Ocean Infinity presented a new MH370 underwater search proposal to Anthony Loke, the Malaysian Minister of Transport in Kuala Lumpur on 2nd May 2024. Anthony Loke said that based on discussions held on Thursday, the company had submitted a proposal paper along with evidence and information for examination by the relevant parties under his ministry.
Josh Broussard, the Chief Technology Officer, of Ocean Infinity led the team making the presentation, together with their Commercial Manager.
Pete Foley, the former ATSB search director, also attended the meeting in Malaysia. Pete has been campaigning for a new search for several years and is advising Ocean Infinity on the new search.
Prof. Simon Maskell, from Liverpool University, is a scientific advisor to Ocean Infinity and was also in attendance at the meeting. Simon leads a team investigating the possibility of using WSPR to detect and track aircraft. Simon plans to add the WSPR data to the particle filter developed by the Australian Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG) described in their book titled “Bayesian Methods in the Search for MH370” in order to refine the new MH370 search area.
The new search for MH370 is expected to start in November 2024. Anthony Loke said the whole process of examining the new proposal, including cabinet approval would take about three months. Two representatives of the Association for Families of the Passengers and Crew on board MH370 also attended the meeting. The Association welcomed the new proposal and thanked everyone involved.
@Duncan,
Prof. Charitha Pattiaratchi’s hot spot is 32.5°S 96.5°E and marked UWA on the attached map.
He cautions that the University of Western Australia (UWA) drift analysis concluded the crash location could be between 28°S and 33°S along the 7th Arc.
You will see that the UWA hot spot falls within a circle with a radius of 382.2 km from the aircraft sighting on 28th March 2014 at 04:48:07 UTC, which I have called “Duncan’s Area”.
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/p22gp0wr2rwp6ynn8jmq9/Duncan-s-Area.png?rlkey=i5rwfu6lafqd2n141ip5kmkrm&dl=0
@Richard
I’m honoured to have my own area on the map, but as things stand I think a 382.2km radius circle should look a bit larger, extending 89% of the way to your WSPR hotspot. It can then be cropped by eliminating any area outside the ATSB’s “wide search area” illustrated here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Search_for_Malaysia_Airlines_Flight_370#/media/File:MH370_SIO_search.png
However, what I would really like is for the UWA to use the same drift analysis computer(?) model that they used to identify the UWA hotspot, but inputting ONLY the time and location of the “flaperon” flotsam, and then using the result as my hotspot.
@Duncan,
I can put your suggestion to Prof. Charitha Pattiaratchi, but I know he is travelling at the moment. I’m not sure UWA does custom drift analysis, however they would always welcome funding for a research program.
@All,
An update today on the MH370 search from Airline News with Geoffrey Thomas:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUG9T390btI
In today’s update we examine the capabilities of the Hugin 6000 AUV.
@All,
The weather in the MH370 search area on 23FEB2025 at 12:10 UTC (19:10 local time) is:
26 km/h (14 knots).
3.0 m waves (10 feet).
Force 4 Moderate Breeze
A tropical cyclone off NW Australia will reach a position 1,400 km NE of the search area by Wednesday 06:00 UTC.
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/o03timnfe9cmyd73g15lg/Weather-23FEB2025-1210-UTC-1910-UTC.png?rlkey=j57mvedgbq4bxn1ph1b6vw1q3&dl=0
@Richard
Nice updates coming out of here.
In light of TROPICAL CYCLONE, could it be plausible for 78 06 to track SOUTH to the Blelly Marchand hotspot AFTER IG, before heading to refuel and THEN travel to WSPR?
Of course, IF Blelly Marchand can be searched in under 15 days?
@Will,
The IG High Priority Area (HPA) is 30.5 km2. I expect OI will cover a much larger area, than just the HPA.
The Blelly/Marchand area is 1,200 km2, which can be covered 3.5 days with 2 AUVs.
Hi Richard,
Thanks for providing me with responses to my previous post.
I am curious to know your thoughts on MH370’s potential final moments and, based on the available evidence we have, what state the wreckage is in?
I have read conflicting theories based on the evidence on this point; some argue it was a controlled ditching where the aircraft is largely in one piece, others claim it was a high velocity uncontrolled impact.
My own prediction leans more towards the former hypothesis, but I am very much curious to know your view on this. The reason I ask this is primarily to understand what may be recoverable from the crash site; whether the CVR and FDR will be recoverable, or whether physical pieces of the wreckage may help us understand what caused the incident itself.
Glad to know that Armada is nearly at the first search zone, very much looking forward to hearing updates when they are made available.
Kind regards
@Sam,
We have recovered 43 items of floating debris from MH370 and many of the items have been confirmed or are highly likely from MH370.
The average weight of the 43 items was 4.881 kg.
The estimated Zero Fuel Weight (ZFW) for the MH370 flight was 174,628 kg (384,989 lbs).
If the 43 items are typical, then there were 35,777 items.
There were items from the exterior and interior.
There were items from the nose, fuselage, tail, wings, engines, cabin dividers, seat back trim and personal effects.
In my view, MH370 suffered a high energy impact.
The FDR and CVR are designed to withstand a high energy impact.
@Richard,
Thank you for this. I do wonder if, even after 10+ years underwater at such intense pressures, the FDR and CVR data will be recoverable?
Here’s hoping the search brings us positive news. Keeping a close eye on this over the coming days and weeks.
@Sam,
The FDR and CVR data is most likely recoverable, but it is a specialist task and the items need to be handled correctly after recovery.
@All
Armada 7806 has now reached the search area for MH370. It is currently on an easterly track and is approaching the area designated as ‘High Priority’ by the Independent Group. This area was only partially scanned during previous searches due to the nature of the undersea terrain and is located at S34.53 E93.84.
The vessel is experiencing waves of approximately 3 meters.
I’m sure all our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the 239 souls on board the ill fated Boeing 777.
Good hunting Ocean Infinity.
@All,
Armada reached the MH370 search area on 23rd February 2025 at 17:37 UTC.
The ship has slowed and turned Northwards at 34.63489°S 93.66761°E:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/x66dq8yd6yi6drqazoqx3/Armada-7806-Vessel-Finder-23FEB2025-1737-UTC.png?rlkey=e9hs24ynwg1qo4akh5icbzgv2&dl=0
Armada 7806 is heading for the IG HPA, where the depth is up to 4,600 m:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/7bhkf7j8fu1e6htmqecww/Google-Earth-23FEB2025-1737-UTC.png?rlkey=owqzhzfsp3sgksqg2i5t8692m&dl=0
Armada 7806 has stopped at 34.62859°S 93.67309°E, which is around 20 km from the 7th Arc.
