Two Years Into The Search, Will The MH370 Mystery Unravel

By Ismail Amsyar Mohd Said KUALA LUMPUR, March 30 (Bernama) -- Two years after the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines' flight MH370 along with 239 people onboard, and after the discovery of several aircraft parts linked to the missing Boeing 777, are we any closer to deciphering the MH370 mystery? Maybe and maybe not. However, as more aircraft debris wash up ashore they provide a glimmer of hope in unraveling the MH370 mystery that in so far has baffled mankind. The discovery of the debris at the least tells us that we may be getting closer to the hay stack, and that we still have to keep looking for the needle. It started with the discovery of a piece of aircraft wing part on the shore of French Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean on July 29, 2015. French investigators had confirmed that the debris, a flaperon, had been formally identified belonging to the missing Boeing 777. In late February 2016, another piece believed to be from the plane was discovered in Mozambique by an American lawyer, Blaine Gibson. Gibson's discovery prompted a South African teen, 18-year old Liam Lotter, to come forward with a piece he found, also in Mozambique, in December. The two pieces were sent to Australia to be examined by Geosciences Australia and Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) at their facilities in Canberra. On March 24, the Malaysian Ministry of Transport issued a statement saying that the two pieces discovered in Mozambique were almost certainly from the missing aircraft. On Monday (March 28), another piece of debris believed to be related to the missing aircraft was found in South Africa. CONTINUE SEARCH MISSION AT SOUTHERN INDIAN OCEAN Former MAS Chief Pilot Captain Nik Huzlan Nik Hussain when asked by Bernama on the recent discovery of the aircraft parts said the discovery indicated that the search had to be continued in the southern Indian Ocean. “The finding of the debris fits the drift modeling and until any new information emerges that may show the plane ended elsewhere, the search should continue in the current search area,” he added. Nik Huzlan hoped that the authorities would put in place a better and more effective way in searching for debris along the search area. He suggested that the authorities record and identify parts of the airframe that can float; catalogue and photograph or make clear graphics and spread the pictures on a website for common people to see. “The possibility of laymen finding and ignoring pieces of debris is very high as they may not be aware that it is part of an airplane. This was clear in the case of the South African teenager who was on vacation with his family in Mozambique,” he said. WHAT DOES RECENT DISCOVERIES INDICATE? The discovery of more and more debris that are almost certainly from the missing plane have brought up the question of what is happening to the missing plane now? Nik Huzlan noted that most of the parts found were from the external frame but none originated from the aircraft's interior, including the cabin. “The external components are mostly heavy but there are some parts that could still float. The items found do have a certain level of buoyancy enabling the ocean currents to carry them to the places they have been found. “Many parts are already washed ashore and scattered along the coastlines and waiting to be found. Many of the debris could have reached as far as the South Western coastlines of Sumatra, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Diego Garcia, Madagascar and the eastern coast of Africa,” he explained, adding that there were also numerous uninhabited smaller islands and atolls where the debris could have landed. Meanwhile, Universiti Kuala Lumpur's Head of Research and Innovation Prof Dr Mohd Harridon Mohamed Suffian pointed out the discovery of the debris in different areas indicated that several parts of the plane had perhaps disintegrated when the plane touched the water. Even if the plane landed at a shallow angle or within the gliding speed, there is always a tendency for several parts (at the tail and wings) to be disconnected from the fuselage. "These parts have high buoyancy and thus are able to float and travel miles away from the main crash site while the fuselage sinks and stays at the bottom of the ocean due to high density and low buoyancy," he said. He also concurred with Nik Huzlan that more debris would be found in the east African shores in lieu with the drift pattern. ADDING AFRICAN REGION INTO SEARCH MISSION Mohd Harridon suggested that the search team should also open tender to other organisations to comb areas around the African region to increase the possibility of finding more debris from MH370. This according to him would help identify other search locations in addition to the existing search area at the southern Indian Ocean. "Tender should also be opened to academic institutions, where these institutions would be given the role to produce a comprehensive mathematical equation. "This will take into account all of the parameters or data that we have so far and crunch those data in order to streamline the search at the southern Indian Ocean. "Mathematics is the language of science and could explain complex phenomenon and couple of organisations in the world, for example the Criminal Investigation Department in the US, had used mathematics to solve intricate crime mysteries," he added. Flight MH370 with 239 people on board disappeared from the radar during a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014. Currently, search efforts are conducted in the southern Indian Ocean where Flight MH370's flight is believed to have ended. -- BERNAMA