Australia says new 'pings' best lead yet in Malaysia jet search

Reuters ^ | April 7, 2:38am EDT | JANE WARDELL AND SWATI PANDEY

[blueplum]

(Additional reporting by Lincoln Feast in Sydney; Editing by Michael Perry)

Sydney/Perth(Reuters) - An Australian ship searching for a missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner has picked up signals consistent with the beacons from aircraft black box recorders, in what search officials said on Monday was the most promising lead yet in the month-long hunt. The U.S. Navy "towed pinger locator" connected to the Australian ship Ocean Shield picked up the signals in an area some 1,680 km (1,040 miles) northwest of Perth, which analysis of sporadic satellite data has determined as the most likely place Boeing 777 went down.

:snip: The first "ping" signal detection was held for more than two hours before the Ocean Shield lost contact, but the ship was able to pick up a signal again for around 13 minutes, Houston said.

"On this occasion two distinct pinger returns were audible. Significantly, this would be consistent with transmissions from both the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder," he said.

:snip:

"We are right on the edge of capability and we might be limited on capability if the aircraft ended up in deeper water. In very deep oceanic water, nothing happens fast," said Houston.

"This is not the end of the search. We still have got difficult, painstaking work to do to confirm that this is indeed where the aircraft entered the water."

[blueplum]

I'm trusting the Aussies on this. They're towing US equipment behind the Ocean Shield. The Haixun I (China) is still at the same location as Friday/Saturday, about 300 miles north of the Ocean Shield.

[blueplum]

here’s a video that shows the dinosaur “listening” equipment the Chinese are working with. At 00.54-00.40. If this is, like, real equipment, then it’s just plain sad in a way, to see them trying to search like this, and shows just how far behind China is in so many areas.

http://www.reuters.com/video/2014/04/06/chinese-australian-ships-try-to-verify-p?videoId=305039153&videoChannel=1

[Atlas Sneezed]

Ping for later.

[don-o]

just how far behind China is in so many areas.

Yet somehow China was first to hear the ping. Makes me think that they are on their own program on this thing. IIRC, where they heard the ping was away from the official search.

[Uncle Chip]

It’s like trying to use chopsticks to eat soup — but they have to be seen doing something and they are trying and as long as they stay out of the way — that’s fine.

With 152 of its citizens onboard I’m sure they want to be the ones who first detect the Black Box ping.

[McGruff]

I think they're getting close to finding this thing. Why it is where it is is still a mystery to me.

[Uncle Chip]

Here is the DM article with the area that the yellow fin stingray heard two separate pings that is quite promising.

The area is 330 miles north of the Chinese ping along the 811 arc.:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2598545/Search-teams-scouring-Indian-Ocean-missing-Malaysia-Airlines-flight-MH370-confirm-HAVE-signals-consistent-black-box.html

The first signal lasted two hours and 20 minutes before it was lost. The ship then turned around and picked up a signal again - this time recording two distinct ‘pinger returns’ that lasted 13 minutes, Mr Houston said.

‘Significantly, this would be consistent with transmissions from both the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder,’ Mr Houston said.

If this turns out to be it then they will have to adjust the MH370 flight path and speed once again.

[KeyLargo]

The RAAF is deploying a E-7A Wedgetail airborne early warning & control aircraft to assist in MH370 search operations.

From Wednesday the Wedgetail will take on the role of an airborne command post in the search area, replacing civilian aircraft that have been performing this role to date, head of the newly-established Joint Agency Coordination Centre Air Chief Marshal (Retd) Angus Houston told media on Tuesday.

The Wedgetail will be responsible for deconflicting aircraft operating in the search zone looking for evidence of the presumed crashed Malaysia Airlines 777. The current search zone covers an area of 120,000 square kilometres approximately 1,960km west of Perth.

[9422WMR]

Just how many missing jets are there in the south china sea that are pinging? The news reports said ping was heard, but could not be confirmed as being from the missing jet.
So I guess that pinging is from all the OTHER missing jets, right?
Oh brother this is getting to be annoying.....

[9422WMR]

” E-7A Wedgetail”
That thing looks like its a b*tch to land in a cross wind....

[imchris]

I read an article that mentioned the listening device that the Chinese are using was actually made by a US company. I don’t think it’s a military device. It’s probably a listening device used by scuba divers.

[C210N]

Wait.... wait.... this might be it... wait... YES!!!!

I JUST got a PING on my RIght Rear Molar. WHo do I contact at CNN, and what authorities do I notify to help the search?

[blueplum]

The max speed of a 777, from what I’ve been able to gleen, is 590mph, hammer down. Since the new suspected splash spot is shorter in distance from the turn, than any of the three predicted flight paths, this evidence of lack of fuel conservation is counter to any argument that the objective was to find a safe landing spot.

On a side note, I’m very interested in the tacking pattern prior to the southern turn. Was it deception of the passengers? (would the tacking have been the same on the trip to Bejing?) did a passenger takeback attempt begin at the southern 270degree turn? I just can’t envision an Aussie, much less an American, sitting quietly in their seats while all this was going on.

[Uncle Chip]

Here are the two flight paths — at 400 knots and 450 knots:

https://www.facebook.com/178566888854999/photos/pcb.740971779281171/740971732614509/?type=1&theater

If you calculate a 350 knot flight path it would be right where they are searching now — where the 811 Arc crosses the S20 Parallel — a shorter distance from waypoint IGREX where it turned south.

If the red line is where it would have run out of fuel at after 5 hours @ 400 knots, then it would have still had fuel after 5 hours @ 350 knots.

The slower speed and shorter distance from IGREX to the new search area means increased likelihood that there was still fuel in the tank when it went down.

[blueplum]

The slower speed and shorter distance from IGREX to the new search area means increased likelihood that there was still fuel in the tank when it went down.

I see what you mean (and fuel in reserve opens up a whole new can of worms).
Are we using 30-35k altitude as a constant between IGREX and spash? 350knots is abt 2/3rds of 'usual' cruising speed at 35K, isn't it? not sure if that would mean anything.

[Uncle Chip]

I don’t even have to deal with altitude.

Whatever the altitude assumed by those who drew up those 450k and 400k flight path line is what I assumed — whatever that was.

[blueplum]

I’m not sure what Inmarsat used, either, but the standard story has been, “the final handshake was attempted outside of the hourly window, possibly at fuel starvation because of power fluctuations.”

subcaption below graphic, the final ping:
http://theaviationist.com/2014/03/27/inmarsat-helps-finding-route/

I was thinking, faster, lower or in circles would cause starvation north of all predictions, but I forgot about the time factor, and you’re right - faster would have splashed it before 8:19am.

Back to the drawing board...

[SunkenCiv]

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