New hope in MH370 search mystery with sea bed explosion plan

A relative of a passenger onboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 cries out (Picture: Feng Li/Getty Images)

Researchers have offered fresh hope to the families of MH370 victims after proposing a new plan to finally find the plane’s crash site.

The Boeing 777 carrying 239 people disappeared during a routine flight from Kuala Lumpar, Malaysia, to Beijing on March 8 2014.

Despite investigators carrying out the most expensive underwater search in history, the whereabouts of the aircraft and the fate of the passengers is unclear.

But now researchers at Cardiff University believe audio signals captured at a hydroacoustic station off the coast of Australia could hold the answer to what happened to the missing plane.

Aircrafts which crash into the water create unique acoustic signatures which can travel more than 3,000km through the water.

Dr Usama Kadri, a Reader at Cardiff University’s School of Mathematics, said: ‘Our analysis shows clear pressure signals from previous aircraft crashes were detected on hydrophones, even at distances exceeding 3,000km.

‘In the case of MH370, official investigations concluded the aircraft must have crashed near the 7th arc – the point at which the last communication between the plane and INMERSAT occurred.

‘The main search area at the 7th arc lies less than 2,000km away from the hydroacoustic station at Cape Leeuwin, Australia, with no impediments to filter out the signal.

Relatives of passengers from the Malaysia Airlines flight that mysteriously vanished 10 years ago are writing messages at the Day of Remembrance (Picture: Supian Ahmad/NurPhoto/Shuttersto)

‘However, within the time frame and location suggested by the official search, only a single, relatively weak signal was identified.’

A number of pieces have been recovered since the crash, including in Australia, South Africa, and Mozambique.

Investigators are now trying to work out if they can isolate a more precise location, by launching a series of controlled underwater explosions, The Sun reports.

The methodology has worked well in other searches, leading for the families of victims to hope they can finally receive some answers.

Dr Kadri said: ‘Similar exercises were performed in the search and rescue mission for the ARA San Juan, a submarine that vanished off the coast of Argentina in 2017.

‘This shows us that it is relatively straightforward and feasible and could provide a means to determine the signal’s relevance to MH370, prior to resuming with another extensive search.

Pieces of MH370 which have been recovered so far (Picture: Metro graphics)

The Boeing 777 (Picture: Shutterstock/Ahmad.Faizal)

‘If found to be related, this would significantly narrow down, almost pinpoint, the aircraft’s location.

‘On the other hand, if the signals are found to be unrelated, it would indicate a need for authorities to reassess the time frame or location established by their official search efforts to date.’

Sadly, their research ahs not been enough to formally reopen the search.

‘Unfortunately, we’ve been unable to find a signal with the certainty needed to launch a new search for the missing aircraft,’ he said.

‘However, if the recommendations are followed by the appropriate authorities, we can assess the relevance of the observed signals, potentially shedding light on the location of MH370.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

For more stories like this, check our news page.