A scientist has claimed to have discovered the wreckage of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370—the ill-fated aircraft that mysteriously vanished 11 years ago on its journey to Beijing, China.
A Shocking Discovery at 6,000m Depth
Forty minutes after taking off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (Malaysia) on March 8, 2014, the Boeing 777 disappeared over the Indian Ocean with 239 people on board.
The incident became one of the greatest aviation mysteries of all time, with multinational search efforts costing hundreds of millions of pounds but yielding no definitive results.
However, recently, retired scientist Vincent Lyne announced that he had identified what he believes to be the missing aircraft’s wreckage.
His discovery appeared as a yellow pixel, described as an “anomaly” in global ocean floor mapping data.
Using depth measurement data from GEBCO—a digital mapping system of the ocean floor—Lyne pinpointed the anomaly at latitude 33.02°N, longitude 100.27°E, which aligns with the same meridian as Penang Airport (Malaysia).
Lyne has named this location the Penang Longitude Trench, a nearly 6,000-meter-deep depression at the eastern end of Broken Ridge, an extremely rugged and dangerous area in the Indian Ocean.
“At the point where Broken Ridge meets the Diamantina Fracture Zone, a single bright pixel appeared, marking the wreckage location with unprecedented accuracy,” Dr. Lyne explained.
“At a depth of 5,750 meters, it stands out as an anomaly, indicating a possible location for MH370. Inconsistencies between sonar and satellite altimeter data have caused some uncertainty, but the anomaly is clearly present.”
Theories and Controversies Surrounding MH370’s Disappearance
Dr. Lyne, a former expert at the University of Tasmania, has previously theorized that the disappearance of MH370 was not an accident. He suggests that Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, a native of Penang, deliberately crashed the aircraft into Broken Ridge.
Lyne argues that the deep trench is “inconsistent with natural seafloor features”, supporting his theory that the plane’s disappearance was “meticulously planned” by someone with the intent to plunge the aircraft into the abyss.
Renewed Search Efforts by Ocean Infinity
The search for MH370’s wreckage has been reignited by Ocean Infinity, a U.S.-based deep-sea exploration company.
On March 20, 2025, the Malaysian government agreed to terms and conditions with Ocean Infinity to resume the search for MH370. The contract operates under a “no find, no fee” principle, meaning if no wreckage is found, Malaysia will not have to pay for the search.
If Ocean Infinity successfully locates the wreckage, they will receive a $70 million reward.
“The government is committed to continuing the search efforts to bring closure to the families of the MH370 passengers,” said Malaysian Transport Minister Loke Siew Fook in an official statement.
Previous Search Efforts and Challenges
Flight MH370, carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew members, vanished en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing in 2014, marking one of the greatest aviation mysteries in history.
Numerous search attempts have been made over the years, but all have ended in failure, leading authorities to suspend the mission. However, mounting pressure from the public—especially from the families of the missing passengers—prompted the Malaysian government to authorize another search effort with Ocean Infinity.
On March 19, Minister Loke confirmed that an agreement in principle had been reached with Ocean Infinity. This decision enables new deep-sea search operations across an estimated 15,000 square kilometers in the southern Indian Ocean.
Ocean Infinity has conducted two previous searches, with the last one concluding in 2018—both ending without success. These efforts followed an extensive underwater search led by Malaysia, Australia, and China, covering 120,000 square kilometers in the southern Indian Ocean. The search was based on automatic satellite connection data between the aircraft and the Inmarsat satellite system.
A New Search Underway
A research vessel was deployed last month to the Indian Ocean to begin scanning for the missing plane, even though no official contract had yet been signed with Malaysia at that time.
It remains unclear how long the latest search mission will last. However, previous reports suggested that the contract would have a duration of 18 months.
With renewed efforts and the possibility of breakthrough findings, will the world finally get answers to the mystery of MH370?
