New twist in hunt for MH370 after Fischer ‘finds part of missing plane’

A fisherman’s broken net could be the final clue that helps solve the mystery of missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

The plane that disappeared on March 8, 2014 with 239 people on board has never been found, despite authorities conducting the most extensive maritime search in world history.

But retired Australian fisherman Kit Olver, 77, said his deep-sea trawler picked up part of the commercial airline’s wing.

He made the discovery in 2014, about 55 km off the southeast coast of South Australia.

Mr Olver, who has a pilot’s license, said his net got stuck on something large and he struggled to bring it to the surface.

He told the Sydney Morning Herald: “It was a bloody big wing of a big plane.

“I asked myself questions; I looked for a way out. I wish I’d never seen that thing… but there it is. It was the wing of a fighter jet.”

Crew member George Currie said: “It was incredibly difficult and uncomfortable.” He reached out and tore the net. It was too big to reach from the deck.

“As soon as I saw it, I knew what it was. It was clearly a wing or large portion of a commercial aircraft. It was white and clearly did not come from a military jet or small aircraft.”

The crew struggled all day to free the object, forcing Mr Olver to cut loose the net and float it back to the shallower depths of the Southern Ocean.

But he said he could easily pinpoint the location where he made the discovery and even provide the GPS coordinates.

He called the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, but an official told him it was probably a Russian shipping container.

The agency said it had no record of Mr. Olver’s call.

Now he has made his discovery public in the hope that the families of the passengers on board the plane can find a solution.

“It was from years ago, it was on my conscience and I have now cleared it up and told my story. “So it’s not for me to believe it or act on it,” he told Daily Mail Australia.

Debris from the plane was discovered as far away as Madagascar and a total of 41 pieces were recovered.

On the evening of the crash, Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah responded to Malaysian air traffic control and said: “…contact Ho Chi Minh (…) good night.”

The plane then went “dark” before returning over Malaysia – in the opposite direction of its intended flight path.

It took about 7.5 hours before it ran out of fuel and crashed into the sea.

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