The independent investigation team on Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370's disappearance has released a 584-page document containing facts which the team has gathered thus far.
According to team's leader Kok Soo Chon, the data will be analysed in the months ahead and safety recommendations would them be made.
"In addition to the analysis and the conclusion phase of the investigation, steps taken will also include further validation of the factual information on emergence of new evidence.
"The Investigation Team expects that further factual information will be available from the wreckage and flight recorders if the aircraft is found," he said.
The investigation team's interim report was read out live by Kok on RTM1 at 3pm today, in conjunction with the first anniversary of Flight MH370's disappearance.
However, the media were not invited to pose questions to the investigation team.
Visited fruit consignee
Among others, the team's facts document - updated up to March 7 - contains relevant air traffic control (ATC) transcripts, aircraft maintenance records and details of flight simulator sessions.
The team also records details of its visits to cargo operators, freight-fowarders and consignees of lithium batteries and mangosteen fruits.
The data collected in its 584-page document would be subject to analysis and the investigation team is considering the following areas:
- Airworthiness, maintenance and aircraft systems
- ATC operations from 1.19am to 6.32am on March 8, 2014
- Cargo consignment
- Crew profile
- Diversions from flight plan route
- Organisational and management information of the Department of Civil Aviations and Malaysia Airlines; and
- Satellite communications.
Prevention of future incidents
The release of the interim report was done in accordance to Annex 13 of the Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation to the Convention on International Civil Aviation (Chicago Convention) and overseen by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO).
Annex 13 stipulates that if any accident and investigation report could not be finalised, an interim statement must be issued at every anniversary of an incident.
The independent investigation team is led by Malaysia and assisted by United States, United Kingdom, France, China, Singapore, Indonesia and Australia.
Kok stressed that the purpose of the investigation is to solely to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.
The team was established in April last year. Kok was formerly the director-general of the Department of Civil Aviations.
The Beijing-bound Flight MH370 went missing roughly an hour after leaving Kuala Lumpur a year ago.
There were 227 passengers and 12 crew members on board.
Currently, the search for Flight MH370 is centred on an area off the coast of Western Australia.
