Malaysia Airlines Flight 370

==== Underwater search ====
{{commons and category|Search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370|Category:Search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370}}
In late June 2014, details of the next phase of the search were announced;<ref>{{cite news|last1=Smyth|first1=Jamie|title=Search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 to resume in new area|url=http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/912130e8-fd06-11e3-8ca9-00144feab7de.html#axzz3JS0bpHI4|access-date=18 November 2014|work=Financial Times|date=26 June 2014|archive-date=31 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140831224222/http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/912130e8-fd06-11e3-8ca9-00144feab7de.html#axzz3JS0bpHI4|url-status=live}}</ref> officials have called this phase the "underwater search" despite the previous seafloor sonar survey.<ref name=JACC-search>{{cite web|title=Search for MH370|url=http://www.jacc.gov.au/search/index.aspx|website=jacc.gov.au|publisher=Joint Agency Coordination Centre|access-date=14 December 2014|archive-date=20 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150620180213/http://www.jacc.gov.au/search/index.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> Continued refinement of the analysis of Flight 370's satellite communications identified a "wide area search" along the "7th arc"{{efn|name="7th arc"}} where Flight 370 was located when it last communicated with the satellite. The priority search area was in the southern extent of the wide area search.<ref name="Operational search update 8 Oct">{{cite web|title=MH370 Operational Search Update|url=http://www.jacc.gov.au/families/operational_reports/opsearch-update-20141008.aspx|website=Joint Agency Coordination Centre|access-date=12 November 2014|date=8 October 2014|archive-date=8 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141208064243/http://www.jacc.gov.au/families/operational_reports/opsearch-update-20141008.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> Some of the equipment used for the underwater search is most effective when towed {{convert|650|ft|order=flip|abbr=on}} above the seafloor at the end of a {{convert|6|mi|abbr=on|order=flip}} cable.<ref name="NYT-bathymetric survey">{{cite news|last1=Innis|first1=Michelle|title=Rugged Seabed Seen in New Maps Further Complicates Search for Malaysia Airlines Jet|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/07/world/asia/search-resumes-for-missing-malaysian-airliner.html|access-date=18 November 2014|work=The New York Times|date=6 October 2014|archive-date=27 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141027123923/http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/07/world/asia/search-resumes-for-missing-malaysian-airliner.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Available [[Bathymetry|bathymetric]] data for this region was of poor resolution, thus necessitating a bathymetric survey of the search area before the underwater phase began.<ref name="Operational search update 5 Nov">{{cite web|title=MH370 Operational Search Update|url=http://www.jacc.gov.au/families/operational_reports/opsearch-update-20141105.aspx|website=Joint Agency Coordination Centre|date=5 November 2014|access-date=5 December 2014|archive-date=11 March 2018|archive-url=http://webarchive.nla.gov.au/gov/20180311050517/http://www.jacc.gov.au/families/operational_reports/opsearch-update-20141105.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> Commencing in May, the survey charted around {{convert|208000|sqkm|abbr=on}} of seafloor until 17&nbsp;December 2014, when it was suspended so that the ship conducting the survey could be mobilised in the underwater search.<ref name="JACC search update 7 Jan">{{cite web|title=MH370 Operational Search Update|date=7 January 2015|url=http://www.jacc.gov.au/families/operational_reports/opsearch-update-20150107.aspx|website=Joint Agency Coordination Centre|access-date=8 January 2015|archive-date=10 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150110070806/http://www.jacc.gov.au/families/operational_reports/opsearch-update-20150107.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>

The governments of Malaysia, China, and Australia made a joint commitment to thoroughly search {{convert|120000|sqkm|abbr=on}} of seafloor.<ref name="Operational search update 09 December 2015">{{cite web|title=MH370 Operational Search Update|url=http://jacc.gov.au/families/operational_reports/opsearch-update-20151209.aspx|website=JACC|access-date=9 December 2015|date=9 December 2015|archive-date=10 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151210213135/http://jacc.gov.au/families/operational_reports/opsearch-update-20151209.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> This phase of the search, which began on 6&nbsp;October 2014,<ref name="Operational search update 8 Oct" /> used three vessels equipped with towed deep-water vehicles that use side-scan sonar, multi-beam echo sounders, and video cameras to locate and identify aircraft debris.<ref name="WSJ-5th phase begins">{{cite news|last=Stewart|first=Robb M|title=Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 Search Reboots|url=https://online.wsj.com/articles/malaysia-airlines-flight-370-search-reboots-1412578236|access-date=8 October 2014|work=The Wall Street Journal|date=6 October 2014|archive-date=9 October 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141009010007/http://online.wsj.com/articles/malaysia-airlines-flight-370-search-reboots-1412578236|url-status=live}}</ref> A fourth vessel participated in the search between January and May 2015, using an [[autonomous underwater vehicle|AUV]] to search areas that could not be effectively searched using equipment on the other vessels.<ref name="14 Jan 2015 Search update">{{cite web|title=MH370 Operational Search Update|url=http://www.jacc.gov.au/families/operational_reports/opsearch-update-20150114.aspx|website=JACC|access-date=2 February 2015|date=14 January 2015|quote=Fugro Supporter is expected to arrive in the search area and commence search activities in late January. Fugro Supporter has been equipped with a Kongsberg HUGIN 4500 autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). The AUV will be used to scan those portions of the search area that cannot be searched effectively by the equipment on the other search vessels.|archive-date=19 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150119230517/http://www.jacc.gov.au/families/operational_reports/opsearch-update-20150114.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="JACC search update 28 Jan 2015">{{cite web|title=MH370 Operational Search Update|date=28 January 2015|url=http://www.jacc.gov.au/families/operational_reports/opsearch-update-20150128.aspx|website=JACC|access-date=1 February 2015|archive-date=30 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150130023357/http://www.jacc.gov.au/families/operational_reports/opsearch-update-20150128.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="13 May 2015 search update">{{cite web|title=MH370 Operational Search Update|url=http://www.jacc.gov.au/families/operational_reports/opsearch-update-20150513.aspx|website=JACC|access-date=2 June 2015|date=13 May 2015|archive-date=17 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150517124216/http://www.jacc.gov.au/families/operational_reports/opsearch-update-20150513.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> Following the discovery of the flaperon on Réunion, the [[Australian Transport Safety Bureau]] (ATSB) reviewed its drift calculations for debris from the aircraft and, according to the JACC, was satisfied that the search area was still the most likely crash site.<ref name="Operational search update 5 August 2015" /> Reverse drift modelling of the debris, to determine its origin after 16 months, also supported the underwater search area, although this method is very imprecise over long periods.<ref name="Operational search update 5 August 2015" /> On 17&nbsp;January 2017, the three countries jointly announced the suspension of the search for Flight 370.<ref name="Search suspended"/><ref name="MH370 Joint Communique">{{cite web|title=MH370 Joint Communique|url=http://jacc.gov.au/media/communiques/2017/com005.aspx|website=JACC|date=17 January 2017|access-date=20 January 2017|archive-date=17 January 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170117171757/http://jacc.gov.au/media/communiques/2017/com005.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>