Can anyone confirm where the search for underwater ELT pings has occurred?
A strong contender is loss of control and nose dive into shallow water with wreckage jn the 20-40 meter thick mud.
Can the ping be received if it is buried in a few meters of mud?
If that suggestion of a fire and no comms is correct, then surely it would have come down in the sea and there would be debris?
In the loss of control scenarios (bomb, fire, mechanical) and suicide, it is feasible that massive in flight disintegration need not occur and like Egypt air it impacts nose first, leaving very little floating wreckage or fuel slick. Particularly in the marshy areas around Malacca straights.
In respect to the sat pings they are not verifiable, is the transmitter attached to the airframe? Also no way of knowing if the transmissions have been cloned.
In respect to the claim that a unique un-hackable and secure address is attached to the ping I submit the theory the protocols are not battle hardened to withstand a 21st Century hijacking.
Mickjoebill