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| caption = The missing aircraft, registration 9M-MRO, in 2011
| caption = The missing aircraft, registration 9M-MRO, in 2011
| date = 8 March 2014<!-- Please do NOT add counters etc. here -->
| date = 8 March 2014<!-- Please do NOT add counters etc. here -->
| summary = Missing<!-- DO NOT EDIT THIS WITHOUT FORMING CONSENSUS ON THE TALK PAGE FIRST -->
| summary = Missing; presumed lost at sea <br/><!-- DO NOT EDIT THIS WITHOUT FORMING CONSENSUS ON THE TALK PAGE FIRST -->
| site = Southern [[Indian Ocean]] (presumed)<!-- Please do NOT add coordinates unless the accident site is confirmed, as it is all speculation at this point See TALK PAGE.-->
| site = Southern [[Indian Ocean]] (presumed)<!-- Please do NOT add coordinates unless the accident site is confirmed, as it is all speculation at this point See TALK PAGE.-->
| coordinates = <!-- Please do NOT add coordinates unless the accident site is confirmed, as it is all speculation at this point See TALK PAGE.-->
| coordinates = <!-- Please do NOT add coordinates unless the accident site is confirmed, as it is all speculation at this point See TALK PAGE.-->
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| passengers = 227
| passengers = 227
| crew = 12
| crew = 12
| fatalities = All 239 (presumed) <!-- Not confirmed -->
| injuries = <!-- Not needed -->
| injuries = <!-- Not needed -->
| survivors = None (unconfirmed)
| survivors = 0 (presumed)<!-- Not confirmed -->
| origin = [[Kuala Lumpur International Airport]]
| origin = [[Kuala Lumpur International Airport]]
| destination = [[Beijing Capital International Airport]]
| destination = [[Beijing Capital International Airport]]

Revision as of 17:18, 25 March 2014

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
The missing aircraft, registration 9M-MRO, in 2011
Incident
Date8 March 2014
SummaryMissing; presumed lost at sea
SiteSouthern Indian Ocean (presumed)
Aircraft
Aircraft typeBoeing 777-2H6ER
OperatorMalaysia Airlines
Registration9M-MRO
Flight originKuala Lumpur International Airport
DestinationBeijing Capital International Airport
Passengers227
Crew12
FatalitiesAll 239 (presumed)
Survivors0 (presumed)

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (MH370/MAS370)[a] was a scheduled international passenger flight that disappeared on 8 March 2014 en route from Kuala Lumpur International Airport to Beijing Capital International Airport. The aircraft, a Boeing 777-200ER, last made contact with air traffic control less than an hour after takeoff. Operated by Malaysia Airlines (MAS), the aircraft carried 12 crew members and 227 passengers from 15 nations and regions, the majority of passengers being Chinese citizens.

On the same day that contact with the aircraft was lost, a joint search and rescue effort, later reported as the largest in history,[2] was initiated in the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea.[3][4] The search area was later extended to include the Strait of Malacca and the Andaman Sea.[5][6][7] On 15 March, in the wake of media reports that US investigators believed the aircraft had headed west back across the Malay Peninsula after air traffic control lost contact and that a satellite had continued to receive "pings" from the aircraft,[8][9][10][11] the search was expanded to include the Indian Ocean. By 18 March, 26 countries were participating in the search.[12]

On 20 March, a series of satellite images showing potential aircraft debris in the southern Indian Ocean southwest of Australia prompted increased search activity in the area.[13] Further possible debris was spotted in the vicinity by Australian and Chinese military aircraft on 24 March.[14] That same day, officials with both Malaysia Airlines and the Malaysian government stated that while the plane's whereabouts were still not known, "unparalleled" analyses by the United Kingdom's Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) and UK satellite company Inmarsat indicated that it had crashed into the southern Indian Ocean. It was presumed there were no survivors.[15][16][17]

Disappearance

The flight departed from Kuala Lumpur International Airport on 8 March at 00:41 local time (16:41 UTC, 7 March) and was scheduled to land at Beijing Capital International Airport at 06:30 local time (22:30 UTC, 7 March). It climbed to its assigned cruise altitude of 35,000 feet (11,000 m) and was travelling at 471 knots (542 mph; 872 km/h) true airspeed when it ceased all communications and the transponder signal was lost. The aircraft's last known position on 8 March at 01:21 local time (17:21 UTC, 7 March) was 6°55′15″N 103°34′43″E / 6.92083°N 103.57861°E / 6.92083; 103.57861, corresponding to the navigational waypoint IGARI in the Gulf of Thailand, at which the aircraft was due to alter its course slightly eastward.[18] Military tracking shows that the aircraft descended as low as 12,000 feet (3,700 m) after taking a sharp turn toward the Strait of Malacca. The sharp turn seemed to be intentional as normally it would have taken two minutes for the aircraft to make such a turn, and during that time there was no emergency call.[19]

