MH370 unlikely to be found in current search area - ATSB

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is confident the previously identified underwater area scoured in the southern Indian Ocean, does not contain the Malaysia Airlines MH370 aircraft which vanished on March 8, 2014.

The ATSB, in its First Principle Review Report on MH370 released today, said their experts also identified an area of approximately 25,000 sq km to the north of the current search area, as the area with the highest probability of containing the aircraft wreckage.

"The experts concluded that, if this area were to be searched, prospective areas for locating the aircraft wreckage, based on all the analysis to date, would be exhausted," said the agency in the report at www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2014/aair/ae-2014-054/

ATSB, the leading agency for the MH370 search, said the updated independent analysis of the satellite data and the drift analysis consistently identified the most likely impact location of MH370 as being close to the 7th arc[1] (within ~25 NM) and bound by latitudes of approximately 33°S to 36°S.

MH370 disappeared while flying to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur with 239 people on board.

In an immediate reaction to the report, Malaysia's Transport Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said Malaysia acknowledged the release of the report.

"While the report presented a thorough analysis of MH370 search efforts, we remain to be guided as to how this can be used to assist us in identifying the specific location of the aircraft," he said in a statement.

He said the Australian, Malaysian and Chinese governments had agreed during the Ministrial Tripartite meeting in July that consideration would be given to determine the next step, should credible new information emerge, to identify the aircraft location.

"I wish to reiterate the aspiration to locate MH370 has not been abandoned and every decision made, has and will always be in the spirit of cooperation among the three nations.

"Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with the families and loved ones of the passengers and crew of MH370," he said.