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Indonesian Navy divers have found the black box and a piece of landing gear from the Lion Air plane that plunged into the Java Sea off the coast of the capital Jakarta killing all 189 people on board about shortly after take-off. Satellite-based ADS-B data indicates Flight JT610 slammed into the ocean at around 400mph from an altitude of about 5000ft in less than a minute. And experts believe the force with which the plane hit the sea was enough to reduce metal fittings to powder and rip flight data recording equipment from its protective casing.

Independent MH370 investigator Victor Iannello has pointed out that information derived from satellite data indicated MH370 also hit the sea with high energy at a descent rate of about 15,000ft per minute. And he claims debris produced from the Lion Air crash gives some indication of the types of debris probably produced when MH370 went down in the Indian Ocean on March 8, 2014, with 239 passengers and crew onboard. Mr Iannello points to a video of the floating debris from JT610 showing small floating parts spread over a limited area. He said: “Admittedly, a B777 is considerably larger than a B737, and the floating debris field should be easier to find.

Debris from doomed Lion Air Flight JT610 is recovered from the sea

Investigators examine Lion Air Flight JT610 debris

“However, the surface search for MH370 in the Southern Indian Ocean from the air began weeks after the disappearance, and the dispersive effects of waves and currents in the SIO are strong. “The combination of a dispersed field and small parts might explain the failure for the air search to detect floating objects along the seventh arc. “The small size of the floating parts might also explain why satellite images along the seventh arc have not spotted aircraft debris.” Mr Iannello said underwater MH370 search teams expected to find a large debris field with substantial, distinguishable objects such as the landing gear and engines.