The crew were expected to contact air traffic control in Ho Chi Minh City as the aircraft passed into Vietnamese airspace just north of the point where contact was lost.[20][21] The captain of another aircraft had attempted to reach the crew of Flight 370 "just after 1:30 a.m." to relay Vietnamese Air Traffic Control's request for the crew to contact it; the captain said he was able to establish contact, but just heard "mumbling" and static.[22]

Malaysia Airlines (MAS) issued a media statement at 07:24, one hour after the scheduled arrival of the flight at Beijing, stating that contact with the flight had been lost by Malaysian ATC at 02:40. MAS stated that the government had initiated search and rescue operations.[23] It later emerged that Subang Air Traffic Control had lost contact with the aircraft at 01:22 and notified Malaysia Airlines at 02:40. Neither the crew nor the aircraft's onboard communication systems relayed a distress signal, indications of bad weather, or technical problems before the aircraft vanished from radar screens.[24][25] The last words that Malaysian air traffic controllers heard, at 01:19, were those of the co-pilot saying, "All right, good night."[26]

Timeline of disappearance

Route: Kuala Lumpur – Beijing. Inserted: initial search areas and known path. Small red squares: radar contacts. Small circles: claimed spotting of debris.
Elapsed (HH:MM) Time Event
MYT UTC
00:00 8 March 7 March Take-off from Kuala Lumpur
00:41 16:41
00:20 01:01 17:01 MH370 confirms altitude of 35,000 feet (11,000 m)[27]
00:26 01:07 17:07 Last ACARS data transmission received;[28] MH370 reconfirms altitude of 35,000 feet[27]
00:38 01:19 17:19 Last Malaysian ATC voice contact[26]
00:40 01:21 17:21 Last secondary radar (transponder) contact at 6°55′15″N 103°34′43″E
00:41 01:22 17:22 Transponder and ADS-B now off
00:49 01:30 17:30 Unsuccessful voice contact from another aircraft, mumbling/static audible[22]
00:56 01:37 17:37 Missed expected half-hourly ACARS data transmission[28]
01:30 02:11 18:11 First of seven automated hourly ACARS contacts with Inmarsat 3F1 satellite
01:34 02:15 18:15 Last primary radar contact by Malaysian military, 200 miles (320 km) NW of Penang
05:49 06:30 22:30 Missed scheduled arrival in Beijing
07:30 08:11 00:11 Last automated hourly ACARS contact with Inmarsat satellite[29][30]
07:38 08:19 00:19 Unscheduled partial ACARS "ping" received [31]
07:49 08:30 00:30 Reported missing[32]

Subsequent communication

Flightdeck view of 9M-MRO in 2004, showing many of the communication systems now under investigation

New Scientist reported that, prior to the aircraft's disappearance, two ACARS reports had been automatically issued to engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce's monitoring centre in the United Kingdom;[33] and The Wall Street Journal, citing sources in the US government, asserted that Rolls-Royce had received an aircraft health report every thirty minutes for five hours, implying that the aircraft had remained aloft for four hours after its transponder went offline.[34][35][36]

The following day, the acting Transport Minister of Malaysia refuted the details of The Wall Street Journal report stating that the final engine transmission was received at 01:07, prior to the flight's disappearance from secondary radar.[36] Follow-up reporting by Reuters suggested that the evidence may have taken the form of "pings" sent by the aircraft's communication systems, and possibly not data (telemetry reports).[37]

The Wall Street Journal later amended its report and stated simply that the belief of continued flight was "based on analysis of signals sent by the Boeing 777's satellite-communication link... the link operated in a kind of standby mode and sought to establish contact with a satellite or satellites. These transmissions did not include data..."[9][10] Inmarsat said that "routine, automated signals were registered" on its network,[38] although a company executive did add that "keep-alive message[s]" continued to be sent after air traffic control first lost contact and that these "ping signals" could be analysed to help estimate the aircraft's location.[39]

On 14 March, The Independent stated, based on the continued pinging by the aircraft, that it could not have disintegrated in mid-flight or had other sudden catastrophic occurrence: "All signals – the pings to the satellite, the data messages and the transponder – would be expected to stop at the same time."[18] After the attacks of 11 September 2001, in which three of the hijacked aircraft had their transponders switched off,[40] there was a call for automated transponders;[40] however, no changes were made as aviation experts opted for a flexible control, in case resetting was required due to malfunction or an electrical emergency.[40]

According to Chinese media, relatives heard ringing tones when calling to the passengers.[41] However, these were discounted as Flight 370 was not equipped with a base station for in-flight cellphone contact,[41] and the distance from a transmission tower, flight altitude, and shielding by the aircraft body all made possible transmissions extremely unlikely.[41]

Presumed lost

On 24 March, following two weeks of search, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said:

