13 hours ago
March 22, 2014 7:31PM
news.com.au
Aust search finds no sign of missing jet
Authorities have spent a fruitless day scouring a stretch of the Indian Ocean for debris from flight MH370.
AS Australian rescuers stepped up the search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, frustration at two weeks of fruitless efforts boiled over in Beijing with police having to restrain angry relatives of the 239 missing passengers and crew.
Police were forced to intervene as relatives rushed towards the officials, demanding answers which they accuse the Malaysians of withholding.
“Government of Malaysia, tell us the truth! Give us back our loved ones!’’ they shouted.
After the police stepped in, the Malaysian officials left the room.
”We can’t bear it any longer,’’ one of the relatives said later. “They’re offering us compensation, but we’ve lost our entire families.”
Earlier Deputy Prime Minister Warren Truss cautioned that any possible debris may have sunk.
“Something that was floating on the sea that long ago may no longer be floating. It may have slipped to the bottom,” Mr Truss said.
Six planes, including four Orion anti-submarine aircraft packed with state-of-the-art surveillance equipment, have joined the search for debris from the aircraft over a remote stretch of the Indian Ocean, 2,500 kilometres southwest of Perth.
Chinese, British and Australian naval ships were all steaming to the same area where two floating objects — possibly plane wreckage — were picked out on satellite pictures.
TRANSCRIPTS: The final 54 minutes of Flight MH307
“It is a very remote area, but we intend to continue the search until we’re absolutely satisfied that further searching would be futile — and that day is not in sight,” said Mr Truss.
With planes from China and Japan also expected to join the hunt, the sudden concentration of resources on the basis of such inconclusive evidence reflects growing desperation after 14 days of piecemeal progress.
There have been no sightings of interest since Thursday, when Australia released the satellite photos taken on March 16.
Three scenarios have gained particular attention: hijacking, pilot sabotage, and a sudden midair crisis that incapacitated the flight crew and left the plane to fly on autopilot for several hours until it ran out of fuel and crashed.
Finding wreckage in the remote southern Indian Ocean would undermine the hijacking theory, which many of the relatives of the 227 passengers on board continue to cling to.
Sarah Bajc, the partner of American passenger Philip Wood, voiced concern that the sudden focus on a particular section of the Indian Ocean was happening at the expense of a land search along a northern route the plane may have taken over South and Central Asia.
”I believe, and I think many people believe, the passengers are being held for some other purpose. But so far that doesn’t seem to be listened to,” Bajc told CNN
”If there’s a chance it was taken by an abductor of some sort, then we should be putting at least some of our resources towards looking on land.’’
Earlier Malaysia Airlines CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya confirmed MH370 had been carrying lithium-ion batteries in its cargo hold.
These batteries have spontaneously exploded on other flights, but Ahmad Jauhari dismissed suggestions that they might have been the source of a fire that caused the plane to crash.
“These are not regarded as dangerous goods ... and were packed as recommended by the International Civil Aviation Organisation,” he said.
However, the US Federal Aviation Administration’s Office of Security and Hazardous Materials Safety says lithium-ion batteries — which are manufactured in Malaysia, Taiwan and Japan — are “flammable and capable of self-ignition”.
“Overheating has the potential to create thermal runaway, a chain reaction leading to self-heating and release of a battery’s stored energy,” its website says.
“In a fire situation, the air temperature in a cargo compartment fire may be above the auto-ignition temperature of lithium.
“For this reason, batteries that are not involved in an initial fire may ignite and propagate, thus creating a risk of a catastrophic event.”
The existence and magnitude of the risk will depend on such factors as the total number and type of batteries on board an aircraft, the batteries’ proximity to one another, and existing risk mitigation measures in place, it says.
Lithium ion batteries, which are deemed “dangerous” cargo, have been responsible for 140 incidents on planes in the last 23 years, according to FAA.
‘THE FIRST CREDIBLE EVIDENCE OF ANYTHING’ — TONY ABBOTT
“There will be six aircraft searching the southern Indian Ocean today. Regrettably, due to weather conditions we weren’t able to locate any of the debris which satellite imagery revealed some days ago,” Prime Minister Tony Abbott said from Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea.
“We’ve had a lot of aircraft out over the last 48 hours, so far because of the weather conditions there’s been no possibility for a visual on this debris. I understand that conditions in the southern Indian Ocean are better today so we’ve got six aircraft in the area. Later today an Australian naval vessel will be in the area.
“As some of you know there are aircraft and vessels from other nations joins this search, because tenuous though it is inevitably, this is the first credible evidence of anything that has happened to flight MH370.”
