MH370 wreck hunter Blaine Gibson, who has found many of the pieces of MH370 debris and galvanized others to find debris is pleading for a new search.
Here is Blaine’s statement:
“On the seventh anniversary, I still have hope that the search will resume, the crash site will be found, and the truth will be known for the families and the flying public. I don’t base my thoughts and search recommendations on the analysis of the Inmarsat data end of flight scenarios, nor based on any analysis or assumptions from the Captain’s home simulator.
“I am not a rocket scientist, so I rely on the experts to analyze the satellite pings and locate the 7th arc. My search recommendation is based solely on the only actual physical evidence of MH 370 that exists: the debris that I and many other private citizens have found spread over six different countries, and the oceanographic drift analysis.
READ: New credible evidence of MH370 location
READ: Qatar Airways destinations soar
“Prof. Chari Pattiaratchi’s (University of WA) drift analysis accurately predicted where MH370 debris would wash ashore and when. He advised me where to go search, and with the help of locals and fishermen I found some pieces of the plane, so I highly respect his opinion.
“Both Prof Chari and I think the most likely crash site lies between 32°S and 34° S latitude, most likely at the foot of Broken Ridge at about 32.5 °S. This is based on the fact that all the recovered debris was found in East Africa, and none in Australia, and the timing of the arrival of the early found debris.
“Those latitudes should be searched about 70 nautical miles wide on either side of the 7th arc (A search 140nm wide). The search should include the centerline area searched in the ATSB search, but not yet by Ocean Infinity with its improved technological capacity.
“The underwater topography at the foot of Broken Ridge is rough, with many trenches, where debris could have been missed. MH 370 has too many theories and not enough evidence.
“However based on science, we know more than we did seven years ago. MH370 crashed somewhere in the Southern Indian Ocean, which is a very big place. The Tanzania wing flap was examined and determined to have been retracted not deployed, demonstrating it was not a controlled ditching.
“Shattered debris from the main cabin and other parts of the plane proves that it is not intact underwater. People who claim to know everything about what happened to MH370 do not. We know something about the what and the where MH370 crashed, but we do not yet know the who how, and why.
“We must locate the crash site and examine the main wreckage and black boxes to answer those questions and find as much of the truth as we can. Meanwhile, there are some steps that should be taken to help find the truth.
“Malaysia should examine and investigate the debris (above) recovered recently in Jeffreys Bay South Africa, and the baseplate of the vortex generator from Madagascar, as both may shed light on how the plane impacted the water.
“Malaysia should also investigate and analyze the possible personal effects recovered in Madagascar and publish the results. Malaysia should release the full simulator data, (of the Captain’s computer) and most important release the raw military radar data so it can be analyzed.
“I don’t want history to record my contribution to MH370 as having found, collected from local people, and handed in half of the recovered pieces of the plane. I want it to be that the debris that I and other private citizens found helped locate the crash site of MH 370 and find the truth.”
