Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370: Details About Who Will Claim Aircraft If Found Unclear

Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 has been missing for over six months now, but some researchers are hopeful that the newest leg in the search efforts will turn out to be positive. That is, some believe that the missing Boeing 777 will turn up on the sea floor of the southern Indian Ocean. According to Australia News, there is one small detail about finding the fuselage that hasn’t been worked out yet. It’s unknown which country will actually recover the aircraft… if it’s found, that is.

“In a legal sense it’s a Malaysian responsibility. Under international aviation law, an aircraft is the responsibility of the state that registered it. While Australia leads the search we haven’t finalized all the details of recovery,” said ATSB Chief Commissioner Martin Dolan.

While an Australian vessel is searching for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 right now — and the country is leading the search — they likely wouldn’t be able to make any kind of official public announcement about finding the plane without notifying Malaysia first. The Malaysian government will likely be sharing whatever information they receive with the families of the 239 passengers and crew on board before releasing a statement of any kind to the public. That would take days. These are details that need to be ironed out, according to Mr. Dolan.

According to NPR, the search for the missing plane resumed on Sunday, when the GO Phoenix arrived in a new designated search area. The vessel will be joined by two more ships in the coming weeks. Researchers say that these vessels have an excellent chance of finding the plane… if the information about the plane’s suspected whereabouts is legit… because of their underwater searching capabilities.

Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 is believed to be lying in a deep trench somewhere. According to The Inquisitr, the bottom of the ocean in the area is made up of very deep pockets, and some believe that it’s possible that the entire aircraft just sank in one piece, all the way down into one of these ditches, if you will. And somehow, no evidence has made it to the surface of the ocean… no metal… no luggage… nothing.

Naturally, this leads people to believe that the plane didn’t end up in the ocean at all and has many calling for a land search. Could flight 370 have made a safe landing somewhere? What happened to all of the people on board? Do you think the plane is in the ocean? Sound off in the comments below.

[Photo courtesy of Aero Icarus from Zürich, Switzerland via Wikimedia Commons]