Using a type of analysis never before used in an investigation of this sort... Inmarsat and the AAIB have concluded that MH370 flew along the southern corridor, and that its last position was in the middle of the Indian Ocean, west of Perth. This is a remote location, far from any possible landing sites. It is therefore with deep sadness and regret that I must inform you that, according to this new data, flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean.[42][b]

Just before Najib spoke at 10 pm Malaysia Standard Time, Malaysia Airlines notified the families of the passengers that Flight 370 was presumed lost with no survivors. It notified most of the families in person or via telephone, and some received the following SMS:

Malaysia Airlines deeply regrets that we have to assume beyond any reasonable doubt that MH370 has been lost and that none of those on board survived. As you will hear in the next hour from Malaysia’s Prime Minister, we must now accept all evidence suggests the plane went down in the Southern Indian Ocean.[45][46]

If the official presumption of no survivors holds, it would be the deadliest aviation accident in the Indian Ocean,[47] the deadliest in the history of Malaysian Airlines (surpassing the 1977 hijacking and crash of Malaysian Airline System Flight 653 which killed all 100 passengers and crew), and the deadliest involving a Boeing 777.

Search

Estimated route

File:MH370 last ping corridors.jpg
Possible last known locations of Flight 370 in red, based on final satellite ping at 08:11 Malaysia time

On 11 March, it was reported that military radar indicated the aircraft had turned west and continued flying for 70 minutes before disappearing off the Malaysian radar near Pulau Perak,[48][49] and that it was tracked flying at a lower altitude across Malaysia to the Malacca Strait. This location was approximately 500 kilometres (310 mi) from its last contact with civilian radar.[50] The next day, the Royal Malaysian Air Force chief distanced himself from the report saying it should not be misinterpreted.[51][52] According to the Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Transport, Pham Quy Tieu, "We informed Malaysia on the day we lost contact with the flight that we noticed the flight turned back west but Malaysia did not respond."[53]

US experts, assigned to assist with the investigation in a low-key manner consistent with conventions of responsibilities,[54] analysed the radar data and subsequently reported that the radar data did indeed indicate that the aircraft had headed west back across the Malay Peninsula, with Reuters and The New York Times saying that the route changes suggested that the aircraft remained under a trained pilot's control.[8][10][55] The New York Times also said the aircraft experienced significant changes in altitude.[8]

Although Bloomberg News said that analysis of the last satellite "ping" received suggested a last known location approximately 1,000 miles (1,600 km) west of Perth, Western Australia,[56] the Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on 15 March said that the last signal, received at 08:11 Malaysian time, might have originated from as far north as Kazakhstan.[57] Najib explained that the signals could not be more precisely located than to one of two possible loci: a northern locus stretching approximately from the border of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to northern Thailand, or a southern locus stretching from Indonesia to the southern Indian Ocean.[58] None of the countries on a possible northerly flight route – China, Thailand, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, and India – stated that there was any evidence that the aircraft ever entered their airspace.[59]

Although it was later confirmed that the last ACARS transmission showed nothing unusual and a normal routing all the way to Beijing,[60] The New York Times reported "senior American officials" saying on 17 March that the scheduled flight path was pre-programmed to unspecified western coordinates through the flight management system before the ACARS stopped functioning,[61] and a new waypoint "far off the path to Beijing" was added.[61] With such a reprogramming the aircraft would make a banked turn at a comfortable angle of around 20 degrees and the passengers would not feel anything unusual. The sudden cessation of all on-board communication led to suppositions that the aircraft's disappearance may have been due to foul play.[61]

Location

Satellite images of possible debris
Location of satellite images of possible debris, one in South China Sea and two in south Indan Ocean
Map of locations published 1: 12 March (disproved), 2: 20–23 March

Early search efforts generated multiple false leads. An admiral of the Vietnamese Navy reported that radar contact with the aircraft was last made over the Gulf of Thailand.[24][62] Oil slicks detected off the coast of Vietnam on 8 and 9 March later tested negative for aviation fuel.[63][64] Alleged discovery of debris about 80 km (50 mi) south of Thổ Chu Island on 9 March was also found to be not from an aircraft.[65] Searches following a Chinese website's satellite images, taken on 9 March, showing three floating objects measuring up to 24 by 22 metres (79 ft × 72 ft) at 6°42′N 105°38′E / 6.7°N 105.63°E / 6.7; 105.63 also turned up blank;[66][67] Vietnamese officials said the area had been "searched thoroughly".[68][69]

