MH370 search beacon battery had expired: Report
The battery on the underwater locator beacon attached to the data recorder of a missing plane belonging to Malaysia Airlines had expired more than a year before Flight MH370 vanished without trace, a new report says.
The battery ran out in December 2012, but it went unnoticed by maintenance crews due to a computer data error, revealed the first comprehensive report into the Boeing 777's disappearance released on Sunday.
"There is some extra margin in the design to … ensure that the unit will meet the minimum requirement," said the report, adding, "However, once beyond the expiry date, the [battery's] effectiveness decreases, so it may operate for a reduced time period until it finally discharges.”
Nothing was unusual about the crew’s background, the aircraft's service record, communications systems and the weather, according to the 584-page report by a 19-member independent investigation group.
The report came as families of the 239 people, who were on board the missing jet, marked the anniversary of the plane’s disappearance.
The Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, China, on March 8, 2014. It is presumed to have crashed in the southern Indian Ocean near the coast of Western Australia.
Australia, with four ships using sophisticated sonar systems, is leading the hunt for the plane in the Indian Ocean. More than 26,000 square kilometers of the ocean floor has been scoured to date, but no trace has been found.
Search teams are looking for the plane in a 60,000 sq km zone (23,000 sq m) in the southern Indian Ocean.
The search is due to finish in May, given that weather conditions in the remote region are expected to worsen afterwards.
Back in January, Malaysia declared that all on board were presumed dead and that families should seek compensation. The victims’ relatives argue that the Kuala Lumpur government and Malaysia Airlines plan to close the case without any resolution.
SSM/NN/AS
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