malaysia airlines flight 370

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Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 9MMRO, the aircraft involved in the incident, photographed in 2011 Incident summary Date 8 March 2014 Summary Missing, search ongoing; one flaperon found Site Southern Indian Ocean (presumed) Passengers 227 Crew 12 Fatalities 239 (all, presumed)[a] Survivors 0 (presumed)[a] Aircraft type Boeing 777200ER Operator Malaysia Airlines Registration 9MMRO Flight origin Kuala Lumpur International Airport Destination Beijing Capital International Airport Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (MH370/MAS370) [b] was a scheduled international passenger flight that disappeared on 8 March 2014, while flying from Kuala Lumpur International Airport near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, China. The flight last made voice contact with air traffic control at 01:19 MYT (17:19 UTC, 7 March) when it was over the South China Sea, less than an hour after takeoff. The aircraft disappeared from air traffic controllers' radar screens at 01:22. [3][4] Malaysian military radar continued to track the aircraft as it deviated from its planned flight path and crossed the Malay Peninsula. It left the range of Malaysian military radar at 02:22 while over the Andaman Sea, 200 nautical miles (370 km; 230 mi) northwest of Penang in northwestern Malaysia. [5]:3[6] The aircraft, a Boeing 777200ER, was carrying 12 Malaysian crew members and 227 passengers from 15 nations. [7] A multinational search effort began in the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea, where the flight's signal was lost on secondary surveillance radar, and was soon [8][9] extended to the Strait of Malacca and Andaman Sea. [10][11][12] Analysis of satellite communications between the aircraft and Inmarsat's satellite communications network concluded that the flight continued until at least 08:19 MYT and flew south into the southern Indian Ocean, although the precise location cannot be determined; [13][14][15] Australia took charge of the search effort on 17 March, when the search shifted to the southern Indian Ocean. [16] On 24 March 2014, the Malaysian government, noting that the final location determined by the satellite communication is far from any possible landing sites, concluded that "flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean." [13][14][15][17] The current phase of the search is a comprehensive search of the seafloor about 1,800 kilometres (1,100 mi) southwest of Perth, Western Australia, which began in October 2014. [18][19][20] Despite the largest and most expensive search in aviation history, [21][22][23][24] no piece of the aircraft was found for more than a year, and the bulk of the aircraft has not been found, prompting many theories about its disappearance. On 29 July 2015, marine debris was found on Réunion Island which was later confirmed to be a flaperon from Flight 370. [25][26][27]

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Malaysia Airlines Flight 370

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MalaysiaAirlinesFlight3709MMRO,theaircraftinvolvedintheincident,photographedin2011IncidentsummaryDate 8March2014Summary Missing,searchongoingoneflaperonfoundSite SouthernIndianOcean(presumed)Passengers 227Crew 12Fatalities 239(all,presumed)[a]Survivors 0(presumed)[a]Aircrafttype Boeing777200EROperator MalaysiaAirlinesRegistration 9MMROFlightorigin KualaLumpurInternationalAirportDestination BeijingCapitalInternationalAirportMalaysiaAirlinesFlight370FromWikipedia,thefreeencyclopediaMalaysiaAirlinesFlight370(MH370/MAS370)[b]wasascheduledinternationalpassengerflightthatdisappearedon8March2014,whileflyingfromKualaLumpurInternationalAirportnearKualaLumpur,Malaysia,toBeijingCapitalInternationalAirportinBeijing,China.Theflightlastmadevoicecontactwithairtrafficcontrolat01:19MYT(17:19UTC,7March)whenitwasovertheSouthChinaSea,lessthananhouraftertakeoff.Theaircraftdisappearedfromairtrafficcontrollers'radarscreensat01:22.[3][4]MalaysianmilitaryradarcontinuedtotracktheaircraftasitdeviatedfromitsplannedflightpathandcrossedtheMalayPeninsula.ItlefttherangeofMalaysianmilitaryradarat02:22whileovertheAndamanSea,200nauticalmiles(370km230mi)northwestofPenanginnorthwesternMalaysia.[5]:3[6]Theaircraft,aBoeing777200ER,wascarrying12Malaysiancrewmembersand227passengersfrom15nations.[7]AmultinationalsearcheffortbeganintheGulfofThailandandtheSouthChinaSea,wheretheflight'ssignalwaslostonsecondarysurveillanceradar,andwassoon[8][9]extendedtotheStraitofMalaccaandAndamanSea.[10][11][12]AnalysisofsatellitecommunicationsbetweentheaircraftandInmarsat'ssatellitecommunicationsnetworkconcludedthattheflightcontinueduntilatleast08:19MYTandflewsouthintothesouthernIndianOcean,althoughthepreciselocationcannotbedetermined[13][14][15]Australiatookchargeofthesearchefforton17March,whenthesearchshiftedtothesouthernIndianOcean.[16]On24March2014,theMalaysiangovernment,notingthatthefinallocationdeterminedbythesatellitecommunicationisfarfromanypossiblelandingsites,concludedthat"flightMH370endedinthesouthernIndianOcean."[13][14][15][17]Thecurrentphaseofthesearchisacomprehensivesearchoftheseafloorabout1,800kilometres(1,100mi)southwestofPerth,WesternAustralia,whichbeganinOctober2014.[18][19][20]Despitethelargestandmostexpensivesearchinaviationhistory,[21][22][23][24]nopieceoftheaircraftwasfoundformorethanayear,andthebulkoftheaircrafthasnotbeenfound,promptingmanytheoriesaboutitsdisappearance.On29July2015,marinedebriswasfoundonRunionIslandwhichwaslaterconfirmedtobeaflaperonfromFlight370.[25][26][27]MalaysiaestablishedtheJointInvestigationTeam(JIT)toinvestigatetheincident,workingwithforeignaviationauthoritiesandexperts.[5]:1Neitherthecrewnortheaircraft'scommunicationsystemsrelayedadistresssignal,indicationsofbadweather,ortechnicalproblemsbeforetheaircraftvanished.[28]Twopassengerstravellingonstolenpassportswereinitiallysuspectinthedisappearance,buttheywerelaterdeterminedtobeasylumseekersandterrorismhasbeenruledout.[29][30][31]MalaysianpolicehaveidentifiedtheCaptainastheprimesuspectifhumaninterventionwasthecauseofthedisappearance,afterclearingallotherpassengersofanysuspiciousmotives.[32]Powerwaslosttotheaircraft'ssatellitedataunit(SDU)atsomepointbetween01:07and02:03theSDUloggedontoInmarsat'ssatellitecommunicationnetworkat02:25threeminutesaftertheaircraftlefttherangeofradar.[5]:22Basedonanalysisofthesatellitecommunications,theaircraftturnedsouthafterpassingnorthofSumatraandflewforfivehourswithlittledeviationinitstrack,endingwhenfuelwasexhausted.[5]:34[33][34][35]Atthetimeofitsdisappearance,andifthepresumedlossofallonboardisconfirmed,Flight370wouldhavebeenthedeadliestaviationincidentinMalaysiaAirlines'historyandthedeadliestinvolvingaBoeing777.[36][37]Itwassurpassedinbothregards131dayslaterbythecrashofanotherMalaysiaAirlinesBoeing777Flight17thatwasshotdownoverUkraine.[38]MalaysiaAirlineswasstrugglingfinancially,aproblemwhichwasexacerbatedbyadeclineinticketsalesafterFlight370disappearedandbeforethecrashofFlight17theairlinewasrenationalisedbytheendof2014.TheMalaysiangovernmentreceivedsignificantcriticism,especiallyfromChina,forfailingtodiscloseinformationinatimelymannerduringtheearlyweeksofthesearch.Flight370'sdisappearancebroughttothepublic'sattentionthelimitsofaircrafttrackingandflightrecorders,includingseveralissuesraisedfouryearsearlierbutnevermandatedfollowingthelossofAirFranceFlight447.AtaskforcesetupbytheInternationalAirTransportAssociation,withthesupportoftheInternationalCivilAviationOrganization,proposedanewstandardthat,byDecember2015,commercialaircraftmustreporttheirpositionevery15minutes.[39][40]TheMalaysianMinistryofTransportissuedaninterimreporton8March2015.[41][42]Contents1Disappearance1.1Departure1.2Communicationlost1.3Radar1.4Satellitecommunicationresumes1.5Responsebyairtrafficcontrol1.6Announcementofdisappearance1.7Timelineofdisappearance1.8Presumedloss1.9Reportedsightings1.10Debrisdiscovered2Search2.1SoutheastAsia2.2SouthernIndianOcean2.2.1Initialsearch2.2.2Underwatersearch2.2.3Marinedebris3Aircraft3Aircraft4Passengersandcrew4.1Crew4.2Passengers5Investigation5.1Internationalparticipation5.2Analysisofsatellitecommunication5.2.1Background5.2.2Communicationsfrom02:25to08:19MYT5.2.3Deductions5.2.4Analysis5.3Possibleinflightevents5.3.1Powerinterruption5.3.2Unresponsivecreworhypoxia5.4Possiblecausesofdisappearance5.4.1Passengerinvolvement5.4.2Crewinvolvement5.4.3Cargo6Aftermath6.1Informationsharing6.2MalaysiaAirlines6.2.1Financialtroubles6.2.2Compensationforpassengers'kin6.3Malaysia6.4China6.4.1Relativesofpassengers6.4.2Boycotts6.5Airtransportindustry6.5.1Aircrafttracking6.5.2Transponders6.5.3Flightrecorders6.5.4Safetyrecommendations7Timelineofevents8Inpopularculture9Seealso10Notes11References12Externallinks12.1Reports12.2Pressreleases/MediaDisappearanceFlight370wasascheduledredeyeflightintheearlymorninghoursof8March2014fromKualaLumpur,MalaysiatoBeijing,China.ItwasoneoftwodailyflightsoperatedbyMalaysiaAirlinesfromitshubatKualaLumpurInternationalAirport(KLIA)toBeijingCapitalInternationalAirportscheduledtodepartKnownflightpathtakenbyFlight370(red),derivedfromprimary(military)andsecondary(ATC)radardata.ExternalvideoATCconversationswithFlight370(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q13aTqdMAFw)AudiorecordingsofconversationsbetweenATCandFlight370frompredeparturetofinalcontact(00:2501:19).at00:35localtime(MYTUTC+08:00)andarriveat06:30localtime(CSTUTC+08:00).[43][44]OnboardFlight370were227passengers,10cabincrew,twopilots(acaptainandfirstofficer),and14,296kg(31,517lb)ofcargo.[41]:1,12,30Theplannedflightdurationwas5hours,34minutes,whichwouldconsumeanestimated37,200kg(82,000lb)ofjetA1fuel.[41]:1,30Theaircraftcarried49,100kilograms(108,200lb)ofjetfuel,includingreserves,whichallowedanenduranceof7hours,31minutes.[41]:1,30TheextrafuelwasenoughtodiverttoalternateairportsJinanYaoqiangInternationalAirportandHangzhouXiaoshanInternationalAirportwhichwouldrequire4,800kg(10,600lb)or10,700kg(23,600lb),respectively,toreachfromBeijing.[41]:30DepartureAt00:42,Flight370tookofffromrunway32R,[41]:1andwasclearedbyairtrafficcontrol(ATC)toclimbtoflightlevel180[c]approximately18,000feet(5,500m)onadirectpathtonavigationalwaypointIGARI(locatedat656'12N10335'6E).VoiceanalysishasdeterminedthattheFirstOfficercommunicatedwithATCwhiletheflightwasonthegroundandthattheCaptaincommunicatedwithATCafterdeparture.[41]:21Shortlyafterdeparture,theflightwastransferredfromtheairport'sairtrafficcontrolto"LumpurRadar"airtrafficcontrolonfrequency132.6MHz.AirtrafficcontroloverpeninsularMalaysiaandadjacentwatersisprovidedbytheKualaLumpurAreaControlCentre(ACC)LumpurRadaristhenameofthefrequencyusedforenrouteairtraffic.