MH370: Image found by Indian IT analyst debunked, image was from 2009

A claim made by an information technology (IT) analyst from India stating that he found a satellite image which could possibly be of the missing flight MH370 , is now being disputed.

A few reports by Metabunk forum members have said that it was not the latest satellite image contrary to popular belief.

According to one forum member, Pete Tar, the image of the plane was taken between 2009 and 2012 and only exists in the base layer mapping of MapBox.

Image from Metabunk

Image from Metabunk

“The plane only exists in the MapBox base layer, which dates from at least 2012 or earlier. It is not a current image, and hence does not show MH370,” he explains.

Image from Metabunk

Image from Metabunk

Image from Metabunk
Image from Metabunk

He added that he looked up the coordinates on Google Maps which are 13.29431,92.99277, but did not find any signs of the plane. However, he said upon further observation of the image, the plane looked like it was flying at a low altitude as the clouds looked higher than the plane, and this might be a way it was avoiding radar detection. Another forum member, Mick West, agreed with Pete’s explanation and added that the Google Earth image proved that it was not a new image. “The Google Earth images prove that it's not a current image though, it’s not in any of the flagged satellite overlays, it's not in the QB02 image, but it is in the Mapbox base layer,” said Mick. In a Bernama report on Wednesday, an IT expert, Anoop Madhay Yeggina, 29, found the satellite image of a low flying plane around the Andaman islands on March 8, the day the Malaysia Airlines (MAS) MH370 plane went missing while en route to Beijing, according to a report by The Hindu. Anoop is one of many people around the world who are involved in a ‘crowdsourcing’ project to find the missing plane which veered off course towards the Indian Ocean after shutting all communication links as it was flying over the South China Sea, according to a report by India's publication, The Hindu.

Image found by Anoop

Image found by Anoop

'Crowd-sourcing' refers to obtaining information or input into a particular task or project by enlisting the services of a number of people, either paid or unpaid, typically via the Internet. The Hindu reported that Anoop had been scurrying through innumerable images of DigitalGlobe Satellite QB02 over the past few days until he stumbled upon an image which almost took his breath away. He uploaded his 'discovery' along with a write-up on the CNN website on March 14 and, since then, received more than 16,000 views followed by many comments from viewers.