The depth is 4,658 m.
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/kerpd38osfcdx7fntnq0m/Google-Earth-23FEB2025-1823-UTC.png?rlkey=3a8j0hvx668io966rfsl8d9ix&dl=0
If/When MH370 is discovered, what happens next?
@Jesse Greg Tulloch,
I expect Ocean Infinity will make an announcement, that MH370 has been discovered and show pictures and video of the wreckage to the global media.
The Malaysian authorities, if an agreement has meanwhile been signed with Ocean Infinity, will announce plans to recover items of interest to the investigation from the wreckage, especially the Flight Data Recorder and Cockpit Voice Recorder.
I hope that the ICAO will take direction of the investigation and involve the manufacturers Boeing (aircraft) and Rolls Royce (engines), NTSB (US), AAIB (UK), BEA (France) and ATSB (Australia) as well as countries where many of the passengers are from like China and Malaysia.
@All,
1. Armada 7806 Current Position.
34.51°S 93.31°E – Restricted Navigation – AUV Launches.
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/sgu8224qir6s8j51swlvj/Armada-7806-Vessel-Finder-24FEB2025-0941-UTC.png?rlkey=wks2ug07i0kxq9tzxih9sge5p&dl=0
2. MH370 Search Hot Spots.
IG, Blelly/Marchand, WSPR and UWA marked with squares – Armada 7806 track marked with circles – current position is red circle – 7th Arc is red line.
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/7gfr1bl4co4an6z07jscu/Google-Earth-showing-MH370-Search-Hot-Spots-24FEB2025-0800-UTC.png?rlkey=waj361rhl9piq492ekd1jgw4w&dl=0
3. Weather 24FEB2025 0600 UTC in the MH370 search area.
High Pressure 1016 mb, Moderate Breeze 11 knots, Slight Rain 0.2 mm, Waves 2.5 m (8.2 feet).
Cyclone Bianca still a long way off from the MH370 search area.
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/nzarx8wv4txpypxhwwyov/Weather-24FEB2025-0600-UTC.png?rlkey=ubbozys9720rmyvkjokplr9km&dl=0
@All,
An update today on the MH370 search from Airline News with Geoffrey Thomas:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIT5s8lwKhU
In today’s report we discuss the current position of Armada 7806, the AUV operations, the weather, the sea floor terrain and the IG high priority area (HPA) and the case they make of the need to search again in case MH370 was missed in previous searches.
ATSB reported that Go Phoenix searched the IG HPA on 26th September 2014.
Ocean infinity reported that Seabed Constructor searched the IG HPA on 12th March 2018.
Since then the Ocean Infinity search technology has advanced substantially and there is always a possibility that MH370 was missed because of the challenging underwater terrain.
@All,
An article in the UK newspaper the “Daily Telegraph” by Christopher Jasper will appear tomorrow titled “MH370: British search launched for missing Malaysian Airlines fight.”
Here is the online version:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/fplx9o0amkt425xx0hz4e/Daily-Telegraph-MH370-British-search-launched-for-missing-Malaysian-Airlines-flight.pdf?rlkey=87e9qmcoxw2f4fo21vzjlanoj&dl=0
The mission comes after Malaysia indicated in December that it was ready to back a fresh bid to locate the wreckage of the jet, following two earlier failed attempts.
Kuala Lumpur said at the time that it had given outline approval to a “no find, no fee” deal in which Ocean Infinity would be paid $70m (£55m) only if it found the aircraft.
However, no final agreement was announced. It is believed that Ocean Infinity has chosen to go ahead with the plan on its own account, before the arrival of winter in the southern hemisphere.
Hi Richard,
Once the black boxes are found, are Malaysia legally obliged to relinquish them first to other authorities for independent unbiased analysis, or is it their right to take sole custody immediately? Finding the black boxes is one thing, but the release of honest information regarding the contents is another. Malaysia could spin whatever narrative they want if data recovery is in their hands, in which case will we be any closer to knowing what really happened?
@Laura,
The Malaysian authorities are not legally obliged to hand over the black boxes for an independent analysis.
I agree with you and would like the ICAO to take over the investigation and have the black boxes analysed by independent experts.
@All,
An Australian TV channel 9 news has reported on the new search for MH370 by Ocean Infinity:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FQ1TeCAOysA
@All,
Armada 7806 is in day 2 of the search for MH370. The current focus is on an area around the IG area, where AUVs have been launched in a systematic coverage of the area.
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/knzycvfumpbobrci4vqsx/Armada-7806-Vessel-Finder-25FEB2025-0740-UTC.png?rlkey=7smfzdct4m8e4d2z02jbq6zg1&dl=0
Armada 7806 has stopped 6 times and from the locations and timings, a search pattern is starting to emerge:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/kgnxt9a5npnevahwas7wz/Armada-7806-Stops-and-Search-Pattern.png?rlkey=eowqj329q4l6nwaqdsijqfbcm&dl=0
@Richard
The Malaysian mainstream media just reported OI continued search for MH370..
However, there is no mentioned if the Malaysian government signed any agreement with OI..
@Jafni,
Several media are reporting that an agreement will be signed in the coming days.
The ABC in Australia is reporting that “Malaysia has launched a new search with Ocean Infinity.”. The tone of the article is positive, and is probably intended to foster co-operation between Australia, Malaysia and OI. As such, I would read the article as a very positive, tentative step forward in the MH370 search and recovery process.
“A fresh search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has been launched more than a decade after the plane went missing in one of aviation’s greatest enduring mysteries.
Maritime exploration firm Ocean Infinity has resumed the hunt for the missing plane, Malaysian transport minister Anthony Loke announced on Tuesday.
Loke told reporters contract details between Malaysia and the firm were still being finalised but welcomed “the pro-activeness of Ocean Infinity to deploy their ships” to begin the search for the plane which went missing in March 2014.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-02-25/new-search-for-mh370-begins-malaysia-airlines-ocean-infinity/104982340
@Tommy L,
Many thanks for the update from ABC in Australia.
Let’s hope that Anthony Loke is sincere about the pro-active stance from Ocean Infinity.
My understanding is that all the terms and conditions were finalised before Anthony Loke mad his announcement on 20th December 2024.
I note that in The Australian there was an article quoting: “Experts not hopeful new MH370 search will succeed”.