TODAY COULD BE CRITICAL DAY FOR SEARCH
Salvage teams are racing against the clock to find the plane before its black box stops transmitting the signal that could pinpoint its location.
Experts say the black box — which transmits a signal for 15 to 30 days to an area within 25km after a plane loses power — could become dormant within days.
The plane disappeared while flying over the Gulf of Thaland in the early hours of Saturday March 8 — a fortnight ago.
Strategic Aviation Solutions chairman Neil Hansford said the black box could stop transmitting as soon as 15 days after a plane crash.
When submerged, the beacon activates and pings once per second for a period ranging from 15 to 30 days, but search teams must be within 25km to locate it.
Recovered ‘Black box’ flight recorders from a 2010 aviation accident in Libya ... today could be a critical day for the flight recorders on board MH370. Picture: Mahumud Turkia Source: AFP
There is a limited battery life for the beacons in the cockpit-voice and flight-data recorders — about 30 days, said Chuck Schofield, vice president of business development for Dukane Seacom Inc.
He said it’s “very likely’’ that his company made the beacons on the missing plane.
The devices work to a depth of 20,000 feet, with a signal range of about two nautical miles, depending on variables like sea conditions.
The signals are located using a device operated on the surface of the water or towed to a depth.
Australian, New Zealand and American air searches found no trace of wreckage or debris in their sweeps of the search area in the southern Indian Ocean yesterday, despite deploying Self Locating Data Marker Buoys in the zone.
Two aircraft from China are also expected to be part of the search effort today, joining a Norwegian cargo vessel and one other merchant ship that are already in the search area, approximately 2500 kilometres southwest of Perth.
Joins search effort this afternoon ... HMAS Success. Source: Supplied
WILL SUCCESS BRING SUCCESS?
The HMAS Success is due to arrive in the search area for Flight MH370 this afternoon, joining the increasingly international effort to find the missing plane.
Speaking via satellite phone from 1200km southwest of Perth yesterday, HMAS Success Captain Allison Norris said the ship and its 220-strong crew were ready for any challenge.
She said the weather and search conditions would worsen over the weekend, with a sea state of between three and four — or 2.5m waves and moderate winds.
“That does hamper our ability to search and recover,” she said. She said if the ship found any debris from the missing aircraft her crew would attempt to retrieve it using inflatable boats and possibly a crane.
“We will brief the crew on what to look for,” she said.
As her 30-year-old, 18,000-tonne ship steamed deeper into the southern Indian Ocean at her maximum speed of up to 20 knots (40km/h), Captain Norris said the crew were well aware of the importance of the operation.
“They have all seen the pictures on the news.” When the ship arrives in the search area, lookouts will be posted all around the upper decks with each person responsible for a small arc of sea.
Technical support ... RAAF Loadmasters Sgt. Adam Roberts (l) and Flight Sgt. John Mancey launch a Self Locating Data Marker Buoy from a C-130J Hercules aircraft. Picture: Australian Defence Department, Justin Brown Source: AP
TODAY’S SEARCH DETAILS
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) has tasked three RAAF P3 Orion aircraft, a New Zealand P3 RAAF Orion aircraft and two ultra long range commercial jets for today’s search operation.
The two commercial jets and a RAAF P3 Orion were the first aircraft to depart from Perth for the search area. The Orion departed at around 9am (AEDT) and the commercial jets took off about 15 minutes later.
The other two Australian P-3 Orion aircraft are due to take off at 11am and 3pm respectively, while a New Zealand P-3 Orion will leave at 1pm (all AEDT).
The P3 Orion aircraft involved can search for approximately two hours once they reach the search zone while the ultra long range commercial jets can search for five hours.
A total of 10 SES volunteers from Western Australia have been tasked as air observers on the commercial jets, following seven SES volunteers from Victoria who were deployed yesterday.
AMSA runs a training program across the country to train SES volunteers in air observation for searches such as this.
The search will be further bolstered on Sunday by two P-3 Orions from Japan.
Five Chinese ships and the British HMS Echo are also heading towards the southern Indian Ocean to assist.
PREVIOUSLY: How yesterday’s search unfolded
IMAGES: The photos that tell the story of Flight MH370
Every angle we've seen on MH370
As it has unfolded, the mystery of missing flight MH370 and the incredible twists and turns in world news coverage so far
‘WE ARE DOING ALL THAT WE CAN’
“We are doing all that we can, devoting all the resources we can and we will not give up until all of the options have been exhausted,’’ said acting Prime Minister Warren Truss.
However he also tamped down expectations.
