A torn fishing net belonging to an Australian fisherman may provide a clue to unravel the mystery surrounding the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 nearly 10 years ago.
Flight MH370 of Malaysia Airlines vanished on March 8, 2014, while flying from Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) to Beijing (China). All 239 individuals aboard are presumed dead, although the wreckage of MH370 has never been found.
Approximately 26 countries participated in the search efforts over an area exceeding 120,000 square kilometers, costing $200 million over four years, yet no results were achieved. Most experts believe that MH370 crashed in the southern Indian Ocean.
Now, nearly a decade after the aircraft’s disappearance, Australian fisherman Kit Olver (77 years old) revealed that his fishing boat retrieved what appears to be a broken wing fragment from a commercial aircraft, approximately 55 kilometers off the southeast coast of Australia around October 9, 2014.
Retired fisherman Kit Olver. (Photo: Daily Mail).
Olver told the Sydney Morning Herald that he was fishing in a secret location for the rare alfonsino fish when his net snagged on a heavy object that he struggled to pull to the surface.
“It was a broken wing of a large aircraft,” Olver stated.
Being a licensed pilot, Olver assessed that this wing was larger than that of a typical private plane.
Another crew member on the fishing vessel Vivienne Jane, George Currie, corroborated Olver’s claims. “It was very heavy. It stretched the net and tore it apart. It was too large for us to bring on board,” Currie said.
“As soon as I saw it, I knew what it was. Clearly, it was a wing, or a large part of a wing, from a commercial aircraft. It was white and was definitely not from a military or small aircraft.”
After struggling all day to retrieve the debris, Olver ordered the crew to cut the $20,000 net and let the debris sink back into the sea.
Olver stated that he attempted to report his discovery to the authorities immediately upon returning to port by calling the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA). A few hours later, an official contacted Olver, suggesting that the debris might have come from a shipping container that fell from a Russian vessel offshore from Robe.
AMSA told the Sydney Morning Herald that they have no record of Olver’s call.
Olver believes that making his discovery public is the right thing to do if it can help the families of those on board MH370 learn the fate of their loved ones.
On Wednesday (December 20, 2023), Olver told the Daily Mail that he felt at peace and was not willing to answer any further questions from reporters.
“I have shared what I witnessed. That happened many years ago. I spoke out for my conscience. Whether people believe it or not is not for me to decide.”
