From Google News ...
Quote:
Vietnamese air force planes have spotted two large oil slicks off the southern tip of Vietnam which may be from a missing Malaysian jetliner that was carrying 239 people, including six Australians.
The discovery of the slicks provided the first clue in the disappearance of Flight 370, a Boeing Co. 777-200 that was an hour into a flight from Kuala Lumpur yesterday. Twin sheens of oil spread as long as 15 kilometers south of Vietnam's Tho Chu island, the country's government said.
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Disappointing that it has taken so long to locate the aircraft in this busy airspace.
Malaysia are best equipped to support the sea search, with 12 EC725s helicopters, having a 723nm range and just over 6 hours endurance. They also have C-130 aircraft employed in the search, however it will take some time to deploy these assets to the search area.
Vietnam only has one Antonov An-28 and four Beriev Be-12 seaplanes.
- Two passengers travelling on stolen passports could suggest a hijacking, although physical security at the airport, and on the aircraft, should make this difficult. There have been no confirmed reports of the aircraft landing at any other airport. The recent hijacking of an Ethiopian B767 was by the co-pilot, not a passenger.
- Previous wing tip damage from an accident back in 2012 should not be related.
- Fuel system icing issues with the B777 Trent 800 powerplants, similar to the British Airways accident back in 2008, is a potential cause, although Rolls Royce developed a fix to prevent the problem recurring.