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Malaysia Airlines jetliner disaster
Crew members ride a fast response craft from the Australian Defence Vessel Ocean Shield as they continue to search for debris in the southern Indian Ocean for the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 in this picture released by the Australian Defence Force April 8, 2014. REUTERS/Australian Defence Force/Handout
The crew aboard Royal Malaysian Navy ship KD LEKIU conducts a replenishment at sea evolution with Australian Navy ship HMAS Success in the southern Indian Ocean during the continuing search for the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 in this picture released by the Australian Defence Force April 7, 2014. Australian officials said on Monday signals picked up by a black box detector attached to an Australian ship searching for MH370 were consistent with aircraft flight recorders. Confirmation of whether the signals were emitted from the Kuala Lumpur-to-Beijing bound plane, missing since March 8 with 239 people on board, could take several days, according to Angus Houston, head of the Australian agency coordinating the search. REUTERS/Australian Defence Force/Handout via Reuters
A fast response craft from Australian Defence Vessel Ocean Shield tows Able Seaman Clearance Diver Michael Arnold as he searches the ocean for debris in the search zone in the southern Indian Ocean for the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 in this picture released by the Australian Defence Force April 8, 2014. A robotic search vehicle is likely to be sent deep into the Indian Ocean on Tuesday to look for wreckage of a missing Malaysian jetliner on the sea floor, as officials say the chance of finding anything on the surface has dwindled. Angus Houston, head of the Australian agency coordinating the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, said the month-long hunt was at a critical stage given the black box recorder batteries were dying - or had died. REUTERS/Australian Defence Force/Handout
Able Seaman Clearance Divers Matthew Johnston and Michael Arnold embarked on Australian Defence Vessel Ocean Shield, scan the water for debris in the search zone in the southern Indian Ocean for the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 in this picture released by the Australian Defence Force April 8, 2014. A robotic search vehicle is likely to be sent deep into the Indian Ocean on Tuesday to look for wreckage of a missing Malaysian jetliner on the sea floor, as officials say the chance of finding anything on the surface has dwindled. Angus Houston, head of the Australian agency coordinating the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, said the month-long hunt was at a critical stage given the black box recorder batteries were dying - or had died. REUTERS/Australian Defence Force/Handout
Maritime Warfare Officer, Sub Lieutenant Officer Samuel Archibald, looks through binoculars on the bridge of the Australian Navy ship HMAS Perth in the southern Indian Ocean, during the search for the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, in this picture released by the Australian Defence Force on April 8, 2014. A robotic search vehicle is likely to be sent deep into the Indian Ocean on Tuesday to look for wreckage of the missing Malaysian jetliner on the sea floor, as officials say the chance of finding anything on the surface has dwindled. Angus Houston, head of the Australian agency coordinating the search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, said the month-long hunt was at a critical stage given the black box recorder batteries were dying - or had died. REUTERS/Australian Defence Force/Handout via Reuters
A piece of unknown debris floats just under the water in this image taken from a Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) P3 Orion maritime search aircraft while flying over the southern Indian Ocean looking for missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 March 31, 2014. Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Monday the hunt for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 had no time limit, despite the failure of an international operation to find any sign of the plane in three weeks of fruitless searching. A total of 20 aircraft and ships were again scouring a massive area in the Indian Ocean some 2,000 km (1,200 miles) west of Perth, where investigators believe the Boeing 777 carrying 239 people came down. REUTERS/Rob Griffith/Pool
Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Airborne Electronics Analyst Sergeant Patrick Manser looks out of an observation window aboard a RAAF AP-3C Orion aircraft during the search in the southern Indian Ocean for debris from the missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 in this picture released by the Australian Defence Force April 1, 2014. The last words from the cockpit of the missing Malaysian airliner were a standard 'Good night Malaysian three seven zero', Malaysian authorities said almost four weeks after Flight MH370 vanished, changing their account of the critical last communication from a more casual 'All right, good night.' Painstaking analysis of radar data and limited satellite information has focused the search on a vast, inhospitable swathe of the southern Indian Ocean west of the Australian city of Perth, but has so far failed to spot any sign of it. REUTERS/Australian Defence Force/Handout via Reuters
