The crew from the RAAF P3 Orion have returned today with no positive sighting of anything significant. Courtesy: Sky News
Retired US Air Force Lt. Col. Ken Christensen says the possible wreckage of MH370 can definitely be recovered if it is located off the coast of Australia. Courtesy Fox News
Satellite images of objects in the Indian Ocean which may be from missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 which disappeared en route to Beijing early on March 8. Source: AFP
THE first plane sent today to fly over one of the remotest places on earth returned empty-handed from its hunt through rough seas for objects that may be from the missing Malaysia Airlines plane, Australian officials said.
The RAAF P3 Orion landed in Perth shortly before 7.30pm (AEDT).
The aircraft's pilot Flight Lieutenant Russell Adams remained upbeat about finding the potential MH370 debris, saying "really good weather" has provided "good opportunities".
"We have lots of hope," he said.
"Hopefully we will find something."
Meanwhile, Malaysia's Minister of Defence and Acting Minister of Transport Hishammuddin Hussein said they had enlisted help from the man who led the investigation into the Air France Flight 447 crash.
"He has agreed to assist us with his considerable experience and expertise,'' he said at tonight's regular public briefing.
"I will also be speaking to US Secretary of Defence at 21:15 tonight to request several specialist assets to help with the search and rescue effort including remotely operated vehicles for deep ocean salvage."
He also confirmed Kazakhstan authorities found no trace of MH370 there.
"The Kazakhstan authorities have assured us they have not found any trace of MH370 and we are awaiting permission for Kazakhstan to be used as a staging point for search operations,'' Mr Hussein said.
WHAT MISSING FLIGHT MH370 HAS TAUGHT THE WORLD
Mr Hussein tonight said Malaysia was still awaiting information from the Australian search and rescue operation as to whether the objects shown in the satellite images released by Australia yesterday were indeed related to MH370.
In the meantime, he said Malaysua would continue its search and rescue operations in the rest of the southern and northern corridors.
"Search efforts southwest of Perth continue, and the Australian authorities are intensifying their efforts in the area. HMAS Success is due to reach the vicinity of the objects tomorrow," he said.
"China has deployed five ships and three ship-borne helicopters, which are currently heading toward the southern corridor. Three Chinese aircraft (2 Ilyushin IL-76s and 1 Shaanxi Y-8) arrived in Malaysia at 11am this morning. They will also be searching in the southern corridor.
"Japan is deploying its assets to Perth, including 2 P-3 Orions, to assist with the Australian search efforts."
Hishammuddin said that the British HMS Echo was already heading towards the southern Indian Ocean to support the search effort.
On the police investigation, Hishammuddin said the Ukraine police had confirmed that the background checks on the Ukrainian passenger had come back clear.
Acting Prime Minister Warren Truss confirmed late today that two Chinese aircraft were due to arrive in Perth tomorrow and two Japanese aircraft will join the search on Sunday.
Mr Truss, who will tomorrow visit the RAAF Pearce air base where the search is being co-ordinated, said the worldwide effort to find the plane would widen over the weekend.
He voiced a warning that given the satellite images were now five days old, there was some possibility whatever had been there had sunk or moved.
However, he added: "This is the only lead in the world right now — and there is a real prospect the aircraft was in this area, so we must take this search seriously.''
A briefing for the relatives of those on board MH370 was held in Kuala Lumpur on Thursday night.
"We had a very constructive and frank discussion. Although we answered most of the questions they raised, we could not answer them all. These briefings will continue — at the families' convenience — for as long as the families want them,'' Mr Hussein said.
"The briefing brought the families and the Malaysian authorities closer together, not just in terms of sharing information, but also in terms of listening to the voice of the family members. The Prime Minister's Special Envoy to China will be co-ordinating the briefings in Kuala Lumpur from now on.
"The high-level team I announced yesterday arrived in Beijing last night. Today they met with family members for three and half hours."
THE SEARCH CONTINUES
Another three RAAF planes — two more Orions and an ultra-long-range Bombardier Global Express — were still scouring the area 2300 kilometres from Western Australia trying to solve the nearly two-week-old mystery, of flight MH370 and another was on the way to look for two large objects a satellite detected floating off the southwest coast of Australia about halfway to the desolate islands of the Antarctic.
The area in the southern Indian Ocean is so remote is takes the RAAF P3 Orion four hours to fly there and four hours back, and leaves them only about two hours to search.
The satellite discovery raised new hope of finding the vanished jet and sent another emotional jolt to the families of the 239 people aboard.
The United States Navy P8 Poseidon aircraft has departed for the search area and China is sending three warships and an icebreaker to join the search, the government said today.
