The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) published four reports describing oceanographic drift modelling work done in aid of the search for MH370. The first report identified the 36°-32°S segment of the 7th arc (especially the region near 35°S) as being the most likely site of the impact, based on where and when debris was seen and not seen on African and Australian shores and during the initial 40-day aerial search (Fig 1.1). This work was a contribution to the First Principles Review ATSB (2016). The 2nd report documented…

Geoscience Australia (GA) was asked to assist the ATSB in the analysis of a set of four Airbus PLEIADES 1A images. GA received these images for analysis on 23 March 2017. The data was acquired over the Indian Ocean on 23 March 2014. The analysis performed by GA was to determine whether the images included objects that were potentially man-made in origin. GA analyses included semi-automatic workflows and a number of potential objects were identified. The overall location of the study area is shown in Figure 1 of the report, and a detailed overview of the four scenes with associated detected…

In late January 2022, the ATSB asked Geoscience Australia to undertake a review of certain sonar imagery collected during the original search for MH370, conducted between October 2014 and January 2017.     The review concluded that it is highly unlikely there is an aircraft debris field within the reviewed search area.

Between May 2014 and January 2017 the ATSB led an underwater search for MH370. With the publication of the final report The Operational Search for MH370 on 3 October 2017, the ATSB ceased to have any formal role in searching for the missing aircraft. History of the search On 8 March 2014, Malaysia Airlines flight 370 (MH370), a Boeing 777 carrying 12 crew and 227 passengers (…

Letter to the Editor of The Australian I am writing to express my concern regarding the manner in which The Australian journalist Ean Higgins continues to inaccurately report on the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 – in particular I am concerned at the negative impact this inaccurate reporting is having on the knowledge of the search by the families of those on board the aircraft. To reiterate, under the International Civil Aviation (ICAO) Annex 13 provisions, the government of Malaysia is responsible for investigating, determining and reporting…

An article, The Case for Pilot Hijack by Byron Bailey, appearing in the 9-10 January 2016 edition of The Weekend Australian, contained significant inaccuracies and misunderstandings about the ATSB’s role in the search for MH370. Many of those inaccuracies were repeated in subsequent items both in The Australian and other media outlets. It is important that the ATSB corrects the record. It is the responsibility of the Government of Malaysia, as the state of registration of the aircraft, to establish why…

Recent articles suggesting that sonar images gathered during the underwater search for MH370 could be aircraft debris are incorrect. The sonar contacts mentioned in the articles are old ones that were already assessed and discounted months ago. As well, the articles incorrectly describe ‘Category 3’ sonar contacts as being the most likely to be aircraft debris. In fact, they are the least likely to be aircraft debris. Category 3 is assigned to sonar contacts that are of some interest as they stand out from their surroundings but have low probability of…

An article published in The Australian by Mr Ean Higgins on 12 August 2016 falsely accuses the ATSB of ‘secretly retracting’ information from a Joint Agency Coordination Centre operations update on 27 July. In recent weeks the ATSB has been very careful to accurately describe the Defence Science and Technology (DST) Group’s analysis of the accident aircraft’s rates of descent at the final satellite handshake (known as the 7th arc). This analysis concludes that the metadata associated with the final two satellite communications from the aircraft to the ground earth station indicates…

An article published in The Australian today by Byron Bailey in relation to the search for MH370 contains inaccurate information and false assertions. In the interests of providing a transparent and accurate account, the ATSB considers it necessary to correct the record. Firstly, Mr Bailey claims that the company contracted by the ATSB to conduct the search, Fugro, believes they are looking in the wrong place. In fact, Fugro has publicly denied this claim and issued a statement to say: Fugro wishes to make it very clear that we believe…