Flight Lieutenant Jayson Nichols looks out the cockpit of a Royal Australian Air Force AP-3C Orion aircraft over clouds while searching for missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 over the southern Indian Ocean March 27, 2014. Severe weather on Thursday halted the air search for a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet presumed crashed in the southern Indian Ocean, frustrating hopes of finding what new satellite images showed could be a large debris field. REUTERS/Michael Martina
Satellite images taken on March 24 of floating objects in the southern Indian Ocean released by Thailand's Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency (GISTDA) are seen in this handout provided by GISTDA on March 27, 2014. 'We detected floating objects, perhaps more than 300,' Anond Snidvongs, the head of GISTDA, Thailand's space technology development agency, told Reuters. 'We have never said that the pieces are part of MH370 but have so far identified them only as floating objects.' REUTERS/Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency/Handout via Reuters
A man reads a local newspaper with its front page showing ocean gyre in the Indian Ocean might be affecting search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, in Kuala Lumpur March 22, 2014. Two weeks after a Malaysia Airlines jet carrying 239 people vanished, an international search deep in the southern Indian Ocean stepped up on Saturday even as Australia cautioned the investigation's best lead remained a tentative one. REUTERS/Samsul Said
A Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat moves off from the Australian Navy ship, HMAS Success, as it travels to investigate a potential object sighting in the southern Indian Ocean during the search for missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 in this picture released by the Australian Defence Force March 25, 2014. Australian search and rescue authorities said on Tuesday bad weather and rough seas had forced the suspension of the hunt for a Malaysian jetliner missing for more than two weeks, scuppering hopes for a speedy recovery of suspected debris. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said gale force winds, heavy rain and low cloud meant planes could not fly safely, and heavy seas meant an Australian navy ship was leaving the area where possible debris had been sighted on Monday. REUTERS/Australian Defence Force/Handout via Reuters
Suspicious objects are seen from a Chinese IL-76 search plane, March 24, 2014. A Chinese Air Force Ilyushin Il-76 aircraft discovered 'suspicious objects' in the southern Indian Ocean on Monday, the official Xinhua news agency reported, raising the possibility that they could be from a Malaysia Airlines plane missing for over two weeks. REUTERS/Huang Shubo/Xinhua
Members of Japan's disaster relief team wave off a Japan Maritime Self-Defence Force Lockheed P-3C Orion aircraft as it prepares to take off from RAAF base Pearce to search for missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 in Bullsbrook, near Perth, March 24, 2014. A Chinese military aircraft searching for the missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner spotted several 'suspicious' floating objects on Monday in remote seas off Australia, increasing the likelihood that the wreckage of the plane may soon be found. REUTERS/Jason Reed
Lit candles are placed in front of a message board dedicated to passengers onboard the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 before relatives pray at Lido Hotel in Beijing March 24, 2014. A Chinese military aircraft searching for the missing aircraft spotted several 'suspicious' floating objects on Monday in remote seas off Australia, increasing the likelihood that the wreckage of the plane may soon be found. The message reads, 'Sincerely pray for relatives to be safe and sound. Mankind to live in peace and free from pain and suffering. Wishing for good thoughts and kindness to sustain the earth. The world to be filled with love and care.' REUTERS/Jason Lee
A family member of a passenger aboard Malaysia Airlines MH370 cries after watching a television broadcast of a news conference, at Lido hotel in Beijing, March 24, 2014. Relatives of Chinese passengers aboard the missing Malaysia Airlines flight reacted with hysteria on Monday after the Malaysian prime minister announced the jet ended its journey in the remote Southern Indian Ocean. REUTERS/Jason Lee
Co-Pilot Flying Officer Marc Smith (L) and crewmen fly at high altitude aboard a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) AP-3C Orion aircraft after searching for the missing Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370 over the southern Indian Ocean March 24, 2014. An Australian aircraft scouring the southern Indian Ocean for signs of a Malaysia Airlines jet missing for more than two weeks has spotted two new objects, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said on Monday. Abbott told parliament an Australian naval vessel was near where the objects, one circular and greenish grey in colour and the second orange and rectangular, had been seen and hoped to be able to recover them soon. Picture taken March 24, 2014. REUTERS/Richard Wainwright/Pool
Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Razak makes an announcement on the latest development on the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 plane at Putra World Trade Center in Kuala Lumpur March 24, 2014. Prime Minister Najib has told families of passengers of a missing Malaysian airliner that the plane ended its journey in the southern Indian Ocean, he said on Monday. REUTERS/Edgar Su
Satellite imagery provided to Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) of objects that may be possible debris of the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 in a revised area 185 km (115 miles) to the south east of the original search area in this picture released by AMSA March 20, 2014. A Search aircraft are investigating two objects floating in the southern Indian Ocean off Australia that could be debris from a Malaysian jetliner missing for 12 days with 239 people on board, officials said on Thursday. Australian officials said the objects were spotted by satellite in one of the remotest parts of the globe, around 2,500 km (1,500 miles) southwest of Perth in the vast oceans between Australia, southern Africa and Antarctica. REUTERS/Australian Maritime Safety Authority/Handout via REUTERS
A satellite image taken on March 18, 2014 of an object spotted in the southern Indian Ocean by the Gaofen-1 high-resolution optical Earth observation satellite CNSA (China National Space Administration). Chinese satellites have spotted the new object in the southern Indian Ocean that could be wreckage from the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 carrying 239 people, and ships are on their way to investigate, China and Malaysia said on March 22, 2014. REUTERS/CNS Photo
A still image taken from video on March 22, 2014 shows an image of an object spotted in the southern Indian Ocean by the Gaofen-1 high-resolution optical Earth observation satellite of CNSA (China National Space Administration). Chinese satellites have spotted objects floating in the southern search area for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 aircraft that could be debris and has sent ships to investigate, Malaysia said on Saturday. REUTERS/CCTV
Flight Lieutenant Jason Nichols aboard a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) AP-3C Orion, looks ahead towards the Australian navy ship HMAS Success as they search for missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 over the southern Indian Ocean March 22, 2014. China said on Saturday it had a new satellite image of what could be wreckage from a missing Malaysian airliner, as more planes and ships headed to join an international search operation scouring some of the remotest seas on Earth. REUTERS/Rob Griffith
A screen shows the questions from family members of passengers onboard Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 after a routine briefing given by Malaysia's government and military representatives at Lido Hotel in Beijing March 22, 2014. Two weeks after a Malaysia Airlines airliner went missing with 239 people on board, officials are bracing for the 'long haul' as searches by more than two dozen countries turn up little but frustration and fresh questions. REUTERS/Jason Lee
A crew member aboard a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) AP-3C Orion uses binoculars as it flies over the southern Indian Ocean during the search for missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 March 22, 2014. China said on Saturday it had a new satellite image of what could be wreckage from a missing Malaysian airliner, as more planes and ships headed to join an international search operation scouring some of the remotest seas on Earth. REUTERS/Rob Griffith
A woman hangs another message of hope and support for the passengers of the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 at a mall outside Kuala Lumpur March 22, 2014. Two weeks after a Malaysian airliner carrying 239 people vanished, international teams stepped up their search deep in the southern Indian Ocean on Saturday, as a Malaysian minister expressed fear a possible sighting of debris may be another false lead. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj
Malaysia's acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein holds up a note that he has just received on a new lead in the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, during a news conference at Kuala Lumpur International Airport March 22, 2014. Chinese satellites have spotted objects floating in the southern search area for the missing aircraft that could be debris and has sent ships to investigate, Malaysia said on Saturday. REUTERS/Edgar Su
A girl reads some of the messages of hope and support for the passengers of the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 at a mall outside Kuala Lumpur March 22, 2014. Two weeks after a Malaysian airliner carrying 239 people vanished, international teams stepped up their search deep in the southern Indian Ocean on Saturday, as a Malaysian minister expressed fear a possible sighting of debris may be another false lead. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj
Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) pilot, Flight Lieutenant Russell Adams from 10 Squadron, steers his AP-3C Orion over the Southern Indian Ocean during the search for missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 in this picture released by the Australian Defence Force March 20, 2014. Aircraft and ships ploughed through bad weather on Thursday in search of floating objects in remote seas off Australia that Malaysia's government called a 'credible lead' in the trans-continental hunt for a jetliner missing for 12 days. REUTERS/Australian Defence Force/handout
Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) crew members from of an AP-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft walk down a ladder after they arrived in Perth March 20, 2014 after searching an area in the southern Indian Ocean for the Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. Aircraft and ships ploughed through bad weather on Thursday in search of floating objects in remote seas off Australia that Malaysia's government called a 'credible lead' in the trans-continental hunt for a jetliner missing for 12 days. REUTERS/Tony Turner
Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) crew members from of an AP-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft walk down a ladder after they arrived in Perth March 20, 2014 after searching an area in the southern Indian Ocean for the Malaysia Airlines flight MH370. Aircraft and ships ploughed through bad weather on Thursday in search of floating objects in remote seas off Australia that Malaysia's government called a 'credible lead' in the trans-continental hunt for a jetliner missing for 12 days. REUTERS/Tony Turner (AUSTRALIA - Tags: MILITARY TRANSPORT) NO SALES. NO ARCHIVES
A woman holds a candle during a special prayer for passengers onboard the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 at the Chinese Assembly Hall in Kuala Lumpur March 19, 2014. REUTERS/Samsul Said
REFILE - ADDING INFO Passengers have their belongings screened by airport security at the departure hall of the Kuala Lumpur International Airport March 16, 2014. Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Saturday that the investigation would refocus on the crew and passengers of Flight MH370, after confirming that someone aboard appeared to have shut off the plane's communication systems before turning it away from its scheduled route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. REUTERS/Edgar Su
A woman leaves a messages of support and hope for the passengers of the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 in central Kuala Lumpur March 16, 2014. Police are combing through the personal, political and religious backgrounds of pilots and crew of the missing Malaysian jetliner, a senior officer said on Sunday, trying to work out why someone aboard flew the plane hundreds of miles off course. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj
Passengers queue up for custom checks at Kuala Lumpur International Airport March 16, 2014. Police are combing through the personal, political and religious backgrounds of pilots and crew of a missing Malaysian jetliner, a senior officer said on Sunday, trying to work out why someone aboard flew the plane hundreds of miles off course. No trace of the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200ER has been found since it vanished on March 8 with 239 people on board, but investigators believe it was diverted by someone who knew how to switch off its communications and tracking systems. REUTERS/Edgar Su
A woman writes well wishes on a banner for passengers of the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370, at Kuala Lumpur International Airport March 16, 2014. REUTERS/Edgar Su
A Malaysian Army paratrooper patrols at the viewing gallery of the departure hall at Kuala Lumpur International Airport March 16, 2014. Police are combing through the personal, political and religious backgrounds of pilots and crew of a missing Malaysian jetliner, a senior officer said on Sunday, trying to work out why someone aboard flew the plane hundreds of miles off course. No trace of the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200ER has been found since it vanished on March 8 with 239 people on board, but investigators believe it was diverted by someone who knew how to switch off its communications and tracking systems. REUTERS/Edgar Su
A message for pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah (C), captain of the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, is pictured at an event to express solidarity to the family members of passengers onboard the plane, in Subang Jaya March 16, 2014. Police are combing through the personal, political and religious backgrounds of pilots and crew of the missing Malaysian jetliner, a senior officer said on Sunday, trying to work out why someone aboard flew the plane hundreds of miles off course. REUTERS/Samsul Said
