When an aircraft crashes into the water, it creates distinct acoustic signatures
Ten years after the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, researchers at Cardiff University have come up with a new plan to crack the mystery. According toMetro, researchers believe audio signals captured at a hydroacoustic station off the coast of Australia could be key to locating MH370.
Notably, when an aircraft crashes into the water, it creates distinct acoustic signatures that can travel over 3,000km through the water. Dr Usama Kadri, a Reader at Cardiff University’s School of Mathematics, explained that their analysis revealed clear pressure signals from previous aircraft crashes detected on hydrophones, even at distances exceeding 3,000 km.
The details of the Cardiff team’s research were published in the journal Scientific Reports. The study was conducted based on more than 100 hours of data recorded by hydrophones following ten past aeroplane crashes including one submarine disappearance.
”In the case of MH370, official investigations concluded the aircraft must have crashed near the 7th arc – the point at which the last communication between the plane and INMERSAT occurred. The main search area at the 7th arc lies less than 2,000km away from the hydroacoustic station at Cape Leeuwin, Australia, with no impediments to filter out the signal. However, within the time frame and location suggested by the official search, only a single, relatively weak signal was identified,” Dr Kadri said.
The team has proposed a series of controlled underwater explosions or air gunfire along the 7th arc to see whether they can isolate a more precise location for MH370.
”Similar exercises were performed in the search and rescue mission for the ARA San Juan, a submarine that vanished off the coast of Argentina in 2017. This shows us that it is relatively straightforward and feasible and could provide a means to determine the signal’s relevance to MH370, prior to resuming with another extensive search. If found to be related, this would significantly narrow down, almost pinpoint, the aircraft’s location,” Dr Kadri added.
Notably, flight MH370 with 227 passengers and 12 crew members on board disappeared after leaving Kuala Lumpur Airport in southern Malaysia en route to Beijing, China, on March 8, 2014. A nearly three-year search covering 120,000 square kilometres in the Indian Ocean found hardly any trace of the plane, with only some pieces of debris picked up. Despite the largest search in aviation history, the plane has never been found and the operation was suspended in January 2017.
However, following a renewed interest in the MH370 mystery, the Malaysian government announced on March 3 that they’re considering resuming the search. A Texas-based company, Ocean Infinity, also proposed a “no find, no fee” deal to locate the aircraft.