Malaysia/Annex 13 Investigation Team
The Malaysian ICAO Annex 13 Safety Investigation Team for MH370
On Tuesday, 15 April 2014, 39 days after flight MH370 went missing on Saturday, 8 March 2014, the Minister of Defence and Acting Minister for Transport (Malaysia), Hishamuddin Hussein, announced that Cabinet has agreed to set up an International Investigation Team to specifically look into the MH370 incident. The Team, officially named the The Malaysian ICAO Annex 13 Safety Investigation Team for MH370, was instituted by the Minister of Transport on Friday, 25 April 2014.
Background
Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 went missing on 8 March 2014. The aircraft, a Boeing 777-200ER aircraft, was registered 9M-MRO in Malaysia.
As a Contracting State of ICAO and in accordance with Chapter 5, paragraph 5.3[3] of Annex 13 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation on Aircraft Accident and Incident Investigation, Malaysia, had defined responsibilites:-
In light of the disappearance of MH370 on 08 March 2014 [MYT], Malaysia as the State of Registry, State of Operator and State of Occurrence was obliged to conduct an investigation into the incident. Accordingly, the Minister of Transport had on 25 April 2014, instituted an independent international Investigation Team known as The Malaysian ICAO Annex 13 Safety Investigation Team for MH370 with the sole objective of “prevention of future accidents or incidents and not for the purpose to apportion blame or liability.”
Source: Safety Investigation Report 2.7.1 Department of Civil Aviation Malaysia
The Minister of Transport Malaysia, Hishamuddin Hussein, established the The Malaysian ICAO Annex 13 Safety Investigation Team for MH370 under Regulation 126(1) of the Malaysian Civil Aviation Regulations (MCAR) 1996.
Objective
- Sunday, 8 March 2015
- Interim Statement: Safety Investigation for MH370 (9M-MRO)
- Factual Information: Safety Investigation for MH370 MH370/01/15
- Tuesday, 8 March 2016
- 2nd Interim Statement: Safety Investigation for MH370 (9M-MRO)
- Wednesday, 8 March 2017
- 3rd Interim Statement: Safety Investigation for MH370 (9M-MRO)
- Thursday, 8 March 2018
- 4th Interim Statement: Safety Investigation for MH370 (9M-MRO)
- Monday, 2 July 2018
- Safety Investigation Report MH370/01/2018
(Released to the public on Monday, 30 July 2018)
Structure
1. Members
The Investigation Team has 19 members, including Accredited Representatives from seven international Air Accident and Incident Investigation Organisations.
The Team is headed by a Chief Inspector/Investigator-in-Charge.
2. Accredited Representatives
The Accredited Representatives are from Air Accident and Incident Investigation Organisations in the following countries:-
- Australia
- Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB)
- United Kingdom
- Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB)
- Singapore
- Transport Safety Investigation Bureau (TSIB) of Singapore (formerly Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB))
- France
- Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation civile (BEA)
- People's Republic of China
- Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC)
- United States of America
- National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
- Indonesia
- National Transportation Safety Committee (NTSC)
3. Committees
The Team consists of three Committees, each headed by a Chairman:-
- Operations Committee
- Chairman: Capt. Abdul Wahab Ibrahim
- Airworthiness Committee
- Chairman: Mr. Mohan Suppiah
- Medical/Human Factors Committee
- Chairman: Datuk Dr. Mohd Shah Mahmood
Note: In media statements the above committees are also referred to as Groups.
4. Advisors
Advisors to the Accredited Representatives were appointed from the States’ investigation agencies, as well as the aircraft, engine and satellite communications systems manufacturers.
Focus of the Investigation
The eight areas being reviewed by the Team are as follows:
- Diversion from Filed Flight Plan Route
- Air Traffic Services Operations
- Flight Crew Profile
- Airworthiness & Maintenance and Aircraft Systems
- Satellite Communications
- Wreckage and Impact Information
- Organisation and Management Information of the Department of Civil Aviation, Malaysia and Malaysia Airlines; and
- Aircraft Cargo Consignment.
Dato’ Ir. Kok Soo Chon (Investigator-in-Charge)
Assoc. Prof. Ir. Abu Hanifah Hj Abdullah
Dato’ SAC Mohd Rafique Ramli Ariffin
Prof. Dr. Pathmanathan Rajadurai
Dato’ Dr. Suarn Singh A/L Jasmit Singh
Source: Safety Investigation Report
Reports
The first report on the incident was a Preliminary Report compiled by The Chief Inspector of Air Accidents, Department of Civil Aviation, Malaysia. The report was released (to the ICAO) on 9 April 2014 and then to the public by the Ministry of Transport on 1 May 2014 with several supporting documents. See the Media Release for details.
The Malaysian ICAO Annex 13 Safety Investigation Team for MH370 was instituted by the Minister of Transport (Malaysia) on Friday, 25 April 2014. The Team commenced the international investigation in accordance with ICAO Annex 13. As shown in the extract below, the investigating team must publish an Interim Statement on each twelve-month anniversary of the incident, until the release of a Final Report.
Release of the Final Report
6.5 In the interest of accident prevention, the State conducting the investigation of an accident or incident shall make the Final Report publicly available as soon as possible and, if possible, within twelve months.
Note.— Making a Final Report publicly available can be achieved by posting the Final Report on the Internet, and does not necessarily require a hard-copy publication of the Final Report.
6.6 If the report cannot be made publicly available within twelve months, the State conducting the investigation shall make an interim statement publicly available on each anniversary of the occurrence, detailing the progress of the investigation and any safety issues raised.
6.7 When the State that has conducted an investigation into an accident or an incident involving an aircraft of a maximum mass of over 5 700 kg has released a Final Report, that State shall send to the International Civil Aviation Organization a copy of the Final Report.
To comply with Para 6.6 above, The Malaysian ICAO Annex 13 Safety Investigation Team for MH370 published Interim Statements on 8th March each year from 2015 to 2018 inclusive.
The similarity of each Statement reflects the sad fact that the aircraft wreckage had not been located; flight data recorders had not been found; and, apart from recovery of some debris, no significant new information was available.
The Team produced the SAFETY INVESTIGATION REPORT MH370/01/2018, in the same format as a Final report, in mid-2018 and consequently there have been no Interim Statements since 8th March 2018.
Website
The Malaysian ICAO Annex 13 Safety Investigation Team for MH370 web site was hosted by the Ministry of Transport, Malaysia on the following page MH370 Safety Investigation http://mh370.mot.gov.my/
Prior to July 2018 the site included links to the Interim Statements and Factual Information. Following the release of the Safety Investigation Report on 2 July 2018 only the Report and the Appendices were available.
For links to the Safety Investigation report and Appendices see References.
The Malaysian ICAO Annex 13 Safety Investigation Team for MH370 has not made any other information public; has not issued any Media Statements; and has not listed the names of persons involved, apart from the Malaysian members.
Spokesperson
The Investigator-in-Charge, Dato’ Ir. Kok Soo Chon was the spokesperson for the Team and addressed Next of Kin and then the Media, when the Safety Investigation Report MH370/01/2018 was released.