A woman writes a message for family members of passengers onboard the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 at an event to express solidarity in Subang Jaya March 16, 2014. Police are combing through the personal, political and religious backgrounds of pilots and crew of the missing Malaysian jetliner, a senior officer said on Sunday, trying to work out why someone aboard flew the plane hundreds of miles off course. Picture taken through colourful decorations at the event. REUTERS/Samsul Said
A woman uses her mobile phone as she stands against a chalkboard with messages for family members of passengers onboard the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, at an event to express solidarity in Subang Jaya March 16, 2014. Police are combing through the personal, political and religious backgrounds of pilots and crew of the missing Malaysian jetliner, a senior officer said on Sunday, trying to work out why someone aboard flew the plane hundreds of miles off course. REUTERS/Samsul Said
A map of a flight plan is seen on a computer screen during a meeting before a mission to find the Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 that disappeared from radar screens in the early hours of Saturday, at Phu Quoc Airport on Phu Quoc Island March 10, 2014. (REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha)
Relatives of a passenger onboard the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 cry inside a hotel they are staying, in Putrajaya March 10, 2014. (REUTERS/Samsul Said)
Military personnel work within the cockpit of a helicopter belonging to the Vietnamese airforce during a search and rescue mission off Vietnam's Tho Chu island March 10, 2014. (REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha)
A girl lights a candle next to a message that reads 'Pray for MH370' during a candlelight vigil held by ethnic Malaysian Chinese for the passengers of Malaysia Airlines MH370 near Independence Square in Kuala Lumpur March 10, 2014. (REUTERS/Edgar Su)
Rescue officials and journalists sits onboard a Vietnam Air Force search and rescue aircraft An-26 on a mission to find the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, at a military airport in Vietnam's Ho Chi Minh City March 10, 2014. (REUTERS/Kham)
A Chinese relative of a passenger of Malaysia Airlines MH370 is comforted by a staff member of the airport as she shields her face from journalists at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang March 10, 2014. (REUTERS/Edgar Su)
A Vietnamese Air Force officer in a search and rescue aircraft takes notes as he searches for a missing Malaysia Airlines plane, 250 km from Vietnam and 190 km from Malaysia, March 9, 2014. (REUTERS/Stringer)
A relative (front) of a passenger of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 cries as she walks past journalists at a hotel in Beijing March 9, 2014. (REUTERS/Jason Lee)
A relative (woman in white) of a passenger onboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 cries as she talks on her mobile phone at the Beijing Capital International Airport March 8, 2014. (REUTERS/Kim Kyung-Hoon)
A woman, whose husband is a passenger of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, complains about Malaysia Airlines to journalists as she attempts to leave a hotel in Beijing, March 8, 2014. (REUTERS/Jason Lee)
A relative (bottom R) of a passenger of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 cries as she walks past journalists at a hotel in Beijing March 8, 2014. (REUTERS/Chance Chan)
Admiral Datuk Mohd Amdan Kurish, Director General of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, looks at a radar screen while searching for a missing Malaysia Airlines plane in the South China Sea, about 100 nautical miles (185 km) from Tok Bali Beach in Malaysia's Kelantan state, March 9, 2014. (REUTERS/Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency/Handout via Reuters)
A relative of a passenger of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 cries as she walks past journalists at a hotel in Beijing March 9, 2014. (REUTERS/Jason Lee)
Volunteer rescue workers and religious organizations pray during multi-religion mass prayers for the passengers of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang March 9, 2014. (REUTERS/Edgar Su)
A Vietnamese Air Force officer takes photos from a search and rescue aircraft in the search area for a missing Malaysia Airlines plane, 250 km from Vietnam and 190 km from Malaysia, in this handout photo from Thanh Nien Newpaper taken March 8, 2014. (REUTERS/Trung Hieu/Thanh Nien Newspaper)
Family members of those onboard the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 cry at a hotel in Putrajaya March 9, 2014. (REUTERS/Samsul Said)
Indian sand artist Sudarshan Patnaik applies the final touches to a sand art sculpture he created wishing for the well being of the passengers of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, on a beach in Puri, in the eastern Indian state of Odisha, March 9, 2014. (REUTERS/Stringer)
Family members of those onboard the missing Malaysia Airlines flight walk to their car outside a hotel in Putrajaya March 9, 2014. (REUTERS/Samsul Said)
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SYDNEY/PERTH, Australia - A U.S. Navy underwater drone sent to search for a missing Malaysian jetliner on the floor of the Indian Ocean could take up to two months to scour a 600 sq km area where the plane is believed to have sunk, U.S. search authorities said on Tuesday.
