[Peetwo]

DOI Update: On for young and old...

Further to the - "he said, she said"/ "the pilot did it, the pilot didn't do it" bun fight - the Weekend Oz has come out swinging, with 2 additions to their smear campaign of the ATSB coupled with BB's continued calls for a formal inquiry into the whole Beaker manufactured cock-up/cover up:

MH370 death dive theory ‘backed’
12:00amEAN HIGGINS
Australian authorities believe a flap confirmed to be from Flight MH370 was not deployed when it hit the water.

..The ATSB announced on Thursday that the flap, which came to it in July from an island off Africa, had been confirmed as coming from MH370 based on a detailed analysis of serial numbers and other identifiers.

“The flap section was being exam­ined for any evidence … that may indicate the state of flap operation at the time of separation from the wing,” it said in a statement. “This information may contribute to an increased under­stan­d­ing of end-of-flight scenarios.”

While the ATSB insists the flap is still being tested, the head of the organisation’s search for MH370, Peter Foley, gave the game away in a little-reported interview last month.

He told the Australian Associated Press news agency that Australian analysis of the flap in Can­berra suggested it had not been deployed when it hit the water but retracted inside the wing. A pilot attempting a soft landing would have extended the wing flaps.

Mr Foley told AAP that analysis of the satellite data — whose ­accuracy has been challenged by some experts — showed it was falling at a rapid and increasing rate.
“The rate of descent combined with the position of the flap — if it’s found that it is not deployed — will almost certainly rule out either a controlled ditch or glide,” he said. “If it’s not in a deployed state, it ­validates, if you like, where we’ve been looking.”

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ATSB should go see Sully
12:00amByron Bailey
Armchair experts and computer models don’t hold a candle to veterans.

...As for Sully, it is a brilliant movie and a must-see for all airline pilots and cabin crew. It may possibly be one of the best crew training films made. The well-trained and experienced cabin crew performed admirably in their primary function of passenger safety.

It is a shame a movie could not be made about Qantas QF32, the A380 aircraft engine blow-up out of Singapore where the flight crew, under captain Richard Champion de Crespigny, faced a scenario that their simulator training had not covered (this was also the case with the Sully event).

The engine blow-up took out most of the electrical and hydraulic systems, and it was only the professionalism of the crew of the world’s safest airline that managed an extraordinary feat of airmanship in landing the aircraft safely back at Changi airport.

The ATSB should realise that the opinions of armchair experts, mathematical modelling and simulations do not stack up against the real-world experience and knowledge of professional airline pilots.

Who made the decision to go with the “unresponsive pilots” theory?

Former ATSB head Martin Dolan and the responsible minister at the time, Warren Truss, need to front an inquiry to answer this. - P2: this bit I totally agree with, going to happen? - probably not, way too much dirty laundry both domestically & internationally in that lot, nice to dream though...

 People bag the Oz campaign and I must admit it is somewhat repetitious dragging the same lines out again and again... It is a campaign more akin to tabloid media, rather than a national newspaper...

If nothing else the whole sordid political argy-bargy, rumours & innuendo, name calling etc. seems to have the effect of keeping the shambolic ATSB-Beaker originated-MH370 search shenanigans firmly in the MSM/Social media spotlight. That can only have a positive impact, as I believe the Malaysian government dearly want this all to simply fade away into a distant memory. This article from the Guardian would seem to reinforce the view that Malaysia are just going through the motions.. : MH370: debris found in Madagascar in June still not collected by Malaysia

However a couple of recent reported examples point to a strange dichotomy (wedge) emerging, where the Malaysian desire (above) is becoming increasingly less likely to occur and in conflict with (at least) Australia in the Tripartite MH370 search partners.   

First with an extract from my last AA&MH370 post: 

ATM ID:
16AMSA084
Agency: Australian Maritime Safety Authority
Category: 83121604 - Online database information retrieval systems
Close Date & Time: 19-Sep-2016 2:00 pm (ACT Local Time)
Show close time for other time zones

Publish Date: 24-Aug-2016
Location: Other, Overseas
ATM Type: Request for Tender

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Multi Agency Access: No
Panel Arrangement: No

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Description: AMSA is assisting in the establishment of a Drift Modelling and Search and Rescue system to support the search and rescue (SAR) agencies of our partner countries.

A system is required to support the search and rescue (SAR) agencies of Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Mauritius (the “partner countries”) to model the drift of floating objects and to provide support in prosecuting and managing search and rescue incidents.

This tender is for the provision of the system (including the first year’s maintenance) and the payment of the second year’s maintenance fee.

Contracting and payment for maintenance of the system beyond the second year will be undertaken directly between the successful tenderer and the respective partner countries should they choose to continue...
 
