New
missing Malaysian plane MH370 search area announced
A new search area for the missing Malaysian plane has been announced by the Australian government after further analysis of satellite data.
The search will now shift south to focus on
an area 1,800km
(1,100 miles) off the west coast of Australia
Flight MH370 vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing
Officials said they believed the plane had
been on autopilot when it crashed.
A 55-page report released by the Australian government
concluded that the underwater search for the plane should resume in the new
60,000 sq km area.
An extensive search of the ocean floor was conducted in April after
several acoustic pings, initially thought to be from the plane's flight data recorders,
were heard. However, officials now believe the pings were not caused by the
plane.
"It is highly, highly likely that the aircraft was on autopilot
otherwise it could not have followed the orderly path that has been identified
through the satellite sightings," Mr Truss said.
Analysis: Refined analysis
drives new move, Jonathan Amos, science correspondent, BBC
News
The new search area focuses on the "7th arc" - a line through
which the analysis suggests the jet had to have crossed as it made a final,
brief, connection with ground systems. The interpretation of the data is that
this "electronic handshake" was prompted by a power interruption
on board MH370 as its fuel ran down to exhaustion. As auxiliary power came on,
the jet tried to log back into the satellite network.
In normal circumstances following such a logon request, there would
usually have been additional "chatter" between the network and MH370.
That these connections are not seen in the data log are a very strong
indication that the jet was in its crash descent.
Several teams within the investigation have been running the numbers; this
is not the sole work of the satellite system's operator - Inmarsat.
The collective opinion of several independent teams has therefore arrived
at a zone of highest priority covering some 60,000 sq km. Once the ocean floor
there is mapped, the investigation team can then summon the best - but also the
most appropriate - submersibles in the world to go hunt for sunken wreckage.
Expensive search
The underwater search for the plane was put on hold to allow more time for
survey vessels to map the ocean floor.
The new search is due to commence in August and is expected to be
completed within a year, Australian
Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) chief Martin Dolan confirmed.
Submarines will scour the ocean floor
to look for signs of the missing Boeing 777. The area has already been searched
by air, and officials say any floating wreckage will have sunk to the ocean
floor. Several teams working independently of each other have reached similar
conclusions relating to the new search area, the BBC's science correspondent
Jonathan Amos says. The search for the missing airliner is already among most
expensive in aviation history. After more than 100 days since the disappearance
of the airliner, many of the relatives of the missing passengers have continued
to express frustration at the lack of progress in the search.
Structure of the lead:
WHO:Flight MH370
WHEN: 8 March
WHAT: A new search area for the missing Malaysian plane
WHY:the Malaysian plane had disappeared
WHERE:Australia
HOW:not given
Keywords:
1.satellite:衛星
2.vanish:消逝；絕跡
3.extensive:廣泛的；大規模的
4.acoustic:聽覺的
5.auxiliary:輔助的
6.submarine:潛艇的
7.wreckage:失事，遭難
8.summon:傳喚；請求
9.ping:砰（子彈擊中的聲音）
10.circumstance情況；情勢
