MH370 'most promising lead': Search teams find signals consistent with plane's black box

Search teams confirm that they have encountered audible ping signals that are consistent with a black box.

By Dave Lancaster |

11:34 07 April 2014

The search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 has its 'most promising lead' so far - audio signals consistent with a downed plane's black box flight recorder. 

 

Despite the Australian vessel Ocean Shield picking up the signal in the search area west of Australia, it could still take days to locate the wreckage. 

 

Three 'fleeting' sounds were detected 5.6 miles deep in the southern Indian Ocean.

 

Retired air chief marshal Angus Houston, who is in charge of co-ordinating the search from Perth, Australia, said: "On this occasion, two distinct pinger returns were audible.

 

"Significantly, this would be consistent with transmissions from both the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder.

 

"Clearly, this is a most promising lead.

 

"In the search so far, it's probably the best information that we've had.

 

"I'm much more optimistic than I was a week ago."

 

However, he was not quick to jump to conclusions: "We haven't found the aircraft yet and we need further confirmation - I really stress that."

 

The batteries that power the plane's black box are expected to run out soon. 

 

MH370 set from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8 and vanished. All 239 passengers and crew are now officially presumed dead.