[45]LumpurRadarclearedFlight370toflightlevel350[c]approximately35,000ft(10,700m).At01:01,Flight370'screwreportedtoLumpurRadarthattheyhadreachedflightlevel350,whichtheyconfirmedagainat01:08.[41]:12[46]CommunicationlostTheaircraft'sfinalautomatedpositionreportandlasttransmissionusingtheAircraftCommunicationsAddressingandReportingSystem(ACARS)protocolwassentat01:07[5]:2[47][48]:36amongthedataprovidedinthemessagewastotalfuelremaining43,800kg(96,600lb).[49]:9ThefinalverbalcontactwithairtrafficDatafromMalaysianmilitaryradarshowingFlight370(green)crossingtheStraitofMalaccaandAndamanSeatowhereitwaslastseenbyradar.TheleftofthetwosegmentsoftheflighttrackfollowsairrouteN571betweenwaypointsVAMPIandMEKARthewhitecircleappearstohighlightasectionwheretheaircraftwasnottrackedbyradar.controloccurredat01:19:30,whenCaptainShah[41]:21acknowledgedasendoffbyLumpurRadartoHoChiMinhACC:[d][41]:2[46][50]LumpurRadar:"Malaysianthreesevenzero,contactHoChiMinhonetwozerodecimalnine.Goodnight."Flight370:"Goodnight.Malaysianthreesevenzero."ThecrewwasexpectedtocontactairtrafficcontrolinHoChiMinhCityastheaircraftpassedintoVietnameseairspace,justnorthofthepointwherecontactwaslost.[51][52]ThecaptainofanotheraircraftattemptedtoreachthecrewofFlight370"justafter[01:30]"[53]usingtheinternationaldistressfrequencytorelayVietnameseairtrafficcontrol'srequestforthecrewtocontactthemthecaptainsaidhewasabletoestablishcontact,butonlyheard"mumbling"andstatic.[53]CallsmadetoFlight370'scockpitat02:39and07:13wereunansweredbutacknowledgedbytheaircraft'ssatellitedataunit.[5]:18[48]:40RadarAt01:20:31,Flight370wasobservedonradarattheKualaLumpurACCasitpassedthenavigationalwaypointIGARI( )intheGulfofThailandfivesecondslater,theModeSsymboldisappearedfromradarscreens.[41]:2At01:21:13,Flight370disappearedfromtheradarscreenatKualaLumpurACCandwaslostaboutthesametimeonradaratHoChiMinhACC,whichclaimstheaircraftwasatthenearbywaypointBITOD.[41]:2[46]Airtrafficcontrolusessecondaryradar,whichreliesonasignalemittedbyatransponderonaircrafttherefore,after01:21thetransponderonFlight370wasnolongerfunctioning.Thefinaldatafromthetransponderindicatedtheaircraftwasflyingatitsassignedcruisealtitudeofflightlevel350[c]andwastravellingat471knots(872km/h542mph)trueairspeed.[54]Therewerefewcloudsaroundthispointandnorainorlightningnearby.[41]:3336LateranalysisestimatedthatFlight370had41,500kg(91,500lb)offuelwhenitdisappearedfromsecondaryradar.[41]:30Atthetimethetransponderstoppedfunctioning01:21:13militaryradarshowedFlight370turningright,but"almostimmediately"[41]:3theaircraftbeganaleftturntoasouthwesterlydirection.[41]:3From01:30:3501:35,militaryradarshowedFlight370at35,700ft(10,900m)[e]ona231magneticheading,withagroundspeedof496knots(919km/h571mph).[41]:3Flight370continuedacrosstheMalayPeninsula,fluctuatingbetween31,00033,000ft(9,40010,100m)inaltitude.[41]:3AcivilianprimaryradaratSultanIsmailPetraAirportwitha60nmi(110km69mi)rangemadefourdetectionsofanunidentifiedaircraftbetween01:30:37and01:52:35thetracksoftheunidentifiedaircraftare"consistentwiththoseofthemilitarydata."[f][41]:34At01:52,Flight370wasdetectedpassingjustsouthofPenangIsland.Fromthere,theaircraftflew65612N103356EacrosstheStraitofMalaccatoorclosetothewaypointVAMPI,passingoverPulauPerakat02:03,afterwhichitflewalongairrouteN571towaypointsMEKAR,NILAM,andpossiblyIGOGU.[5]:3,38Thelastknownlocation,fromandnearthelimitsofMalaysianmilitaryradar,wasat02:22,10nauticalmiles(19km12mi)afterpassingwaypointMEKAR[41]:3,7and200nmi(370km230mi)northwestofPenangatanaltitudeof29,500ft(9,000m).[55][56]Becauseofsensitivityaboutrevealingmilitaryradarcapabilities,countriesintheregionwhereFlight370disappearedwerereluctanttoreleaseinformationtheymayhavecollectedfrommilitaryradar.DespitetheaircraftpossiblyhavingflownnearoroverthenortherntipofSumatra,[46]IndonesiawhichhasanearlywarningradarsystemhaspubliclydeniedsightingFlight370onradaraftercontactwaslost,althoughtheIndonesianmilitarydidtrackFlight370earlierwhenenroutetowaypointIGARI.[41]:4[57]ThailandandVietnamalsodetectedFlight370onradarbeforethetransponderstoppedworking,butnotafterwards.[41]:45NoradarcontactwasdetectedbyAustralia,includingtheJORNoverthehorizonradarsystem,whichwasbelievedtobelookingnorthtodetectillegalmigrantsandnotwestovertheIndianOceanwhereFlight370ispresumedtohaveflownbasedonsatellitecommunications.[58]SatellitecommunicationresumesAt02:25,theaircraft'ssatellitecommunicationsystemsenta"logonrequest"messagethefirstmessageonthesystemsincetheACARStransmissionat01:07whichwasrelayedbysatellitetoagroundstation,bothoperatedbysatellitetelecommunicationscompanyInmarsat.Afterloggingontothenetwork,thesatellitedataunitaboardtheaircraftrespondedtohourlystatusrequestsfromInmarsatandtwogroundtoaircraftphonecalls,at02:39and07:13,whichwentunansweredbythecockpit.[5]:18[48]Thefinalstatusrequestandaircraftacknowledgementoccurredat08:10.Theaircraftsentalogonrequestat08:19:29whichwasfollowed,afteraresponsefromthegroundstation,bya"logonacknowledgement"messageat08:19:37.ThelogonacknowledgementisthelastpieceofdataavailablefromFlight370.TheaircraftdidnotrespondtoastatusrequestfromInmarsatat09:15.[5][48][59][60]ResponsebyairtrafficcontrolAt01:38,HoChiMinhAreaControlCentre(ACC)contactedKualaLumpurAreaControlCentretoquerythewhereaboutsofFlight370andinformedthemthattheyhadnotestablishedverbalcontactwithFlight370,whichwaslastdetectedbyradaratwaypointBITOD.Thetwocentresexchangedfourmorecallsoverthenext20minuteswithnonewinformation.[46][61]At02:03,KualaLumpurACCrelayedtoHoChiMinhACCinformationreceivedfromMalaysiaAirlines'operationscentrethatFlight370wasinCambodianairspace.HoChiMinhACCcontactedKualaLumpurACCtwiceinthefollowingeightminutesaskingforconfirmationthatFlight370wasinCambodianairspace.[46]At02:15,thewatchsupervisoratKualaLumpurACCqueriedMalaysiaAirlines'operationscentre,whichsaidthatitcouldexchangesignalswithFlight370andthatFlight370wasinCambodianairspace.[61]KualaLumpurACCcontactedHoChiMinhACCtoaskwhethertheplannedflightpathforFlight370passedthroughCambodianairspace.HoChiMinhACCrespondedthatFlight370wasnotsupposedtoenterCambodianairspaceandthattheyhadalreadycontactedPhnomPenhACC(whichcontrolsCambodianairspace),whichhadnocontactwithFlight370.[46]KualaLumpurACCcontactedMalaysiaAirlines'operationscentreat02:34,inquiringaboutthecommunicationstatuswithFlight370,FlightInformationRegionsinthevicinityofwhereFlight370disappearedfromsecondaryradar.KualaLumpurACCprovidesATCservicesontworoutes,locatedwithinFIRSingapore,betweenMalaysiaandVietnam.(Airroutesaredepictedasroughly5nmi/810kmwide,butvaryinwidth,withsomeaswideas20nmi/3035km.)andwereinformedthatFlight370wasinanormalconditionbasedonasignaldownloadandthatitwaslocatedat .[46][61]Later,anotherMalaysiaAirlinesaircraft,Flight386boundforShanghai,attherequestofHoChiMinhACC,attemptedtocontactFlight370ontheLumpurRadarfrequencythefrequencyonwhichFlight370lastmadecontactwithMalaysianairtrafficcontrolandonemergencyfrequencies.Theattemptwasunsuccessful.[46][62]At03:30,MalaysiaAirlines'operationscentreinformedKualaLumpurACCthatthelocationsithadprovidedearlierwere"basedonflightprojectionandnotreliableforaircraftpositioning."[46]Overthenexthour,KualaLumpurACCcontactedHoChiMinhACCaskingwhethertheyhadcontactedChineseairtrafficcontrol.At05:09,SingaporeACCwasqueriedforinformationaboutFlight370.At05:20,anundisclosedofficialidentifiedinthepreliminaryreportreleasedbyMalaysiaas"Capt[nameredacted]"contactedKualaLumpurACCrequestinginformationaboutFlight370heopinedthat,basedonknowninformation,"MH370neverleftMalaysianairspace."[46]ThewatchsupervisoratKualaLumpurACCactivatedtheKualaLumpurAeronauticalRescueCoordinationCentre(ARCC)at05:30,overfourhoursaftercommunicationwaslostwithFlight370.[61]TheARCCisacommandpostatanAreaControlCentrethatcoordinatessearchandrescueactivitieswhenanaircraftislost.AnnouncementofdisappearanceMalaysiaAirlinesissuedamediastatementat07:24,onehourafterthescheduledarrivaltimeoftheflightatBeijing,statingthatcontactwiththeflighthadbeenlostbyMalaysianATCat02:40andthatthegovernmenthadinitiatedsearchandrescueoperations[63]thetimewhencontactwaslostwaslatercorrectedto01:21.[64]Neitherthecrewnortheaircraft'scommunicationsystemsrelayedadistresssignal,indicationsofbadweather,ortechnicalproblemsbeforetheaircraftvanishedfromradarscreens.[28]TimelineofdisappearanceElapsed(HH:MM)TimeEventMYT UTC00:008March 7MarchTakeofffromKualaLumpurInternationalAirport00:41 16:41145400N1091500E00:20 01:01 17:01CrewconfirmsaltitudeofFlightLevel350(approximately35,000ft/10700m)[50]00:26 01:07 17:07LastACARSdatatransmissionreceived[47][48]:36crewconfirmsaltitudeofFlightLevel350,asecondtime[50]00:2601:2201:0702:0317:0718:03Satellitecommunicationlinklostsometimeduringthisperiod.[48]:3600:38 01:19 17:19 LastMalaysianATCvoicecontact00:40 01:21 17:21 Lastsecondaryradar(transponder)contactat65515N1033443E[3][4]00:41 01:22 17:22 TransponderandADSBnolongeroperating.00:44 01:25 17:25 Aircraftdeviatedfromplannedroute[5]:200:49 01:30 17:30Voicecontactattemptbyanotheraircraft,atrequestofHoChiMinhAreaControlCentre(HCMACC)mumblingandradiostaticheardinreply[53]00:56 01:37 17:37 MissedexpectedhalfhourlyACARSdatatransmission[47]00:57 01:39 17:38HCMACCcontactsKualaLumpurACC(KLACC)toinquireaboutFlight370.HCMACCtellsthemthatverbalcontactwasnotestablishedandFlight370disappearedfromitsradarscreensnearBITODwaypoint.KLACCrespondedthatFlight370didnotreturntoitsfrequencyafterpassingwaypointIGARI.[41]:2[46]01:05 01:46 17:46HCMACCcontactsKLACCagain,informthemradarcontactwasestablishednearIGARI,butlostnearBITODandthatverbalcontactwasnotestablished.[46]01:16 01:57 17:57HCMACCinformsKLACCthattherewasnocontactwithFlight370,despiteattemptsonmanyfrequenciesandaircraftinthevicinity.[46]01:22 02:03 18:03MalaysiaAirlinesdispatchcentresentamessagetothecockpitinstructingpilotstocontactVietnamATC,whichwasnotrespondedto.[65]AgroundtoaircraftACARSdatarequest,transmittedfromthegroundstationmultipletimesbetween02:0302:05,wasnotacknowledgedbytheaircraft'ssatellitedataunit.[48]:363901:22 02:03 18:03KLACCcontactsHCMACCandrelaysinformationfromMalaysiaAirlines'operationscentrethatFlight370isinCambodianairspace.[46]01:34 02:15 18:15KLACCqueriesMalaysiaAirlines'operationscentre,whichrepliesthatitisabletoexchangesignalswithflightwhichisinCambodianairspace.[46]01:37 02:18 18:18KLACCcontactsHCMACCaskingthemifFlight370wassupposedtoenterCambodianairspace.HCMACCrepliesthatFlight370'splannedroutedidnottakeitintoCambodianairspaceandthattheyhadcheckedandCambodiahadnoinformationorcontactwithFlight370.[46]01:41 02:22 18:22LastprimaryradarcontactbyMalaysianmilitary,200nauticalmiles(370km230mi)NWofPenang,64938N974315E[5]:301:44 02:25 18:25"Logonrequest"sentbyaircrafttosatellite.Satellitecommunicationlinkisreestablishedafterbeinglostforbetween2268min.