The Royal Thai Navy shifted its focus in the search away from the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea at the request of its Malaysian counterpart, which was investigating the possibility that the aircraft had turned around and could have gone down in the Andaman Sea, near Thailand's border.[70] The chief of the Royal Malaysian Air Force, Rodzali Daud, claimed that military recordings of radar signals did not exclude the possibility of the aircraft turning back on its flight path.[71][72] The search radius was increased from the original 20 nautical miles (37 km; 23 mi) from its last known position,[73] south of Thổ Chu Island, to 100 nautical miles (190 km; 120 mi), and the area being examined then extended to the Strait of Malacca along the west coast of the Malay Peninsula, with waters both to the east of Malaysia in the Gulf of Thailand, and in the Strait of Malacca along Malaysia's west coast, being searched.[4][74][75]

On 12 March, authorities also began to search the Andaman Sea, northwest of the Strait of Malacca, and the Malaysian government requested help from India to search in the area.[76] On 13 March, the White House Press Secretary said "an additional search area may be opened in the Indian Ocean based on some new information"[34][77] and a senior official at The Pentagon told ABC News: "We have an indication the plane went down in the Indian Ocean."[78] On 17 March, Australia agreed to lead the search in the southern locus from Sumatra to the southern Indian Ocean.[79][80] The search would be coordinated by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), with an area of 600,000 km2 (230,000 sq mi) between Australia and the Kerguelen Islands lying more than 3,000 kilometres (1,900 mi) from Perth to be searched by ships and aircraft of Australia, New Zealand and the United States.[81]

On 17 March, Malaysian authorities corrected a previous misconception that ACARS was turned off at 01:07,[25] and clarified that ACARS had been switched off sometime between 01:07 and the next scheduled ACARS contact, due at 01:37.[82]

On 20 March, the Prime Minister of Australia, Tony Abbott, announced in parliament that two objects that might be related to the aircraft, one of them 24 m (79 ft) long, had been spotted by a satellite in the Indian Ocean on 16 March, 2,500 km (1,600 mi) south-west of Perth (coordinates 44°03′02″S 91°13′27″E / 44.05056°S 91.22417°E / -44.05056; 91.22417), where the ocean depth could reach 5,000 metres (16,000 ft).[13][83][84][85] An Australian Lockheed P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft arrived in the area at 02:50 UTC. The Australian naval ship HMAS Success, Myanmar naval vessels, a United States Navy Boeing P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, two more Orions (one Australian and one from New Zealand), and a Lockheed C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft were also tasked to the area.[86] Two Chinese military Ilyushin Il-76 cargo aircraft joined the search the following day.[87][88] and two Japanese Orions arrived at RAAF Base Pearce to assist.[89] Civilian aircraft and ships also assisted in the search.[86][90][91][92]

On 22 March, a Chinese satellite image was released, from four days earlier, of potential debris, at a location about 120 km (75 mi) south west of the area shown in the earlier images.[93][94][95] The object's size was estimated at 22.5 m × 13 m (74 ft × 43 ft), at coordinates 44°57′29″S 90°13′43″E / 44.95806°S 90.22861°E / -44.95806; 90.22861, near one of the 45×90 points approximately 3,170 km (1,970 mi) south west of Perth.

On 24 March the United States Navy announced plans to send a TPL-25 towed pinger locator to the area where Flight 370 is believed to have come down. The Department of Defense described it as a "precautionary measure" to aid the search for the underwater locator beacons fitted to the aircraft's "black boxes" if the debris field is located.[96]

International participation

Crew on board USS Kidd searching in the Andaman Sea on 17 March 2014
Chinese PLAAF Ilyushin Il-76 arriving at Perth Airport on 21 March 2014

In response to the incident, the Malaysian government mobilised its civil aviation department, air force, navy, and Maritime Enforcement Agency; and requested international assistance under Five Power Defence Arrangements provisions and from neighbouring states. Various nations mounted a search and rescue mission in the region's waters.[97][98] Within two days, the countries had already dispatched more than 34 aircraft and 40 ships to the area.[4][5][75] The Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization Preparatory Commission analysed information from its network of infrasound detection stations, but failed to find any sounds made by Flight 370.[99]

On 11 March,[100] Chinese authorities[101] activated the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters, a 15 member international organisation whose purpose is to "...provide a unified system of space data acquisition and delivery to those affected by natural or man-made disasters through Authorized Users."[102]

Another 11 countries joined the search efforts by 17 March, after more assistance was requested by Malaysia, bringing the total to 26.[12] While not participating in the search itself, Sri Lanka gave permission for search aircraft to use its airspace.[103] Assets deployed by Malaysia included military fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.[104] and vessels from the navy and Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency.[104][105][106] A co-ordination centre at the National Disaster Control Centre (NDCC) in Pulau Meranti, Cyberjaya was established.[107] Other nations provided the following assets:

