MH370: victim’s sister wants full inquiry into failed search

An MH370 victim’s sister wants a full inquiry into authorities’ handling of the failed search for the aircraft.

The Ocean Infinity has finished its search for MH370.

A Queensland woman who lost her sister on Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 has called for a full inquiry up to a royal commission into Australian and Malaysian authorities’ handling of the ­failed search for the aircraft.

Teresa Liddle was speaking as the second subsea search for the Boeing 777, by British-owned and Houston-based marine survey company Ocean Infinity, came to an end without success.

Ms Liddle, whose sister Mary Burrows was among the 239 people on MH370, also called on the Australian Transport Safety ­Bureau to release key documents. “They should not hide behind Freedom of Information (exemptions) and not provide the documents on the basis that they did not want to upset Malay­sia,” she said. “It is critical to the aviation industry.”

Last year, the ATSB’s then general manager for strategic capability, Colin McNam­ara, rejected an FOI request from The Australian to release analyses of satellite tracking data on MH370 by international experts.

The bureau said the opinions supported its “ghost flight” and “death dive” theory of the aircraft flying with incapacitated pilots at the end and crashing after running out of fuel on autopilot, but would not make them public.

In his letter of refusal, Mr McNamara said if the documents were released, that could “cause damage to the inter­national relations of the ­commonwealth”.

In a review of Mr McNamara’s decision requested by The Australian, ATSB chief commissioner Greg Hood also rejected the FOI application. In his letter, Mr Hood said information on the search work done to help Malaysia had been declared restricted, and was subject to the Transport Safety ­Investigation Act, under which if any current or former ATSB staffer releases restricted information to a journalist or a judge in open court, he or she could be jailed.