much smaller 25,000km2 zone within that proposed northern search area.
“This new work leaves us more confident in our findings,” Australian Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation principal research scientist David Griffin said in a statement.
The report featured data and analysis from ocean testing of an actual Boeing 777 flaperon cut down to match the one from MH370 found on Reunion Island off the coast of Africa in 2015, rather than the wood and steel models used in a previous test.
“We’ve found that an actual flaperon goes [drifts] about 20° to the left, and faster than the replicas, as we thought it might,” Griffin said. “The arrival of MH370’s flaperon at La Reunion in July 2015 now makes perfect sense.”
MH370, which went missing on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, has become one of the world’s greatest aviation mysteries.
Australian Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester said he welcomed the new report, but added that it was important to note that it did not provide new evidence leading to a specific location of MH370.
A copy of the report had been provided to Malaysia for consideration in its ongoing investigation into the disappearance of the aircraft, he said.
“Malaysia is the lead investigator and any future requests in relation to searching for MH370 would be considered by Australia, at that time,” Chester said.
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