Families of victims of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 have called for a full review in the next 100 days of all matters related to the Boeing 777’s disappearance in 2014.
The Voice 370 group says it has drawn comfort from the fact many leaders in Malaysia’s new government had been “strong and constant supporters and sympathizers” of the group over the past four years and wants further consultation.
It has asked in an open letter to the government for a comprehensive review of all matters related to the aircraft’s disappearance with 239 people on board “especially the release of all relevant documents such as the full cargo manifest’’.
It wants an investigation into any possible falsification or elimination of records related to the flight and its maintenance.
And it has called a probe into “any act or omission Across the entire spectrum of operations that may have impaired tracking, search, rescue and recovery”.
“We also hope, like with other recent matters, Malaysian will be more open to sharing MH370-related information with other international governments, bodies and agencies in order to allow a complete and thorough review to take place,’’ it said.
New Malaysian transport Minister Anthony Loke Siew recently told Malaysian media that solving the long-running MH370 mystery would be one of his priorities.
“I hope the ministry will be able to bring closure to the families of those on board as well as resolve one of the biggest mysteries in the aviation industry during my tenure,” he said.
The letter comes as the head of the original search for MH370, Peter Foley, re-iterated during a Senate hearing the Australian Transport Safety Bureau’s long-held belief that the most likely scenario at the end of the flight was that the unpiloted plane ran out of fuel and spiraled into the sea.
READ: Australian search defended after 60 minutes criticism.
Foley listed the evidence that led the ATSB to conclude, along with global experts, that a controlled ditching scenario supported by some pilots and others was unlikely.
This included:
* The discovery of debris, some of which came from the interior of the aircraft and indicated a high-energy impact by the plane rather than a controlled ditching.
* An analysis of an outboard flap that showed it was probably not deployed when the aircraft hit the water. A pilot undertaking a controlled ditching would likely have extended the flap.
* An analysis by the Defence Science and Technology Group of the last transmission from the aircraft that showed the aircraft was picking up speed as it descended. It went from a descent rate of between 2900 feet per minute and 15,200 ft per minute to one of 13,800 ft per minute to 25,000 ft per minute (462kmh). This was evidence that there was not a pilot trying to glide the plane to a maximum range, Foley said.
* Experts determined the final communication between the plane and a satellite network — a log-on request and log-on acknowledgment — was likely triggered by fuel exhaustion.
Various pieces of evidence, including the discovery of debris, became available as the search progressed and Foley said the ATSB was still trying to analyze information to narrow down the search area at the end of the original 120,000 sq. km search and beyond.
Asked by Senator Rex Patrick whether he was confident there was no-one in charge of the aircraft when it hit the ocean, he said: “What we’ve said continually in reports ….. is that the flaps in a non-deployed state means that a controlled ditching is unlikely. Not impossible, but unlikely because at some point they may have separated.’’
“However, we’ve also said the high and increasing rate of descent makes the intent of anyone in the cockpit to extend the aircraft to its maximum range also unlikely.
“But we haven’t ever ruled out someone intervening at the end … it’s unlikely.’’
Arguments about the end-of-flight scenario resurfaced after a 60 Minutes special purporting to have solved the mystery included claims by Canadian former air crash investigator Larry Vance that the ATSB’s analysis that the flaps were deployed is incorrect.
Several pilots supporting the controlled ditching believe the plane is to the south of 38°S
The current search by private company Ocean Infinity on a “no find, no fee” basis for the Malaysian government has relied largely on drift analyses of debris by the CSIRO and the University of Western Australia and is being conducted to the north of the original search area along the seventh arc.
On May 19, Ocean Infinity’s autonomous underwater vehicles were searching an area approaching 27 °S. This is north of the priority areas targeted by both drift analyses.