[5]:18[48]:39Sometimesreferredtoasthefirsthourly"handshake"afterdisappearingfromradar.[59][66]01:53 02:34 18:34KLACCqueriesMalaysiaAirlines'operationscentreaboutcommunicationstatuswithFlight370,butitwasnotsureifamessagesenttoFlight370wassuccessfulornot.[46]01:54 02:35 18:35MalaysiaAirlines'operationscentreinformsKLACCthatFlight370isinanormalconditionbasedonsignalsfromtheaircraftandlocatedat145400N1091500E(NorthernVietnam)at18:33UTC.KLACCrelaysthisinformationtoHCMACC.[46]Groundtoaircrafttelephonecall,viatheaircraft'ssatellitelink,wentunanswered.01:58 02:39 18:39[5]:18[48]:4002:49 03:30 19:30MalaysiaAirlines'operationscentreinformsKLACCthatpositioninformationwasbasedonflightprojectionandnotreliableforaircrafttracking.Between03:30and04:25,KLandHCMACCsqueryChineseairtrafficcontrol.[46]04:28 05:09 21:09 SingaporeACCqueriedforinformationaboutFlight370.[46]05:49 06:30 22:30 MissedscheduledarrivalatBeijingCapitalInternationalAirport05:51 06:32 22:32 KualaLumpurAeronauticalRescueCoordinationCentre(ARCC)isactivated.[41]:206:32 07:13 23:13GroundtoaircrafttelephonecallplacedbyMalaysiaAirlines,[65]viatheaircraft'ssatellitelink,wentunanswered.[5]:18[48]:4006:43 07:24 23:24MalaysiaAirlinesissuesapressstatementannouncingthatFlight370ismissing[64]07:30 08:118MarchSixthandlastsuccessfulautomatedhourlyhandshakewithInmarsat3F1[59][67]00:1107:38 08:19:29 00:19:29"Logonrequest"sentbyaircrafttosatellite(sometimesreferredtoasa"partialhandshake")[68][69]believedtohaveoccurredwhenemergencypowerrestartedtheSDUshortlyafterfuelexhaustionandlossofpower.[5]:18,33[48]:4107:38 08:19:37 00:19:37Afterthegroundstationrespondedtothelogonrequest,theaircraftrepliedwitha"logonacknowledgement"transmissionat08:19:37.443.ThisisthelasttransmissionreceivedfromFlight370.[5]:18[48]:4108:34 09:15 01:15Aircraftdidnotrespondtoascheduled,hourlyhandshakeattemptbyInmarsat.[48]:41[59]PresumedlossOn24March,MalaysianPrimeMinisterNajibRazakappearedbeforemediaat22:00localtimetogiveashortstatementregardingFlight370,duringwhichheannounced:ThiseveningIwasbriefedbyrepresentativesfromtheUKAirAccidentsInvestigationBranch.TheyinformedmethatInmarsat,theUKcompanythatprovidedthesatellitedatawhichindicatedthenorthernandsoutherncorridors,hasbeenperformingfurthercalculationsonthedata.Usingatypeofanalysisneverbeforeusedinaninvestigationofthissort...InmarsatandtheAAIBhaveconcludedthatMH370flewalongthesoutherncorridor,andthatitslastpositionwasinthemiddleoftheIndianOcean,westofPerth.Thisisaremotelocation,farfromanypossiblelandingsites.ItisthereforewithdeepsadnessandregretthatImustinformyouthat,accordingtothisnewdata,flightMH370endedinthesouthernIndianOcean.[17]JustbeforeNajibspokeat22:00MYT,anemergencymeetingwascalledinBeijingforrelativesofFlight370passengers.[17]MalaysiaAirlinesannouncedthatFlight370wasassumedlostwithnosurvivors.Itnotifiedmostofthefamiliesinpersonorviatelephone,andsomereceivedthefollowingSMS(inEnglishandChinese):[17]MalaysiaAirlinesdeeplyregretsthatwehavetoassumebeyondanyreasonabledoubtthatMH370hasbeenlostandthatnoneofthoseonboardsurvived.AsyouwillhearinthenexthourfromMalaysia'sPrimeMinister,wemustnowacceptallevidencesuggeststheplanewentdownintheSouthernIndianOcean.[13][14][15]On29January2015,theDirectorGeneraloftheDepartmentofCivilAviationMalaysia,AzharuddinAbdulRahman,announcedthatthestatusofFlight370wouldbechangedtoan"accident",inaccordancewiththeChicagoConventiononInternationalCivilAviation:[1]WehaveconcludedthattheaircraftexhausteditsfueloveradefinedareaofthesouthernIndianOcean,andthattheaircraftislocatedontheseafloorclosetothatdefinedarea.Thisisaremotelocation,farfromanypossiblelandingsites.Itisalsoanareawithadverseseaconditionswithknowndepthsofmorethan6,000metres.After327days...andbasedonallavailabledataaswellascircumstancesmentionedearlier,survivabilityinthedefinedareaishighlyunlikely....OnbehalfoftheGovernmentofMalaysia,weofficiallydeclareMalaysiaAirlinesflightMH370anaccidentinaccordancewiththeStandardsofAnnexes12and13totheChicagoConventionandthatall239ofthepassengersandcrewonboardMH370arepresumedtohavelosttheirlives.[1]Iftheofficialassumptionisconfirmed,atthetimeofitsdisappearanceFlight370wasthedeadliestaviationincidentinthehistoryofMalaysiaAirlines(surpassingthe1977hijackingandcrashofMalaysianAirlineSystemFlight653thatkilledall100passengersandcrewonboard)andthedeadliestinvolvingaBoeing777,surpassingAsianaAirlinesFlight214(3fatalities).[36][37]Inbothofthosecategories,Flight370wassurpassed131dayslaterbyMalaysiaAirlinesFlight17,anotherBoeing777200ER,whichwasshotdownon17July2014,killingall298personsaboard.[38]ReportedsightingsThenewsmediareportedseveralsightingsofanaircraftthatfitthedescriptionofthemissingaircraft.Forexample,on19March2014,CNNreportedthat"severalpeopleonthegroundoratseaclaimedtheysawMalaysiaAirlinesFlight370beforeitwentmissingafteritspostmidnighttakeofffromKualaLumpuronMarch8.Thepurportedeyewitnessesincludefishermen,anoilrigworkerandislandersinanatoll.Someevenallegedtheysawitcrash.Whilenoneoftheirclaimshavebeensubstantiated,theirassertionsaddtotheongoingmysteryofthemissingBoeing777andthe239peopleaboard."[70]Twodayslater,theLondonbasedDailyMailreportedthat"aMalaysianwomanonaflightacrosstheIndianOceanclaimedtohaveseenanaircraftinthewaterneartheAndamanIslandsonthedaythejetdisappeared."[71]Threemonthslater,theLondonTelegraphreportedthat"aBritishwomansailingwithherhusbandacrosstheIndianOceanfromIndiatoThailandhasclaimedshemayhaveseenthemissingMalaysiaAirlinesplaneonfire.KatherineTee,41,wasonnightwatchonMarch78butsaidshedidnotreportthesightinguntilSundaybecauseshewashavingmaritalproblemsandthoughtshewaslosinghermind."[72]DebrisdiscoveredOn29July2015,airlinermarinedebriswasfoundonabeachinSaintAndr,onRunion,anislandinthewesternIndianOcean,about4,000km(2,500mi)westoftheunderwatersearcharea.[73]Theobjecthadastenciledinternalmarking"657BB"consistentwiththecodeforaportionofarightwingflaperon(atrailingedgecontrolsurface)fromaBoeing777.[25][74]Thefollowingday,adamagedsuitcase,whichmaybeassociatedwithFlight370,wasfound.[75]Thelocationisconsistentwithmodelsofdebrisdispersal16monthsafteranorigininthecurrentsearcharea,offthewestcoastofAustralia.[76][77][73][78]On31July,aChinesewaterbottleandanIndonesiancleaningproductwerefoundinthesamearea.[79][80]ThefirstobjecttobefoundwastransportedfromRunionanoverseasdepartmentofFrancetoToulouse,forexaminationbyFrance'scivilaviationaccidentinvestigationagency,theBureaud'Enqutesetd'AnalysespourlaScuritdel'AviationCivile(BEA),andaFrenchdefenceministrylaboratory.[73]MalaysiaissendinginvestigatorstobothRunionandToulouse.[73][81]FrenchpoliceareconductingasearchofthewatersaroundRunionforadditionaldebris.[73]On2August,MalaysianofficialsconfirmedthattheobjectwasaflaperonfromaBoeing777aircraftandthattheverificationwasmadewithinvestigatorsfromFrance,Malaysia,Boeing,andtheUSNTSB.[82]On5August,thePrimeMinisterofMalaysiaannouncedthatthefoundflaperonwasconfirmedtobefromflightMH370'saircraftFrenchofficialshaveonlystatedthatthereisa"veryhighprobability"[83]theobjectisfromFlight370.[84][85][83]TherehavebeenmanyclaimsthatadditionaldebrishadbeenfoundonRunionwhichmayhavecomefromFlight370,butnoneappearstohavecomefromanaircraftasof5August.[77][86]Boeing777flaperonLocationoffounddebrisrelativetoFlight370'sflightpathandthecurrentsearchareaCurrentswithintheIndianOceanSearchAsearchandrescueeffortwaslaunchedsoonaftertheaircraft'sdisappearanceinSoutheastAsia,butthefollowingweek,analysisofsatellitecommunicationsbetweentheaircraftandacommunicationssatellitedeterminedthattheaircrafthadcontinuedflyingforseveralhoursandthefinaltransmissionfromtheaircraftwasmadeovertheSouthernIndianOcean,westofAustralia.ThesurfacesearchinthesouthernADVOceanShielddeploystheBluefin21autonomousunderwatervehicle,whichconductedtheseafloorsonarsurveyfrom14Aprilto28May.TheinitialsearchareainSoutheastAsiaIndianOceanbetween18Marchand28Aprilsearchedover4,600,000squarekilometres(1,800,000sqmi)andinvolved19vesselsand345searchsortiesbymilitaryaircraft.[87]Thecurrentphaseofthesearchisabathymetricsurveyandsonarsearchoftheseafloor,about1,800kilometres(1,100mi)southwestofPerth,Australia.[18]ThesearchforFlight370isthemostexpensivesearchoperationinaviationhistory.[21][22][88][89]InJune2014,TimeestimatedthatthetotalsearchefforttothatpointhadcostapproximatelyUS$70million.[90]ThetenderfortheunderwatersearchisAU$52million(US$43millionor35million)sharedbyAustraliaandMalaysiafor12months,butwoulddifferiffoundinmoreorlesstime.[19]Since30March2014,thesearchhasbeencoordinatedbytheJointAgencyCoordinationCentre(JACC),anAustraliangovernmentagencyestablishedspecificallytocoordinatethesearchefforttolocateandrecoverFlight370,whichprimarilyinvolvestheMalaysian,Chinese,andAustraliangovernments.[91]SoutheastAsiaTheKualaLumpurAeronauticalRescueCoordinationCentre(ARCC)wasactivatedat05:30fourhoursaftercommunicationwaslostwithFlight370tocoordinatesearchandrescueefforts.[61]SearcheffortsbeganintheGulfofThailandandSouthChinaSea.Ontheseconddayofthesearch,MalaysianofficialsrevealedthatradarrecordingsindicatedFlight370mayhaveturnedaroundthesearchzonewasexpandedtoincludepartoftheStraitofMalacca.[92]On12March,thechiefoftheRoyalMalaysianAirForceannouncedthatanunidentifiedaircraftbelievedtobeFlight370hadtravelledacrosstheMalaypeninsulaandwaslastsightedonmilitaryradar370km(200nmi230mi)northwestofPenangIslandsearcheffortsweresubsequentlyincreasedintheAndamanSeaandBayofBengal.[56]RecordsofsignalssentbetweentheaircraftandacommunicationssatelliteovertheIndianOceanrevealedthattheaircrafthadcontinuedflyingforalmostsixhoursafteritsfinalsightingonMalaysianmilitaryradar.InitialanalysisofthesecommunicationsdeterminedthatFlight370wasalongoneoftwoarcsequidistantfromthesatellitewhenitslastsignalwassentthesamedaythisanalysiswaspubliclyTheshiftingsearchzonesforFlight370intheSouthernIndianOcean.TheinsetshowsthepathoftakenbythevesselADVOceanShieldoperatingatowedpingerlocator,acousticdetections,andthesonarsearch.Thecurrentunderwaterphase(boththewideareasearchandpriorityarea)isshowninpink.disclosed,15March,authoritiesannouncedtheywouldabandonsearcheffortsintheSouthChinaSea,GulfofThailand,andStraitofMalaccatofocustheireffortsonthetwocorridors.ThenorthernarcfromnorthernThailandtoKazakhstanwassoondiscountedastheaircraftwouldhavetopassthroughheavilymilitarisedairspaceandthosecountriesclaimedtheirmilitaryradarwouldhavedetectedanunidentifiedaircraftenteringtheirairspace.[93][94][95]SouthernIndianOceanThefocusofthesearchshiftedtotheSouthernIndianOceanwestofAustraliaandwithinAustralia'sconcurrentaeronauticalandmaritimeSearchandRescueregionsthatextendto75Elongitude.