Universiti Kuala Lumpur (UniKL) test pilot Prof Dr Mohd Harridon Mohamed Suffian said experts with vast international resources and methodological means to perform analyses could help throw more light on the incident involving the Boeing 777-200ER aircraft.
“This would give us a different or untried approach to search for the wreckage,” he told Bernama.
Two days ago, chief investigator of the team investigating the safety aspects of MH370, Kok Soo Chon, was reported to have said that the team was unable to determine the real cause for the disappearance of the ill-fated flight after identifying seven plausible theories, which included a conspiracy theory, rumours and gossip on social media.
Kok also said the 449-page report by Malaysian International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Annex 13 Safety Investigation Team was not a final report on the search for the missing aircraft, but was only on the safety aspects of the investigation.
In May, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the time had come for Malaysia to stop the search after the latest search carried out by an American-based firm officially ended after three months without making major progress.
Harridon said the mystery of MH370 had stirred up a lot of interest.
“For example, an organisation called Shipwreck Explorer has made it its job to scour the ocean for missing ships or wreckages using independent resources. We should welcome such initiatives as this could aid in the recovery of MH370,” he said.
Touching on the report, Harridon said it was exemplary in terms of identifying certain deficiencies that existed within the aviation ecosystem and these needed attention to improve aviation safety.
He said the root cause for the incident may never be known.
He said the report was a very discreet analysis of what transpired, with the jetliner going missing without a definite location of its final resting place.
Meanwhile, a lecturer in aerospace engineering at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Associate Prof Kamarul Arifin Ahmad told Bernama the investigating team had done its best over the past four years, despite not being able to give closure to the next of kin.
He said the absence of the black box made it difficult for the investigating team to come to any concrete conclusion.
A former investigating officer with the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF), Captain Abdul Rahmat Omar Mohd Haniff, said the next of kin should accept the fact that the aircraft was flown manually.
“Why the aircraft was flown in that condition may not be known, not even in our lifetime. But for certain, somebody flew it.
“The next of kin should accept that fact because we have no physical evidence of the aircraft, except for floating debris. Even if we found the aircraft, how are we to ascertain the motive?” he told Bernama.
Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 went missing on March 8, 2014 while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. The Boeing 777-200ER aircraft was carrying 12 crew and 227 passengers, mostly Chinese nationals.
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