"The leader of the first failed underwater search for MH370 conducted by the ATSB, Peter Foley, did not respond to questions about whether he agrees with Kok’s ( Kok Soo Chon, the Malaysian chief investigator into the disappearance) assessment , that Zaharie most likely did not hijack the aircraft but a “third party” might possibly have.
"Critics of the ATSB have pointed out the bureau has a big reputational interest in Kok’s conclusions being right, particularly the claim that there was no controlled ditching.
"The bureau based its search strategy on MH370 being a “ghost flight” at the end with “unresponsive pilots”, and that it crashed down rapidly in an uncontrolled “death dive” after it ran out of fuel on autopilot.
"If that theory is wrong and Vance and Keane are right and a pilot flew it outside the search area and ditched it, it means the ATSB blew $200 million of Australian, Malaysian, and Chinese taxpayers’ money on a search that probably had no chance of success."
(The author of the article quotes Vance and Keane as expert independent authorities.)
The foregoing is from THE AUSTRALIAN newspaper of 1 August last.
Last edited by FAR CU; 3rd Aug 2018 at 05:55.