I believe there is a good chance that MH370 will be found, but I am mindful that it is a very challenging task.
Video from Malaysia Star TV of Anthony Loke’s announcement is available on Dailymotion at
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x9f54v8
I would imagine that, like the staff in Malaysia Airlines operations centre in KL in the first few hours after the disappearance, he is in an intolerably stressful position.
Support from the ICAO and the ILO in the search and investigation would help to share the burden of distress for all stakehollders more equitably.
@All,
Armada 7806 is due in Fremantle, Australia on 5th March 2025. It will be a quick turnaround and leaving on 6th March 2025:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/6o3t1l9pc3jtksw5c04jh/Fremantle-Arrivals-and-Departures.png?rlkey=adg4obpmd1nfp02y7hh7uar26&dl=0
Hi Richard,
Do we know whether OI will return to the search areas after its turnaround visit in Fremantle?
Thanks again for the updates thus far!
@Sam,
In order to arrive in Fremantle by 5th March at 05:30 local time, Armada 7806 will have to leave the MH370 search area by Friday 28th February evening time.
They only arrived in the MH370 search area on 23rd February and will have searched for a maximum of 6 days in total before having to leave.
Ocean Infinity will return to the MH370 search area to continue after visiting Fremantle, assuming they do not find MH370 in the first 6 days.
@Richard,
Thank you for clarifying this, I was unsure (and rather concerned) that OI were not searching for an extended period of time. Thankfully, I was wrong.
Very much enjoying the daily updates on Airline News with Geoffrey Thomas. Thank you for all of your hard work thus far!
@All,
An update today on the MH370 search from Airline News with Geoffrey Thomas:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9INumY0bcU
In today’s report we give an update on the search strategy as the pattern of AUV deployment starts to unfold.
We also answer a number of viewer’s questions:
1. Who is paying?
2. Black Boxes – will there be anything on them?
3. Could the pilot have pulled the circuit breakers?
4. The FDR stopped recording on Silk Air in 1997. Will this be the same?
5. Why has OI gone ahead without a signed contract?
6. Why hasn’t OI said anything?
7. Why cant we have live vision from the boat?
8. When will we see vision from the AUVs?
Many diverse reports of the new search have now appeared on mainstream media including the UK’s Guardian
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/26/mh370-search-resumes-malaysia-airlines-ocean-infinity
@TommyL,
Many thanks for your updates on the news coverage. There is great interest from around the world and solving the mystery of the disappearance of MH370 almost 11 years ago.
@All,
An update today on the MH370 search from Airline News with Geoffrey Thomas:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKYysJzxsoE
We give an update on the current search by Ocean Infinity and the search strategy that they are following.
Again we answer a number of questions that viewers have been asking.
@Richard,
Apologies of this has already been asked, but could I get some clarification on the ‘hot spot’ search areas.
Do we know for certain that OI are going to be searching the Blelly & Marchand zone, as well as the WSPR hot spot?
I have just rewatched Mentour Pilot’s incredibly informative documentary on MH370 and I have to say that the WSPR segment is truly fascinating – the fact that the WSPR points line up perfectly with the infamous 7 handshakes/arcs is very encouraging.
A sincere thanks again for all of your work on this, here’s hoping for some positive results from OI shortly.
Kind regards,
Sam
@Sam,
What we know for certain is that Ocean Infinity’s goal is to find MH370.
Ocean Infinity have asked a number of experts and plan to search at least three areas:
1. Areas previously searched, where there is evidence MH370 may have been missed.
2. Captain Patrick Blelly and Jean-Luc Marchand’s area presented to the Royal Aeronautical Society in London.
3. The WSPR are defined by Prof. Simon Maskell. Dr. Hannes Coetzee and myself.
Obviously as soon as Ocean Infinity find MH370, they stop searching and start documenting the find.
The discussion with Malaysia then starts about recovering evidence from the wreckage to help bring the open investigation to a conclusion.
I agree with you that the Mentour Pilot’s documentary is excellent:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5K9HBiJpuk
With 6 Million views we are not alone in our opinion.
There are 2.16 Million subscribers to the YouTube channel.
The video attracted 166K likes and 17,000 comments.
The first comment was: “The documentary is a well researched forensic analysis of the evidence for what happened to flight MH370. The report is well balanced, any speculation is avoided, but every technical and scientific detail is examined and discussed. Richard Godfrey”
Richard,
I think with artificial intelligence (AI), the WSPR software/technology you used to find MH370 will be more enhance..
@Jafni,
Prof. Simon Maskell is using AI to enhance the WSPR software.
@Richard,
Thank you for your response. Do we have a time-frame of when OI will be due to search the two-hot spots of WSPR and the Blelly and Marchand area?
Your demonstration today of how WSPR works was truly fascinating, very much appreciate you taking the time to do so. It looks as if the margin of error compared to the ADSB data is marginal, and that WSPR has a large degree of accuracy.
It will certainly be interesting to see the results after the WSPR area has been searched.
Kind regards,
Sam
@Sam,
I expect Armada 7806 will leave soon for Fremantle and will be back on 11th March 2025 in the MH370 search area.
Armada 7806 will then continue to the Blelly/Marchand area, unless there are points of interest to investigate, when all the data from the first 3 AUV runs is completed.
@All,
An update today on the MH370 search from Airline News with Geoffrey Thomas:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuDF_hP2Rlc
Today we take you behind the scenes and answer viewer’s comments on:
1. How do we track Armada 7806 ?
2. How do we track MH370 using WSPR Technology ?
@Richard,
Thank you as ever for your insight. Hopefully OI are able to investigate the WSPR hot-spot on their return journey to the search area.
@Richard
I had assumed that WSPR data extraction was strenuous and manual, involving tentatively combing through HEAPS of equally tactile figures.
You still rigorously test statistics, but your framework constructed around said task is streamline, intuitive, articulate.
A comprehensive video. I enjoyed your Miami REAL ESTATE comment in the previous clip.
If MH370 is located at WSPR, I hope media AND external bodies give yourself and coauthors the credit, and OI the prestige, REQUIRED for your sustained inputs towards JUSTICE. Especially due to self funded aspects.
Thank you for reaffirming to aspiring pilots, like myself, that safety is 1st priority.
@Will,
My goal is that MH370 is found and that the investigation reaches a conclusion on exactly what happened and why. Only then can we learn the lessons out of this tragedy, to improve airline safety in the future.
@All,
Armada 7806 is still in the MH370 search area and is conducting operations using 3 AUVs.
