The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, a codeshare flight that departed Kuala Lumpur for Beijing, continues to baffle the world. The Boeing 777-200(ER), registered as 9M-MRO, vanished from radar screens on March 8 at 2:40 am.
As the search and rescue operations extend, families of the passengers express feelings of neglect by the Malaysian Government and the airline. During a press conference held by Malaysia Airlines on March 19, 2014, family members were forcibly removed as they attempted to enter the conference room. The families had been gathered in the ballroom of Beijing’s Lindo Hotel.
Investigations are ongoing, with all individuals on the plane and ground crew under scrutiny. Officials investigating a flight simulator found at the pilot’s residence discovered that some data had been erased, but there is potential for recovery.
The southern corridor presents more challenges for search efforts compared to the northern corridor, according to officials. The operation, unprecedented in scale, spans 8 million square kilometers.
A retired pilot who had flown the missing airliner, one of the youngest in the fleet, multiple times, stated, “All 777 pilots are well-versed with the aircraft’s maneuvers. It’s possible that the pilots were not in control.”
A high-level team has been dispatched to Beijing.
On Thursday, search planes were deployed to the southern Indian Ocean following an announcement by Australian authorities that satellite images had identified at least two objects potentially linked to the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
Four aircraft were dispatched to the area after a “possible indication of debris” was detected in satellite imagery, according to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, which is coordinating the search in the southern Indian Ocean.
Australian Prime Minister Abbott stated that an Australian air force Orion had been diverted to inspect the objects, with three additional aircraft deployed for a more intensive follow-up search.
Despite the initial search returning empty-handed, Abbott urged caution against drawing premature conclusions, stating, “We must keep in mind the task of locating these objects will be extremely difficult and it may turn out that they are not related to the search for flight MH370.”
Air Commodore John McGarry, a senior Australian military official, affirmed that the satellite material was credible enough to redirect search efforts to the area.
Malaysian officials announced on Wednesday that both the northern and southern search arcs, delineated by analysis of satellite data and spanning from Kazakhstan to the southern Indian Ocean, remain equally important.
The total search area defined by Malaysian authorities, covering a total of 2.24 million square nautical miles, is based on the initial analysis of signals the plane sent to satellites.
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