[96][97]Accordingly,on17March,AustraliaagreedtoleadthesearchinthesouthernlocusfromSumatratothesouthernIndianOcean.[16][98]InitialsearchFrom1827March,thesearcheffortfocusedona305,000km2(118,000sqmi)areaabout2,600km(1,600mi)southwestofPerth[99]thatAustralianPrimeMinisterTonyAbbottsaidis"asclosetonowhereasit'spossibletobe"andwhichisrenownedforitsstrongwinds,inhospitableclimate,hostileseas,anddeepoceanfloors.[100][101]Satelliteimageryoftheregionwasanalysedseveralobjectsofinterestandtwopossibledebrisfieldswereidentifiedonimagescapturedbetween1626March.Noneofthesepossibleobjectswerefoundbyaircraftorships.[102]Revisedestimatesoftheradartrackandtheaircraft'sremainingfuelledtoamoveofthesearch1,100km(680mi)northeastofthepreviousareaon28March[103][104][105]whichwasfollowedbyanothershifton4April.[106][107]Anintenseeffortbegantolocatetheunderwaterlocatorbeacons(ULBsinformallyknownas"pingers")attachedtotheaircraft'sflightrecorders,whosebatterieswereexpectedtoexpirearound7April.[108][109]Twoshipsequippedwithtowedpingerlocators(TPLs)andasubmarineequippedwithahullmountedacousticsystem,[5]:1112begansearchingforpingsalonga240kilometre(150mi)seabedlinebelievedtobetheFlight370impactarea.[108][110][111]Operatorsconsidereditashotinthedark,[112]whenWikimediaCommonshasmediarelatedto:SearchforMalaysiaAirlinesFlight370(category)comparingthevastsearchareawiththefactthataTPLcouldonlysearchupto130km2(50sqmi)perday.[112]Between48Aprilseveralacousticdetectionsweremadethatwereclosetothefrequencyandrhythmofthesoundemittedbytheflightrecorders'ULBsanalysisoftheacousticdetectionsdeterminedthat,althoughunlikely,thedetectionscouldhavecomefromadamagedULB.[5]:13Asonarsearchoftheseafloornearthedetectionswascarriedoutbetween14Apriland28MaywithoutanysignofFlight370.[5]:14ItwaslaterrevealedthatthebatteryfortheULBattachedtoFlight370'sflightdatarecorderhadexpiredinDecember2012andmaynothavebeenascapable.[113][114]UnderwatersearchInlateJune,detailsofthenextphaseofthesearchwereannounced[115]officialshavecalledthisphasethe"underwatersearch",despitethepreviousseafloorsonarsurvey.[20]ContinuedrefinementofanalysisofFlight370'ssatellitecommunicationsidentifieda"wideareasearch"alongthearcwhereFlight370waslocatedwhenitlastcommunicatedwiththesatellite.Theprioritysearchareawithinthewideareasearchisinitssouthernextent.[116]Someoftheequipmenttobeusedfortheunderwatersearchoperatesbestwhentowed200m(650ft)abovetheseafloorattheendofa10km(6mi)cable.[117]Availablebathymetricdataforthisregionwasofpoorresolution,thusnecessitatingabathymetricsurveyofthesearchareabeforetheunderwaterphasebegan.[118]CommencinginMay,thebathymetricsurveychartedaround208,000squarekilometres(80,000sqmi)ofseafloorthrough17December2014,whenitwassuspendedfortheshipconductingthesurveytobemobilisedintheunderwatersearch.[119]Theunderwaterphaseofthesearch,whichbeganon6October2014,[116]usesthreevesselsequippedwithtoweddeepwatervehicles,whichusesidescansonar,multibeamechosounders,andvideocamerastolocateandidentifyaircraftdebris.[120]AfourthvesselparticipatedinthesearchbetweenJanuaryMay2015ithadanautonomousunderwatervehicle(AUV)tosearchareaswhichcannotbeeffectivelysearchedbyequipmentontheothervessels.[121][122][123]Asof5August2015,nearly60,000km2(23,000sqmi)ofseafloorhasbeensearchedduringtheunderwaterphaseofthesearch.[77]FollowingthediscoveryoftheflaperononRunion,theATSBreviewedtheirdriftcalculationsfordebrisfromtheaircraftand,accordingtotheJACC,theyare"satisfiedthatthediscoveryoftheflaperonatLaRunion...isconsistentwiththecurrentunderwatersearchareainthesouthernIndianOcean."[77]Reversedriftmodellingofthedebris,todetermineitsoriginafter16months,alsosupportsthecurrentunderwatersearcharea,althoughreversedriftmodellingisveryimpreciseoverlongperiodsoftime.[77]MarinedebrisAweekafterthediscoveryofaflaperonfromFlight370onabeachonRunion(anoverseasdepartmentofFrance),Franceannouncedplansforanaerialsearchforpossiblemarinedebrisaroundtheisland.On7August2015,Francebegansearchinganarea120km(75mi)by40km(25mi)alongtheeastcoastofRunion.[83]Footpatrolsfordebrisalongbeachesarealsoplanned.[86]Malaysiahasaskedauthoritiesinneighboringstatestobeonalertformarinedebriswhichcouldbefromanaircraft.[124]Flightdeckof9MMROin2004.WikimediaCommonshasmediarelatedtoaircraft9MMRO.AircraftFlight370wasoperatedwithaBoeing7772H6ER,[g]serialnumber28420,registration9MMRO.The404thBoeing777produced,[126]itfirstflewon14May2002andwasdeliverednewtoMalaysiaAirlineson31May2002.TheaircraftwaspoweredbytwoRollsRoyceTrent892engines[126]andconfiguredtocarry282passengers.[127]Ithadaccumulated53,471.6hoursand7,526cyclesinservice[41]:22andhadnotpreviouslybeeninvolvedinanymajorincidents,[128]thoughaminorincidentwhiletaxiingatShanghaiPudongInternationalAirportinAugust2012resultedinabrokenwingtip.[129][130]Itslastmaintenance"Acheck"wascarriedouton23February2014.[131]TheaircraftwasincompliancewithallapplicableAirworthinessDirectivesfortheairframeandengines.[41]:27Areplenishmentofthecrewoxygensystemaroutinemaintenancetaskwasperformedon7March2014anexaminationofthisprocedurefoundnothingunusual.[41]:27TheBoeing777,introducedin1994,isgenerallyregardedbyaviationexpertsashavingasafetyrecordthatisoneofthebestofanycommercialaircraft.[36][37]SinceitsfirstcommercialflightinJune1995,therehavebeenonlyfourotherseriousaccidentsinvolvinghullloss:BritishAirwaysFlight38in2008acockpitfireinaparkedEgyptAir777200atCairoInternationalAirportin2011[132][133]thecrashofAsianaAirlinesFlight214in2013,inwhichthreepeoplediedandMalaysiaAirlinesFlight17,whichwasshotdownoverUkrainewith298peopleaboardinJuly2014.[38][134]PassengersandcrewPeopleonboardbynationalityNationality No.Australia 6Canada 2China 152France 4HongKong[h]1India[136]5Indonesia 7Iran[i]2Malaysia[j]50Netherlands 1NewZealand 2Russia 1Taiwan 1Ukraine 2UnitedStates 3Total 239MalaysiaAirlinesreleasedthenamesandnationalitiesofthe227passengersand12crewmembers,basedontheflightmanifest,latermodifiedtoincludetwoIranianpassengerstravellingonstolenpassports.[137]CrewAll12crewmemberswereMalaysiancitizens.Twopilotswereamongthecrew:[138]Thepilotincommandwas53yearoldCaptainZaharieAhmadShahfromPenang.HejoinedMalaysiaAirlinesasacadetpilotin1981and,aftertrainingandreceivinghiscommercialpilot'slicence,becameaSecondOfficerwiththeairlinein1983.ShahwaspromotedtocaptainoftheBoeing737400in1991,captainofAirbusA330300in1996,andtocaptainofBoeing777200in1998.HehadbeenaTypeRatingInstructorandTypeRatingExaminersince2007andhad18,365hoursofflyingexperience.[41]:13[138][139]Thecopilotwas27yearoldFirstOfficerFariqAbdulHamid.HejoinedMalaysiaAirlinesasacadetpilotin2007andbecameaSecondOfficeronBoeing737400aircraft.HewaspromotedtofirstofficerofBoeing737400aircraftin2010andlatertransitionedtoAirbusA330300aircraftin2012.InNovember2013,hebegantrainingasfirstofficeronBoeing777200aircraft.Flight370washisfinaltrainingflightandhewasscheduledtobeexaminedonhisnextflight.Hamidhad2,763hoursofflyingexperience.[41]:14[140][141]PassengersOfthe227passengers,152wereChinesecitizens,includingagroupof19artistswith6familymembersand4staffreturningfromacalligraphyexhibitionoftheirworkinKualaLumpur38passengerswereMalaysian.Theremainingpassengerswerefrom13differentcountries.[142]Twentypassengers12ofwhomwerefromMalaysiaand8fromChinawereemployeesofFreescaleSemiconductor.[143][144]Undera2007agreementwithMalaysiaAirlines,TzuChianinternationalBuddhistorganisationimmediatelysentspeciallytrainedteamstoBeijingandMalaysiatogiveemotionalsupporttopassengers'families.[145][146]Theairlinealsosentitsownteamofcaregiversandvolunteers[147]andagreedtobeartheexpensesofbringingfamilymembersofthepassengerstoKualaLumpurandprovidingthemwithaccommodation,medicalcare,andcounselling.[148]Altogether,115familymembersoftheChinesepassengersflewtoKualaLumpur.[149]SomeotherfamilymemberschosetoremaininChina,fearingtheywouldfeeltooisolatedinMalaysia.[150]InvestigationInternationalparticipationMalaysiasetupaJointInvestigationTeam(JIT),composedofspecialistsfromMalaysia,Australia,China,theUK,theUS,andFrance,[5]:1[151]beingledaccordingtotheICAOstandardsby"anindependentinvestigatorincharge".[152][153][154]Theteamconsistsofanairworthinessgroup,anoperationsgroup,andamedicalandhumanfactorsgroup.Theairworthinessgroupwillexamineissuesrelatedtomaintenancerecords,structures,andsystemsoftheaircraft.Theoperationsgroupwillreviewflightrecorders,operations,andmeteorology.Themedicalandhumanfactorsgroupwillinvestigatepsychological,pathological,andsurvivalfactors.[155]Malaysiaalsoannounced,on6April,thatithadsetupthreeministerialcommitteesaNextofKinCommittee,acommitteetoorganisetheformationoftheJointInvestigationTeam,andacommitteeresponsibleforMalaysianassetsdeployedinthesearcheffort.[155]ThecriminalinvestigationisbeingledbytheRoyalMalaysiaPolice,[1]:9assistedbyInterpolandotherrelevantinternationallawenforcementauthorities.[156][157]On17March,Australiatookcontrolforcoordinatingsearch,rescue,andrecoveryoperations.Forthefollowingsixweeks,theAustralianMaritimeSafetyAuthority(AMSA)andAustralianTransportSafetyBoard(ATSB)workedtodeterminethesearcharea,correlatinginformationwiththeJITandothergovernmentandacademicsources,whiletheJointAgencyCoordinationCentre(JACC)coordinatedthesearchefforts.Followingthefourthphaseofthesearch,theATSBtookresponsibilityfordefiningthesearcharea.InMay,thesearchstrategyworkinggroupwasestablishedbytheATSBtodeterminethemostlikelypositionontheaircraftatthe00:19UTCsatellitetransmission.Thegroupincludedaircraftandsatelliteexpertsfrom:AirAccidentsInvestigationBranch(UK),Boeing(US),DefenceScienceandTechnologyOrganisation(Australia),DepartmentofCivilAviation(Malaysia),Inmarsat(UK),NationalTransportationSafetyBoard(US),andThales(UK).[5]:1[158][159]TheMalaysianMinistryofTransportissuedaninterimreportentitled"FactualInformation:SafetyInformationforMH370"on8March2015.Assuggestedbythereport'stitle,itfocusedonprovidingfactualinformationandnotanalysisofpossiblecausesofthedisappearance.[160]AnalysisofsatellitecommunicationAdepictionofanInmarsat3seriessatellite.Flight370wasincontactwithInmarsat3F1(alsoknownas"IOR"forIndianOceanRegion).ThecommunicationsbetweenFlight370andthesatellitecommunicationnetworkoperatedbyInmarsat,whichwererelayedbytheInmarsat3F1satellite,providetheonlysignificantcluestothelocationofFlight370afterdisappearingfromMalaysianmilitaryradarat02:22.Thesecommunicationshavealsobeenusedtodeducepossibleinflightevents(seenextsection).TheinvestigativeteamwaschallengedwithreconstructingtheflightpathofFlight370fromalimitedsetoftransmissionswithnoexplicitinformationabouttheaircraft'slocation,heading,orspeed.[5]:1617[66]BackgroundAeronauticalsatellitecommunication(SATCOM)systemsareusedtotransmitmessagesfromtheaircraftcockpitaswellasautomatedmessagesfromonboardsystemsusingtheACARScommunicationsprotocol,butmayalsobeusedtotransmitFANSandATNmessagesandprovidevoice,faxanddatalinks[161]usingotherprotocols.