MH370's "perfect hiding place" identified?

NDTV reported on August 27 that Australian researcher Vincent Lyne believes he has found the location of MH370 with a research paper from 2021 that was allowed to be published in the Maritime Journal (UK).

In a post on social network LinkedIn, Mr Lyne claimed that the plane was deliberately flown into Broken Ridge - a hole about 6,000 metres deep at the bottom of the Indian Ocean.

"This study changes the understanding of the disappearance of MH370 from a no-blame story (that the plane ran out of fuel and crashed at high speed) to a scenario in which the pilot almost made a traceless disappearance in the southern Indian Ocean," wrote Mr. Lyne, who works at the Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies, University of Tasmania (Australia).

Australian researchers say damage to MH370's wings suggests the plane made a controlled landing in the sea, similar to pilot Chesley Sullenberger's emergency landing on the Hudson River in the US in 2009.

"Careful analysis by Larry Vance, a former Canadian air accident investigator, shows that MH370 had fuel and engines running when it made a controlled landing, rather than crashing due to lack of fuel," said Mr Lyne.

Australian researchers believe that the location of MH370 is at the intersection of the longitude of Penang airport (on the runway) in Malaysia and the simulated route on the plane captain's computer that the FBI had discovered but considered "unrelated".

The site Mr Lyne is referring to is a 6,000-metre-deep sinkhole east of Broken Ridge, a rugged stretch of ocean known for its wild fishing. The sinkhole has narrow, steep banks, surrounded by large ridges and other sinkholes. It is filled with fine sediment. “It’s a perfect ‘hideout’,” Mr Lyne noted, stressing that the location should be listed as a “high priority area” if searched.

"Whether or not to search this area depends on the officials and the search companies, but from a scientific perspective, I believe they already know why previous searches failed. I think, from a scientific perspective, the mystery of MH370 has been completely solved," said the Australian researcher.

The Australian researcher's announcement comes months after a US-based deep-sea exploration company said it had the capacity to carry out the most comprehensive search ever.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 suddenly disappeared on March 8, 2014, carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew members.

After 10 years, the location of the missing plane remains a mystery. On March 3, 2024, the Malaysian government announced that they are willing to reopen the search for MH370 if new credible evidence emerges.