Five aircraft spotted multiple objects of various colours during Friday’s search for the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370.
Search activities have now concluded. A total of 256,000 square kilometres was searched. Photographic imagery of the objects was captured and will be assessed overnight.
The objects cannot be verified or discounted as being from MH370 until they are relocated and recovered by ships.
A Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) P3 Orion reported sighting a number of objects white or light in colour and a fishing buoy.
A Royal Australian Air Force P3 Orion relocated the objects detected by the RNZAF Orion and reported it had seen two blue/grey rectangular objects floating in the ocean.
A second RAAF P3 Orion spotted various objects of various colours in a separate part of the search area about 546 kilometres away.
A total of ten planes were tasked by AMSA in today’s search and all have now departed the search area.
AMSA has tasked Chinese Maritime Administration patrol ship, Haixun 01, which is in the search area and will be in a position to relocate the objects on Saturday.
Friday’s search area was shifted north after international air crash investigators in Malaysia provided the latest credible lead available to AMSA.
This was on the advice of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB).
Weather conditions in the area are expected to be reasonable for searching on Saturday.
28th March, 2014: 1115(AEDT)
Air France flight AF111 diverted by Russia for military exercise
Air France says a plane carrying 495 passengers and 22 crew was diverted on its way from Shanghai to Paris after Russia announced at short notice that part of its airspace was closed for a military exercise.
The company said flight AF111 was forced to land in Hamburg, Germany, early Wednesday to refuel because the plane had too little fuel on board to complete the flight following its detour.
Hamburg Airport confirmed that the plane landed shortly after 6 a.m. (0500 GMT) and was able to take off for Paris again after an hour and a half.
It wasn't immediately clear if Russia's military exercise was linked to the increased troop activity on its western border with Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the World Bank warned Wednesday that Russia's economy could contract this year if the country is hit with more serious sanctions following its annexation of Crimea.
The company said flight AF111 was forced to land in Hamburg, Germany, early Wednesday to refuel because the plane had too little fuel on board to complete the flight following its detour.
Hamburg Airport confirmed that the plane landed shortly after 6 a.m. (0500 GMT) and was able to take off for Paris again after an hour and a half.
It wasn't immediately clear if Russia's military exercise was linked to the increased troop activity on its western border with Ukraine.
Meanwhile, the World Bank warned Wednesday that Russia's economy could contract this year if the country is hit with more serious sanctions following its annexation of Crimea.
BREAKING Satellite spots 122 objects in search for missing Malaysianjet #MH370
A satellite has captured images of 122 objects in the Indian Ocean that might be from missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, the country’s acting transport minister said Wednesday.
Hishammuddin Hussein said the objects were seen close to where three other satellites previously detected objects in the southern Indian Ocean, adding that the sightings together are "the most credible lead that we have."
Hussein said the images were taken Sunday and were relayed by French-based Airbus Defense and Space. Clouds obscured the latest satellite images, but dozens of objects could be seen in the gaps, ranging in length from 1 yard to 25 yards. Hussein said some of them "appeared to be bright, possibly indicating solid materials."
Race is on to find #MH370 Malaysia airliner's black boxes
After the excruciating 17-day wait for confirmation that the Boeing 777 crashed into the southern Indian Ocean, searchers are racing to locate the so-called black boxes before a battery-powered ping they emit fades away.
By law, the boxes with must be able to send those signals for at least 30 days following a crash. But experts say they can continue making noise for another 15 days or so beyond that, depending upon the strength of the black box battery at the time of the crash.
Without the black boxes — the common name for the voice and data recorders normally attached to a fuselage — it would be virtually impossible for investigators to definitively say what caused the crash.
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BREAKING China finds possible #MH370 debris in South China Sea
Malaysian officials Saturday said that Chinese authorities have found debris in South China Sea, potentially from missing flight MH370, reports the BBC.
What aircrafts are right now in the debris's area. Look at the list.
Australian efforts had resumed with:
2 Royal Australian Air Force P3 Orion planes
1 ultra-long-range Bombardier Global Express
1 third Orion was in the air, while a U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon aircraft was scheduled to leave at 4 p.m. local time
It will have enough fuel for only two to three hours of search time before returning to Perth.