The last AUV is about to be recovered and then I expect Armada 7806 to depart for Fremantle, Australia.
@All,
All 3 AUVs have now been recovered,
Armada 7806 has stopped 15 times, out of which 6 times were for an hour or two. There were 3 AUV launches and later 3 AUV recoveries. Each time Armada 7806 stopped, it turned into the wind and the waves to make AUV operations easier:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/jrmoxi58iibxsvc7eytj6/Armada-7806-Stops.png?rlkey=vkxkhwk9gpt5oueoakn31d4hk&dl=0
The AUVs covered a total of 1,153 line km and covered an area between 862 km2 and 1,039 km2 in a total of 94.5 operational hours. Armada 7806 covered a total of 618.4 line km in that time.
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/vivfayfaheap2dcw95r8d/Armada-7806-AUVs-Launch-and-Recovery-Operations.png?rlkey=ue5bfvs1tpxtawwv78ag6evjo&dl=0
Hi Richard,
Thank you for the continuous updates, really hoping NOK are able to find some peace of mind about the final resting place after this new search.
I was wondering about the timeline of the AUV data collection. I understand from previous comments that the footage is not live and OI has access to a limited quantity of images immediately. Do you know how much time might pass between retrieving and reviewing the AUV footage and OI being able to rule out/confirm whether they’ve found the crash site?
@Mara,
Welcome to the blog!
There is a large amount of data to be analysed and this will take some time. The process will identify any points of interest, which may then require further investigation, before finally deciding whether a point of interest is MH370 related. The whole process may take several weeks.
@All,
The Chinese government are backing the new search. Here is a report in the South China Morning Post with English subtitles quoting the Chinese Foreign Ministry, Reuters and AFP:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=es7KwKFkvnY
@All,
Armada 7806 is now underway to Fremantle, Australia and is expected to arrive on 5th March 2025 at 05:30 local time.
There will be a 24 hour turnaround for provisioning, refuelling and crew change.
Armada 7806 is expected back in the MH370 search area on 11th March 2025.
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/v3d8pnapjcx0tlsirpaj2/Armada-7806-Vessel-Finder-28FEB2025-0532-UTC.png?rlkey=zdp7tj7i052pxc5s70e174hl4&dl=0
@All,
An update today on the MH370 search from Airline News with Geoffrey Thomas:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2q0RqX6dkA
Today we review the first phase of the new search for MH370.
We also answer a number of viewer’s questions on yesterday’s live demonstration of the WSPR software:
a. How do WSPR transmissions travel such a long way ?
b. How accurate is WSPR ?
c. What is a WSPR anomaly ?
d. Does WSPR work at all altitudes ?
e. Is the source data for the software available ?
f. Is the WSPR data for MH370 available online ?
g. How much does the software cost?
h. How is your work funded?
So after 5 days of searching we can confirm that MH370 isn’t at the first hotspot identified by the Independent Group?
@D Brady,
Welcome to the blog!
After 5 days of searching there is a large amount of data to be analysed and this will take some time.
In my view, it is premature to come to any conclusion. There may be points of interest that need to be further investigated and Ocean Infinity will be very thorough. It could take a few more days in the MH370 search area, before any firm results can be announced.
oOn a Australian 60 minutes television segment last year, shortly before it was agreed to start searching again Richard Godfrey was adamant that you know exactly where the crash site of aircraft ended. In fact, you metioned you would bet something of value on it.
Since the search has rebooted you don’t seem so confident now.
My question is……..Are you still adament that the plane will be found this time?
@Nat,
Welcome to the blog!
What I said on 60 Minutes, back in 2022, was “if I had a couple of millions to spare, I would want to go out into the Indian Ocean tomorrow”.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jq-d4Kl8Xh4
Meanwhile we have done thousands of more tests on the WSPR Technology and our confidence is growing all the time.
We are 97% certain that we have reduced the crash location to a 30 km radius around the so called WSPR hot spot.
Searching the sea floor is a challenging task and in my view the chances of actually finding the main wreckage of MH370 is around 50/50.
@Richard Godfrey
“Searching the sea floor is a challenging task and in my view the chances of actually finding the main wreckage of MH370 is around 50/50.”
“50/50”? Even the ATSB had >94% confidence in their search results, and OI has superior technology. What makes you think you know the search probability better than them?
@Puuhöylä,
What I stated is a 97% confidence in defining a crash location to a radius of 30 km.
As explained, the confidence in defining the MH370 search area is based on meanwhile thousands of test flights, but it is still an area of 2,827 km2.
Because of the difficult sea floor terrain, the search is a challenging task and I am mindful that previous searches have failed to find MH370 and Ocean Infinity have checked again in 2025, previously searched areas in 2014 and 2018. So in my view, the chances of actually finding MH370 are around 50/50.
I accept that you beg to differ, I was only expressing my opinion in a reply to Nat and I understand that your opinion is different.
What do you think the chances of finding the main wreckage of MH370 are?
@Richard Godfrey
“What do you think the chances of finding the main wreckage of MH370 are?”
That the wreckage is in this 15,000 km2 area: 90%.
(Correction):
“That the wreckage is in this 15,000 km2 area: less than 20% (my opinion). That the wreckage is found if the correct area is searched: more than 90%.”
I don’t know if the formatting cuts text between “less than/more than” symbols or whether I deleted the text accidentally myself before submitting.
@Puuhöylä,
My apologies but the ＜ character and the ＞ character are the escape characters in WordPress for formatting text.
If you enter a symbol, rather than a keyboard character, such as ≦ ≪ ≮ ≲ or ＜ it works.
You can also enter an emoji like 👍 as a symbol.
@All,
Armada 7806 is making good progress towards Fremantle, Australia. At 12.3 knots, it will get there a bit sooner than expected, which is 5th March at 05:30 am local time:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/zb2p14zk8f5uozi0h3213/Armada-7806-Vessel-Finder-01MAR2025-0710-UTC.png?rlkey=p0j2h4o7azf3ucyo24rkj2ttv&dl=0
The weather enroute is good, with a high pressure and a gentle breeze:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/8vu6uyiuxbkpmbu7ns3ff/Weather-01MAR2025-0700-UTC-1200-Local-Time.png?rlkey=1sza8hcpkp313qyz43b4k59yc&dl=0
@All,
An update today on the MH370 search from Airline News with Geoffrey Thomas:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZClktnq25E
Today we show a demonstration of how an aircraft can reflect radio signals. We use an FM radio station, which cannot usually be received in the French Alps because there are mountains in the way. However, when an aircraft passes overhead the path of the transmission, the radio station can be heard loud and clear.