  1. Australia: air force P-3 maritime patrol aircraft;[108] navy ship HMAS Success and four long-range civilian jets[90] dispatched after possible debris sightings.[109]
  2. Bangladesh: navy frigates BNS Bangabandhu and BNS Umar Farooq; navy Dornier Do 228 maritime patrol aircraft.[110]
  3. Brunei: Darussalam-class offshore patrol vessel.[111]
  4. Cambodia: Harbin Z-9 helicopters and P46-type navy ships.[112]
  5. China (PRC): Type 053H3 frigate Mianyang, marine police vessel No. 3411,[113] Type 052C destroyer Haikou, Type 071 amphibious transport dock JinggangShan, KunlunShan, patrol ship Haixun 31, Type 925 submarine support ship Yongxingdao,[114] research vessel Xuelong, rescue ship Haixun 01, and merchant ships,[115] rescue vessel Nanhaijiu 101 and Type 903 replenishment ship Qiandaohu.[116] Furthermore, several of its military satellites were retasked,[117] and two of its Ilyushin Il-76s were deployed to RAAF Base Pearce near Perth to assist the search in the southern Indian Ocean.[32][118][119]
  6. France: a team from the Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile (BEA).[120]
  7. India: surface and airborne assets from the Andaman and Nicobar Command and Eastern Naval Command: navy ships INS Satpura, INS Sahyadri, INS Saryu, INS Batti Malv, INS Kesari and INS Kumbhir; coast guard vessels ICGS Kanaklata Baruah, ICGS Bhikaji Cama and ICGS Sagar;[121] navy Boeing P-8 maritime surveillance aircraft;[122] navy and coast guard Dornier Do 228s;[123] air force C-130 Hercules[123] and Mil Mi-17.[124] Rukmini naval satellite.[124]
  8. Indonesia: corvette KRI Sutanto, patrol boat KRI Siribua and fast patrol vessels KRI Matacora, KRI Tarihu and KRI Krait;[125][126] IPTN NC-212 maritime patrol aircraft.[127]
  9. Japan: naval defence force Lockheed P-3 Orion and air defence force Lockheed C-130 Hercules aircraft;[128][129] coast guard Gulfstream V;[130] and a disaster relief team.[131]
  10. Myanmar: naval vessels in Gulf of Martaban and the Bay of Bengal.[132]
  11. New Zealand: air force P-3 Orion.[133]
  12. Norway: a Norwegian RoRo merchant ship, the Höegh St. Petersburg.[86]
  13. Philippines: navy ships BRP Gregorio del Pilar, BRP Emilio Jacinto and BRP Apolinario Mabini; air force Fokker F27 and navy Britten-Norman Defender aircraft; and navy AgustaWestland AW109 helicopter. A Hamilton-class cutter vessel and a C-130 Hercules on standby.[134]
  14. Russia: Resurs-P No.1 satellite.[135]
  15. Singapore: in South China Sea/Malacca Strait: air force C-130 Hercules;[136][137] navy Formidable-class frigate with one Sikorsky S-70B Seahawk helicopter; a submarine rescue ship with divers; Victory-class corvette;[138] an air force Fokker 50 maritime patrol aircraft.[139] In Indian Ocean all previously-deployed ships and aircraft stood down and the armed forces' Information Fusion Centre activated.[140][141]
  16. South Korea: navy P-3 Orion and air force C-130 Hercules aircraft.[142]
  17. Taiwan (ROC): air force C-130 Hercules; ROCS Tian Dan and a La Fayette-class frigate; two coast guard patrol vessels.[143]
  18. Thailand: Dornier Do 228, AgustaWestland Super Lynx helicopter and patrol ship HTMS Pattani. Other ships on standby.[144]
  19. United Arab Emirates: two military search and rescue aircraft.[145][146]
  20. United Kingdom: a team of Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) investigators.[147] HMS Echo – a hydrographic survey ship.[148]
  21. United States: Towed Pinger Locator 25, navy P-3 Orion and Boeing P-8[149] aircraft; Navy ships USS Kidd and USS Pinckney with Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk helicopters;[150][151][152] a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) team.[153]
  22. Vietnam: Antonov An-26, de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter, Mil Mi-171, and ships from the navy, coast guard, fisheries control, and Maritime Search & Rescue Coordination Centre.[154]

Information sharing

Although Malaysia's acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, who is also the country's Defence Minister, denied the existence of problems between the participating countries, academics said that because of regional conflicts, there were genuine trust issues involved in co-operation and sharing intelligence, and that these were hampering the search.[155][156] International relations experts said entrenched rivalries over sovereignty, security, intelligence, and national interests made meaningful multilateral co-operation very difficult.[155][156] A Chinese academic made the observation that the parties were searching independently, thus it was not a multilateral search effort.[156]

Malaysia had initially declined to release raw data from its military radar, deeming the information "too sensitive", but later acceded.[155][156] Defence experts say that giving others access to radar information may be sensitive on a military level. As an example: "The rate at which they can take the picture can also reveal how good the radar system is."[155] One suggested that some countries may already have had radar data on the aircraft and were reluctant to share any information that could potentially reveal their defence capabilities and compromise their own security.[155] Similarly, submarines patrolling the South China Sea might have information in the event of a water impact, and sharing such information could reveal the subs' locations and listening capabilities. However, The Guardian noted the Vietnamese permission given for Chinese aircraft to overfly its airspace as a positive sign of co-operation.[156]

