Malaysia's Airplane MH370 : The questions we need to know
Malaysia's Airplane MH370 : The questions we need to know
THE confirmation that the Reunion island wreckage is from MH370 raises more questions that it answers. Here’s everything we need to know.
Is the flaperon found on Reunion Island from MH370?
Malaysia’s Prime Minister has said the debris has been confirmed as a part of MH370. Malaysia Airlines has also issued a statement saying the flaperon is “indeed from MH370”. Australian and French authorities have been more cautious, stating there is a “high probability” the debris is from MH370, and the French-led investigation team is continuing to “finalise its considerations of the wreckage”.
There are still many questions to be answered, principally what happened on board MH370 that led to this scenario. The flaperon confirms the aircraft did crash into the Indian Ocean but exactly where remains unclear. If the tail of the aircraft is found, will the black box recorders be too damaged to recover crucial information about the flight? If funding for the search runs out in a year without MH370 being found, will any country be willing to pay to continue?
Is the flaperon found on Reunion Island from MH370?
Malaysia’s Prime Minister has said the debris has been confirmed as a part of MH370. Malaysia Airlines has also issued a statement saying the flaperon is “indeed from MH370”. Australian and French authorities have been more cautious, stating there is a “high probability” the debris is from MH370, and the French-led investigation team is continuing to “finalise its considerations of the wreckage”.
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What can authorities learn from the flaperon?
Investigators should be able to ascertain how the separation of the flaperon occurred from the aircraft. Early analysis suggests the lack of compression damage and the serrated edge of the flaperon indicate it separated from the aircraft before the plane hit the water. The theory would support the belief MH370 flew until it ran out of fuel, then dived into the ocean at high speed.
Will the flaperon help pinpoint the final resting place of MH370?
Oceanographers seem united in the belief the currents of the Indian Ocean are too chaotic and the length of time elapsed too great, to do “reverse drift modelling” with any great accuracy. Marine matter on the flaperon will be scientifically tested to try to narrow the search zone. Experts are divided on the relevance of such tests because of the difficulty in knowing when barnacles and shells attached to the flaperon.
What happens next?
A sea and land search for debris has intensified around Reunion Island, and along the coastline of the island and nearby Madagascar and Mauritius. The rim of a suitcase found close to the flaperon is being tested in France, and any other material found will also be forensically examined. The underwater search in the southern Indian Ocean will resume next Wednesday, after the two vessels involved swap over — ie Fugro Equator returns to Fremantle for resupply and Fugro Discovery heads back out to the search zone.
What questions remain?
What can authorities learn from the flaperon?
Investigators should be able to ascertain how the separation of the flaperon occurred from the aircraft. Early analysis suggests the lack of compression damage and the serrated edge of the flaperon indicate it separated from the aircraft before the plane hit the water. The theory would support the belief MH370 flew until it ran out of fuel, then dived into the ocean at high speed.
Will the flaperon help pinpoint the final resting place of MH370?
Oceanographers seem united in the belief the currents of the Indian Ocean are too chaotic and the length of time elapsed too great, to do “reverse drift modelling” with any great accuracy. Marine matter on the flaperon will be scientifically tested to try to narrow the search zone. Experts are divided on the relevance of such tests because of the difficulty in knowing when barnacles and shells attached to the flaperon.
What happens next?
A sea and land search for debris has intensified around Reunion Island, and along the coastline of the island and nearby Madagascar and Mauritius. The rim of a suitcase found close to the flaperon is being tested in France, and any other material found will also be forensically examined. The underwater search in the southern Indian Ocean will resume next Wednesday, after the two vessels involved swap over — ie Fugro Equator returns to Fremantle for resupply and Fugro Discovery heads back out to the search zone.
What questions remain?
There are still many questions to be answered, principally what happened on board MH370 that led to this scenario. The flaperon confirms the aircraft did crash into the Indian Ocean but exactly where remains unclear. If the tail of the aircraft is found, will the black box recorders be too damaged to recover crucial information about the flight? If funding for the search runs out in a year without MH370 being found, will any country be willing to pay to continue?
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