The National Maritime Search and Rescue Centre said three warships were en route to the area west of Australia.
It gave no indication when they might arrive at the remote site, but earlier reports said the ships — the Kunlunshan, the Haikou and the Qiandaohu — were searching this week off the southwest coast of Sumatra in Indonesia.
INSIDE THE SEARCH FOR MISSING FLIGHT MH370
The Chinese icebreaker Snow Dragon was preparing to leave Perth in Western Australia for the search site, state television reported. The ship was in Perth following a voyage to Antarctica in January.
As it has unfolded, the mystery of missing flight MH370 and the incredible twists and turns in world news coverage so far
Also today, three Chinese military planes left the southern city of Sanya for Malaysia to join the search, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
One merchant vessel is currently in the search area. A second merchant vessel is due to arrive tonight.
The satellite images — deemed the "best lead" in the mystery which has gripped the world for the past 14 days — have given fresh impetus to the search efforts.
Lisa Martin, spokeswoman for the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, said weather conditions were getting better as the day wore on, with moderate seas and some cloud cover, and improving visibility.
"We will find it — I'm sure about that piece of it. The only reason we wouldn't find it was that it has sunk,'' said Mike Yardley, an Air Commodore with New Zealand's air force, of the large unidentified object spotted by the satellite.
"I've been on these missions before when it's taken a few days to come across it.''
Speaking at a news conference in Papua New Guinea, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said, "We've been throwing everything we've got at that area to try to learn more about what this debris might be.
"It's about the most inaccessible spot that you could imagine on the face of the earth, but if there is anything down there we will find it. We owe it to the families of those people to do no less.".
FLIGHT MH370 PILOT'S MYSTERY PHONE CALL
China's President Xi Jinping is "devastated'' by the mysterious disappearance of flight MH370, Mr Abbott said today after a phone call between the two.
"As you can understand he is devastated, as are so many people in China, as is (Malaysian) Prime Minister Najib (Razak) by all of this," Mr Abbott said following the call last night, which came after Australia detected possible debris from the plane.
Search for lost plane ... Royal Australian Air Force loadmasters, Sergeant Adam Roberts (left) and Flight Sergeant John Mancey, launch a Self Locating Data Marker Buoy from a C-130J Hercules aircraft in the southern Indian Ocean. Source: Supplied
If the debris spotted in the southern Indian Ocean is found to be from the missing plane, it could have drifted more than 500 kilometres from the crash site, a Perth oceanographer said.
Professor Chari Pattiaratchi, of the University of Western Australia, said the searchers face the world's most treacherous seas, and a wreckage recovery operation would be extremely challenging.
The 23,000-square-kilometre search area is in a body of water known as the Roaring Forties, where strong circumpolar westerly winds blow.
Waves of four metres to five metres are constant, but can swell to more than 10 metres during a storm.
"It is as hostile as it can get,'" Prof Pattiaratchi told ABC radio.
"Because of the strong winds, the waves are always breaking, so it's white-capping all the time, so to distinguish between whether it's part of the debris or a wave breaking ... it is quite a challenging system.
"Water depths are up to five kilometres deep, so even if you find something, it's a big challenge to recover it."
He said there were only five or so vessels in the world - remotely operated vehicles or submersibles usually tethered to a ship - that could reach such depths.
If the debris captured in images taken on March 16 and publicly revealed yesterday were found to be part of the missing aircraft, the pieces could have drifted more than 500km to the east of the crash site, Prof Pattiaratchi said.
"We actually have computer models that we can try to run backwards in time to be able to find out where the debris may have come from."
Helping in search for missing plane ... Crew members load supplies onto Chinese Antarctic research icebreaker Xue Long as it prepares to depart Fremantle Habour. Source: AFP
Of the 239 passengers and crew on the Kuala Lumpur-Beijing flight, 153 were Chinese citizens.
THH SEARCH
"Tomorrow's plan is actually to do the same thing again,'' said the Australian Maritime Safety Authority's John Young this afternoon.
"We will move the search area to where the water has moved overnight."
They will be also looking to see if they can get more satellite imagery to refine the search.
"But the plan is we want to find these objects because they are the best lead where we might find people to be rescued ... we are still focused on that task," he said.
One advantage of the RAAF P-3 Orion is that it can fly at low altitudes for long periods. Yardley said the Orion flew at just 60 meters above the water to stay below thick clouds and fog - which requires intense concentration by the two pilots.
The Orion has a crew of 13, some of whom are stationed on an observation deck to search. As well as using their eyesight, Yardley said they also use a state-of-the-art radar system and three cameras - one infrared, one long-range, and one high resolution.