Satellite imagery is also being analysed by the public with the help of crowdsourcing site Tomnod.[157]

Aircraft

Flight 370 was operated with a Boeing 777-2H6ER,[c] serial number 28420, registration 9M-MRO. The 404th Boeing 777 produced,[159] it first flew on 14 May 2002, and was delivered new to Malaysia Airlines on 31 May 2002. The aircraft is powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent 892 engines,[159] and configured to carry 282 passengers – 35 in business class and 247 in economy.[160] 9M-MRO had accumulated 53,460 hours and 7,525 cycles in service,[161] and had not previously been involved in any major incidents,[162] though a minor incident while taxiing at Shanghai Pudong International Airport in August 2012 resulted in a broken wingtip.[163][164] Its last maintenance 'A' check was carried out on 23 February 2014.[161]

The Boeing 777 is generally regarded by aviation experts as having an "almost flawless" safety record,[165] one of the best of any commercial aircraft.[166] Since its first commercial flight in June 1995, there have been only three other serious accidents involving hull-loss: British Airways Flight 38 in 2008, Egyptair in 2011, (an unexplained[167] but catastrophic cockpit fire on the ground at Cairo International Airport)[168] and Asiana Airlines Flight 214 in 2013, when three died.

Passengers and crew

People on board by nationality
Nationality Number
 Australia 6
 Canada 2
 China 152
 France 4
 Hong Kong[169] 1
 India 5
 Indonesia 7
 Iran[d] 2
 Malaysia[e] 50
 Netherlands 1
 New Zealand 2
 Russia 1
 Taiwan 1
 Ukraine 2
 United States 3
Total 239

Malaysia Airlines released the names and nationalities of the 227 passengers and 12 crew members, based on the flight manifest.[171]

Passengers

Two-thirds of the 227 passengers were Chinese citizens, including a group of 19 artists with six family members and four staff returning from a calligraphy exhibition of their work in Kuala Lumpur; 38 passengers were Malaysian. The remaining passengers were from 13 different countries.[172] Of the total, 20 were employees of Freescale Semiconductor, a company based in Austin, Texas – 12 were from Malaysia and 8 from China.[173][174]

Under a 2007 agreement with Malaysia Airlines, Tzu Chi – a foreign Buddhist organisation – immediately sent specially-trained teams to Beijing and Malaysia to give emotional support to passengers' families.[175][176] The airline also sent its own team of caregivers and volunteers[177] and agreed to bear the expenses of bringing family members of the passengers to Kuala Lumpur and providing them with accommodation, medical care, and counselling.[178] Altogether, 115 family members of the Chinese passengers flew to Kuala Lumpur.[179] Some other family members chose to remain in China, fearing they would feel too isolated in Malaysia.[180] The airline offered an ex gratia condolence payment of US$5,000 to the family of each passenger,[181] but relatives considered the conditions unacceptable and asked the airline to review them.[182]

Crew

All the crew members were Malaysian citizens. The flight's captain was 53-year-old Zaharie Ahmad Shah of Penang; he joined MAS in 1981 and had 18,365 hours of flying experience.[183] Zaharie was also an examiner qualified to conduct simulator tests for pilots.[184]

The first officer was 27-year-old Fariq Abdul Hamid, an employee of MAS since 2007, with 2,763 flying hours.[185][186] Fariq was transitioning to the Boeing 777-200 after having completed his simulator training.[186]