@All,
At the current speed Armada 7806 will arrive in Fremantle, Australia on 4th March at 08:40 am local time.
Some have asked why Armada 7806 does not stay in the search area and get a supply ship to come out with fuel, provisions and personnel.
There are quite strict regulations on ship-to-ship transfers in mid-ocean. There are agreed limits on wave height (typically 1.5 m) and wind speed (typically 30 knots). Personnel transfer between ships can be subject to more stringent precautions.
The wave height in the MH370 search area has been consistently above 1.5 m in recent days, so Ocean Infinity has decided to go to port in Fremantle.
They are traveling over good search areas, as far as I am concerned. I wish they could drop off some AUV’s and pick then up later.
I was thinking the same thing !!
@TBill, @ventus45,
Hugin 6000 AUVs can only stay underwater for around 96 hours or 4 days. It takes 9 days to transit to Fremantle and back. The AUVs would surface and sit waiting for up to 5 days for Armada 7806 to return. Meanwhile they might get caught in the nets and lines of the Chinese fishing vessels in the area. Apart from anything else, a Hugin 6000 AUV with a high end specification costs around $8M.
The search for MH370 is keeping me busy since years. I even learned to fly and have a PPL(A) license since three years, to get a better understanding of all technical details. Ok, it was not just for MH370, I wanted to do it since a long time and certainly helped to get a better understanding.
With all great studies out there, WSPR, Blelly-Marchand, IG to name a few, I believe the matter has been already covered extremely well. I tried to read all reports and also believe it is likely 50/50 that MH370 will be found this time, as Richard mentioned in this blog.
However, if the Armada7608 search won’t be successful, I have developed a theory by trying to imagine that I would be the one planning this, by putting myself in the head of the pilot.
Of course it is important to use as starting assumption that one of the pilots is the culprit. The other assumption is the controlled glide to be right scenario.
The person who did it had to prepare extremely well. He was a perfectionist. He wanted his last mission to succeed and wanted that the plane would never be found. It took many months of preparation. Most likely because he did not want the shame to befall his family.
The ‘why’ we may never know, but the how could be answered.
The pilot could not be hundred percent sure the plane was not tracked through satellite communication somehow. That is why I assume he did everything to make it very difficult to find the plane, especially in the last part of the flight.
On the first six hours of the flight much has been written, I won’t be able to add much.
However, I believe the last 30-45 minutes of the flight are very important. This is my theory on what might have happened in those last minutes:
– climb to maximum service ceiling (approx. FL430), probably from FL350
– keep a small amount of fuel in one closed and separated tank for 10 minutes APU use, to be able to configure the plane not long before ditching
– flame out of both engines at the 7th arc, no generator power, battery power not used, last handshake Inmarsat
– start of glide with RAM deployed
– when reaching the deep irregular area of the broken ridge, change heading almost east, slightly south-east, staying above the broken ridge (he had the coordinates with him, from Google Earth)
– after gliding approximately 200-220 km assuming 1:20 glide ratio, APU is started around 6000 MSL. Once the APU is operational, the plane is configured (flaps 40, spoilers, no gear), maybe less flaps for ditching?
– assume that only hydraulics were used (powered by APU), for configuring flaps etc. , no electrical buses powered (emergency configuration)
– the pilot ditches the plane at a speed just above stall speed
– because of the high waves, the plane brakes in several parts
– the sea bed is 5000-6000 m deep and very irregular. A place ideal to ‘hide’ the plane. Some parts break off and float, later to be found thousands of miles away. Most of the plane sinks to the bottom of the ocean.
– smal detail: the area where he ditched the plane was chosen for absence of fishing vessels. He checked for those in the hours before the flight. Perfectionism.
In short, the search area may be a lot bigger than we think if the plane did glide so far. The glide distance is of course impacted by the wind.
Two questions:
1. Is the wind speed and direction known in the search area (all levels up to FL40) on March 8, 2013? Where can I find this?
2. Does anybody have reliable data on the glide range of a 777-200ER with zero fuel, both engines off and clean configuration? 1:20 is my best guess, but I could not find hard data.
Thinking through the detail of this and what has been said here. The business of the effect of the wind at any chosen altitude for the doomed flight / the configuration of the aircraft itself (clean/flaps etc) as applied in the final phases and thirdly the changing effect of utilising the best glide ratio or otherwise – makes for a large sweetspot on the ocean with all those variables applied which is bad news is it not .
Taking into account the best predictions – I hope those who have calculated this theoretical sweetspot, know what they are about.
Finding the aircraft in whatever condition on a good day seems a tall order nevermind what we have.If you have someone who doesnt wish to be found – which looks to be the case – this is a real hard find they have on their hands – OI needs a quite a bit luck going their way to succeed – barry
Daan- I say you are on the right track, but you are accepting some popular assumptions including fuel exhaustion at high altitude etc. There is somewhere around 125-nm glide potential from FL400, Final leg after Arc7 is below clouds, with fuel, without SATCOMs, and maybe 150-200nm max distance (fuel efficiency lousy at low altitude). Probably along Broken Ridge but we have no flight data after Arc7. And we are not searching out there anytime soon.
@Daan,
Welcome to the blog!
1. We have built a Weather Model of the Indian Ocean on 7th/8th March 2014 and a Flight Model of the MH370 flight.
Altitudes from 26,000 feet to 44,000 feet.
Air Temperature at each location and altitude (which affects fuel consumption).
Wind Speed and Direction at each location and altitude (which affects the speed over the ground).
Fuel consumption and Flight Parameters every minute.
2. We have researched the glide ratio and concluded 1:19. This has been confirmed by a number of Boeing 777 pilots.
You ask where can I find all this data?
I use a spreadsheet where I have gathered all the data.
I call the spreadsheet MH370 Workspace V19.8, because it is a kind of sandbox for trying out various ideas.
There are 18 tabs including SAT data, WND data, Flight Path, Key Points, MH370 Data Communications Log and the Inmarsat Satellite Data.