The combination of systems helps them detect almost anything that's on the surface, he said. The crew also films everything so they can review what they've seen after they return to base.
The Orion comes equipped with a sonar system for searching below sea level, although it's not being used in this search, Yardley said.
"We owe it to the families of those people" ... Prime Minister Tony Abbott's message to relatives of passengers from the missing flight as they wait for new information at a hotel in Beijing. Source: AFP
Other planes used in the search today include a US Navy P-8 Poseidon, which has been designed for anti-submarine warfare, and a civilian Bombardier Global Express, a long-range corporate jet with state emergency service observers on board.
The Norwegian cargo vessel Hoegh St. Petersburg arrived in the area late yesterday and used lights to search overnight. The Filipino crew of 20 was planning to use binoculars and their eyesight to scour the water today. The ship had been carrying a load of cars from South Africa to Australia before being asked to join in the search.
Another commercial ship was due to arrive today.
Any plane debris that is found will be transported back by the Australian navy ship the HMAS Success, which is due to arrive at the search site tomorrow.
A New Zealand Orion plane dropped two buoys yesterday that will help searchers figure out where any debris might drift. Searchers were also planning to drop more buoys from a C-130 Hercules military transport plane.
The buoys resemble a poster tube, each about 1 meter long, with an antenna that transmits a GPS signal that can be tracked by searchers.
The idea is that the buoys drift in a manner similar to any debris, giving searchers clues as to where debris might move over time. The system isn't perfect - the wind can move the buoys at a different rate than larger objects - but is designed to factor in some of those variables.
Is this it? ... The satellite images of objects in the Indian Ocean which may be from missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. Picture: Australian Government's Department of Defence / Australian Maritime Safety Authority Source: AFP
WHAT THE IMAGES SHOW
The satellite data imagery showed two objects possibly related to the missing Malaysia Airlines flight which disappeared on March 8 with 239 people on board.
The images were captured on March 16 but due to the volume of imagery being searched, and the detailed process of analysis that followed, the information was brought to the attention of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority on Thursday morning.
One of the objects was 24 metres in length and the other was 5 metres.
The images have been assessed as being credible but it is possible they do not relate to the search.
John Young, manager of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority's emergency response division, said "it's probably the best lead we have right now.''
"The search will continue (today),'' the Authority said after it had to be called off due to low visibility caused by clouds and rain.
New impetus in search effort ... an AP-3C Orion aircraft at RAAF Base Pearce in Bullsbrook, northeast of Perth. Picture: Leading Seaman Justin Brown / Department of Defence Source: AFP
DIFFICULTIES IN SEARCH
Ocean expert Dr Robin Beaman from James Cook University said debris could have been carried hundreds of kilometres since the satellite images were captured on March 16.
"The currents are drifting at one or two nautical miles per hour so it certainly makes sense that it could have drifted several hundred miles by now," he said.
"There'd be parts of the plane that could float for some time but certainly not indefinitely. "Eventually parts like that will become waterlogged and sink to the sea floor so it's time critical," he said.
Aviation expert Neil Hansford says he is convinced that crew on board MH370 are responsible for its disappearance. Courtesy Wake Up/Network Ten
DID PILOTS FLY TO REMOTE SPOT ON PURPOSE?
Aviation industry expert Neil Hansford has proposed the controversial theory that either one or both of the pilots of MH370 flew the plane to an area where it would not be found.
Speaking on Channel Ten's Wake Up program this morning, Mr Hansford said he believed the flight had not been subject to a mechanical problem but a "crew-related incident".
"It wasn't a catastrophic explosion, it wasn't hit by military ordinance, this aircraft has been positioned to where it is ... it could just as easily, or more frighteningly, have been positioned at the centre of Australia," he said.
Asked to clarify his remarks, Mr Hansford said: "If I was trying to lose an aircraft and make sure there was no evidence and the black boxes and everything were hard to find, you'd certainly be looking to put the aircraft into very, very deep water a long way from land."
Search areas ... A map of the areas searched between March 18-20 for Flight MH370. Picture: AMSA/Getty Images Source: Getty Images
COULD OBJECT BE A SHIPPING CONTAINER?
Dr John Blaxland from the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at ANU told Melbourne's 3AW this morning that he was "not optimistic" that the items in the water were plane debris.
"It may well be an ISO (shipping) container," he said. "ISO containers come in roughly that length ... and unfortunately the image is not very clear.
