An investigation has suggested MH370 spiraled into the Indian Ocean in 2014
An investigation has suggested MH370 spiraled into the Indian Ocean in 2014
SAN FRANCISCO (Diya TV) – Malaysia Airlines flight 370, which disappeared nearly three years ago with 239 people on board, crashed into the Indian Ocean at high speed, rather than gliding down gently, an analysis of the debris found.
A conclusion that came to light with the recent investigations of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, information that was made public Wednesday based on analysis of 20 pieces of debris believed to have come from the Boeing 777.
Since it disappeared, pieces of the plane have washed up along the shores of the east and south coasts of Africa, the east coast of Madagascar and the islands of Mauritius, Reunion and Rodriguez. The incident occurred on March 8, 2014 during a flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing.
Two sections of flaps were traced specifically to the lost plane by their markings.
Damage to the wings of the plane indicate the flaps “most likely” weren’t deployed as they would normally be during a controlled glide scenario for landing, according to the bureau’s 27-page report.
For takeoff and landing, flaps are extended from the wing along tracks, with the extra surface area and angle of the wing helping lift or slow the plane. Investigators found the damage along the tracks and fiberglass seals suggested that the flaps were still retracted when the plane entered the water – key evidence indicating the flaps did not deploy.
“The right outboard flap was most likely in the retracted position at the time it separated from the wing,” the report said. “The right flaperon was probably at, or close to, the neutral position at the time it separated from the wing.”
Peter Foley, the bureau’s director of search operations for the plane, told reporters Wednesday that the new analysis “means the aircraft wasn’t configured for a landing or a ditching.”
“You can draw your own conclusions as to whether that means someone was in control,” Foley said. “You can never be 100 percent. We are very reluctant to express absolute certainty.”
Analysis of hourly signals from the plane’s satellite communications, which reached a satellite perched above the Indian Ocean, suggested the plane spiraled into the water about 1,000 miles west of Australia after first one and then the other engine ran out of fuel.