..Timeframe for Delivery: The Term of the subsequent contract will be for a potential minimum period of 20 months. 
Address for Lodgement: https://www.tenders.gov.au
Addenda Available: View Addenda

Now maybe it is purely coincidental but I am not really a great believer in coincidences and AMSA have had a long running MoU with the CSIRO on oceanography research & support, including SAR drift modelling:

Ref: CSIRO blog - "..CSIRO has a Memorandum of Understanding with AMSA that allows them, during a maritime incident, to call on us for scientific knowledge and technical support.

Incidents include oil spills, search and rescue, shipping accidents and in the case of MH370, modelling and projecting the track of debris spotted by satellites..."

  
Ever an optimist, what I'd like to think is that the 'powers to be' have finally seen the error of their ways and are now going to pass back responsibility to the true Maritime expert Government agency AMSA. After all, as "K" eloquently put, WTD does the ATSB know about SAR, deep sea search/salvage and drift modelling...
A further sign that there is something afoot, our friendly frog Oceankoto ()  picked up on the fact that Fugro tender period has been extended and an additional $4 million has been added to the MH370 tab... :

CN ID: CN2562511-A10
Agency: Australian Transport Safety Bureau
Amendment Publish Date: 7-Sep-2016
Category: Marine transport
Contract Period: 11-Aug-2014 to 11-Aug-2018
Contract Value (AUD): $143,401,427.50
Amendment Value (AUD): $4,275,000.00
Amendment Start Date: 11-Aug-2016
Description: Prime Contractor for provision of Services for the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (MH370)
Parent CN: CN2562511
Procurement Method: Open tender
ATM ID: RFT570-04
Confidentiality - Contract: Yes
Confidentiality Reason(s) - Contract: Costing/profit information
Intellectual property
Confidentiality - Outputs: Yes
Confidentiality Reason(s) - Outputs:
Intellectual property
Consultancy: No
Agency Reference ID:

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Supplier Details

Name: Fugro Survey Pty Ltd
Postal Address:
Town/City: Balcatta
Postcode: 6021
State/Territory: WA
Country: AUSTRALIA
ABN: 81 009 172 990

   
Could this extension (and additional monies) be to keep Fugro on standby until such time as AMSA can narrow down a higher probability search zone, based on independent expert analysis (drift modelling) from the AMSA tender? The timeframe of the tenders certainly matches...

Cynically speaking these tenders also mean that the ATSB will keep effective narrative and control of the MH370 southern sector of the 7th Arc until 11 Aug 2018...

Now it could be that my (above) cynical view is in actual fact close to reality but then I spotted this article:

Malaysia: Downing mode of MH370 under investigation

Investigators to probe if plane was deliberately ditched or suffered uncontrolled fall after latest debris confirmation
16.09.2016   [/url] [url=http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=http://aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/malaysia-downing-mode-of-mh370-under-investigation/646984&title=Malaysia: Downing mode of MH370 under investigation]

By P Prem Kumar
KUALA LUMPUR

A team investigating missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 will begin probing whether the commercial aircraft was deliberately ditched or experienced an uncontrolled fall while carrying 239 people, according to Malaysia's transport minister.

Liow Tiong Lai told Anadolu Agency on Friday that both the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) and the MH370 Safety Investigation Team will look into details of debris confirmed to belong to the aircraft to determine the falling mode of MH370 in March 2014.

"The teams will examine into other details now and study how the accident happened -- whether it was a controlled or uncontrolled ditch into the sea," he said in a telephone conversation.

The minister had earlier dismissed a report claiming that evidence had shown that MH370 was deliberately crashed into the Indian Ocean by its pilot, and underlined that the ATSB had reported the incident was an "uncontrolled ditch".

His comments Friday come a day after he confirmed that a piece of debris -- an inboard flap of a Boeing 777 -- found in Tanzania last June originated from MH370.

In a statement late Thursday, Liow said the debris was determined to be from the missing aircraft after several numbers as well as its physical appearance and dimensions were found to match those of the ill-fated flight.

"A date stamp indicated that it was manufactured on Jan 23, 2002, and consistent with the May 31, 2002, delivery date for MH370,” Liow said.

"Besides the Boeing part number, all identification stamps have a second OL number which are unique identifiers relating to the part," the minister highlighted.

He added that an Italian parts manufacturer had confirmed that all numbers located on the recovered debris relate to the same outboard flap shipped to Boeing and delivered to Malaysia Airlines.

Flight MH370, carrying 239 passengers and crew, disappeared from radar shortly after taking off from Kuala Lumpur enroute to Beijing on March 8, 2014.

The jetliner has yet to be found despite massive search operations in the southern Indian Ocean where the aircraft was believed to have ended its flight after diverting from its original route.

The search and rescue mission -- which began immediately after -- involved some 160 assets as well as experts from 25 countries...

The part in bold would seem to indicate, that through international pressure, the Malaysians have no choice but to allow unimpeded proper aviation accident investigation, to assess and forensically examine all current/future recovered confirmed pieces of MH370 debris.
IMO this is very positive sign and a lot of kudos should go to the relentless and unrewarded efforts of Blaine Gibson - hat off and a key to the Tim Tam cupboard for that man...

MTF...P2