The prediction coincided with the end to the abbreviated first mission by the Bluefin-21 autonomous underwater vehicle six hours into what was meant to be a 16-hour operation on Monday after it exceeded its 4.5 km (14,750 feet) depth limit and was automatically returned to the surface.
The introduction of the undersea drone marks a new slower paced phase in the search for Malaysia Airlines MH370 which disappeared on March 8 and is presumed to have crashed thousands of km (miles) off course with the loss of all 239 people on board.
Authorities, who soon plan to scale back the air and surface search, are confident they know the approximate position of wreckage of the Boeing 777, some 1,550 km (960 miles) northwest of Perth, and are moving ahead on the basis of four acoustic signals they believe are from its black box recorders.
But having not heard a 'ping' for almost a week and with the batteries on the locator beacons two weeks past their 30-day expected life, the slow-moving 'autonomous underwater vehicle' was launched on Monday to try and locate wreckage.
'The AUV takes six times longer to cover the same area as the towed pinger locator. It is estimated that it will take the AUV anywhere from six weeks to two months to scan the entire search area,' Lt. J.G. Daniel S. Marciniak, a spokesman for the U.S. Seventh Fleet, said in a statement.
From its aborted first mission, the Bluefin-21 produced six hours of data which authorities analyzed to find no objects of interest, Marciniak added. The drone was expected to embark on its second search mission late on Tuesday.
The robot, which takes two hours to descend another two to return to the surface, as well as several hours to download data, will build up a detailed acoustic image of the area using sophisticated 'sidescan' sonar. It hopes to repeat its success in finding a F-15 fighter jet which crashed off Japan last year.
It is capable of spending up to 16 hours scouring the sea floor. If it detects possible wreckage, it will be sent back to photograph it in underwater conditions with extremely low light.
Officials are focusing their acoustic search on an area equivalent to a medium-sized city - 600 sq km (230 sq miles). But the much broader search area off the Australian coast covers about 60,000 sq km, according to the government.
The deep sea area now being searched, the Zenith Plateau, has never been mapped in detail because it is not in any country's economic zone.
However the sea floor is likely covered in 'foraminiferal ooze', a sludge formed by microscopic marine organisms, which would show up any large metallic object clearly, James Cook University marine geologist Robin Beaman told Reuters.
'A sidescan is very good at detecting the difference in the acoustic return of a hard object versus a soft, muddy sea floor,' he said. 'This is quite a good environment for looking for wreck debris, albeit deep.'
The Bluefin's main challenge was to remain within 50 metres (165 feet) of the seabed to ensure the best quality sidescan detection without exceeding its 4.5 km depth limit which could risk damaging it, Beaman said.
Malaysian authorities have still not ruled out mechanical problems as causing the plane's disappearance, but say evidence suggests it was deliberately diverted from its scheduled route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.
An aircraft's black box records data from the cockpit and conversations among flight crew and may provide answers about what happened to the missing plane.
The search for the missing plane is on track to be the most difficult and expensive search and recovery operation in aviation history.
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