[66][162][163]Theaircraft'ssatellitedataunit(SDU)isusedtosendandreceivesignalswiththesatellitecommunicationsnetworkitoperatesindependentlyofotheraircraftequipmentwhichcommunicatethroughtheSATCOMsystem,manyusingtheACARSprotocol.SignalsfromtheSDUarerelayedbyasatellite,whichsimplychangesthesignal'sfrequency,andthenreceivedbyagroundstationwhichprocessesthesignaland,ifapplicable,routesittoitsdestination(e.g..MalaysiaAirlines'operationscentre)signalstotheaircraftaresentinreverseorder.WhentheSDUispoweredonandattemptstoconnectwiththeInmarsatnetwork,itwilltransmitalogonrequest,whichthegroundstationacknowledges.[5]:17[163]Thisis,inpart,todeterminethattheSDUbelongstoanactiveservicesubscriberandalsousedtodeterminewhichsatelliteshouldbeusedtotransmitmessagestotheSDU.[163]Afterconnecting,ifagroundstationhasnotreceivedanycontactfromaterminalforonehour,[k]thegroundstationwilltransmita"logoninterrogation"messageinformallyreferredtoasa"ping"[5]:18anactiveterminalautomaticallyresponds.Theentireprocessofinterrogatingtheterminalisreferredtoasa'handshake'.[59][164]Communicationsfrom02:25to08:19MYTAlthoughtheACARSdatalinkonFlight370stoppedfunctioningbetween01:07and02:03MYT,[48]:36theSDUremainedoperable.[5]AfterlastcontactbyprimaryradarwestofMalaysia,thefollowingrecordswererecordedinthelogofInmarsat'sgroundstationatPerth,WesternAustralia(alltimesMYT/UTC+8):[5]:18[48][l]02:25:27Firsthandshakealogonrequestinitiatedbyaircraft02:39:52Groundtoaircrafttelephonecall,acknowledgedbySDU,unanswered03:41:00Secondhandshake(initiatedbygroundstation)04:41:02Thirdhandshake(initiatedbygroundstation)05:41:24Fourthhandshake(initiatedbygroundstation)06:41:19Fifthhandshake(initiatedbygroundstation)07:13:58Groundtoaircrafttelephonecall,acknowledgedbySDU,unanswered08:10:58Sixthhandshake(initiatedbygroundstation)08:19:29Seventhhandshake(initiatedbyaircraft)widelyreportedasa"partialhandshake'",consistingoftwotransmissions:[48]08:19:29.416"logonrequest"messagetransmittedbyaircraft(seventh"partial"handshake)08:19:37.443"logonacknowledge"messagetransmittedbyaircraft,lasttransmissionreceivedfromFlight370Theaircraftdidnotrespondtoapingat09:15.[48]DeductionsAfewdeductionscanbemadefromthesatellitecommunications.Thefirstisthattheaircraftremainedoperationaluntilatleast08:19sevenhoursafterfinalcontactwasmadewithairtrafficcontrolovertheSouthChinaSea.Thevaryingburstfrequencyoffset(BFO)valuesindicatetheaircraftwasmovingatspeed.Theaircraft'sSDUneedslocationandtrackinformationtokeepitsantennapointedtowardsthesatellite,soitcanalsobededucedthattheaircraft'snavigationsystemwasoperational.[165]:4Sincetheaircraftdidnotrespondtoapingat09:15,itcanbeconcludedthatatsomepointbetween08:19and09:15,theaircraftlosttheabilitytocommunicatewiththegroundstation.[59][60][164]Thelogonmessagesentfromtheaircraftat08:19:29was"logonrequest".[5]:22ThereareonlyafewreasonstheSDUwouldtransmitalogonrequest,suchasapowerinterruption,softwarefailure,lossofcriticalsystemsprovidinginputtotheSDU,oralossofthelinkduetotheaircraft'sattitude.[5]:22Investigatorsconsiderthemostlikelyreasontobethattheyweresentduringpowerupafteranelectricaloutage.[5]:33At08:19,theaircrafthadbeenairbornefor7h38minthetypicalKualaLumpurBeijingflightis512hoursandfuelexhaustionwaslikely.[5]:33[5]:33[166]IntheeventoffuelexhaustionandengineflameoutwhichwouldeliminatepowertotheSDUtheaircraft'sramairturbinewoulddeploy,providingpowertosomeinstrumentsandflightcontrols,includingtheSDU.[5]:33Approximately90secondsafterthe02:25handshakealsoalogonrequestcommunicationsfromtheaircraft'sinflightentertainmentsystemwererecordedinthegroundstationlog.Similarmessageswouldbeexpectedfollowingthe08:19handshakebutnonewerereceived,supportingthefuelstarvationscenario.[5]:22AnalysisTwoparametersassociatedwiththesetransmissionsthatwererecordedinalogatthegroundstationwerekeytotheinvestigation:Bursttimeoffset(BTO)thetimedifferencebetweenwhenasignalissentfromthegroundstationandwhentheresponseisreceived.ThismeasureistwicethedistancefromthegroundstationtosatellitetotheaircraftandincludesthetimethattheSDUtakesbetweenreceivingandrespondingtothemessageandtimebetweenreceptionandprocessingatthegroundstation.ThismeasurecanbeanalysedtodeterminethedistancebetweenthesatelliteandtheaircraftandresultsinaringontheEarth'ssurfacethatisequidistantfromthesatelliteatthecalculateddistance,whichcanbereducedtoarcsbyeliminatingpartsoftheringsoutsidetheaircraft'srange.[5]:18[165]:46Burstfrequencyoffset(BFO)thedifferencebetweentheexpectedandreceivedfrequencyoftransmissions.ThedifferenceiscausedbyDopplershiftasthesignalstravelledfromtheaircrafttothesatellitetothegroundstationthefrequencytranslationsmadeinthesatelliteandatthegroundstationasmall,constanterror(bias)intheSDUthatresultsfromdriftandageingandcompensationappliedbytheSDUtocountertheDopplershiftontheuplink.Thismeasurecanbeanalysedtodeterminetheaircraft'sspeedandheading,butmultiplecombinationsofspeedandheadingcanbevalidsolutions.[5]:18[165]:911Bycombiningthedistancebetweentheaircraftandsatellite,speed,andheadingwithaircraftperformanceconstraints(e.g.fuelconsumption,possiblespeedsandaltitudes),investigatorsgeneratedcandidatepathsthatwereanalysedseparatelybytwomethods.Thefirstassumestheaircraftwasflyingononeofthethreeautopilotmodes(twoarefurtheraffectedbywhetherthenavigationsystemusedmagneticnorthortruenorthasareference)andcalculatestheBTOandBFOvaluesalongtheseroutesandcomparesthemwiththevaluesrecordedfromFlight370.Thesecondmethodgeneratedpathswhichhadtheaircraft'sspeedandheadingadjustedatthetimeofeachhandshaketominimisethedifferencebetweenthecalculatedBFOofthepathandthevaluesrecordedfromFlight370.[5]:18,2528[167]:1011AprobabilitydistributionforeachmethodattheBTOarcofthesixthhandshakeofthetwomethodswascreatedandthencompared80percentofthehighestprobabilitypathsforbothanalysescombinedintersecttheBTOarcofthesixthhandshakebetween32.5Sand38.1S,whichcanbeextrapolatedto33.5Sand38.3SalongtheBTOarcoftheseventhhandshake.[167]:12PossibleinflighteventsPowerinterruptionTheSATCOMlinkfunctionednormallyfrompreflight(beginningat00:00MYT)untilitrespondedtoagroundtoairACARSmessagewithanacknowledgemessageat01:07.GroundtoairACARSmessagescontinuedtobetransmittedtoFlight370untilInmarsat'snetworksentmultiple"RequestforAcknowledge"messagesat02:03,withoutaresponsefromtheaircraft.Atsometimebetween01:07and02:03,powerwaslosttotheSDU.At02:25,theaircraft'sSDUsenta"logonrequest".[5]:22[48]:3639Itisnotcommonforalogonrequesttobemadeinflight,butitcouldoccurformultiplereasons.Ananalysisofthecharacteristicsandtimingoftheserequestssuggestapowerinterruptioninflightisthemostlikelyculprit.[5]:33[168]Asthepowerinterruptionwasnotduetoengineflameout,perATSB,itmayhavebeentheresultofmanuallyswitchingofftheaircraft'selectricalsystem.[5]:33UnresponsivecreworhypoxiaAnanalysisbytheATSBcomparingtheevidenceavailableforFlight370withthreecategoriesofaccidentsaninflightupset(e.g.,stall),aglideevent(e.g.,enginefailure,fuelstarvation),andanunresponsivecreworhypoxiaeventconcludedthatanunresponsivecreworhypoxiaevent"bestfittheavailableevidence"[5]:34forthefivehourperiodoftheflightasittravelledsouthovertheIndianOceanwithoutcommunicationorsignificantdeviationsinitstrack,[5]:34likelyonautopilot.[33][34][35]Thereisnoconsensusamonginvestigatorsontheunresponsivecreworhypoxiatheory.[33]Ifnocontrolinputsweremadefollowingflameoutandthedisengagementofautopilot,theaircraftwouldlikelyhaveenteredaspiraldive[5]:33andentertheoceanwithin20nmi(37km23mi)oftheflameoutanddisengagementofautopilot.[5]:35PossiblecausesofdisappearancePassengerinvolvementTwomenboardedFlight370withstolenpassports,whichraisedsuspicionintheimmediateaftermathofitsdisappearance.[169][170]Thepassports,oneAustrianandoneItalian,werereportedstoleninThailandintheprecedingtwoyears.[169]Interpolstatedthatbothpassportswerelistedonitsdatabaseoflostandstolenpassports,andthatnocheckhadbeenmadeagainstitsdatabase.[171][172]Malaysia'sHomeMinister,AhmadZahidHamidi,criticisedhiscountry'simmigrationofficialsforfailingtostopthepassengerstravellingonthestolenEuropeanpassports.[172]ThetwoonewayticketspurchasedfortheholdersofthestolenpassportswerebookedthroughChinaSouthernAirlines.[169]ItwasreportedthatanIranianhadorderedthecheapestticketstoEuropeviatelephoneinBangkok,Thailandandpaidincash.[173][174]ThetwopassengerswerelateridentifiedasIranianmen,oneaged19andtheother29,whohadenteredMalaysiaon28FebruaryusingvalidIranianpassports.TheheadofInterpolsaidtheorganizationwas"inclinedtoconcludethatitwasnotaterroristincident".[29]Thetwomenwerebelievedtobeasylumseekers.[30][31]UnitedStatesandMalaysianofficialswerereviewingthebackgroundsofeverypassengernamedonthemanifest.[142]On18March,theChinesegovernmentannouncedthatithadcheckedalloftheChinesecitizensontheaircraftandruledoutthepossibilitythatanywerepotentialhijackers.[175]OnepassengerwhoworkedasaflightengineerforaSwissjetchartercompanywasbrieflysuspectedasapotentialhijackerbecausehewasthoughttohavetherelevantskillset.[176]CrewinvolvementInvestigatorsbelievesomeoneinthecockpitofFlight370reprogrammedtheaircraft'sautopilotbeforeittravelledsouthacrosstheIndianOcean.[177][178]Policesearchedthehomesofthepilotsandseizedfinancialrecordsforall12crewmembers,includingbankstatements,creditcardbillsandmortgagedocuments.[179][180]On2April2014,Malaysia'sPoliceInspectorGeneralsaidthatmorethan170interviewshadbeenconductedaspartofMalaysia'scriminalinvestigation,includinginterviewswithfamilymembersofthepilotsandcrew.[181][182]MediareportshaveclaimedthatMalaysianpolicehaveidentifiedCaptainShahastheprimesuspectifhumaninterventionisproventobethecauseofFlight370'sdisappearance.[32][183][184][185]TheUnitedStates'FederalBureauofInvestigationreconstructedthedeleteddatafromCaptainShah'shomeflightsimulatoraMalaysiangovernmentspokesmanindicatedthat"nothingsinister"[186]hadbeenfoundonit.[186][187]ThepreliminaryreportissuedbyMalaysiainMarch2015statesthattherewas"noevidenceofrecentorimminentsignificantfinancialtransactionscarriedout"[41]:20byanyofthepilotsorcrewandthatanalysisofthebehaviourofthepilotsonCCTVshowed"nosignificantbehaviouralchanges".[41]:21CargoFlight370wascarrying10,806kg(23,823lb)ofcargo,ofwhichfourULDsofmangosteensandtwopalletscontaininglithiumionbatteriesareofinterest,accordingtoMalaysianinvestigators.[41]:103,108109ThefourULDsofmangosteenswereloadedintotheaftcargobayoftheaircraft.Thelithiumionbatteriesweredividedamongtwopalletsintheforwardcargobayandonepalletplacedintherearoftheaftcargobay.[41]:106Therewere221kg(487lb)oflithiumionbatteriescontainedwithina2,453kg(5,408lb)consignmentbeingtransportedbetweenMotorolaSolutionsfacilitiesinBayanLepas,MalaysiaandTianjin,Chinatherestoftheconsignmentconsistedofwalkietalkiechargersandaccessories.