"The imagery specialists have gone and zoomed in on this photo ... you see something that's just below the surface, and the waves are just detracting from the clarity of the picture. It is not really clear exactly what it is. Now, some people have said it might be part of a wing, it could be part of the fuselage, probably not. On the balance of probabilities it may well be a submerged, semi-submerged ISO container. So I think we need to be very circumspect about how we view this and how optimistic we are about what we might find if and or when we find it."
Speaking today in Papua New Guinea, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said since receiving the satellite images "we've been throwing everything we've got at that area to try to learn more about what this debris might be".
"Now it could just be a container that's fallen off a ship. We just don't know but we owe it to the families, friends, the loved ones of the almost 240 people on flight MH 370 to do everything we can to try to resolve what is as yet an extraordinary riddle," he said.
Liberal MP Malcolm Turnbull speaks on the TODAY Show, saying the possible discovery of debris from MH370 off the West Coast of Australia is a 'positive lead' but still no sure thing. Courtesy Channel Nine.
OPINION: Did Tony Abbott speak too soon?
'WE'RE PUTTING IN MAXIMUM EFFORT': TRUSS
Acting Prime Minister Warren Truss has described the search as "very difficult and challenging", given the objects would have moved because of the tides and wind.
"Clearly they will have moved since the 16th of March when those images were originally captured," Mr Truss told ABC Radio.
"The search area is quite broad."
"There have been some marker buoys dropped in the location to help get a better understanding of what drift if likely to have occurred in the area and that can also help to pinpoint the search area."
He said the search can only be conducted in daylight hours and "it is a very long journey to the site".
"Unfortunately aircraft can only have one or two hours over the search area before they need to return to the mainland for fuel," Mr Truss added.
The Acting PM said there is a risk the weather conditions may deteriorate but the "maximum effort is being put in".
He said Australia has discussed with other countries getting more resources, but it will take "a very long time" for those to be deployed.
"We need to use the resources we have in that intervening period," he argued.
Roller-coaster ride ... A relative of a passenger aboard Flight MH370 is assisted by volunteers as she leaves a room where families were briefed on rescue and searching efforts in Beijing. Picture: AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan Source: AFP
FAMILIES: Clinging to hope
EMOTIONAL MOMENT FOR FAMILIES
The sighting of the possible debris was another emotional moment for the families of those missing.
In Beijing, relatives met today with Malaysian officials at the Lido Hotel, where most have been staying awaiting the latest news. Those who spoke said they had a two-hour briefing about the search but that nothing new was said.
Wang Zhen, son of artist Wang Linshi, said the meeting went smoothly but that there were questions on why Malaysian authorities had provided so much seemingly contradictory information.
Wang said he has hopes his father can be found alive and was praying that the Australian reports turn out to be false. He said he and other relatives are suspicious about what they were being told by the Malaysian side, but are at a loss as to what to do next.
``We feel they're hiding something from us,'' said Wang, who was filling his days attending briefings and watching the news for updates.
Another relative, Nan Jinyan, sister-in-law of passenger Yan Ling, said hope was slipping away.
``I'm psychologically prepared for the worst and I know the chances of them coming back alive are extremely small,'' she said.
Selamat Bin Omar, the father of a Malaysian passenger on the flight, said: "If it turns out that it is truly MH370 then we will accept that fate.''
But he cautioned that relatives still "do not yet know for sure whether this is indeed MH370 or something else. Therefore we are still waiting for further notice from the Australian government.''
Malaysian officials met with the relatives last night in a hotel near Kuala Lumpur, but journalists were kept away. After the meeting, groups of people left looking distraught.
Hamid Amran, who had a child on Flight 370, said questions asked at the meeting made it "apparent that Malaysia's military is incapable of protecting its own airspace.''
He said he "believes that my child and all the other passengers are still alive. I will not give up hope.''
A man who would only give his surname, Lau, said he was there to support a Chinese couple who had lost their only son.
"It appears some families are slowly accepting the worst outcome,'' he said.
Helping out ... Hoegh St. Petersburg is the first ship to reach an area south west of Australia where possible debris of missing airliner MH370 has been spotted. Picture: AP Photo/hoegh.com/ NTB scanpix Source: AP
SEARCH: Hoegh St Petersburg arrives at debris spot
CAR CARRIER ON SCENE
Hoegh Autolines spokesman Ben Stack said the car carrier Hoegh St. Petersburg arrived at the search area at 8pm AEST.
The Norwegian cargo vessel used searchlights after dark to look for debris. It will continue the search today.
Mr Stack said he could not confirm whether those on board the ship had sighted the objects depicted in the satellite imagery.
"They want to help in any way they can and they're going to do as the Australian authorities ask them to," he said.
