MH370 plane search ‘narrowed’

The black box pings have gone quiet, but there's no let-up in the hunt for missing flight MH370

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Search continues ... USNS Cesar Chavez conducts a replenishment-at-sea with the Royal Australian frigate HMAS Toowomba. Source: AFP

IT is described as "the best lead we have in relation to missing flight MH370".

Retired Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston, Chief Coordinator of the Joint Agency Coordination Centre, said the underwater search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has been significantly narrowed through detailed acoustic analysis conducted on the four signal detections made by the Towed Pinger Locator on Australian Defence Vessel Ocean Shield in the southern Indian Ocean.

"This analysis has allowed the definition of a reduced and more focused underwater search area," the JACC said in a statement.

"This represents the best lead we have in relation to missing flight MH370 and where the current underwater search efforts are being pursued to their completion so we can either confirm or discount the area as the final resting place of MH370."

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To go beyond its recommended depth ... Phoenix International's autonomous underwater vehicle Bluefin-21 on the deck of Australian Defence Vessel Ocean Shield. Source: Getty Images

In another development for the plane missing now for 41 days, the JACC stated that "Phoenix International, with the assistance of Bluefin, have assessed that there is a small but acceptable level of risk in operating the vehicle in depths in excess of 4,500 metres".

"This expansion of the operating parameters allows the Bluefin-21 to search the sea floor within the predicted limits of the current search area."

Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8 with 239 people aboard.

Malaysian investigators believe it was deliberately diverted, though by whom is unknown.

Satellite data analysis indicated it crashed in the southern Indian Ocean, but no debris has been found despite a huge air and sea search.

The preliminary analysis though of an oil sample found in the search area on Sunday by ADV Ocean Shield on Sunday has confirmed that it is not aircraft engine oil or hydraulic fluid.

Unless there is a breakthrough in the government-funded operation, the search for the missing Boeing 777-200ER may end up being run by private companies if the government-sponsored hunt for the plane continues to prove fruitless.

"Ultimately it may well be that there is a civilian contractor to come and pick up the pieces if we have no success," Defence Minister David Johnston said.

Phoenix International, a US firm, is already operating the Bluefin-21 minisub and there are several other international companies that could be called in to assist in the search.

Search continues from the air ... A South Korean P3 Orion aircraft takes off from Pearce Airbase, in Bullsbrook, 35 kms north of Perth to help in the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. Source: Getty Images

Australian Transport Safety Bureau chief commissioner Martin Dolan said private operators had the greatest expertise at managing deep-sea search and recovery operations, but warned the bill could run as high as $250 million.

"Based on the Air France 447 experience, it's clear that the best equipment ... is largely held in the private sector," he told News Corp Australia.

It is expected that payment would be negotiated between Malaysia, the US and China.

Bluefin-21 has had to abort two of its three missions since it was first deployed on Monday, and its sonar has so far picked up any hint of the missing plane.

As of this evening, it has searched about 90sq km of ocean floor in the hunt for debris or the aircraft's black boxes, which it is believed were the source of the electronic signals detected by ADV Ocean Shield.

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