Investigation

Timeline of response

Date (UTC) Event
7 March Malaysia Airlines confirms it lost contact with Flight 370 at 18:40 UTC (02:40 MYT, 8 March), later corrected to 17:30 UTC (01:30 MYT)
8 March An international search and rescue mission mobilised focusing on South China Sea
9 March The search area expanded as the aircraft might have turned back west
Two Iranian passengers found to be travelling on stolen passports
10 March Ten Chinese satellites now deployed in the search
Oil slicks on the surface of the South China Sea tested negative for jet fuel
Malaysia Airlines announces it will give $5,000 USD to the relatives of each passenger
11 March Interpol say that two false identities not linked to the disappearance
12 March Chinese satellite images of possible debris from Flight 370 in the South China Sea at 6°42′N 105°38′E / 6.7°N 105.63°E / 6.7; 105.63 released, but surface search finds no wreckage[187]
Malaysian government receives Inmarsat info that Flight 370 pinged for hours after ACARS went off-line
Chinese government criticises Malaysia for inadequate answers regarding Flight 370
13 March US hints search should be expanded to the Indian Ocean
14 March Investigation concludes that Flight 370 was still under the control of somebody after it lost contact with ground control
MAS retires the MH370/MH371 flight number pair[188]
15 March Malaysia announces last satellite transmission from Flight 370 refocuses search along two loci – north and south
Malaysian police search the homes of both of the aircraft's pilots
16 March The number of countries involved in the search and rescue operation reaches 25
17 March Australia leads search from Sumatra to the southern Indian Ocean
18 March China starts a search operation in a northern region of its own territory
19 March Experts attempt to restore logfiles deleted from the flight simulator in the captain's home
20 March Aircraft and ships dispatched to locate two objects seen by satellite in the southern Indian Ocean at 44°03′02″S 91°13′27″E / 44.05056°S 91.22417°E / -44.05056; 91.22417; twenty-six nations are involved in search
21 March Search focuses on an area 3,000 kilometres (1,900 mi) southwest of Perth, Western Australia
22 March Chinese satellite image shows a possible object measuring 22.5 by 13 metres (74 by 43 ft) at 44°57′30″S 90°13′40″E / 44.95833°S 90.22778°E / -44.95833; 90.22778, approximately 3,170 kilometres (1,970 mi) west of Perth and just 120 kilometres (75 mi) from the earlier sighting but did not confirm the object nature
24 March Australian search aircraft spots two objects at sea 1,550 miles (2,490 km) southwest of Perth, one of them a large orange rectangular object[189]
Prime Minister of Malaysia announces that Flight 370 crashed in the southern Indian Ocean, and Malaysia Airlines states to families that it assumes "beyond reasonable doubt" there are no survivors[190]
25 March Search area narrowed to the southern tip of the southern search corridor; searches in the northern search corridor, and northern half of southern search area called off following detailed re-analysis of satellite data; aerial search suspended due to weather conditions in the Southern Indian Ocean

International participation

On 8 March, Boeing announced that it was assembling a team of experts to provide technical assistance to investigators,[191] in accordance with International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) protocols. In addition, the United States National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced in a press release on the same day that a team of investigators had been sent along with technical advisers from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to offer assistance in the investigation.[153] Because a formal (ICAO-sanctioned) investigation had not yet started, co-operation and co-ordination between involved parties could suffer, there being "a risk that crucial early detective work could be hampered, and potential clues and records lost", according to experts.[192]

On 11 March,[100] Chinese authorities[101] activated the International Charter on Space and Major Disasters, a 15 member organisation consisting of international space agencies[193] whose purpose is to "...provide a unified system of space data acquisition and delivery to those affected by natural or man-made disasters through Authorized Users."[102]

The United States Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had already deployed technical experts and agents to investigate the disappearance.[194] A senior US law enforcement official clarified that FBI agents had not been sent to Malaysia.[195] By 17 March the investigation was also being assisted by Interpol and other relevant international law enforcement authorities according to the Malaysian government.[196][197] United States and Malaysian officials were reviewing every passenger named on the manifest in addition to the two passengers who were confirmed as possessing stolen passports.[198] On 18 March the Chinese government announced that it had checked all of the Chinese citizens on the aircraft and ruled out the possibility that any were potential hijackers.[199]

Possible passenger involvement

Two men identified on the manifest, an Austrian and an Italian, had reported their passports stolen in 2012 and 2013, respectively.[24][200] Interpol stated that both passports were listed on its database of lost and stolen passports, and that no check had been made against its database.[201][202] Malaysia's Home Minister, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, criticised his country's immigration officials for failing to stop the passengers travelling on the stolen European passports.[202]

The two one-way tickets purchased for the holders of the stolen passports were booked through China Southern Airlines.[203] It was reported that an Iranian had ordered the cheapest tickets to Europe via telephone in Bangkok, Thailand. The tickets were paid for in cash.[204][205] The two passengers were later identified as Iranian men, one aged 19 and the other 29, who had entered Malaysia on 28 February using valid Iranian passports. The head of Interpol said the organisation was "inclined to conclude that it was not a terrorist incident".[170] The two men were believed to be asylum seekers.[206][207]

China Daily reported that there was also a passenger on the boarding list provided by Malaysia Airlines whose name did not match the passport owner's name and passport number.[208]

Upon the realisation that the aircraft may have been hijacked by a skilled individual, suspicion also fell briefly on a passenger who worked as flight engineer for a Swiss jet charter company.[209]

Pilots

Police searched the homes of the pilot and co-pilot.[210] CNN reported that police investigated a flight simulator in the pilot's home and that US Intelligence officials were leaning towards the view that those in the cockpit had been responsible for the aircraft's disappearance.[211]

Cargo

On 17 March, Malaysia Airlines chief executive Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said, without disclosing the flight manifest, that the aircraft was carrying 3 to 4 tonnes of mangosteens, and that nothing it transported was dangerous.[212][213][214] Three days later, he also confirmed that potentially flammable batteries, identified as lithium-ion,[215] were on board, adding that all cargo was "packed as recommended by the ICAO", checked several times and deemed to meet the regulations.[216][217][218]

Criticism and response

Public communication from Malaysian officials regarding the loss of the flight was initially beset with confusion.

