A GROUP of experts have slammed the official report into the disappearance of MH370.

Top aviation specialists branded the report into the tragic plane conducted by 19 Malaysian investigators a “cover up”.

The Malaysian Airlines jet vanished with 227 passengers and 12 crew on board in March 2014 on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Despite two large-scale searches of the sea bed, only scattered pieces of debris have been found and the disappearance remains one of aviation’s greatest mysteries.

The official report concluded: “The team is unable to determine the real cause for the disappearance of MH370.”

But a team of independent experts, including Mike Exner and Don Thompson, have accused the government over failing to properly pursue the investigation and branded it “heavily politically influenced and delayed”.

They highlighted seven key areas where the Malaysian government needs to do more or provide more information in an interview with The Western Australian.

New analysis of the radar data collected for the missing Boeing 777.
Exner and Thompson are calling for new analysis of the radar data collected from the missing jet.

Thy said: “The Safety Investigation Team has failed to provide any useful analysis of data from the military radar.

“It is important to establish if, when and where descents/climbs did occur and what impact that would have on fuel endurance and other implications.

“Of course, there are the somewhat incredible statements about Indonesian and Royal Thai Air Defence Surveillance radar assets not detecting the Boeing 777 in the northern Straits of Malacca.”

Complete structural analysis of the most significant debris items
Despite the search not turning up any bodies large chunks of wreckage have been found by the team of searchers.

The catalogue of debris so far located includes two parts, a flap, and a flaperon, that were next to each other on the starboard wing.

A lot of attention has been given to the trailing edge of both, but the aviation boffins argue the more significant damage is the breaking of the structures attaching them to the wing not the relatively weak trailing edge wedge part.

They said: “To the knowledge of the Independent Group, the Malaysian team has not attempted any level of structural analysis to investigate the fractures of the flap carrier or the flaperon hinge – PCU attachment structures.”

Although an analysis of the flaperon found in Tanzania showed it was retracted, the IG Group wants all pieces scrutinised.

All available debris items from the Indian Ocean be collected
The group is demanding that all available debris items from Indian Ocean territories be collected together.

Exner and Thompson said: “A significant part of the number twin engine inlet cowl, the mounting root of a vortex generator chine, remains in Madagascar.

“This debris must be collected and analysed for additional clues.

Most of this debris was found by independent wreck hunter Blaine Gibson.
Comprehensive oceanographic analysis of the drift modelling for each piece of debris
The group believes there is further scope to model the drift patterns to establish where they entered the ocean.

The experts added: “David Griffin’s (CSIRO) and Chari Pattiarachi’s (UWA) work has been highly commendable, but we have a number of dissimilar debris items, each with unique buoyancy, leeway and draught characteristics.”

Further investigation into what happened at MAS Operational Dispatch Centre
The independent group wants the goings on at MAS Operation Dispatch Centre investigated further.

They are also concerned as to why the flight operations officer or flight dispatcher was so misinformed for such a long period of time.

Categorical attributing of the Air Traffic Control ground-air recordings
The group says: “Some contention remains, from informed parties, for voice identification of the crew member speaking during radio transmissions.

“The investigation should reopen this question to determine who was speaking at each transmission, which mic was in use, and any inferences those findings might suggest.”

Confirmation of the role and technical area of expertise of the aircraft engineer
Zulhaimi bin Wahidin, the aircraft engineer, had a long telephone conversation with Captain Zaharie Shah on the month before the disappearance of the plane.

The group asks: “What was the substance of that long conversation? And who made the three attempts to contact Captain Zaharie Shah later on the morning of the disappearance?”

They also do not buy the “innocence” of Captain Shah.

The official investigation team said: “we are not of the opinion that it could have been an event committed by the pilot”.

The group has said they don’t believe this echoing a source in the country who branded the report “a cover up”.

Another source, who works as a contractor to Malaysia Airlines, told The Weekend West that “very early on” after MH370 disappeared the airline’s operational management said “Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah was responsible”.

They also point towards an Australian Transport Safety Authority report on the search from last October which said: “In the six weeks before the accident flight, the pilot in command had used his simulator to fly a route similar to part of the route flown by MH370 up the Strait of Malacca, with a left-hand turn and track into the southern Indian Ocean.”