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Latest entry to the MH370 DOI archives -

MH370: Possible debris could prove fire theory in Malaysia Airlines missing plane mystery
The World Today
By Peter Lloyd
Posted about an hour agoMon 12 Sep 2016, 4:46pm
Photo: Debris was found off Mosambique in March this year. (Supplied: Aircrash Support Group Australia)

New wreckage that may be from missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370 could be the first proof for the theory that the plane was exposed to intense heat or fire.

Key points:

• New debris could prove there was a fire onboard the plane
  
• It has similar honeycomb pattern unique to Boeing's composite materials
  
• Victims relatives want Malaysia to hand the investigation over
  

The debris was brought to Australia and handed to officials at the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) in Canberra this morning.

If the debris is confirmed to be from flight 370, it would support the theory that an onboard fire crippled the Boeing 777's systems, leaving pilots struggling to get back to safety before being overwhelmed by fumes or lack of oxygen.

It was found on the coast of Madagascar, the huge island nation off the southeast coast of Africa where the majority of suspected debris has come ashore so far.

Blaine Gibson, an American lawyer turned self-styled investigator into the mystery of flight 370, has brought more suspected and confirmed pieces of wreckage back from Africa than anyone else.

"I am bringing these [new pieces of debris] over to ATSB, which will give the absolute best forensic analysis and investigation possible," he told the ABC.

"There are two that have burned and singe marks on them, and if those are found to be from Malaysia 370 and if it is discovered that the fire took place before the crash, then this is a real game changer that could help identify what was the cause of the planes demise.

"I'd add that of these five pieces, three of them are from the fuselage."

While it remains too soon to know whether Mr Gibson's theory as to the provenance of the objects was correct, the new debris has the honeycomb pattern that was unique to Boeing's composite materials.

And some strongly resemble panelling used in the Boeing 777.

Mr Gibson has speculated that the panel with a scorched appearance could be from the avionics bay — which is located below and behind the cockpit under the main cabin floor.

"One of the theories is that there was a fire on the plane," he said.

He said that so far there was no evidence to support that theory, but if the new debris was determined to be from flight 370 and the heat exposure occurred before the crash, "then that's a very significant clue".

Malaysia should step aside: relatives

Relatives of the plane's passengers and crew have also been in Canberra to visit the ATSB.

It was meant to be a private visit, initiated by Australian search officials who saw firsthand how the next of kin are sidelined in Malaysia.
         
Audio: Listen to Peter Lloyd's story (The World Today)

Grace Nathan's mother Anne was on the missing flight and on behalf of the next of kin she seized the moment to ask Australia's search officials to petition Malaysia to step aside from the investigation.

"I think the topic will come up about whether it's possible for Malaysia to really push its authority over the search, its power over the search," she said.

"And to hand it over to another nation that is willing and capable of taking over."

Next of kin who were not in Canberra said they wanted it to be known that they stood united against the airline.

K S Narendran, whose partner was on flight 370, said the families and the public at large were being "short-changed".

He said he believed that for almost three months potential debris had been "languishing in Madagascar".

"It boggles our mind as to why that country, which is in charge of the investigation, would simply not pick it up," he said

&..

Also via the West Oz:

MH370 relatives: Please don't give up search

Angela Pownall and Geoffrey Thomas 08 Sep 2016


Relatives of MH370 passengers plea for search to continue Bai Shuan Fu, Jennifer Chong, Jiang Hui, Grace Nathan.

Relatives of passengers presumed dead on Malaysia Airlines flight 370, which disappeared off the WA coast in 2014, have pleaded with Australia not to abandon the search for the aircraft.

Family members of MH370 victims met Australian investigators leading the A$180 million search for the Boeing 777 in Perth on Wednesday.

They told The West Australian newspaper of their anguish and frustration that their loved ones remain lost 2 1/2 years after the plane disappeared.

Jennifer Chong, whose husband Chong Ling Tan was on the doomed flight, appealed to the Australian, Chinese and Malaysian governments to continue the search.

“Please don’t give up on searching for MH370, for our loved ones, for us and for the flying public,” the Victorian mother said.

MH370 disappeared on March 8, 2014, after communications were cut during what was to be a routine flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

The search is due to be suspended in December when Dutch search company Fugro completes the current 120,000sqkm search zone.

The Australian, Malaysian and Chinese governments agreed on the suspension in July in the absence of “credible new evidence” pointing to the plane’s location.

Ms Chong was among a group of Australian, Chinese, Malaysian and Indonesian relatives of MH370 victims who were in Perth to meet the crew of the Fugro Equator ship, which was in Fremantle for a crew change yesterday for its search in the remote southern Indian Ocean.

Malaysian Grace Nathan, whose mother Anne Daisy was on MH370, appealed for help to find evidence before the search ended in December.

“It is our understanding that if they dismantle the whole search, it will take a very long time to remobilise it because they will have to have the assets come back to the location and that will take time,” she said. “It’s everyone’s best interests that something comes up sooner rather than later.”

Ms Nathan, a lawyer, said she would raise the issue when the group meets Australian Transport Safety Bureau officials in Canberra on Monday.

The group praised the Australian Government, which has contributed A$60 million to the search. But they were disappointed with the Malaysian Government’s handling of the tragedy.

Ms Nathan said the Malaysian officials leading the investigation into the plane’s disappearance had refused to meet victims’ relatives despite repeated requests.

“We don’t understand why they never want to see us, speak to us. We struggle to come to terms with this,” she said.

The relatives met US lawyer and investigator Blaine Gibson, who has found 10 pieces of debris, some confirmed to be from MH370. They praised his efforts and believe it is credible evidence to continue the search.

- See more at: http://www.airlineratings.com/news/799/m...IFsDp.dpuf

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