Yahoo!7 and agencies
April 11, 2014, 5:05 am
Japan Coast Guard's Gulfstream V aircraft flies in the search zone for debris from the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. AP
An Australian P3 Orion aircraft has detected another possible signal from a black box recorder in the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
Retired Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, who is heading the search, says the aircraft detected the signal near the Australian Navy ship Ocean Shield earlier today.
He says further analysis is needed but the signal may be from a man-made source.
The search area has been narrowed from 75,000 square kilometres to about 58,000 square kilometres after four signals were detected in an area less than 40 kilometres apart by Ocean Shield.
The centre of the search area lies approximately 2280 kilometres north-west of Perth.
Retired Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston says it may be just a matter of days before the search closes in on MH370's "final resting place".
"I think we're looking in the right area, but I'm not prepared to confirm anything until such time as somebody lays eyes on the wreckage," he said.
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Australian ship Ocean Shield is focused on an area of the Indian Ocean 2280 kilometres northwest of Perth where it picked up two fresh signals Tuesday to match a pair of transmissions logged over the weekend as searchers try to pinpoint the exact crash zone.
No debris from the Boeing 777 which disappeared on March 8 has yet been found.
A large number of objects were spotted on the surface on Wednesday but only a small number were able to be recovered.
None of the recovered items are believed to be associated with MH370.
This image shows where two pings possibly from MH370 were detected along a tract where the plane is believed to have crashed into the ocean. Photo: Supplied
* MH370 search: Australian ship Ocean Shield detects signals
* MH370 flew around Indonesian airspace: report
Officials had feared that the signals which were initially picked up might not be detected again, particularly since the batteries on the black box tracking beacons have a normal lifespan of about 30 days.
- Clock ticking -
Australia confirmed Wednesday that the first signals were consistent with black box recorders.
"The analysis determines that a very stable distinct and clear signal was detected at 33.331 kHz and that it consistently pulsed at a 1.106 second interval," Houston said, explaining that the exact frequencies can vary according to time and conditions.
"They (experts) believe the signals to be consistent with the specification and description of a flight data recorder," he said.
No other ships will be allowed near the Ocean Shield, as its work must be done in an environment as free of noise as possible.
A woman lights a candle during a candlelight vigil for passengers onboard the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370. Photo: AP.
With the clock ticking on how long the black boxes could feasibly continue to transmit, Houston said it would not be long before a US-made autonomous underwater vehicle called a Bluefin 21 would be sent down to investigate.
"I don't think that time is very far away," he said.
Up to 10 military aircraft, four civil planes and 13 ships would take part in the search on Thursday, JACC said.
Able Seaman Clearance Diver Michael Arnold is towed by a fast response craft from the Australian Defence's ship Ocean Shield as he scans the water for debris. Photo: AP.
Fair visibility was predicted for the day with moderate southeasterly winds and isolated showers.
The case of the missing jet has baffled aviation experts and frustrated the families of those on board, two-thirds of whom were Chinese.
"I want to see the evidence that the plane is at the bottom of the sea," said Malaysian Tan Tuan Lay, whose daughter, 31-year-old bank employee Chew Kar Mooi, was one of the passengers on board.
"I am really sad (about) what has happened but I am prepared to accept whatever comes," Tan said when asked to comment on the fresh signals.
Operators monitors TAC stations onboard a Royal New Zealand Air Force P3 Orion during search operations for wreckage and debris of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in the southern Indian Ocean. Photo: AP.
Silt adds to recovery woes
The wreckage of MH370 may be in silt up to 20m deep, according to a renowned oceanographer.
Charitha Pattiaratchi, Winthrop Professor of Coastal Oceanography at the University of WA, said tiny pieces of wreckage may have sunk into the silt characteristic of ocean floors at 4500m.
However, bigger parts such as wings and fuselage with a large surface area would likely stay on the surface of the ocean floor or just sink a couple of metres.
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Search co-ordination centre head Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston said the silt was also likely masking or absorbing the black box beacons.
Professor Pattiaratchi also suggests that depending on how the wreckage of MH370 broke up and was lying on the ocean floor, the black boxes could be buried in silt, making retrieval difficult.
In contrast to MH370, Air France Flight 447 was found at 3000m and the Titanic is resting at 3800m deep.
World renowned wreck hunter David Mearns, owner of British-based Blue Water Recoveries, says the depth of 4500m is not a problem. In 1996, he found the deepest shipwreck, the Rio Grande, at 5762m. Robots recovered wreckage and the remains of 104 people from Air France flight 447 in 3900m.
If the black boxes fail to show the cause of the disappearance, wreckage may be needed.
Today's search area appears as a dot in the Indian Ocean compared to previous search areas. Graphic: AMSA
Up to 10 military aircraft, four civil aircraft and 13 ships will assist in today's search.
Aircraft and ships reported spotting a large number of objects during yesterday's search, but only a small number were able to be recovered.
None was believed to be associated with MH370.
Today's search area covers 57,923 square kilometres about 2280km north west of Perth.
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