What happened after flight MH370 was found
Satellite images from Australia identified two objects, one measuring 24 meters and the other five meters. This shows that satellite images can be useful for such wide-area searches, despite earlier images which were false.
Satellite images show the largest possible 24-meter size object, which may be debris from the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.
If wreckage from MH370 is confirmed by RAAF aircraft to be found, it would be a significant breakthrough in the search for an aircraft that has been missing ever since it left Kuala Lumpur on Saturday 8th, March, on a regular flight to Beijing with a total of 239 passengers on board.
Find clues
If the wreckage from MH370 is discovered, search planners would then try to extrapolate the journey of MH370 backward.
They will estimate the drift of the wreckage and the possible routes the aircraft might have taken to reach the southern Indian Ocean once radar contact had been lost.
The search for debris from Flight MH370 should include the transmission of flight recorder beacons. Therefore, a more focused search in the southern Indian Ocean could improve the chances of detecting one.
Who is responsible for the investigation?
It may come down to the ability to get assets to the site in a reasonable amount of time.
Malaysia, the country in which the aircraft is registered, will be responsible for any investigation into the wreckage. After all, it is a Malaysia Airlines aircraft with its passengers and crew. Other countries, such as Australia, will continue to offer assistance.
Once the wreckage is located, it will be difficult and very time-consuming to recover. The depth of the water will influence the options for recovery, the difficulties involved, and the amount of time required.
Priority will be given to the search for flight recorders by investigators. The digital flight data recording will provide clear evidence as to what the aircraft did from the moment it left Kuala Lumpur.
The thousands of parameters recorded will provide a very accurate image of the flight. Speeds, altitudes, and headings are all included, as well as the configuration of hundreds of key aircraft components.
The cockpit voice recording should also reveal what other conversations or noises took place in the cockpit before and after the final words, “All right, Good night.”
The crash site
Investigators will want to take photos of the wreckage at the bottom of the ocean as their first step in gathering useful information about what happened to MH370. In the case of Air France Flight 447, photos of wreckage on the seafloor were also helpful.
The extent of the plane’s breakup and the length of time that the bodies were in the water will all play a part in whether or not any human remains or bodies can be found.
Questions, questions, questions
The flight still raises so many questions, and there is so little evidence to base any answers on.
The airline spokesperson said that the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS), was disabled shortly before the aircraft arrived at the East Coast peninsular Malaysia. The aircraft’s transponder was then turned off near the border of Malaysian and Vietnamese air traffic control.
There is no reason to believe that a flight crew member would act in this way during normal flight operations.
How far is the search conducted?
The search area has been gradually expanded since the aircraft vanished and now includes an area near Western Australia.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority has released a graphic that shows search areas where satellite images have shown “possibly similar” objects. AAP Image/Daniel Munoz
Delays in finding wreckage may have caused them to drift quite a distance. It will be a while before the main investigation of possible causes begins.
After the MH370 tragedy, there will be questions about the necessity of tracking passenger aircraft. Some are already asking how a modern airliner can be permitted to disappear with today’s technology.
Every day, thousands of jobs are completed in safety, and it appears that only one has disappeared. Any intervention that aims to reduce the likelihood of a repeated disappearance must meet a very demanding cost-benefit equation.