A woman looks at Malaysian planes next to a sign wishing for safe return of passengers aboard the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 plane at Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Sepang, Malaysia.(Photo: Daniel Chan, AP)
Investigators in the search for the Malaysian Airlines flight that has been missing for over three months believe the aircraft was on autopilot when it ran out of gas and crashed into the Indian Ocean, Australian officials said during a press conference, Thursday.
Based upon the information known about the missing plane's flight path, officials are almost certain that Flight 370 was on autopilot during its entire journey over the Indian Ocean
"Certainly for its path across the Indian Ocean, we are confident that the aircraft was operating on autopilot until it ran out of fuel," Australian Transport Safety Bureau chief commissioner Martin Dolan said.
The straight course investigators have determined the jet took across the ocean, "would be associated with the aircraft being operated on autopilot," Dolan explained.
Australian officials also explained that the search area for the wreckage of the plane was shifting hundreds of miles south of the area previously believed to be the location where the plane went down with 239 passengers and crew on board.
Because any debris would have sunk by now, the search will now be focused underwater. Private contractors will use sonar equipment to search the ocean floor for any sign of the lost flight.
The new search area covers a massive 23,000 square mile expanse of ocean where the seabed is largely uncharted. Officials expect the new search to take about one year.
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 took off March 8 from Kuala Lumpur on its way to Beijing when it disappeared.
Contributing: The Associated Press
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