[41]:103Thelithiumionbatterieswereassembledon7MarchandtransportedtothePenangCargoComplextobetransportedbyMASkargoMalaysiaAirlines'cargosubsidiarytobeloadedontoatrucktotransportittoKualaLumpurInternationalAirportandonwardsbyairtoBeijing.[41]:104AtthePenangCargoComplex,theconsignmentwasinspectedbyMASkargoemployeesandMalaysiancustomsofficials,butdidnotgothroughasecurityscreening,beforethetruckwassealedfortransfertotheairport.[41]:104TheconsignmentdidnotgothroughanyadditionalinspectionsatKualaLumpurInternationalAirportbeforeitwasloadedontoFlight370.[41]:104BecausethelithiumionbatterieswerepackagedinaccordancewithIATAguidelines,[m]theywerenotregulatedasdangerousgoods.[41]:106Lithiumionbatteriescancauseintensefiresiftheyoverheatandignite,whichhasledtostrictregulationsontheirtransportaboardaircraft.[188][189]AfirefueledbylithiumionbatteriescausedthecrashofUPSAirlinesFlight6andlithiumionbatteriesaresuspectedtohavecausedafirewhichresultedinthecrashofAsianaAirlinesFlight991bothwerecargoaircraft.[190][189][191]Someairlineshavestoppedcarryingbulkshipmentsoflithiumionbatteriesonpassengeraircraft,citingsafetyconcerns.[190][189]A4,566kg(10,066lb)consignmentofmangosteenswasaboardFlight370,overhalfofwhichwasharvestedinMuar,MalaysiaandtheremainderfromSumatra,Indonesia.[41]:107Themangosteenswerepackagedinplasticbasketscontaining89kg(1820lb)ofmangosteensandcoveredwithawatersoakedspongetopreservetheirfreshness.[41]:108ThemangosteenswereloadedintofourULDsatKualaLumpurInternationalAirportandinspectedbyofficialsfromMalaysia'sFederalAgricultureMarketingAuthoritybeforebeingloadedontoFlight370.[41]:108AccordingtotheheadofMalaysianpolice,InspectorGeneralTanSirKhalidAbuBakar,thepeoplewhohandledthemangosteensaswellastheChineseimporterswerequestionedtoruleoutsabotage.[192][193]AftermathInformationsharingPubliccommunicationfromMalaysianofficialsregardingthelossoftheflightwasinitiallybesetwithconfusion.[n]TheMalaysiangovernmentandtheairlinereleasedimprecise,incomplete,andsometimesinaccurateinformation,withcivilianofficialssometimescontradictingmilitaryleaders.[207]Malaysianofficialswerecriticisedforsuchpersistentreleaseofcontradictoryinformation,mostnotablyregardingthelastpointandtimeofcontactwiththeaircraft.[208]AlthoughMalaysia'sactingTransportMinisterHishammuddinHussein,whoisalsothecountry'sDefenceMinister,deniedtheexistenceofproblemsbetweentheparticipatingcountries,academicssaidthatbecauseofregionalconflicts,thereweregenuinetrustissuesinvolvedincooperationandsharingintelligence,andthatthesewerehamperingthesearch.[209][210]Internationalrelationsexpertssaidentrenchedrivalriesoversovereignty,security,intelligence,andnationalinterestsmademeaningfulmultilateralcooperationverydifficult.[209][210]AChineseacademicmadetheobservationthatthepartiesweresearchingindependently,thusitwasnotamultilateralsearcheffort.[210]TheGuardiannotedtheVietnamesepermissiongivenforChineseaircrafttooverflyitsairspaceasapositivesignofcooperation.[210]Vietnamtemporarilyscaledbackitssearchoperationsafterthecountry'sDeputyTransportMinistercitedalackofcommunicationfromMalaysianofficialsdespiterequestsformoreinformation.[211]China,throughtheofficialXinhuaNewsAgency,saidthattheMalaysiangovernmentoughttotakechargeandconducttheoperationwithgreatertransparency,apointechoedbytheChineseForeignMinistrydayslater.[209][212]Malaysiahadinitiallydeclinedtoreleaserawdatafromitsmilitaryradar,deemingtheinformation"toosensitive,"[209]butlateracceded.[209][210]Defenceexpertssuggestedthatgivingothersaccesstoradarinformationcouldbesensitiveonamilitarylevel.Asanexample:"Therateatwhichtheycantakethepicturecanalsorevealhowgoodtheradarsystemis."[209]Onesuggestedthatsomecountriescouldalreadyhavehadradardataontheaircraftbutwerereluctanttoshareanyinformationthatcouldpotentiallyrevealtheirdefencecapabilitiesandcompromisetheirownsecurity.[209]Similarly,submarinespatrollingtheSouthChinaSeamighthaveinformationintheeventofawaterimpact,andsharingsuchinformationcouldrevealtheirlocationsandlisteningcapabilities.[213]Criticismwasalsolevelledatthedelayofthesearchefforts.On11March,threedaysaftertheaircraftdisappeared,BritishsatellitecompanyInmarsathadprovidedofficials(oritspartner,SITA)withdatasuggestingtheaircraftwasnowhereneartheareasintheGulfofThailandandtheSouthChinaSeabeingsearchedatthattimeandmayhavediverteditscoursethroughasouthernornortherncorridor.ThisinformationwasonlypubliclyacknowledgedandreleasedbyNajibon15Marchinapressconference.[66][214]Explainingwhyinformationaboutsatellitesignalshadnotbeenmadeavailableearlier,MalaysiaAirlinessaidthattherawsatellitesignalsneededtobeverifiedandanalysed"sothattheirsignificancecouldbeproperlyunderstood"beforeitcouldpubliclyconfirmtheirexistence.[215]HishammuddinsaidMalaysianandUSinvestigatorshadimmediatelydiscussedtheInmarsatdatauponreceivingthemon12March,andontwooccasions,bothgroupsagreedthatitneededfurtherprocessingandsentthedatatotheUStwiceforthispurpose.Dataanalysiswascompletedon14March:bythen,theAAIBhadindependentlyarrivedatthesameconclusion.[216]InJune2014,relativesofpassengersonFlight370beganacrowdfundingcampaignonIndiegogotoraiseUS$100,000withanultimategoalofraisingUS$5millionasarewardtoencourageanyonewhoknowsthelocationofFlight370orthecauseofitsdisappearancetorevealwhattheyknow.[217][218]Thecampaign,whichended8August2014,raisedUS$100,516from1007contributors.[217]MalaysiaAirlinesAmonthafterthedisappearance,MalaysiaAirlines'chiefexecutiveAhmadJauhariYahyaacknowledgedthatticketsaleshaddeclinedbutfailedtoprovidespecificdetails.Thismaypartiallyresultfromthesuspensionoftheairline'sadvertisementcampaignsfollowingthedisappearance.AhmadstatedinaninterviewwiththeWallStreetJournalthattheairline's"primaryfocus...isthatwedotakecareofthefamiliesintermsoftheiremotionalneedsandalsotheirfinancialneeds.Itisimportantthatweprovideanswersforthem.Itisimportantthattheworldhasanswers,aswell."[219]Infurtherremarks,Ahmadsaidhewasnotsurewhentheairlinecouldstartrepairingitsimage,butthattheairlinewasadequatelyinsuredtocoverthefinanciallossstemmingfromFlight370'sdisappearance.[219][220]InChina,wherethemajorityofpassengerswerefrom,bookingsonMalaysiaAirlinesweredown60percentinMarch.[221]MalaysiaAirlinesretiredtheFlight370(MH370)flightnumberandreplaceditwithFlight318(MH318)beginning14March.Thisfollowsacommonpracticeamongairlinestorenameflightsfollowingnotoriousaccidents.[222][223]TheflightMalaysiaAirline'sseconddailyflighttoBeijingwaslatersuspendedbeginning2Mayaccordingtoinsiders,thiswasduetolackofdemand.[44][224]MalaysiaAirlineswasgivenUS$110millionfrominsurersinMarch2014tocoverinitialpaymentstopassengers'familiesandthesearcheffort.[225]InMay,remarksfromleadreinsureroftheflight,Allianz,indicatedtheinsuredmarketlossonFlight370,includingthesearch,wasaboutUS$350million.[226][227]FinancialtroublesAtthetimeofFlight370'sdisappearance,MalaysiaAirlineswasstrugglingtocutcoststocompetewithawaveofnew,lowcostcarriersintheregion.Inthepreviousthreeyears,MalaysiaAirlineshadbookedlossesof:RM1.17billion(US$356million)in2013,RM433millionin2012,andRM2.5billionin2011.[219]MalaysiaAirlineslostRM443.4million(US$137.4million)inthefirstquarterof2014(JanuaryMarch).[220]ThesecondquarterthefirstfullquarterintheaftermathofFlight370'sdisappearancesawalossofRM307.04million(US$97.6million),whichrepresenteda75percentincreaseoverlossesfromthesecondquarterof2013.[228]IndustryanalystsexpectMalaysiaAirlinestolosefurthermarketshareandfaceachallengingenvironmenttostandoutfromcompetitorswhileaddressingtheirfinancialplight.[219]Thecompany'sstock,downasmuchas20percentfollowingthedisappearanceofFlight370,hadfallen80percentoverthepreviousfiveyears,whichcontrastswithariseintheMalaysianstockmarketofabout80percentoverthesameperiod.[221]ManyanalystsandthemediasuggestedthatMalaysiaAirlineswouldneedtorebrandandrepairitsimageand/orrequiregovernmentassistancetoreturntoprofitability.[229][230][231][232][233]ThelossofFlight17inJulygreatlyexacerbatedMalaysiaAirline'swoes.ThecombinedeffectonconsumerconfidenceofthelossofFlights370and17andtheairline'spoorfinancialperformanceledKhazanahNasionalthemajorityshareholder(69.37percent)[234]andaMalaysianstateruninvestmentarmtoannounceon8Augustitsplantopurchasetheremainderoftheairline,therebyrenationalisingit.[235][236][237]Compensationforpassengers'kinLackofevidenceindeterminingthecauseofFlight370'sdisappearance,indeedevenphysicalevidencethattheaircraftcrashed,raisesmanyissuesregardingresponsibilityfortheaccidentandpaymentsmadebyinsuranceagencies.[238]UndertheMontrealConvention,itisthecarrier'sresponsibilitytoprovelackoffaultinanaccidentandeachpassenger'snextofkinareautomaticallyentitled,regardlessoffault,toapaymentofapproximatelyUS$175,000[o]fromtheairline'sinsurancecompanyatotalofnearlyUS$40millionforthe227passengersonboard.[238]MessagesforMH370atabookstoreinMalaysiaMalaysiaAirlineswouldstillbevulnerabletocivillawsuitsfrompassengers'families.[238]Compensationawardedduringorsettledoutofcourtduringciviltrialswilllikelyvarywidelyamongpassengersbasedoncountryofthecourt.AnAmericancourtcouldlikelyawardupwardsofUS$810million,whileChinesecourtswouldlikelyawardasmallfractionofthat.[239][240][241]DespitetheannouncementthatFlight370endedinthesouthernIndianOcean,itwasnotuntil29January2015thattheMalaysiangovernmentofficiallydeclaredFlight370anaccidentwithnosurvivors,amovethatwouldallowcompensationclaimstobemade.[242]ThefirstlawsuitrelatedtothedisappearancewasfiledinOctober2014beforeFlight370wasdeclaredanaccidentonbehalfoftwoMalaysianboyswhosefatherwasapassenger,[p]fornegligenceinfailingtocontacttheaircraftsoonafteritwaslostandforbreachofcontractforfailingtobringthepassengertohisdestination.[245]MalaysiaAirlinesofferedexgratiacondolencepaymentssoonafterthedisappearance.InChina,familiesofpassengerswereoffered31,000(aboutUS$5,000)"comfortmoney"[246]butsomefamiliesrejectedtheoffer.[247]ItwasalsoreportedthatMalaysianrelativesreceivedonly$2,000.[247]InJune,Malaysia'sdeputyForeignMinisterHamzahZainuddinsaidthatfamiliesofsevenpassengersreceived$50,000advancecompensationfromMalaysiaAirlines,[248]butthatfullpayoutwouldcomeaftertheaircraftisfoundorofficiallydeclaredlost[249](whichlateroccurredinJanuary2015).[242]MalaysiaQuestionsandcriticismswereraisedbyairforceexpertsandtheMalaysianoppositionaboutthecurrentstateofMalaysia'sairforceandradarcapabilities.ThefailureoftheRoyalMalaysianAirForcetoidentifyandrespondtoanunidentifiedaircraft(laterdeterminedtobeFlight370)flyingthroughMalaysianairspacehasbeencriticisedbymany.[250][251][252][253]TheMalaysianmilitarybecameawareoftheunidentifiedflightonlyafterreviewingradarrecordingsseveralhoursafterFlight370'sdisappearance.