MH370News:2014/Day 008
Day 008: Saturday, 15 March 2014
News Summary
- 9:00 AM
- PM Najib Razak announced a new phase of MH370 investigations - to focus on the northern and southern corridors.
- 2:30 PM
- Corroborated and verified evidence shows that the plane had indeed turned back and flew past the straits of Malacca in a deliberate flight path. Search efforts will now be focused on a northern and southern corridor.
- 2:35 PM
- SAR efforts update on countries involved, the number of assets deployed and satellite technology data employed
Source: DCA (Malaysia) - Interactive Timeline
RMP Investigation
Officers from the Royal Malaysia Police attended the home of First officer Fariq Abdul Hamid, and the home of Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah.
The flight simulator built by Captain Shah was dismantled and taken into police custody.
Media Statements
Prime Minister Najib Razak’s Press Statement on MH370
Media Statement
| By | : | DATO' SRI MOHD NAJIB BIN TUN HAJI ABDUL RAZAK PERDANA MENTERI MALAYSIA |
| Venue | : | PUTRAJAYA |
| Date | : | 15/03/2014 |
| Title | : | PRIME MINISTER'S PRESS STATEMENT ON FLIGHT MH370 |
Pejabat Perdana Menteri
Seven days ago Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 disappeared. We realise this is an excruciating time for the families of those on board. No words can describe the pain they must be going through. Our thoughts and our prayers are with them.
I have been appraised of the on-going search operation round the clock. At the beginning of the operation, I ordered the search area to be broadened; I instructed the Malaysian authorities to share all relevant information freely and transparently with the wider investigation team; and I requested that our friends and allies join the operation. As of today, 14 countries, 43 ships and 58 aircraft are involved in the search.
I wish to thank all the governments for their help at such a crucial time. Since day one, the Malaysian authorities have worked hand-in-hand with our international partners - including neighbouring countries, the aviation authorities and a multinational search force - many of whom have been here on the ground since Sunday.
We have shared information in real time with authorities who have the necessary experience to interpret the data. We have been working non-stop to assist the investigation. And we have put our national security second to the search for the missing plane.
It is widely understood that this has been a situation without precedent.
We have conducted search operations over land, in the South China Sea, the Straits of Malacca, the Andaman Sea and the Indian Ocean. At every stage, we acted on the basis of verified information, and we followed every credible lead. Sometimes these leads have led nowhere.
There has been intense speculation. We understand the desperate need for information on behalf of the families and those watching around the world. But we have a responsibility to the investigation and the families to only release information that has been corroborated. And our primary motivation has always been to find the plane.
In the first phase of the search operation, we searched near MH370's last known position, in the South China Sea. At the same time, it was brought to our attention by the Royal Malaysian Air Force that, based on their primary radar, an aircraft - the identity of which could not be confirmed - made a turn back. The primary radar data showed the aircraft proceeding on a flight path which took it to an area north of the Straits of Malacca.
Given this credible data, which was subsequently corroborated with the relevant international authorities, we expanded the area of search to include the Straits of Malacca and, later, to the Andaman Sea.
Early this morning I was briefed by the investigation team - which includes the FAA, NTSB, the AAIB, the Malaysian authorities and the Acting Minister of Transport - on new information that sheds further light on what happened to MH370.
Based on new satellite information, we can say with a high degree of certainty that the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) was disabled just before the aircraft reached the East coast of peninsular Malaysia.
Shortly afterwards, near the border between Malaysian and Vietnamese air traffic control, the aircraft's transponder was switched off.
From this point onwards, the Royal Malaysian Air Force primary radar showed that an aircraft which was believed - but not confirmed - to be MH370 did indeed turn back. It then flew in a westerly direction back over peninsular Malaysia before turning northwest. Up until the point at which it left military primary radar coverage, these movements are consistent with deliberate action by someone on the plane.
Today, based on raw satellite data that was obtained from the satellite data service provider, we can confirm that the aircraft shown in the primary radar data was flight MH370. After much forensic work and deliberation, the FAA, NTSB, AAIB and the Malaysian authorities, working separately on the same data, concur.
According to the new data, the last confirmed communication between the plane and the satellite was at 8:11AM Malaysian time on Saturday 8th March. The investigations team is making further calculations which will indicate how far the aircraft may have flown after this last point of contact. This will help us to refine the search.
Due to the type of satellite data, we are unable to confirm the precise location of the plane when it last made contact with the satellite.