Höegh St. Petersburg was on its way from South Africa to Australia and was the ship closest to the search area.
Maintenance personnel conduct post-flight checks on one of the AP-3C Orions involved in the search at the Royal Australian Air Force Base Pearce in Bullsbrook, Western Australia. Picture: Leading Seaman Justin Brown / Department of Defence Source: AFP
BACKGROUND: Inside the search for MH370
'NEEDLE IN A HAYSTACK'
RAAF Hercules pilot Flight Lieutenant Conan Brett conceded the area aircraft had covered so far was vast and finding a missing plane in a huge section of Indian Ocean was like looking for a "needle in a haystack''.
The pilot, who has served in Iraq and Afghanistan, said his crew were doing everything possible to assist AMSA and find either survivors or wreckage.
"This is a big deal. We are out there looking. If we can help, even in a small way, to find answers, that would be exceptional,'' Flt. Lt. Brett said.
The captain of the first Orion plane to return from the search area yesterday cautioned that the weather conditions were "extremely bad" with rough seas and high winds.
Not great weather for flying ... a large thunderstorm moves through the north of Perth in the early hours of Friday, March 21. Picture: Mark Finley / Perth Weather Live Source: Supplied
SEARCH CONDITIONS IMPROVING TODAY
Conditions may have looked bad this morning for the pilots, with a thunderstorm over Air Force Base Pearce in Bullsbrook, north east of Perth.
But conditions are improving, Australia's Bureau of Meteorology told AFP.
"Showers associated with the passage of a cold front on Thursday, which saw low cloud and drizzle affect visibility, are easing,'' the bureau said.
"Winds are currently 15-20 knots, with swell 2 to 2.5 metres, and also easing. Overall conditions are expected to slowly improve today for the search operations in the area.''
The first planes took off from Bullsbrook at 6.15am this morning (9.15am AEDT).
The flying time to the designated search area is expected to take about four hours.
With the journey there and back, it only leaves one or two hours flying time for the planes to sweep the area for additional signs of wreckage.
On the search ... Royal Australian Air Force pilot Flight Lieutenant Russell Adams from 10 Squadron, flying his AP-3C Orion over the southern Indian Ocean during the search for flight MH370. Picture: Sgt Hamish Paterson / Department of Defence Source: AFP
LIMITS OF SATELLITE IMAGES
Experts have warned of the limitations of the satellite images.
"You know how they say a picture is worth 1,000 words? Well, in satellite imagery, the picture's only worth 500. The rest has to come from analysis,'' said Sean O'Connor, an imagery analyst.
"It would be very nice if you could see a whole wing floating there, then you could say, 'OK that's an aeroplane,''' O'Connor said. "When you're looking at something like this, you can't tell what it is.''
Search expert David Gallo discusses the difficulty of finding wreckages at the bottom of the ocean. Courtesy Fox News
The images came from a DigitalGlobe commercial satellite that scans the Earth from the north to south, said Tim Brown, a satellite imagery expert at GlobalSecurity.org.
These kinds of satellites can look left to right, but the further they look to the side, the lower quality the images will be. There are other limitations. Because of their orbits, they can only scan a specific section of the Earth at certain times each day, much like the sun is only overhead part of the day.
Awaiting news ... Malaysia's Minister of Defence and Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein. Source: AFP
MYSTERY: Who did MH370 pilot call before flight?
TOURISM: Asian travel boom set to continue
MALAYSIA INFORMED OF DEVELOPMENTS
Malaysia's Defence and acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said that the Malaysian Prime Minister had taken a call from his Australian counterpart.
He said Mr Abbott had informed him that "two possible objects related to the search" for MH370 and been identified.
The Australian High Commissioner to Malaysia has briefed the minister on the latest developments.
"At this stage, Australian officials have yet to establish whether these objects are indeed related to the search for MH370," Mr Hussein said.
Second piece of wreckage ... the second satellite image, showing an item possibly 5 metres in length. Picture: Department of Defence Source: AFP
Mr Hussein said the information from Australia was "corroborated to a certain extent from other satellites".
He said the search for MH370 would continue in both the northern and southern corridors but most assets have now been deployed in the south.
Asked what he would tell the families, Mr Hussein said: "`I will tell them, whatever we find, my sympathies, my heart is with them all the time … I do feel for them and I say that on record and I say that to the world. We do care for them and we can understand, we can try to understand what they are going through."
Mr Hussein admitted regret at an incident at the media centre on Wednesday when an anguished Chinese mother was dragged away screaming from the media.
'The best lead we have' ... Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) General Manager John Young updates the media with new information about Flight MH370. Source: News Corp Australia
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