“Something that was floating on the sea that long ago may no longer be floating — it may have slipped to the bottom,’’ he said.
“It’s also certain that any debris or other material would have moved a significant distance over that time, potentially hundreds of kilometres.’’
Speaking from Papua New Guinea, where he is on an official visit, Prime Minister Tony Abbott told reporters he spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who he described as “devastated.’’
“It’s about the most inaccessible spot that you could imagine on the face of the Earth, but if there is anything down there we will find it,’’ Mr Abbott said.
“We owe it to the families and the friends and the loved ones of the almost 240 people on Flight MH370 to do everything we can to try to resolve what is as yet an extraordinary riddle.
’’
MALAYSIA ASKS FOR UNDERSEA HELP
Malaysia has asked the US to provide undersea surveillance technology to help in the search for the wreckage.
In a phone call to Pentagon chief Chuck Hagel, Malaysia’s defence minister and acting transport minister Hishammuddin Hussein “requested that the US consider providing some undersea surveillance equipment’’, said Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby.
Hagel assured his counterpart that he would “assess the availability and utility of military undersea technology for such a task and provide him an update in the very near future’’, Kirby said in a statement.
Officials did not say what equipment the Pentagon might provide but the US military has invested heavily in robotic technology designed for undersea surveillance against enemy submarines or torpedoes.
On the hunt ... pilot Russell Adams searches from a Royal Australian Airforce AP-3C Orion during the search mission yesterday. Picture: Justin Benson-Cooper Source: Getty Images
SPOTTING POSSIBLE DEBRIS
Experts say it is impossible to tell if the grainy satellite images of the two objects — one 24 meters long and the other measuring 5 meters — were debris from the plane. But officials have called this the best lead so far.
Searchers relied mostly on trained spotters aboard the planes rather than radar because radar found nothing in the first day of the search on Thursday, Australian officials said.
The search will focus more on visual sightings because civilian aircraft are being brought in. The military planes will continue to use both radar and spotters.
The bad weather that hampered search operations on Thursday has cleared.
“The area will have pretty much light surface winds, generally less than about 10 knots. We’re not expecting any significant weather,’’ Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Luke Huntington told ABC radio.
“Visibility should be greatly improved.’’
Intense interest ... media line the tarmac waiting for reports from the Australian search effort at Royal Australian Air Force Pearce Air Base yesterday. Picture: Paul Kane Source: Getty Images
“Noting that we got no radar detections yesterday, we have replanned the search to be visual. So aircraft flying relatively low, very highly skilled and trained observers looking out of the aircraft windows and looking to see objects,’’ said John Young, manager of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority’s emergency response division.
A spokesman for the Norwegian cargo vessel Hoegh St. Petersburg said the ship, which has been in the area since Thursday, searched a strip of ocean stretching about 100 nautical miles (185 kilometres) yesterday using binoculars and unaided eyes.
“The visual observations are the most important. The fact that they are there and have the capacity to move in a specific pattern is the most important contribution,’’ he said.
A total of six merchant ships have assisted in the search since a shipping broadcast was issued by AMSA on Monday night.
Civilian help ... The Norweigen merchant transport ship Hoegh St Petersburg has been in the search zone since Thursday. Picture: Justin Benson-Cooper Source: Getty Images
THE REALITY OF A FIND
Aircraft pieces have been found floating for days after a sea crash.
Peter Marosszeky, an aviation expert at the University of New South Wales, said the wing could remain buoyant for weeks if the fuel tanks inside were empty and had not filled with water.
Other experts said that if the aircraft breaks into pieces, normally only items such as seats and luggage would remain floating. “We seldom see big metal (pieces) floating.
You need a lot of (buoyant) material underneath the metal to keep it up,’’ said Lau Kin-tak, an expert in aircraft maintenance and accidents at Hong Kong Polytechnic University.
Families of MH370 passengers frustrated
Malaysia has been accused of 'being slow' to pass on crucial information in the search for the missing jet
ANGUISHED WAIT FOR FAMILIES
Flight 370 relatives met with Malaysian officials on Friday. Attendees said they had a two-hour briefing about the search but that nothing new was said.
Wang Zhen, son of missing artist Wang Linshi, said there were questions about why Malaysian authorities had provided so much seemingly contradictory information.
Wang said he still has hopes his father can be found alive and is praying that the satellite sightings turn out to be false. He said he and other relatives are suspicious about what they are being told by the Malaysian side but are at a loss as to what to do next.
“We feel they’re hiding something from us,’’ said Wang, who is filling his days attending briefings and watching the news for updates.
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