MH370 vanished ten years ago. What is known about one of the greatest mysteries in flying

On March 8, a decade ago, a Malaysia Airlines aircraft disappeared without a trace, turning into one of the greatest mysteries in aviation history.

Exactly what happened to the jet and its 239 people is still a mystery to investigators. However, the American marine robotics firm that attempted to locate the aircraft in 2018 suggested a new search, and Malaysia’s government said on Sunday that it may restart the search for MH370.

Nothing was discovered after an extensive international search in the southern Indian Ocean, the suspected crash site of the plane. No corpses or debris have ever been discovered, with the exception of a few tiny bits that subsequently washed ashore.

What is known about the fatal airplane accident is as follows.

On March 8, 2014, the Boeing 777 aircraft headed for Beijing vanished from air control radar 39 minutes after taking off from Kuala Lumpur.

Before departing Malaysia, the pilot made one final radio communication to Kuala Lumpur, “Good Night Malaysian Three Seven Zero.” However, when the aircraft entered Vietnamese territory, it did not notify air traffic authorities in Ho Chi Minh City.

A few minutes thereafter, the aircraft’s transponder, which relays the aircraft’s position to air traffic control, malfunctioned. Before disappearing, the jet was seen on military radar flying over the Andaman Sea and continuing to fly for hours, probably until its fuel ran out, according to satellite data. It is thought that the aircraft went down in a secluded area of the southern Indian Ocean.

There are other theories on what transpired on board, such as power outages, oxygen shortages in the cabin, and hijacking. However, there was no ransom demand, no distress call, no inclement weather, and no proof of technical issues. In a 2018 report, Malaysian safety inspectors found no evidence of “unlawful interference,” although they did clear everyone on board.

According to Malaysia’s authorities, the jet was purposefully diverted and connections with the ground were cut off.

In addition to 12 crew members, the aircraft carried 227 passengers, including five small children. The majority of guests on board were from China, but there were also visitors from the US, Indonesia, France, Russia, and other nations.

A group of Chinese calligraphy artists returning from an exhibition, twenty workers from the U.S. tech company Freescale Semiconductor, a stunt double for actor Jet Li, families with small children, and a Malaysian couple on a protracted honeymoon were among the passengers, including two young Iranian men who were using stolen passports to seek a new life in Europe. In the catastrophe, several families lost more than one member.

The search was launched by dozens of ships and planes from several nations in the South China Sea between Malaysia and Vietnam. Later, it expanded to the Andaman Sea and the Indian Ocean.

Then, using planes, ships fitted to detect sonar signals, and robotic submarines, Australia, Malaysia, and China led the biggest and priciest undersea search ever conducted, encompassing an area of some 120,000 square kilometers (46,000 square miles) of seafloor off the coast of Western Australia.

Search teams never located the aircraft, but they did find ultrasonic signals that may have come from the black box of the aircraft and wreckage thought to be 19th-century commerce ships. The first concrete proof that Flight MH370 terminated in the Indian Ocean was discovered in July 2015 when a part subsequently identified as a flaperon from the aircraft was discovered on France’s Reunion Island in the western Indian Ocean. Later on, a number of more pieces of debris washed up on Africa’s east coast. 2017 January saw the suspension of the search.

Under a “no find, no fee” contract with Malaysia, the American marine robotics firm Ocean Infinity took up the search in January 2018, concentrating on a region north of the last search that had been identified by a debris drift analysis. But it was unsuccessful and terminated a few months later.

The fact that no one is certain where to seek is one reason why such a thorough search is unable to provide any leads. The third-largest ocean in the world, the Indian Ocean, presented challenges to the search team because to unfavorable weather and typical depths of around 4 kilometers (2.5 miles).

Although aircraft disappearances in the deep water are uncommon, the remnants of those that occur may be quite difficult to find. The Aviation Safety Network reports that several aircraft have disappeared throughout the last fifty years.

Next up, what?

The Malaysian government has made it clear that it would only pick up the search if there is solid new evidence. It is not apparent whether the corporation has new information about the whereabouts of the jet, but it is now reviewing an Ocean Infinity proposal for a new search using new technologies.

Numerous families who lost loved ones in the disappearance are unwavering in their pursuit of information. They contend that the riddle has to be answered in order to avert catastrophes in the future as well as to provide emotional closure.

Additionally, the catastrophe has improved aircraft safety. The International Civil Aviation Organization will require planes to carry a gadget that will broadcast their location every minute in the event of problem, starting in 2025. This would enable authorities to find the aircraft in the event of a tragedy. The gadgets cannot be manually switched off; instead, they will operate automatically. The thousands of older aircraft that are still in use are exempt from the restriction; it only applies to new aircraft.