Malaysia Airlines (Full Episode) | Drain the Oceans

National Geographic2 minutes read

Malaysia Airlines flight 370 vanished in 2014 with 239 people on board, leading to an extensive search effort in the Indian Ocean, utilizing satellite data, underwater scanning vehicles, and simulations to narrow down the search area, but no trace of the aircraft was found despite record-breaking search efforts.

Insights

  • The search for Malaysia Airlines flight 370 involved the use of Inmarsat data to track the plane's flight path, shifting the search area to the Indian Ocean and focusing on locating the black boxes emitting pings underwater.
  • Despite extensive search efforts, including advanced technology like underwater scanning vehicles and autonomous underwater vehicles, no trace of MH370 was found, leading to the Malaysian government halting further searches, leaving a significant portion of the seventh arc search zone unexplored.

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Recent questions

  • How did Malaysia Airlines flight 370 disappear?

    Malaysia Airlines flight 370, a Boeing 777 with 239 people on board, vanished without a trace in March 2014. The plane was detected by Malaysian military radar turning back across Malaysia and heading northwest before disappearing. Despite disappearing from civilian radar, the plane continued flying for six more hours, turning south and flying towards the Indian Ocean.

  • What technology helped experts track MH370's flight path?

    The plane exchanged 'heartbeat' signals with an Inmarsat satellite, helping experts calculate its direction and flight path. This data led to the search area in the Indian Ocean being shifted 3,000 miles south based on Inmarsat data, prompting a massive search effort by the Australian government.

  • How did the search for MH370 focus on locating the aircraft?

    The search for MH370 focused on locating the black boxes, which emit pings with a range of just over a mile underwater. This search effort involved using underwater scanning vehicles in the sea floor terrain identified by a new map created with the help of geophysicist Walter Smith's satellite measurements.

  • What led to the narrowing down of MH370's crash site location?

    Boeing engineers simulated MH370's final moments, revealing a rapid descent due to fuel exhaustion. This information, combined with data analysis, narrowed down the crash site location to within 29 miles of the seventh arc, reducing the search area to 23,000 square miles.

  • What was the outcome of the extensive search efforts for MH370?

    Despite extensive search efforts, no trace of MH370 was found, leading to the Malaysian government announcing they would not support further searches. This decision left a large portion of the seventh arc search zone unexplored, marking the end of the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight.

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Summary

00:00

MH370: Vanished Boeing 777, Search Efforts

  • Malaysia Airlines flight 370, a Boeing 777 with 239 people on board, vanished without a trace in March 2014.
  • The plane was detected by Malaysian military radar turning back across Malaysia and heading northwest before disappearing.
  • Despite disappearing from civilian radar, the plane continued flying for six more hours, turning south and flying towards the Indian Ocean.
  • The plane exchanged 'heartbeat' signals with an Inmarsat satellite, helping experts calculate its direction and flight path.
  • The search for MH370 shifted 3,000 miles south based on Inmarsat data, leading to a massive search effort by the Australian government.
  • The search area in the Indian Ocean was estimated to be 700 miles along the seventh arc, with the plane potentially lying 140 miles on either side.
  • Surface debris is usually the first step in finding a missing aircraft, but it's not a guarantee, as seen in the search for Air France flight 447.
  • The search for Air France flight 447 in the Atlantic Ocean took two years, four expeditions, and $40 million to find the wreckage.
  • The search for MH370 focused on locating the black boxes, which emit pings with a range of just over a mile underwater.
  • A new lead from Curtin University in Western Australia detected an unusual noise that could potentially be linked to MH370's final moments.

21:18

MH370 Search: Mapping Sea Floor Terrain

  • MH370 team needs a simple way to create a snapshot of the sea floor across the vast search area.
  • Geophysicist Walter Smith uses satellites to measure variations in sea surface height caused by gravitational attraction from mountains on the sea floor.
  • Satellites can't spot aircraft wreckage but help create a basic map of the sea floor in the MH370 search zone.
  • Underwater scanning vehicles are deployed in the sea floor terrain identified by the new map.
  • Boeing engineers simulate MH370's final moments, revealing a rapid descent due to fuel exhaustion.
  • Crash site location is narrowed down to within 29 miles of the seventh arc, reducing the search area to 23,000 square miles.
  • Deep sea salvage expert Andy Sherrell analyzes data gathered underwater but finds no trace of MH370.
  • Debris field discovered in May 2015 covers an area similar to Air France 447 wreckage, raising hopes of finding MH370.
  • Shipwreck found instead of MH370, shedding light on other historical tragedies in the ocean depths.
  • Oceanographer David Griffin's investigation using ocean drifters and debris movement narrows down the likely crash site to 35 south on the seventh arc.

40:18

MH370 Search Efforts Suspended After Extensive Coverage

  • The search for MH370 was suspended after almost three years, with record-breaking efforts in terms of time and area covered.
  • Oceanographer David Griffin's theory of MH370 being at 35 degrees south led to a new search in 2018 by Ocean Infinity, covering a vast area with eight autonomous underwater vehicles.
  • Despite extensive search efforts, no trace of MH370 was found, leading to the Malaysian government announcing they would not support further searches, leaving a large portion of the seventh arc search zone unexplored.
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