I use an Apple Mac version, which can be downloaded here:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/42t1mo2fkmxwm55fxzoi6/MH370-Flight-Path-Model-V19.8-Work-Space.numbers?rlkey=hu5gmpmdx8yaz4ga630649fr9&dl=0
I have exported the Apple Mac version to Windows Excel (not all formula are supported), which can be downloaded here:
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/k8o30483oe0nftno826d7/MH370-Flight-Path-Model-V19.8-Work-Space.xlsx?rlkey=e0p8sv9wkghdolnhpssa6mryd&dl=0
Dear Richard,
Thank you very much for accepting me in the blog and for providing the answers to my questions. I downloaded the model and am studying it now. Unfortunately I am limited to Excel but if expect that I should be able to understand.
My aim is to help you and others where I can with my ideas.
I have done modelling of chemical processes in the past. Not exactly modelling flight paths, but the basics are similar.
I want to concentrate on estimating the maximum distance that could have been flown from the 7th arc. That could help determining the limits of the search area. It could be applied to all available solutions.
Maybe the only exception is WSPR, as I understand the aircraft position can be determined accurately even at altitudes around 10,000 feet. A maximum glide from this distance would be around 50 km.
@Daan,
A word of caution. I use Apple Mac and the Excel spreadsheet is only an export, where not all the functions are supported.
The spreadsheet is just a sandbox for playing with the data, it is not an App that automatically does everything for you.
It is quite a complicated spreadsheet and if it doesn’t work in Excel, then forget it. I do not use Excel, because of its failings.
Ignore the Start Data, as that was just for the UGIB paper and will take several hours to explain, because it is even more complicated trying to fit BTO, BFO with Boeing performance data and the weather model.
The Key Points tab can be used as a stand alone to track positions against the Inmarsat data.
The Flight Path tab can be used as a stand alone to put in an aircraft position and parameters every minute and find the next point and the fuel consumption.
You wanted the data for the weather model. SAT and WND data can be found in those tabs.
The Inmarsat satellite ephemeris is in the Satellite Data. The Inmarsat data is in the MH370 Data Communications Log.
Why not build your own Excel spreadsheet using the data you want. I have moved on to Matlab, which is a much more powerful environment than using a spreadsheet for complex modelling.
Using WSPR I did look for MH370 up to 8th March 2014 at 01:00 UTC. I only found data up until 00:28 UTC and around 48 nmi from the 7th Arc. I looked until 01:00 UTC because by my calculations MH370 could have flown a maximum of 120 nmi from the 7th Arc. WSPR works at all altitudes down to just above the ground or ocean surface.
@All,
Armada 7806 is 520 nmi from Fremantle, Australia and is expected to arrive on 4th March 2025 at 00:19 UTC (08:19 local time):
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/8u6zv3eptry60d3op8mh5/Armada-7806-Vessel-Finder-02MAR2025-0500-UTC.png?rlkey=il6xb5ufz3ht3m2kzzqje0qdk&dl=0
7th Arc time !
08:19 am local time Fremantle, Australia.
@All,
An update today on the MH370 search from Airline News with Geoffrey Thomas:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h8Vu7aZCks
In today’s report we give an overview of all the fact and fiction surrounding MH370. We run through the 150 books written about MH370, the top ten myths and then list the known facts from Boeing, Malaysian Airlines Engineering, ADS-B, ACARS, Radar, Inmarsat, Weather Models, Flight Models, Oceanographic Drift Models, Floating Debris and finally WSPR technology.
I have a background in a specific branch of production engineering but the technical/mathematical side of this, and working with the data now available is beyond me to be honest. I do however encourage those who know how to do this type of work to do so and to come up with their best guidance. This is because – we all want this disappearance resolved. The families need some form of closure, do not lose sight of this – carry on – barry.
@barry,
Many thanks for your words of encouragement.
@All,
Armada 7806 is 241 nmi from Fremantle, Australia and is expected to arrive on 4th March 2025 at 03:16 UTC (11:16 local time):
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/hvpvzcmcp4j0uw0br47hw/Armada-7806-Vessel-Finder-03MAR2025-0537-UTC.png?rlkey=aaqoeurk88bil0gp0bh82dy2v&dl=0
@All,
An update today on the MH370 search from Airline News with Geoffrey Thomas:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5SCr5vuhcG0
There is possible new evidence of a sighting of MH370 by an airline Captain, whose flight was crossing the Indian Ocean from Australia to the Middle East on 7th March 2014. He was given a block clearance by ATC between 37,000 feet and 39,000 feet to climb as required, as the aircraft used fuel and became lighter.
The pilot observed an unidentified aircraft crossing his path from North to South and there was no TCAS warning with a Traffic Alert (TA) or Resolution Advisory (RA). He immediately queried his observation with ATC in the Melbourne Flight Information Region (FIR), but was told there was no other aircraft with a registered flight plan in the area. The pilot reported the incident after landing, but the investigation produced the same result.
Obviously MH370 had departed from its official flight plan and was not supposed to be over the Indian Ocean. When the news of the disappearance of MH370 broke, only then was it considered a possible sighting of MH370.
The pilot contacted Petter Hörnfeldt, who has an excellent YouTube channel called Mentour Pilot, and Petter put him in touch with me. He has asked me to investigate using WSPR.
Is it possible that analysis of the ATC signals and other radio, satellite etc communications between Melbourne ATC and the aircraft that was on its way from Australia to the Middle East will show anomalies that might be attributable to the unidentified aircraft, just as FM signals were reflected by an aircraft crossing the Alps in one of your example videos?
If there are any such anomalies, might it be that they can be cross-verified with existing MH370 data from Inmarsat and WSPR to give a much more precise, time-stamped position for MH370 as it travelled south?
If you can calculate with higher precision the location of MH370 at a given time, relatively close to its final destination, this might then lead to a refinement or focussing of the projected search area.
@TommyL,
That is exactly what we are currently investigating.
Richard,
I have 2 questions –
1) Could Armada 7806 AUV’s detect/find MH370 blackbox?
2) If MH370 is discover in the WSPR hotspot, what will you be saying to yourself?
@Jafni,
When Ocean Infinity find the wreckage of MH370, then they will need an agreement with Malaysia in order to salvage any items. Ocean Infinity has the capability to find the black boxes and recover them.
The important objective is to find MH370 and I will feel a tremendous sense of relief after 11 years and it will be an emotional moment for the relatives and friends of those lost. Having heard many of their stories, I will be emotional with them.
Finalising the MH370 investigation will also be an important achievement to further improve aviation safety for the flying public and make sure that such an incident never happens again.
If MH370 is found in the WSPR area, it will be a milestone in the development of this new technology and will encourage Prof. Simon Maskell, Dr. Hannes Coetzee and myself to further research and development.
