Reported today (15th March):
No Cookies | Perth Now
AMSA says no reliable information about report MH370 tracked to ocean off Australia
THE Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said it had no reliable information to indicate Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 may have approached Australia.
AMSA was responding to a single report today that the last satellite transmission from the missing jet was traced to the Indian Ocean off Australia.
Quoting an anonymous person familiar with the information, Bloomberg reported a path from Malaysia to waters off Australia would have taken as much as 3000 miles.
This is about the maximum distance the Boeing 777-200 could have flown with its fuel load, the news agency reported.
“MH370 may have flown beyond its last known position, about 1000 miles west of Perth, and that location may not be an indication of where the plane ended up,” the report states.
A search in Australian waters would be in the jurisdiction of AMSA.
A spokesman said: “AMSA has not received reliable information indicating that Malaysian Airlines’ flight MH370 may have approached Australia or entered the Australian search and rescue region.
“Should verified information or request for assistance be passed to AMSA from authorities coordinating the search for flight MH370, it will be assessed on its merits.
“Australia is assisting the search efforts with two Royal Australian Air Force P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft deployed to the region.
“The Bloomberg report will be passed to coordinating authorities for their assessment in the context of all of the other information they have available to them.”
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interesting quote:
“Should verified information or request for assistance be passed to AMSA from authorities coordinating the search for flight MH370, it will be assessed on its merits.
So... Australia hasn't reviewed its primary radar data etc yet for any sign of MH370... Considering the IMARSAT data now available re the possible location west of Perth, I think this should have already been checked.