However, based on this new data, the aviation authorities of Malaysia and their international counterparts have determined that the plane's last communication with the satellite was in one of two possible corridors: a northern corridor stretching approximately from the border of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to northern Thailand, or a southern corridor stretching approximately from Indonesia to the southern Indian ocean. The investigation team is working to further refine the information.
In view of this latest development the Malaysian authorities have refocused their investigation into the crew and passengers on board. Despite media reports that the plane was hijacked, I wish to be very clear: we are still investigating all possibilities as to what caused MH370 to deviate from its original flight path.
This new satellite information has a significant impact on the nature and scope of the search operation. We are ending our operations in the South China Sea and reassessing the redeployment of our assets. We are working with the relevant countries to request all information relevant to the search, including radar data.
As the two new corridors involve many countries, the relevant foreign embassies have been invited to a briefing on the new information today by the Malaysian Foreign Ministry and the technical experts. I have also instructed the Foreign Ministry to provide a full briefing to foreign governments which had passengers on the plane. This morning, Malaysia Airlines has been informing the families of the passengers and crew of these new developments.
Clearly, the search for MH370 has entered a new phase. Over the last seven days, we have followed every lead and looked into every possibility. For the families and friends of those involved, we hope this new information brings us one step closer to finding the plane.
ENDS
--Dato' Sri Mohd Najib Bin Tun Abdul Razak
Source: Prime Minister's Office of Malaysia via the Web Archive
Saturday, March 15, 05:45 PM MYT +0800 Malaysia Airlines MH370 Flight Incident - 19th Media Statement
Further to the statement by the Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak earlier today into the ongoing search for Flight MH370, Malaysia Airlines has shared all available information with the relevant authorities since the moment we learned that the aircraft had disappeared, in the early hours of Saturday 8th March. This includes the very first indications that MH370 may have remained airborne for several hours after contact was lost, which the Prime Minister referred to today.
This is truly an unprecedented situation, for Malaysia Airlines and for the entire aviation industry. There has never been a case in which information gleaned from satellite signals alone could potentially be used to identify the location of a missing commercial airliner. Given the nature of the situation and its extreme sensitivity, it was critical that the raw satellite signals were verified and analysed by the relevant authorities so that their significance could be properly understood. This naturally took some time, during which we were unable to publicly confirm their existence.
We were well aware of the ongoing media speculation during this period, and its effect on the families of those on board. Their anguish and distress increases with each passing day, with each fresh rumour, and with each false or misleading media report. Our absolute priority at all times has been to support the authorities leading the multinational search for MH370, so that we can finally provide the answers which the families and the wider community are waiting for.
We remain absolutely committed to sharing confirmed information with family members and the wider public in a fully open and transparent manner. However given the nature of the situation, the importance of validating new information before it is released into the public domain is paramount.
Our thoughts and prayers remain with the families of the 227 passengers and our 12 Malaysia Airlines colleagues and friends on board flight MH370. They will remain at the centre of every action we take as a company, as they have been since MH370 first disappeared.
马来西亚航空公司MH370航空事件
媒体声明19
(2014年3月15日下午5时55分发布)
关于马来西亚首相拿督斯里纳吉敦拉萨今天较早时对于正在搜寻马来西亚航空公司MH370航班的工作所发表的声明， 马来西亚航空公司自获悉该班机于3 月8 日凌晨失踪后，便与各有关当局互通得到的一切信息。 这包括首相今天所提及的最初显示MH370 航班可能在失去联络后继续在空中飞行数小时迹象的信息。
此事件对于马来西亚航空公司及整个航空业而言的确是前所未有的。单凭卫星收集到的讯号来定位一架失踪的民航飞机，过去从未发生过。鉴于局势的性质和高度敏感性， 原始的卫星讯号必须由有关当局加以核实和分析，以充分地了解这些讯号的意义。由于核实和分析工作需要一些时间，因此我们在此期间无法公开证实这些讯号的存在。
我们很清楚在此期间，媒体持续所作的各种猜测， 以及这些猜测对航班上乘客家属的影响。随着失联时间的增加以及不断出现的谣言、虚假或误导性的报导，都会加深他们的痛苦和忧伤。我们的当务之急是协助有关当局组织多国搜寻MH370航班 ， 以便我们可以最终为家属们及公众提供他们所期待的答案。
我们绝对承诺以完全透明的方式向家属及公众公开已被证实的信息。然而，鉴于事态的性质，我们向公众发布任何新信息之前必须先核实信息的真实性。
我们继续与MH370 航班上227 名乘客及12 位马航同事的家属一起祈祷。MH370航班失联以来，他们便是马航的工作重心。。
Source: Malaysia Airlines MAS-MS19-008-ZH