[252]Notonlywasthefailuretorecogniseandreacttotheunidentifiedaircraftasecurityblunder,itwasalsoamissedopportunitytointerceptFlight370andpreventthetimeconsumingandexpensivesearchoperation.[252][253]MalaysianPrimeMinisterNajibRazakrespondedtocriticismofhisgovernmentinanopinionpiecepublishedintheTheWallStreetJournal:Withoutphysicalevidence,oraclearexplanationforwhythishappened,peoples'attentionhasnaturallyfocusedontheauthoritiesandMalaysiahasbornethebruntofthecriticism.Inthepassageoftime,IbelieveMalaysiawillbecreditedfordoingitsbestundernearimpossiblecircumstances.Itisnosmallfeatforacountrythesizeofourstoovercomediplomaticandmilitarysensitivitiesandbring26differentcountriestogethertoconductoneoftheworld'slargestpeacetimesearchoperations.Butwedidn'tgeteverythingright...theresponsetimeshouldandwillbeinvestigated...IpledgethatMalaysiawillkeepsearchingfortheplaneforaslongasittakes.MalaysianPrimeMinisterNajibRazak,Malaysia'sLessonsFromtheVanishedAirplane(TheWallStreetJournal,13May2014)[254]Intheopinionpiece,Najibgoesontoemphasisetheneedfortheaviationindustryto"notonlylearnthelessonsofMH370butimplementthem,"sayinginclosingthat"theworldlearnedfrom[AirFranceFlight447]butdidn'tact.Thesamemistakemustnotbemadeagain."[254]OppositionleaderAnwarIbrahimstronglycriticisedtheMalaysiangovernmentregardingitsresponsetoFlight370'sdisappearanceandthemilitary'sresponsewhenFlight370turnedbackovertheMalayPeninsulahehascalledforaninternationalcommitteetotakechargeoftheinvestigation"tosavetheimageofthecountryandtosavethecountry."[255]MalaysianauthoritieshaveaccusedAnwarwhowasjailedoncontentiouschargesthedaybeforeFlight370disappearedofpoliticisingthecrisis.Flight370'scaptainwasasupporterofAnwarandthetwokneweachother.[255]Malaysia'sDefenceandTransportMinisterHishammuddinHusseinacentralfigureinthesearchandinvestigationofFlight370andactiveonTwitterwascriticisedforresponding/retweetingatweetbyaMalaysianjournalist:"Rightuare:)@IsmailAmsyar:#MH370isablessingindisguise4allofus.Iunderstandnowdbeautyofunity&sweetnessofhavingeachother."[256]Theremarkswereviewedasinsensitivetothevictims'families.Bothtweetswereremoved.[256][257]QuestionedwhyMalaysiadidnotscramblefighterjetstointercepttheaircraftasittrackedbackacrosstheMalayPeninsula,henotedthatitwasdeemedacommercialaircraftandwasnothostile,remarking:"Ifyou'renotgoingtoshootitdown,what'sthepointofsending[afighterjet]up?"[258]ThepoorresponsetothecrisisandlackoftransparencyintheresponsehasbroughtattentiontothestateofmediainMalaysia.Afterdecadesofhavingtightcontrolofmedia,duringwhichgovernmentofficialswereaccustomedtopassingoverissueswithoutscrutinyoraccountability,Malaysiawassuddenlythrusttotheforefrontofglobalmediaandunabletoadjusttodemandsfortransparency.Confrontedbyaforeignjournalistabouttheslowresponseandconflictinginformation,DefenceandTransportMinisterHishammuddinHusseinrespondedthathehadreceived"alotoffeedbacksayingwevebeenveryresponsibleinouractions...itsveryirresponsibleofyoutosaythat."[259]ChinaChineseDeputyForeignMinisterXieHangshengreactedscepticallytotheconclusionbytheMalaysiangovernmentthattheaircrafthadgonedownwithnosurvivors,demanding"alltherelevantinformationandevidenceaboutthesatellitedataanalysis"andsaidthattheMalaysiangovernmentmust"finishalltheworkincludingsearchandrescue."[69][260]Thefollowingday,25March,ChinesepresidentXiJinpingsentaspecialenvoytoKualaLumpurtoconsultwiththeMalaysiangovernmentoverthemissingaircraft.[261]RelativesofpassengersOn25March,aroundtwohundredfamilymembersoftheChinesepassengersprotestedoutsidetheMalaysianembassyinBeijing.[262][263]RelativeswhohadarrivedinKualaLumpuraftertheannouncementcontinuedwiththeirprotest,accusingMalaysiaofhidingthetruthandharbouringthemurderer.TheyalsowantedanapologyfortheMalaysiangovernment'spoorinitialhandlingofthedisasterandits"premature"conclusionofloss,drawnwithoutphysicalevidence.[264]AnopedforChinaDailysaidthatMalaysiawasnotwhollytobeblamedforitspoorhandlingofsucha"bizarre"[265]and"unprecedentedcrisis,"[265]andappealedtoChinesepeoplenottoallowemotionstoprevailoverevidenceandrationality.[265]TheChineseambassadortoMalaysiadefendedtheMalaysiangovernment'sresponse,statingthattherelatives'"radicalandirresponsibleopinionsdonotrepresenttheviewsofChinesepeopleandtheChinesegovernment".[266]TheambassadoralsostronglycriticisedWesternmediaforhaving"publishedfalsenews,stokedconflictandevenspreadrumours"[267]tothedetrimentofrelativesandofSinoMalaysianrelations.[267]Ontheotherhand,aUSDepartmentofDefenseofficialcriticisedChinaforwhatheperceivedasprovidingapparentlyfalseleadsthatdetractedfromthesearcheffortandwastedtimeandresources.[268][269]BoycottsSomeChinesehaveboycottedallthingsMalaysian,includingvacationsandsingers,inprotestofMalaysia'shandlingoftheFlight370investigation.[270][271]BookingsonMalaysiaAirlinesfromChina,wherethemajorityofpassengerswerefrom,weredown60percentinMarch.[221]InlateMarch,severalmajorChineseticketingagenciesELong,LY.com,QunarandMangodiscontinuedsaleofairlineticketstoMalaysia[270][272]andseverallargeChinesetravelagenciesreporteda50percentdropintouristscomparedtothesameperiodtheyearbefore.[224]ChinaisthethirdlargestsourceofvisitorsforMalaysia,accountingfor1.79milliontourists.[224]Onemarketanalystpredicteda2040percentdropinChinesetouriststoMalaysia,resultinginalossof48billionyuan(RM2.14.2billionUS$650million1.3billion).[224][273]Theboycottshavelargelybeenledorsupportedbycelebrities.[224][274]FilmstarChenKunpostedamessagetoWeibowherehehas70millionfollowersstating:"I...willstartaboycottfrommyinnerheartonanycommercialsandtravelrelatingtoMalaysia.Thiswilllast...untiltheMalaysiangovernmenttakesdowntheirclownlikemaskandtellsthetruth."[224]Thepostwassharedover70,000timesanddrewover30,000comments.[224]Over337,000peopleretweetedatweetfromTVhostMengFei,whichsaid"IveneverbeentoMalaysiaandIdonotplantogothereinthefuture.Ifyoufeelthesame,pleaseretweetthismessage."[224]ChinaandMalaysiahaddubbed2014tobethe"MalaysiaChinaFriendshipYear"tocelebrate40yearsofdiplomaticrelationsbetweenthetwocountries.[272]AirtransportindustryThefactthat,inadigitallyconnectedworld,amodernaircraftcoulddisappearhasbeenmetwithsurpriseanddisbeliefbythepublicandwhilechangesintheaviationindustryoftentakeyearstobeimplemented,airlinesandairtransportauthoritieshaverespondedswiftlytotakeactiononseveralmeasurestopreventasimilarincidentfromoccurring.[275][276][277][278]AircrafttrackingTheInternationalAirTransportAssociationanindustrytradeorganisationrepresentingover240airlines(representing84percentofglobalairtraffic)andtheUnitedNations'civilaviationbodytheInternationalCivilAviationOrganization(ICAO)areworkingonimplementingnewmeasurestotrackaircraftinflightinrealtime.[279]TheIATAcreatedataskforce(whichincludesseveraloutsidestakeholders)[279]todefineaminimumsetofrequirementsthatanytrackingsystemmustmeet,allowingairlinestodecidethebestsolutiontotracktheiraircraft.TheIATA'staskforceplanstocomeupwithseveralshort,medium,andlongtermsolutionstoensurethatinformationisprovidedinatimelymannertosupportsearch,rescue,andrecoveryactivitiesinthewakeofanaircraftaccident.[280]ThetaskforcewasexpectedtoprovideareporttotheICAOon30September2014,butonthatdaysaidthatthereportwouldbedelayed,citingtheneedforfurtherclarificationonsomeissues.[281][282]InDecember2014,theIATAtaskforcerecommendedthat,within12months,airlinestrackcommercialaircraftinnolongerthan15minuteintervals,althoughitstillhasnotreleaseditsreportandfulldetailsofproposedchanges.TheIATAitselfdidnotsupportthedeadline,whichitbelievescannotbemetbyallairlines,buttheproposedstandardhasthesupportoftheICAO.AlthoughtheICAOcansetstandards,ithasnolegalauthorityandsuchstandardsmustbeadoptedbymemberstates.[39][40]InMay2014,InmarsatsaiditwouldofferitstrackingserviceforfreetoallaircraftequippedwithanInmarsatsatelliteconnection(whichamountstonearlyallcommercialairliners).[283]Inmarsathasalsochangedthetimeperiodforhandshakeswiththeirterminalsfromonehourto15minutes.[165]:2TranspondersTherewasacallforautomatedtranspondersafterthe11September2001terroristattacksnochangesweremadeasaviationexpertspreferredflexiblecontrol,incaseofmalfunctionsorelectricalemergencies.[284]InthewakeofFlight370,theairtransportindustryisstillresistanttotheinstallationofautomatedtransponders,whichwouldlikelyentailsignificantcosts.Pilotshavealsocriticisedchangesofthiskind,insistingontheneedtocutpowertoequipmentintheeventofafire.Nonetheless,newtypesoftamperproofcircuitbreakersarebeingconsidered.[277]FlightrecordersThefrenziedsearchfortheflightrecordersinearlyApril,duetothe30daybatterylifeoftheunderwaterlocatorbeacons(ULBs)attachedtothem,broughtattentiontothelimitationsoftheULBs.[q][285]NotonlyisthebatterylifeoftheULBslimited,butthenominaldistanceatwhichthesignalfromtheULBscanbedetectedis2,0003,000m(1.21.9mi),upto4,500m(2.8mi)underfavourableconditions.[5]:11Eveniftheflightrecordersarelocated,thecockpitvoicerecordermemoryhascapacitytostoreonlytwohoursofdata,continuouslyrecordingovertheoldestdata.Thislengthcomplieswithregulationsanditisusuallyonlydatafromthelastsectionofaflightthatisneededtodeterminethecauseofanaccident.TheeventswhichcausedFlight370todivertfromitscourseanddisappearhappenedmorethantwohoursbeforetheflightended.[286]Giventheselimitationsandtheimportanceofthedatastoredonflightrecorders,Flight370hasbroughtattentiontonewtechnologiesthatenabledatastreamingtotheground.[287][288]AcalltoincreasethebatterylifeofULBswasmadeaftertheunsuccessfulinitialsearchin2009fortheflightrecordersonAirFranceFlight447,whichwerenotlocateduntil2011.TheICAOdidnotmakesucharecommendationuntil2014,withimplementationby2018.[287]TheEuropeanAviationSafetyAgencyhasDetectionoftheacousticsignalfromtheULBsmustbemadebelowthethermoclineandwithinamaximumrange,undernominalconditions,of2,0003,000m(1.21.9mi).WithaULBbatterylifeof3040days,searchingfortheimportantflightrecordersisverydifficultwithoutprecisecoordinatesofthelocationtheaircraftenteredthewater.stateditsnewregulationsrequirethatthetransmittingtimeofULBsfittedtoaircraftflightrecordersmustrangefrom30to90days.Theagencyproposedanewunderwaterlocatorbeaconwithalargertransmittingrangetobefittedtoaircraftflyingoveroceans.[280]SafetyrecommendationsInJanuary2015,theUSNTSBcitedFlight370andAirFranceFlight447whenitissuedeightsafetyrecommendations[r]relatedtolocatingaircraftwreckageinremoteorunderwaterlocationsandrepeatedrecommendationsforacrashprotectedcockpitimagerecorderandtamperresistantflightrecordersandtransponders.[289][290]Timelineofevents8March2014Flight370disappearsafterdepartingKualaLumpurat00:41MYT(16:41UTC,7March).AsearchandrescueeffortislaunchedintheSouthChinaSeaandGulfofThailand.