Last words from cockpit: 'Goodnight Malaysian 370'

KUALA LUMPUR - The last conversation between the air traffic controller and the cockpit of the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 was at 1:19 a.m. and the last words were "Good night Malaysian three seven zero," Malaysian Transport Ministry confirmed on Monday in a statement. 

Full transcript of MH370 pilot communications revealed

Malaysian acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Bin Tun Hussein attends a news conference in Kuala Lumpur, March 31, 2014. [Photo/Xinhua]

It said the authorities were still doing forensic investigation to determine whether those last words from the cockpit were spoken by the pilot or co-pilot.

The minister had instructed the investigating team to release the full transcript which would be made available during the briefing to the next of kin, according to the statement.

Earlier reports said the last words from the cockpit were "All right, goodnight," and the Malaysia Airlines had said the initial investigation indicated that the voice was from the co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid.

The statement said authorities were still conducting "forensic investigation" to determine whether the last words from the cockpit were by the pilot or the co-pilot.

SEARCH GOES ON

Nine ships and 10 aircraft resumed the hunt for wreckage from MH370 on Tuesday, hoping to recover more than fishing objects and other flotsam found so far.

"The search goes on," Australian Defence Minister David Johnston told Australian Broadcasting Corp radio from Perth. "We've got about 200 aviators in the air at any given time ... flying over the site looking for debris. It's a very difficult task."

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak will travel to Perth on Wednesday to see the operations first hand.

Among the vessels due to join the search in the coming days is an Australian defence force ship, the Ocean Shield, that has been fitted with a sophisticated US black box locator and an underwater drone.

Time is running out because the signal transmitted by the missing aircraft's black box will die about 30 days after a crash due to limited battery life, leaving investigators with a vastly more difficult task.

Malaysia's acting transport minister, Hishammuddin Hussein, said he would discuss the deployment of "more specific military assets" during a regional defence ministers' meeting with the United States in Hawaii that he is attending from Tuesday.

"I shall be discussing with the United States, and our other friends and allies, how best we can acquire the assets needed for possible deep sea search and recovery," said Hishammuddin, who is also Malaysia's defence minister.

An Illinois judge on Monday dismissed a US law firm's motion to obtain evidence of possible design and manufacturing defects from Boeing and Malaysian Airlines in connection with the disappearance of the flight.

A small search boat sits in front of the Australian Navy ship the HMAS Success as a Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) P3 Orion maritime search aircraft flies over it in the southern Indian Ocean as they look for debris from missing Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 March 31, 2014. [Photo/Agencies]