article_snippet: The battery of an underwater locator beacon had run out more than a year before flight MH370 disappeared, a report by investigators revealed today.
article_snippet: The update on the progress of the probe surrounding the Malaysia Airlines plane - which vanished a year ago today - indicates those looking for the aircraft would have had less chance of finding the aircraft.
article_snippet: The significance of the expired battery was not immediately apparent, except indicating that searchers would have had lesser chance of locating the plane, even if searchers were in the plane vicinity.
article_snippet: Whilst the expired battery had expired on the beacon of the Flight Data Recorder, the report said that the battery on the locator beacon of the cockpit voice recorder was working.
article_snippet: It said that according to maintenance records, the battery on the beacon attached to the Flight Data Recorder expired in December 2012.