[291]10MarchMalaysia'smilitaryannouncesthatFlight370mayhaveturnedbackandflewwesttowardsMalaysia.ThesearchisexpandedtoincludetheStraitofMalacca.[92]12MarchMalaysiaannouncesthatFlight370crossedtheMalayPeninsulaandwaslastspottedonmilitaryradar200nmi(370km230mi)northwestofPenangonMalaysia'swestcoast.ThefocusofthesearchisshiftedtotheAndamanSeaandStraitofMalacca.[56][292]15MarchOfficialsannouncethatcommunicationsbetweenFlight370andacommunicationssatelliteoperatedbyInmarsatindicateitcontinuedtoflyforseveralmorehoursandwasalongoneoftwocorridorsatthetimeofitslastcommunication.[93]18March28AprilAerialsearchofthesouthernIndianOcean,westofAustralia,isconducted.[5][293]24MarchPrimeMinisterofMalaysiaannouncesthatFlight370ispresumedtohavegonedowninthesouthernIndianOceanMalaysiaAirlinesstatestofamiliesthatitassumes"beyondreasonabledoubt"therearenosurvivors.[294]Thenorthernsearchcorridor(northwestofMalaysia)andthenorthernhalfofthesouthernsearchcorridor(thewatersbetweenIndonesiaandAustralia)aredefinitivelyruledout.[295]30MarchTheJointAgencyCoordinationCentreiscreatedtocoordinatethemultinationalsearcheffort.[296]214AprilAnintenseeffortbyseveralvesselsandaircraftdeployedsonobuoysismadetodetectunderwateracousticsignalsmadebyunderwaterlocatorbeaconsattachedtotheaircraft'sdatarecorders.Severalacousticdetectionsaremadebetween48April.[5]14April28MayVideotourofbathymetrydatacollectedduringthebathymetricsurvey.Asonarsurveyof860km2(330sqmi)ofseafloornearthe48Aprilacousticdetectionsisconducted,yieldingnildebris.[5]1MayApreliminaryreportfromMalaysiatotheICAO(dated9April2014)ispubliclyreleasedalongwith:copiesofcargomanifestdocumentsaudiorecordings(andtranscript)ofcommunicationsbetweenairtrafficcontrolandFlight370alogofactionstakenbyairtrafficcontrol(KualaLumpurACC)inthehoursafterFlight370disappearedfromtheirradar(01:3806:14MYT).[46]27MayThedatalogsofsatellitecommunicationsbetweenFlight370andInmarsatarereleased,followingcriticismoverthewaythisdatahadbeenanalysedandscepticismofwhetherFlight370reallyendedinthesouthernIndianOcean.[297]MayDecemberAbathymetricsurveyisconductedintheregiontobesearched.26JunePlansforthenextphaseofthesearch(the"underwatersearch")areannouncedtothepublicindepthforthefirsttimeandtheAustralianTransportSafetyBureaureleasesareport[5]detailingtheprevioussearchefforts,analysisofsatellitecommunications,methodologyusedtodeterminethenewsearcharea.[298]October2014ongoingTheunderwatersearchbeganon6Octoberandwasexpectedtolastupto12months.Thesearchisconductedinareaswherethebathymetricsurveyhasbeencompleted.[299][300]8OctoberOfficialsannouncethatthepriorityareatobesearchedisfurthersouthoftheareaidentifiedintheJuneATSBreport.[116]TheATSBreleasesareport(asupplementtotheJunereport)thatdetailsthemethodologybehindrefinementstotheanalysisofsatellitecommunications.[49]29January2015TheMalaysiangovernmentofficiallydeclaresFlight370anaccident,inaccordancewithAnnexes12and13totheChicagoConvention,withnosurvivors.[1]8MarchTheMalaysianMinistryofTransportpublishesaninterimreport.[41]29JulyArightwingflaperonfromFlight370wasfoundonthebeachofRunionIslandintheIndianOcean,16monthsafterFlight370disappeared.[73]InpopularcultureThedisappearanceofMalaysiaAirlinesFlight370hasbeendubbedasoneofthegreatestaviationmysteriesofalltime.[301]Severaldocumentarieshavebeenproducedabouttheflight.TheSmithsonianChannelairedaonehourdocumentaryabouttheflighton6April2014,titledMalaysia370:ThePlaneThatVanished.[302][303]TheDiscoveryChannelbroadcastaonehourdocumentaryaboutFlight370on16April2014titledFlight370:TheMissingLinks.[304][305]AnepisodeofthetelevisiondocumentaryseriesHorizontitled"WhereisFlightMH370?"wasbroadcaston17June2014onBBCTwo.Theprogramme,narratedbyAmandaDrew,documentshowtheaircraftdisappeared,whatexpertsbelievehappenedtoit,andhowthesearchhasunfolded.TheprogrammealsoexaminessuchnewtechnologiesasflightrecorderstreamingandAutomaticdependentsurveillancebroadcast(ADSB),whichmayhelppreventsimilardisappearancesinthefuture.ItconcludesbynotingthatOceanShieldhadspenttwomonthssearching850squarekilometres(330sqmi)ofocean,butthatithadsearchedfartothenorthoftheInmarsat"hotspot"onthefinalarc,atapproximately28degreessouth,wheretheaircraftwasmostlikelytohavecrashed.[306]On8October2014,amodifiedversionoftheHorizonprogrammewasbroadcastintheUSbyPBSasanepisodeofNova,titled"WhyPlanesVanish",withadifferentnarrator.[307][308][309]ThefirstfictionalaccountofthemysterywasScottMaka'sMH370:ANovella,publishedthreemonthsaftertheaircraft'sdisappearance.[310]TheaviationdisasterdocumentarytelevisionseriesMayday(alsoknownasAirCrashInvestigationorAirEmergency)producedanepisodeonthedisaster,titled"Malaysia370:WhatHappened?"IntheUK,itairedonthefirstanniversaryofFlight370'sdisappearance,8March2015.[311]SeealsoAccidentsandincidentsinvolvingtheBoeing777familyAirsafetyListofaccidentsandincidentsinvolvingcommercialaircraftListofaerialdisappearancesListofairlineflightsthatrequiredglidingListofunrecoveredflightrecordersSearchforMalaysiaAirlinesFlight370Notesa. NohumanremainsofFlight370passengersorcrewhavebeenlocatedsurvivalintheareawhereFlight370isbelievedtohaveenteredtheoceanisunlikelyandtheMalaysiangovernmentbelievesallpassengersandcrewaredead.[1]Additionaldetailsinthe"presumedloss"section.b. MHistheIATAdesignatorandMASistheICAOairlinedesignator.[2]TheflightwasalsomarketedasChinaSouthernAirlinesFlight748(CZ748/CSN748)throughacodeshare.[2]Ithasbeencommonlyreferredtoas"MH370","Flight370"or"FlightMH370".c. Aircraftaltitudeisgiveninfeetabovesealevelandmeasured,athigheraltitudes,byairpressure,whichdeclineslinearlyasaltitudeabovesealevelincreases.Usingastandardsealevelpressureandformula,thenominalaltitudeofagivenairpressurecanbedeterminedreferredtoasthe"pressurealtitude".Aflightlevelisthepressurealtitudein100soffeet.Forexample,flightlevel350correspondstoanaltitudewhereairpressureis179mmHg(23.9kPa),whichisnominally35,000ft(10,700m)butdoesnotindicatethetruealtitude.d. Responsibilityforairtrafficcontrolisgeographicallypartitioned,throughinternationalagreements,intoflightinformationregions(FIRs).AlthoughtheairspaceatthepointwhereFlight370waslostispartoftheSingaporeFIR,theKualaLumpurACChadbeendelegatedresponsibilitytoprovideairtrafficcontrolservicestoaircraftinthatpartofitsFIR.[45]:13e. Heightsgivenbyprimaryradarareactualaltitudes,unlikethepressurealtitudesprovidedbysecondaryradar.f. TheinterimreportreleasedbyMalaysiainMarch2015says:"AlltheprimaryaircrafttargetsthatwererecordedbytheDCAradarareconsistentwiththoseofthemilitarydatathatweremadeavailabletotheInvestigationTeam."ThereportdoesnotexplicitlystatethattheunidentifiedaircraftwasFlight370.[41]:34Team."ThereportdoesnotexplicitlystatethattheunidentifiedaircraftwasFlight370.[41]:34g. TheaircraftisaBoeing777200ER(forExtendedRange)modelBoeingassignsauniquecustomercodeforeachcompanythatbuysoneofitsaircraft,whichisappliedasaninfixinthemodelnumberatthetimetheaircraftisbuilt.ThecodeforMalaysiaAirlinesis"H6",hence"7772H6ER".[125]h. OnepassengerboardedwithaHongKongpassport.[135]i. ThemanifestinitiallyreleasedbyMalaysiaAirlineslistedanAustrianandanItalian.TheseweresubsequentlyidentifiedastwoIraniannationalswhoboardedFlight370usingstolenpassports.[29]j. 38passengersand12crew.k. Thetimingofthelogoninterrogationmessageisdeterminedbyaninactivitytimer,whichwassettoonehouratthetimeFlight370disappeared(itwaslaterreducedto15minutes).[5]:18l. InformationreleasedandreportedpubliclyaboutSATCOMtransmissionsfromFlight370havebeeninconsistent,especiallytheuseoftheterms"ping"and"handshake".Itwasinitiallyreportedassix"handshakes"or"pings"withone"partialhandshakeorping"sentat00:19UTCbyFlight370,unprovokedbythegroundstation.Theeventslistedmayconsistofseveral"transmissions"betweentheaircraftandgroundstationoverthecourseofafewseconds.AreadablecopyofthegroundstationlogoftransmissionstoandfromFlight370isavailablehere[1](http://www.dca.gov.my/mainpage/MH370%20Data%20Communication%20Logs.pdf).m. The2014IATALithiumBatteryGuidanceDocument(5November2013),whichisbasedontheprovisionsoftheICAO'sTechnicalInstructionfortheSafeTransportofDangerousGoodsbyAir(20132014edition)andthe55theditionoftheIATA'sDangerousGoodsRegulations.[41]:106,Appendix1.18In. Examples:*MalaysiaAirlines'chiefexecutive,AhmadJauhariYahya,initiallysaidairtrafficcontrolwasincontactwiththeaircrafttwohoursintotheflightwheninfactthelastcontactwithairtrafficcontrolwaslessthananhouraftertakeoff.[194]*Malaysianauthoritiesinitiallyreportedthatfourpassengersusedstolenpassportstoboardtheaircraftbeforesettlingontwo:oneItalianandoneAustrian.[195]*Malaysiaabruptlywidenedthesearchareatotheweston9March,andonlylaterexplainedthatmilitaryradarhaddetectedtheaircraftturningback.[195]ThiswaslaterformallydeniedbyRodzaliDaud.[196]*MalaysianauthoritiesvisitedthehomesofpilotZaharieandcopilotFariqon15March,duringwhichtheytookawayaflightsimulatorbelongingtoZaharie.MalaysianpolicechiefKhalidAbuBakarsaidthiswasthefirstpolicevisittothosehomes.On17March,thegovernmentcontradictedthisbysayingpolicefirstvisitedthepilots'homesonthedayfollowingtheflight'sdisappearance,[197]althoughthishadbeenpreviouslydenied.[198]*On16March,Malaysia'sactingtransportministercontradictedtheprimeminister'saccountonthetimingofthefinaldataandcommunicationsreceived.NajibRazakhadsaidthattheACARSsystemwasswitchedoffat01:07.On17March,Malaysianofficialssaidthatthesystemwasswitchedoffsometimebetween01:07,timeofthelastACARStransmission,and01:37,timeofthenextexpectedtransmission.[199][200]*Threedaysaftersayingthattheaircraftwasnottransportinganythinghazardous,MalaysiaAirlines'chiefexecutiveAhmadsaidthatpotentiallydangerouslithiumbatterieswereonboard.[201]*MASchiefexecutiveinitiallyclaimedthatthelastvoicecommunicationfromtheaircraftwas,"allright,goodnight",withthelackofacallsignfuellingspeculationthattheflightmayhavebeenhijacked.[202][203]ThreeweekslaterMalaysianauthoritiespublishedthetranscriptthatindicatedthelastwordswere"GoodnightMalaysianthreesevenzero".[50][204][205][206]o. Theexactamountofthiscompensationis113,100specialdrawingrights.Usingtheofficialexchangerates(http://www.imf.org/external/np/fin/rates/rms_five.cfm)on16July2014,thisisworthapproximately:RM557,0001,073,000US$174,000129,000or102,000.p. InMarch2014,apetitionfordiscoverywasfiledinaUScourtbyalawfirm,notrepresentingrelativesoffamilies,againstBoeingandMalaysiaAirlines.Itsoughttoobtainthenamesofmanufacturersofaircraftpartsalongwithmaintenancerecords.ItwasreportedinthemediaasalawsuitorthatMalaysiaAirlineswasbeingsued.[243][244]q. RegulationsrequireULBstotransmitaminimumof30days.TheULBsontheflightrecordersonFlight370hadaminimum30daybatterylifeafterimmersion.TheULBmanufacturerpredictedthemaximumbatterylifewas40daysafterimmersion.[5]:11r. A151throughA158References1. 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