  • Malaysia Airlines' chief executive, Ahmad Jauhari Yahya initially said air traffic control was in contact with the aircraft two hours into the flight when in fact last contact with air traffic control was less than an hour after takeoff.[219]
  • Malaysian authorities initially reported that four passengers used stolen passports to board the aircraft before settling on two – one Italian and one Austrian.[220]
  • Malaysia abruptly widened the search area to the west on 9 March, and only later explained that military radar had detected the aircraft turning back.[220] This was later formally denied by Rodzali Daud.[52]
  • Malaysian authorities visited the homes of pilot Zaharie and co-pilot Fariq on 15 March, during which they took away a flight simulator belonging to Zaharie. Malaysian police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said this was the first police visit to those homes. On 17 March, the government contradicted this by saying police first visited the pilots' homes the day following the flight's disappearance,[221] although this had been previously denied.[222]
  • On 16 March, Malaysia's acting transport minister contradicted the prime minister's account on the timing of the final data and communications received. Najib Razak said that the ACARS system was switched off at 01:07, while Hishammuddin said that the last ACARS transmission was received at 01:07, and the transmission expected at 01:37 was missed.[223]
  • Three days after saying that the aircraft was not transporting anything hazardous, Malaysia Airlines' chief executive Ahmad said that potentially dangerous lithium batteries were on board.[213][215]

The New York Times noted that the Malaysian government and the airline released imprecise, incomplete, and sometimes inaccurate information, with civilian officials sometimes contradicting military leaders.[224] Malaysian officials were also criticised after the persistent release of contradictory information, most notably regarding the last point and time of contact with the aircraft.[225]

Vietnam temporarily scaled back its search operations after the country's Deputy Transport Minister cited a lack of communication from Malaysian officials despite requests for more information.[226] China, through the official Xinhua News Agency, said that the Malaysian government ought to take charge and conduct the operation with greater transparency,[155] a point echoed by the Chinese Foreign Ministry days later: "Help all sides in the search to make their search more effective and accurately targeted."[227] Questions and criticisms were raised by air force experts and the Malaysian opposition about the current state of Malaysia's air force and radar capabilities.[228][229][230] The Washington Post said that had MAS installed system upgrade called Swift that had helped locate Air France 447, investigators would have had critical information about the aircraft even after the ACARS system and the transponder had gone dead.[231]

Criticism was also levelled at the delay of the search efforts. A report in The Wall Street Journal suggested that British satellite company Inmarsat had provided officials with data on 11 March, three days after the aircraft disappeared, suggesting the aircraft was nowhere near the areas in the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea being searched at that time; and may have diverted its course through a southern or northern corridor, information only publicly acknowledged and released by Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak on 15 March in a press conference.[232] Responding to criticisms that information about satellite signals had not been made available earlier, Malaysia Airlines said that it was critical that the raw satellite signals were verified and analysed "so that their significance could be properly understood". While this was being done, the airline was unable to publicly confirm their existence.[233]

MAS was criticised for not disclosing its cargo manifest[212] and the Malaysian government reportedly refused requests to hand over the detailed manifest. Countries and search agencies committed to the maritime search and recovery process expressed concern at this. For example, AMSA suggested it was hampering efforts in the Indian Ocean search.[234]

On 14 March, Malaysia Airlines retired the MH370/MH371 flight number pair for the Kuala Lumpur–Beijing–Kuala Lumpur route, replacing them with MH318 and MH319 respectively.[188]

On March 25, China's president said he was sending a special envoy to Kuala Lumpur to consult with the Malaysian government over the missing plane. [235]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ MH is the IATA designator and MAS is the ICAO designator. The flight was also marketed as China Southern Airlines Flight 748 (CZ748) through a codeshare.[1]
  2. ^ Inmarsat stated that its conclusion had been based on a further analysis of the measurements of the Doppler shift of the "ping" transmissions.[43] Although the company did not elaborate, notably, the Inmarsat-3 F1 satellite's orbit is inclined by 1.67 degrees, causing it to cross the equator twice a day.[44] This motion could cause a difference between the Doppler shifts of northbound and southbound transmitters.
  3. ^ The aircraft is a Boeing 777-200ER (for Extended Range) model; Boeing assigns a unique customer code for each company that buys one of its aircraft, which is applied as an infix in the model number at the time the aircraft is built. The code for Malaysia Airlines is "H6", hence "777-2H6ER".[158]
  4. ^ The manifest released by Malaysia Airlines listed an Austrian and an Italian. These were subsequently identified as two Iranian nationals who boarded Flight 370 using stolen passports.[170]
  5. ^ 38 passengers and 12 crew.

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External links