Fresh hope in search for MH370
French satellites have made the latest sighting of possible aircraft wreckage in the southern Indian Ocean, adding to the renewed sense of optimism surrounding the search for missing flight MH370.
Flight MH370, carrying 239 people including six Australians and two New Zealanders, dropped off civilian radar on March 8, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
Two weeks later Malaysian investigators still believe the aircraft was "deliberately diverted" by someone on board.
Malaysia's transport ministry announced late on Sunday (AEDT) it had received pictures of the objects from French authorities.
Two satellite images showing apparent debris in the southern Indian Ocean. The image on the left was captured on 18 March, 2014 by a Chinese satellite in S44’57 E90’13 in south Indian Ocean. It shows what is suspected to be a floating object 22 meters long and 13 meters wide. It is about 120 km south (slightly to the west) of the suspected objects released by Australia (shown right), captured on 16 March. Photos: China State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense (left)/AMSA (right)/Yahoo!7
It gave no further details about the size or nature or number detected but said the data had been passed to Australian authorities leading the search for MH370.
It is the third detection by satellites of possible wreckage from the missing Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200ER.
Chinese and US satellites recorded large objects in the same search area, about 2500km southwest of Perth.
Observers on a civil aircraft spotted a wooden cargo pallet, belts and straps on Saturday, with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) later confirming wooden pallets were "quite common" on large passenger aircraft.
Flight MH370 went missing on March 8, en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people aboard.
"There is increasing hope - no more than hope - that we might be on the road to discovering what did happen to this ill-fated aircraft," Prime Minister Tony Abbott commented on Sunday.
That hope was tempered slightly after no further sightings of possible debris were recorded by aircraft or ships on Sunday.
The search zone was refined slightly following receipt of China's satellite data and could be refined further on Monday following the French discovery.
Eight aircraft were involved in Sunday's search but spotted nothing of note.
Aircraft from China and Japan will join the hunt for MH370 on Monday.
A Royal Australian Air Force plane deployed to search part of the Indian Ocean for any potential signs of the missing MH370 passenger jet returned to Perth without spotting any debris. Photo: Reuters.
The Chinese polar research and supply ship Xue Long is on the way, as are warships from around the globe.
Australian defence vessel Ocean Shield, which has a remote-controlled submarine aboard, is also en route.
Meanwhile, the threat of poor weather in the search zone from tropical cyclone Gillian appears to have dissipated.
Latest data from the Australian Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) shows the cyclone is forecast to strengthen to a category one weather system by Tuesday.
However, the BoM data suggests it will track at least 1000km north of the current MH370 search zone.
PM, Truss hopeful of MH370 breakthrough
Visiting the Australian Maritime Safety Authority's Canberra headquarters on Sunday, Mr Truss said the Indian Ocean search will continue "as long as there is hope".
"We hope that soon there will be more information available that might help to provide some kind of closure, or at least an understanding of what's happened, especially to the families of those who were on board Malaysia Airlines flight 370," he said.
Mr Truss's comments echoed those of Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who earlier said an Australian civilian aircraft had on Saturday spotted debris in the southern Indian Ocean, including a wooden pallet.
Sgt. Matthew Falanga on board a Royal Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion, scans for the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 in the southern Indian Ocean. Photo: AP
It was still too early to say whether the debris was from an aircraft, Mr Abbott said in his latest update on the search.
"But obviously we have now had a number of very credible leads," he told reporters in Papua New Guinea, also referring to new Chinese satellite imagery suggesting at least one large object.
"There is increasing hope, no more than hope ... that we might be on the road to discovering what did happen to this ill-fated aircraft."
A map shows the search areas for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. Photo: AP.
The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said several small objects were identified by a civil aircraft in Saturday's search and further searches would continue on Sunday to determine if the objects were related to the missing plane.
Four civil jets and four military aircraft were involved in Sunday's operation, which AMSA says would be a visual search based on the satellite imagery.
Mike Barton from AMSA's Rescue Coordination Centre said wooden pallets were quite common in the airline industry.
"We've gone back to that area today to try and refind it," he told reporters in Canberra.
"It's a possible lead. But we will need to be very certain that this is a pallet because pallets are used in the shipping industry as well."
The world will continue to look to Australia for new information about two objects in the southern Indian Ocean possibly linked to a missing jet. Photo: Department of Defence.
Head of the AMSA's rescue coordination centre John Young said the authority still held the "gravest of concerns" for those on board MH370.
"We intend to stick with this until we've done all we can," he told reporters in Canberra.
RAAF flight lieutenant Russell Adams told reporters after a 10.6 hour flight to the zone, although they did not find anything of interest on Sunday due to poor weather, he was proud of the team's efforts.
"There was cloud down to the surface and at times we were completely enclosed by cloud," he said.
Malaysian Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein answers reporters' questions about the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. Photo: Reuters.
Lt Adams said it had been a long day for the crew but they were still in high spirits.
"This us what we train for, this is what we enjoy doing in that we get to utilise the capabilities of the aircraft and work together as a team as part of the multinational effort which is going on," he said.
Lt Adams said the crews still had drive and would continue their efforts for as long as it took.
"We might do 10 sorties and find nothing, but on that 11th flight when you find something and you know that you're actually contributing to some answers for somebody or if you're finding a life raft out in the Solomon Islands with people alive on it, it really makes it worthwhile," he said.
Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force's P-3C Orion arrives to help with search operations for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 at Royal Australian Air Force Pearce Base in Perth. Photo: AP.
Rescue expert Aaron Halstead describes challenges of southern Indian Ocean search for possible debris
An aeromedical rescue specialist has described the vast challenges facing search crews scouring the southern Indian Ocean for possible debris that could be linked to the missing Malaysia Airlines plane.
Aaron Halstead, a manager with the Royal Flying Doctor Service in Melbourne, has extensive experience in sea and air search and rescue operations.
He has sailed through the "really remote" search area on trips from Antarctica's Heard Island to Perth on icebreaker ships and smaller ocean-going yachts.
"What you're talking about is an expansive ocean that is exactly the same with nothing in between for eight days," he told ABC News Online.
"It is a vast expansive ocean and it is unimpeded from west to east - there is nothing in the way."
Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force's P-3C Orion aircraft sits on the tarmac after arriving at Royal Australian Air Force Pearce Base to help with search operations for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in Perth. Photo: AP.
Mr Halstead says scanning that part of the ocean from the air is difficult.
"Having been involved in a lot of aerial searches myself, I can say you lose depth perception," he said.
"I know the crews are really skilled at this but you're dealing with swell. You can imagine that with the peaks and troughs of the swell, as it drops over the back of the swell, you've only got to be flying past and blink at that moment and miss something.
"Hence why they've got 10 sets of eyes on a plane - it really is human eyeball work. It is about looking out and scouring that area, and hopefully somebody catches something that someone else didn't see."
Search crews are trained to know the size and scale of objects at varying heights above the ocean.
"A US Air Force pilot gave a good analogy about the initial search area which was to imagine looking from Los Angeles to New York and trying to find three people on the ground," Mr Halstead said.
"So for example in this area, it might be the same size as Tasmania, so you're saying we're trying to find two people in Tasmania."