I am sure I am not alone in wondering why it has taken almost eleven years for this airline pilot to come forward with this crucial piece of information.
Dear Richard, in the latest airline news episode of Geoffrey Thomas today 3/3, you talked about EK407 crossing the flight path of MH370. Do you know the exact altitude that EK407 was flying and what the EK407 believed the altitude of MH370 was?
You talked about 37,000-39,000 block clearance for EK407.
I assume the normal cruising lights of MH370 should have been on, otherwise the EK407 pilot would not have been able too see MH370 as it was night. Did EK407 report on that?
@Daan,
The aircraft was nominally at 36,000 feet, off the coast of North-West Australia between Exmouth and Port Headland over the Indian Ocean.
The aircraft was nominally at 38,000 feet, off the coast of South-East Sri Lanka over the Indian Ocean, around 5 hours later, but soon thereafter at 40,000 feet.
The aircraft would nominally be at 36,000 feet at the start of the trajectory over the Indian Ocean and nominally at 38,000 feet following a step climb, during the transit over the Indian Ocean.
With the block clearance it would have been gradually climbing from 37,000 feet to 38,000 feet and possibly to 39,000 feet in anticipation of a step climb to 40,000 feet later over Sri Lanka.
There is no ADS-B data in between these two points for those 5 hours.
We are trying to find ACARS position reports in the archives, if they still exist 11 years later.
MH370 was at 36,000 feet at the diversion near waypoint IGARI and there are no firm reports of altitude after that point. I have previously pointed out that MH370 may have selected an interim altitude between flight levels, such as 36,500 feet, 37,500 feet or 38,500 feet.
The pilot reported seeing the navigation lights but the aircraft logo on the tail was not illuminated, which is normal in the cruise, and it is was not possible to identify whether this was a Malaysian airlines aircraft.
@Richard, I support your idea that MH370 was probably flying at an intermediate level 36500, 37500 etc. It is the best if you want to avoid accidents, even though there are not that many aircraft in the area.
Let’s hope that ACARS messages will give some idea of the MH370 altitude relative to EK407. If known, it can be used to calculate more precisely the remaining fuel at the point where crossing
Anyhow, this pilot’s report is strong support for the WSPR method. The question is why it took 11 years to surface.
Hi Richard,
I have a question with regards to WSPR. Have experiments been done by attempting to track present aircraft and comparing the route as determined by WSPR with that of, say, FlightRadar 24?
Thank you.
@Sam,
We have tracked thousands of flights using WSPR vs ADS-B data.
Please see the following video on Daily Airline News with a live demonstration of the WSPR software at how it works:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuDF_hP2Rlc&t=250s
@Daan, @Godfrey Jack,
@Daan asks: “The question is why it took 11 years to surface?”
@Godfrey Jack asks: “I am sure I am not alone in wondering why it has taken almost eleven years for this airline pilot to come forward with this crucial piece of information?”
I ask why did the Malaysian airline accident investigation and the Malaysian criminal investigation knowing full well, that several airlines fly over the Indian Ocean regularly, not ask Emirates, Etihad, Qatar, Qantas, Air India, Singapore Airlines, Garuda, Cathay Pacific, Air China, Air Asia, Indigo, Saudia Arabian, or their own Malaysian Airlines, if they had any aircraft in the area of the Malacca Strait and the Indian Ocean on the 7th March 2014 between 18:00 UTC and midnight, and if so did any pilot report any other unidentified aircraft with the transponder switched off or no active TCAS system operating or an incursion into their airspace and not keeping to the aircraft traffic separation rules.
If the airline industry had reports of a near miss or an unidentified aircraft in their airspace and far from the filed flight plan or ATC having no knowledge of the flight plan, then you would expect an investigation of the incident.
As I explained in my comment and in Daily Airline News today, the pilot queried it immediately with ATC in the Melbourne FIR. He also reported the incident to the Emirates Safety Department upon arrival. The investigation initially concluded only after hearing of the disappearance of MH370, that it was a possible sighting, but there is no firm identification of the aircraft and no flight plan.
The pilot eventually contacted Petter Hörnfeldt, as he had watched the MH370 documentary on Mentour Pilot, published February 2024. Petter put him in touch with me. He contacted me 2 days ago by email and asked me to investigate using WPSR.
The pilot is not a fraudster and I have checked out both the person and his story and it is all bona fide. The authorities did investigate, but without any concrete evidence, they cannot take it any further. The WSPR Technology is relatively new and not generally known worldwide yet. The pilot did not give up, until someone like Geoffrey Thomas and myself were willing to investigate and publish.
I agree, it is a shame that it takes 11 years for this report to be taken seriously and get published.
It is almost as if the Malaysians are back pedalling on the investigation and don’t want MH370 found, that is until someone bold like Ocean Infinity decide to go and look anyway, with or without an agreement.
@Richard,
So, if MH370 was higher than perhaps was initially suggested, it would have had a lower TAS which would put the aircraft further north on the 7th arc.
Is this correct?
@Godfrey Jack,
In the original MH370 Case Study we did detect two step climbs at around 21:14 UTC and 23:18 UTC, which will have significantly changed the fuel range, but these occurred after the observation by the airline Captain we are currently discussing.
In general the higher the flight level, the longer the fuel range.
For a given Mach speed setting, for example Maximum Range Cruise (MRC), the higher the flight level, the higher the MRC Mach setting and the higher the True Air Speed (TAS).
For example, according the Boeing performance tables:
FL400 MRC Mach 0.818 TAS 469 knots.
FL350 MRC Mach 0.769 TAS 443 knots.
FL300 MRC Mach 0.760 TAS 416 knots.
More importantly, the question is what assumption you make about the pilot in command of the aircraft.
On autopilot, with no pilot inputs, no programmed turns and no step climbs is one option.
On autopilot, with pilot inputs, programmed turns and step climbs is another option.
The WSPR analysis supports the second option.
Jean-Luc Marchand et al are good at air traffic, maybe they can help. this nice N571 video cuts out before any traffic seen in that SIO area
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goD03V1wxKE
@TBill,
It is a nice video, but designed for the N571 flight route and only covers to 19:30 UTC.
I have all the ADS-B data for the Malaysian Kuala Lumpur FIR from 15:38:46 UTC up until 21:37:55 UTC, but it does not cover that far South or West.
Very interesting with regard to flight EK407. Years ago (after July 2020) I had an email conversation with Don Thompson and / or Mike Exner about EK407 being the only commercial airliner in the area of the SIO where MH370 was supposed to be. Nobody mentioned any pilot‘s observation regarding EK407 and MH370 at that time.
