Detailed Flight MH370 preliminary report released

By P. Prem Kumar

KUALA LUMPUR 

A long-awaited report on Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 clearly indicates that air traffic controllers did not realize it was missing until 17 minutes after it disappeared from civilian radar.

Aiming to counter criticism of the Malaysian Transport Ministry's attempts to locate the plane, the 5-page preliminary report - released Thursday - includes MH370's cargo manifest and recording transcripts of all communication that took place between the plane's cockpit and air traffic control.

Maps detailing its flight path and the likely area it ended its journey - the Malaysian government had previously said MH370 was likely to have ended in the southern Indian Ocean, based on satellite data - were also given to media.

The ministry also handed out a document containing detailed actions taken by the Malaysian authorities between 1.38am and 6.14am on March 8 - the day the aircraft, which had 239 passengers and crew on board, disappeared off civilian radars while on a scheduled flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

In the report, the ministry said the search and rescue operation was activated after the Kuala Lumpur Air Traffic Control (ATC) had contacted all other ATCs in the region, while the Kuala Lumpur Rescue Coordination Centre was activated at 5.30am after all efforts to communicate and locate MH370 failed.

Initially, search and rescue operations were carried out in the South China Sea where ATC radar last recorded flight MH370's position.

Military radar later revealed that a signal from an aircraft could possibly be that of MH370, had made an air turn back crossing peninsular Malaysia towards the Indian Ocean.

"(At that point of time) the aircraft was categorized as friendly by the radar operator and therefore, no further action was taken," the report states.

“At 8.30am on March 8, radar data was reviewed in a playback and the information was sent to the Royal Malaysian Air Force operations room at 9am," said acting Malaysian Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein, in a statement today. "After further discussion up the chain of command, the military informed me, as the Defense Minister, at 10.30am of MH370's possible air turn back."

Hishammuddin says he then informed Prime Minister Najib Razak, who immediately ordered that search and rescue operations be initiated in the Straits of Malacca, along with the South China Sea operations, which had started earlier.

Two Malaysian maritime vessels KD Mahamiru and KD Laksamana Muhamad Amin - on patrol duty in the straits - were then reassigned to conduct search and rescue operations.

The last message received by the satellite ground system from the flight’s Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) system on MH370 was at 8.19am of the same day.

With the primary analysis of the satellite data and aircraft performance data, the investigation established that flight MH370 flew along either a northern or southern corridor.

The last transmission occurred when the aircraft was on an arc of 40 degrees from the satellite, and only based on the new development the search area was moved from the South China Sea and the Strait of Malacca to the northern and southern corridors.

Hishammuddin said the preliminary report had been drafted with the cooperation of the U.S. National Transport Safety Board, the UK Air Accident Investigations Branch and other international aviation agencies.

"The review was conducted with a view to releasing as much of information as possible to the public," Hishammuddin said. "The principle set by Najib was as long as the release of a particular piece of information did not hamper the probe or search operation, it should be made public.” 

He reiterated that the Malaysian government’s stand was that it had always wanted to be as open and transparent as possible, hence the information being released once the internal team had concluded its review. 

Two days ago Najib also appointed an internal team of experts to review all the to-date information the authorities possessed on MH370.

The report ends with a recommendation that the International Civil Aviation Organization "examine the safety benefits of introducing a standard for real time tracking of commercial air transport aircraft."

In a related development, families and next-of-kin of passengers aboard the flight will have to return home soon as Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has said it will not foot their accommodation bill after May 7.

The families - many of whom have been put up in hotels, where they’ve been briefed on the ongoing search - have accused the Malaysian government of not giving them enough information about the incident and incompetence in their efforts to find the plane.

MAS group CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said in a statement Thursday that the national carrier was adjusting the mode of services and support, thus instead of staying in hotels, the families are advised to receive information updates within the comfort of their own homes.

In line with the adjustment, MAS said it will be also closing down all of its family assistance centers worldwide by May 7, however it would continue to keep in close touch with the families to update them of any developments through telephone calls, messages, the Internet and face-to-face meetings. 

englishnews@aa.com.tr