The government of Malaysia and an American ocean exploration company are going to looking to solve one of history’s greatest aviation mysteries: the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 nearly four years ago. The search will begin next week, and Ocean Infinity, a Houston-based company, could receive as much as $70 million if it finds the plane’s debris field or two data recorders within 90 days, Transportation Minister Liow Tiong Lai said, according to The New York Times. However, the company will not receive anything if it does not find the missing Boeing 777. The flight went missing over the Indian Ocean on March 8, 2014, with 239 people onboard. The contract states that Malaysia will pay Ocean Infinity $20 million if it finds the wreckage or data recorders, and the fee rises in staggered amounts to as much as $70 million, depending on how large an area the vessel searches before locating the plane. The Seabed Constructor, a ship operated by the company, left Durban, South Africa, a week ago to get ready for the search. Last year, after nearly three years of searching, Australian officials indefinitely suspended the unsuccessful search for Flight 370. The aircraft was heading to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur, the Malaysian capital when it deviated from its scheduled route for unknown reasons and headed south over the Indian Ocean. It flew for about five hours and most likely, ran out of fuel. The plane’s exact route over the Indian Ocean remains uncertain, writes The New York Times. Many theories have been thrown around about the plane’s disappearance, including the idea that the pilot deliberately crashed the plane.
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