We have very interesting WSPR signals around 20:14 h UTC that I had marked in my spreadsheets years ago.
Amongst them are signals at 7 MHz from Australia (VK2MKD, VK3DXE, VK4NE) at 20:22 h UTC and from Tasmania (VK7) to Thailand (HS0ZKM) and Singapur (9V1TD) to Tasmania (VK7DIK, 20:10 h to 20:26 h UTC), even two-way. And some more interesting observations at that time frame.
HB9CZF in Switzerland to VK (4 stations) at 20:06 h UTC, one time drift -2 (20:16 h UTC), and 20:26 h UTC (4 stations in VK, Australia), 20:26 h UTC 3 times and frequency shifts. SNR app. -10 dB or even stronger.
Years ago I wanted to buy the ADS-B data for Western Australia from Flightaware but the price of app. 5.000 US-$ has been a little bit too high for a nonprofessional researcher. So I do not have the ADS-B data of flight EK407.
Forward and side scatter to and from the aircraft towards Thailand and Singapur as well as Tasmania seems to be possible from the research I have conducted so far. We probably will have to look deeper into these new informations.
I had similiar encounters between two QANTAS A380 South of Australia and their respective scattering patterns to various WSPR receive stations.
This check today has just been a quick and dirty look at the secondary WSPR signals as of 7th March 2014 in the SIO around 20:14 h UTC. A more detailed analysis has to be conducted.
Good luck!
Rob
EK407 ADS-B data 07.03.2014:
Thanks to Joseph Coleman we got them now. No real ADS-B data around 20:14 h UTC but approximate and calculated data as expected beyond maximum range of ADs_B receivers.
Very interesting flight EK407 left Melbourne (MEL) 1 hour 22 minutes late. Maybe the pilot (PIC) of MH370 did not have that fact on the agenda? Further debriefing of EK407 captain will help with further details?
QANTAS A380 encounter 02.02.2025:
FR24data from 02.02.2025 app. 01:06 h UTC, QFA64 from JNB to SYD and QFA63 from SYD to JNB, West of Tasmania and South of Adelaide
illuminated by HAB (High Altitude Balloon) LU1ESY, 14 MHz, Transmitt Power 10mW, position at grid OE95, WSPR Drift rate 4, forward scatter to VK2EFM (SNR -18 dB, 3.030 km), forward side scatter to VK5ARG (-6 dB, 2.036 km); 00:56 h UTC to WZ7I at 18.776 km
Rob
@Rob,
As you say the ADS-B data only contains estimates, whether you look at FlightAware or FlightRadar24 or any other source. That is why we have asked Emirates to pass on the ACARS position reports, whilst flight EK407 was over the Indian Ocean.
I have tracked the flight EK407 on 2nd March 2025 using WSPR. This was a similar flight route and a similar aircraft Airbus A380. The aircraft registration on 7th March 2014 was A6-EBD and on 2nd March 2025 was A6-EVM.
Fortunately QF63 was 34,000 feet and QF64 was at 39,000 feet, in the encounter you describe on 2nd March 2025.
@All,
An update today on the MH370 search from Airline News with Geoffrey Thomas:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZGeWd5odc0
Today’s episode confirms the new evidence we published yesterday.
The Emirates pilot who made the observation on 7th March 2014 Captain Martyn Smith was flying EK407 from Melbourne to Dubai.
We have the flight plan for the flight and know the planned route. There were no diversions due to bad weather.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/bez8exoq3ubpk9h/FA%20EK407%2007MAR2014%20Flight%20Plan.png?dl=0
In our paper MH370 Case Study published on 31st August 2023, we used the WSPR Technology to detect and track MH370. At 20:16 UTC we show on page 20, MH370 close to a waypoint called PIPOV and crossing flight route N640 and N633, which meet at waypoint PIPOV. Flight EK407 was close to a waypoint called MUTMI on flight route N509. This location is a meeting point of flight routes from Australia to the Middle East and Asia to South Arica.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/zbgwpmbqyzxbqh4/MH370%20Case%20Study%2031AUG2023.png?dl=0
I will be publishing a report on this observation together with Martyn Smith. We have asked Emirates to find the ACARS position reports for this flight in their archives.
A normal scheduled departure would put the aircraft at MUTMI at between 18:49 UTC and 19:04 UTC, but EK407 was delayed 1h 22m on 7th March 2014.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/dknyfiv34fpyb1i/FA%20EK407%2007MAR2014%20Flight%20Delayed.png?dl=0
@All,
An interview with Craig Wallace, Deep Sea Vision, and Peter Waring, Naval Officer, on Sixty Minutes Australia:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jehedvrQyNY
Soberingly, 60 Minutes states the Ocean Infinity search as, ‘A MISSION OF MERCY.’
@Will,
Many thanks for posting this 60 Minutes Australia report.
I have the greatest respect for Craig Wallace of Deep Sea Vision. Craig used to work for Kongsberg Maritime on the development of the Hugin 6000 AUVs. Deep Sea Vision purchased a custom Hugin 6000 made to Craig’s specification.
Tony Romeo and Craig of Deep Sea Vision asked me, if they flew an aircraft over the Atlantic, but didn’t tell me what the track of the aircraft was, could I use WSPR to tell them. I agreed.
They are also very keen to solve the mystery of Amelia Earhart’s last flight over the Pacific.
Peter Waring is quite correct in saying that the Ocean Infinity Armada fleet is the biggest change in maritime history since steam took over from sail.
I‘ve heard about the Diamantina Fracture Zone which is near to the 7th arc. The deepest zone there is about 8,000 meters. I think Ocean Infinity has no robots that can dive this deep. Do you think it‘s possible that the pilot chose this place on purpose because thats where an debris field most likely can never be discovered? It can not be a coincidence that it got lost close to one of the deepest points on the planet, can it?
@Cessi,
Welcome to the blog!
According to Wikipedia, the maximum depth of the Diamantina Fracture Zone is 7,019 m at 33.631°S 101.356°E.
This point is 387 km from the 7th Arc and not part of the MH370 search area.
@Richard Godfrey: Thanks for your quick response!
Is it confirmed that Ocean Infinity will search your WSPR location and if so do you know when they will move to your area?
I think you work is awesome and I am so exited for the new search as I am following every news on the case. I hope they can find it through your research data.
@Cessi,
Ocean Infinity have not disclosed their current search strategy publicly.