Revisiting acoustic detections made in the Indian Ocean at the time of the loss of MH370

Abstract

After an expansive multi-year undersea search, the whereabouts of airliner MH370 remains unknown. Given the energetics the crash, and the evidence (e.g., debris) that it crashed somewhere out in the open Indian Ocean, it is possible that MH370 made a detectable noise. Coincidently, as stated in the final Australian Transportation and Safety Board (ATSB) report, there was “An acoustic signature at the time of the final transmission from the engines, but which is at odds with the location determined by the satellite analysis.” Following the years-long unsuccessful search, and in light of the acoustic detection of the crash of a Japanese F35 fighter jet in 2019 (received at a similar hydroacoustic station located in the Central Pacific), it seems timely to review the acoustic data to re-assess the likelihood that it is related to the loss of MH370. If the hydroacoustic evidence were included, then the probable crash area would shift significantly to a site roughly 750 km west of the Maldives.