1 New Zealand P-3 Orion plane took part in the unsuccessful search Thursday. Mike Yardley, an air commodore with New Zealand's air force, said the plane was forced to duck below thick clouds and fog to a very low altitude of 60 metres, hampering the operation.
2 Royal Australian Air Force P3 Orion planes
1 ultra-long-range Bombardier Global Express
1 third Orion was in the air, while a U.S. Navy P-8 Poseidon aircraft was scheduled to leave at 4 p.m. local time
It will have enough fuel for only two to three hours of search time before returning to Perth.
1 New Zealand P-3 Orion plane took part in the unsuccessful search Thursday. Mike Yardley, an air commodore with New Zealand's air force, said the plane was forced to duck below thick clouds and fog to a very low altitude of 60 metres, hampering the operation.
Everything you wanted to know about the spy satellites that might’ve found MH370
How good are these things, really?
If you've used Google Earth, you know that free satellite imagery is already pretty good. Google's systems are capable of incredible resolution — down to less than a meter. Some onlookers report that the real figure is actually about half a meter, and is limited only by government restrictions that prevent the image quality from getting too good.
That's consistent with what Mark Lowenthal, a former intelligence official, thinks, too. According to Lowenthal, president of the Arlington-based Intelligence and Security Academy, commercial satellite imagery can make out objects that are as small as 20 inches across. But Lowenthal notes that according to various press reports military satellites are about twice again as good, capable of resolution down to 10 inches. The Federation of American Scientists has a great side-by-side comparison of the same image sampled at various resolutions.
What did the satellites pick up off the coast of Australia?
As you can see in the images above, gathered March 16, investigators have identified an "object" about 79-feet across. Another is slightly smaller, about 16-feet across. It might be part of the missing plane. Given how big the object is, it seems the high-resolution capabilities were mostly overkill this time. According to the Sydney Morning Herald, the images were provided by U.S. intelligence sources, suggesting a government satellite may have been involved.
What to Expect if Debris From Missing Malaysia Plane Is Found
If the Australians or anyone else locate the first wreckage on missing Flight MH370, don't expect immediate answers as to what caused the plane to go down.
Debris needs to be tracked back to the main wreckage and then the all-important black boxes must be recovered.
The first thing investigators will do is try to determine if any debris matches something consistent with an airplane. Luggage with tags is obvious. There should also be serial numbers on Boeing plane parts that can be quickly tracked back -- presuming those items haven't sunk.
If it is confirmed that wreckage is associated with the flight, investigators will work with oceanographers to begin to determine currents and winds.
Large pieces of the plane will have sunk beneath what could be deep ocean. Small pieces will be blown by winds and pushed by currents. Debris could easily be hundreds of miles away from the main wreckage.
Finding the main wreckage, if it is located deep under water like Air France 447 will be a complicated and very expensive prospect, but it's important to aviation safety to get an answer.
One thing investigators will look for if they recover debris is any signs of scarring or pitting that might indicate an explosion.
Ultimately, even if the debris is found, it may take years before there is an answer to this mystery.
And of course, there's always another possibility: This could just be stuff floating in the ocean.
Debris needs to be tracked back to the main wreckage and then the all-important black boxes must be recovered.
The first thing investigators will do is try to determine if any debris matches something consistent with an airplane. Luggage with tags is obvious. There should also be serial numbers on Boeing plane parts that can be quickly tracked back -- presuming those items haven't sunk.
If it is confirmed that wreckage is associated with the flight, investigators will work with oceanographers to begin to determine currents and winds.
Large pieces of the plane will have sunk beneath what could be deep ocean. Small pieces will be blown by winds and pushed by currents. Debris could easily be hundreds of miles away from the main wreckage.
Finding the main wreckage, if it is located deep under water like Air France 447 will be a complicated and very expensive prospect, but it's important to aviation safety to get an answer.
One thing investigators will look for if they recover debris is any signs of scarring or pitting that might indicate an explosion.
Ultimately, even if the debris is found, it may take years before there is an answer to this mystery.
And of course, there's always another possibility: This could just be stuff floating in the ocean.
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