mh370
A man lights candles during the fourth annual remembrance event for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, March 3, 2018. REUTERS/Lai Seng Sin

As the mystery surrounding the disappearance of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 continues, an expert recently claimed the jet will be found just outside the area that was searched since the plane went missing.

According to Victor Iannello, one of the leading experts on the fate of Flight MH370, a new analysis of data from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) suggests a possible location of the missing Boeing 777-200.

Iannello recommends “the next search should occur along the seventh arc north of 25 degrees south at a width of about plus or minus 25 nautical miles (46km).” The search until now has been 22 nautical miles either side of the seventh arc, which has been described as "a thin but long line that includes all the possible points where the last known communication between the aircraft and the communication satellite could have taken place."

The 10 possible final flight paths of MH370 were examined by independent group member Iannello after he was given exclusive access to simulation data produced by Boeing for the ATSB.

University of West Australia professor Charitha Pattiaratchi, a famous oceanographer, said MH370 is lying just outside the area that has been searched.

“Yes absolutely, just outside where we have been looking,” he said, adding university drift modeling indicates the area between 33 degrees and 28 degrees along the seventh arc is the priority zone,

In his blog, Iannello said that “with the failure of the recent search by Ocean Infinity to locate the debris field along the seventh arc at latitudes as far north as 25 degrees south and at widths equal to or exceeding plus or minus 22 nautical miles, we have to consider whether it is possible that with the assumption of uncontrolled flight, the plane could have impacted the ocean farther out.”

“Although legal restrictions prevent the ATSB from providing specific details about each of the 10 simulations (referred to as Cases 1-10), the ATSB did reveal that the initial speeds varied between M0.75 (894km/hr) and M0.83, the starting altitudes were either FL350 (35,000 feet) or FL400, the initial headings were either 178 degrees, 184 degrees or 190 degrees, and turbulence was either light or moderate. Winds at various altitudes were included in the simulations.”

Flight MH370 went missing March 8, 2014, with 239 people on board while traveling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. A multimillion-dollar search for over three years yielded no concrete clues as to the plane's whereabouts. Earlier this year, Malaysia signed a "no cure, no fee" deal with U.S.-based company Ocean Infinity. However, this search also turned fruitless as the plane was not found.

Iannello was given a variety of other data by ATSB, which had led the search for the missing plane, and was also permitted to share the results so that a broader group of investigators could independently analyze the results, according to the West Australian news outlet.

“To my knowledge, this is the first time these results have been released to the public,” Iannello said.

In July, the Malaysian government released a "full" report on the investigation into Flight MH370. Investigators said that they were unable to determine what happened to the jet.

The report stated Flight MH370 deviated from its path "not because of anomalies in the mechanical system. The turn back was made not under autopilot but under manual control.” Investigators could not "establish if the aircraft was flown by anyone other than the pilot."

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