Malaysian government releases preliminary report on missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, May 1 (UPI) -- The Malaysian government has released the report mandated by the International Civil Aviation Organization regarding missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370.

The five page document presents the facts -- as they are known -- of MH 370's flight history and subsequent investigation.

MH 370 departed Kuala Lumpur at 12:41 a.m. local time on March 8 en route to Beijing. At 1:19 a.m., Kuala Lumpur air traffic control advised the pilots to contact Ho Chi Minh air traffic control and relayed the radio frequency. "MH 370 acknowledged with 'Good night Malaysian Three Seven Zero.'"

Those were the last recorded words from the cockpit.

At 1:21 a.m., MH370 was viewable on radar. Nine seconds later, however, the radar label disappeared.

Ho Chi Minh air traffic control contacted Kuala Lumpur air traffic control at 1:38 a.m., asking for the whereabouts of MH 370. Kuala Lumpur air traffic controllers reached out to Malaysia Airlines operations center as well as airports in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Phnom Penh. None reported contact with MH370.

Four hours later, at 5:30 a.m. local time, "Kuala Lumpur Rescue Coordination Centre (KL RCC) was activated ... after all efort to communicate and locate the aircraft failed. Search and Rescue (SAR) operations were conducted in the South China Sea where the aircraft position was last known."

The report does not offer an explanation as to why the air traffic controllers at Kuala Lumpur International Airport waited four hours after last contact with MH 370 to activate a search and rescue operation.