ATSB Releases Final Report on MH370
"Our deepest sympathies remain with those who lost loved ones on MH370. It remains a great tragedy, and we wish that we could have brought complete closure to the bereaved. I hope, however, that they can take some solace in the fact that we did all we could do to find answers," ATSB Chief Commissioner Greg Hood said.
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau has released its final report on the disappearance of MH370, the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 that vanished March 8, 2014, while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, with ATSB Chief Commissioner Greg Hood saying the extensive search for the aircraft "inspired dedication from so many," adding, "I am proud to have worked with people of such commitment."
Some debris from the plane was found in 2015 and 2016 washed up on the coasts of Indian Ocean islands and east Africa. From the debris, investigators determined the aircraft was not configured for a ditching when it struck the water, and their conclusion was that it crashed into the southern Indian Ocean after running out of fuel. The main wreckage has not been located.
There were no transmissions received from the aircraft after the first 38 minutes of the flight, and its on-board systems did not transit the aircraft's position after that time, but analysis of radar and satellite communication data showed the aircraft continued to fly for seven hours. Its last position was positively fixed at the northern tip of Sumatra by the surveillance systems operating that night, six hours before it went down, according to ATSB, which was in charge of the underwater search for the wreckage.
"This was an unprecedented endeavor, and there has been an extraordinary response from the global community," Hood said. "There were contributions of expertise and resources from private business and organizations, agencies from different governments, and from private individuals."
"Our deepest sympathies remain with those who lost loved ones on MH370. It remains a great tragedy, and we wish that we could have brought complete closure to the bereaved. I hope, however, that they can take some solace in the fact that we did all we could do to find answers. Governments from around the world contributed to the search, with extraordinary expertise committed to the task.''
There were 12 crew members and 227 passengers aboard when contact was lost with the aircraft. The search began March 8, 2014, and continued for 1,046 days until Jan. 17, 2017, when the governments of Malaysia, Australia, and China made the decision to suspend it.