Missing Plane: Mini-Sub Aborts Search Mission

Updated: 7:34am UK, Monday 14 April 2014

By Nick Martin, Sky News Correspondent, in Perth

This is the most significant development in the search for Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 in more than a week.

The Bluefin-21, a state-of-the-art unmanned submersible, is now being prepared for a mission to one of the deepest parts of the Indian Ocean.

Its journey will take two hours and send it beyond any depth it has been sent to before - 4.5km down.

When it reaches the silty surface of the ocean floor, it will begin its job of looking for the wreckage.

Sonar sensors will map the undulating surface and send that information back to the monitoring vessel Ocean Shield.

It is a remarkable journey under remarkable circumstances and somewhere down there are the crew and passengers of this ill-fated flight.

Around the world, relatives are hoping something will be found.

Search leader Angus Houston told me the black box battery had likely failed.

"It's time to go underwater," he said.

An oil slick has been spotted more than 5km from the search area and a two-litre sample has been sent to the mainland for tests.

"We don't think it's from the ships," Mr Houston said, hinting it could be engine oil from the 777 jet.

But they know results from the submersible could take a long time to come through.

And there are other pressures too, not least the cost.

This international response is hugely expensive and no one knows how long it can be sustained in its current form.

I asked Mr Houston if he thought this was a "long shot".

"I wouldn't say it was," he replied. "It's a promising lead we need to pursue."

They chose their words very carefully here.

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