Whether the bubbles were there or not, that's not for us to say. But I'll leave that up to the oceanographers.

 

But could methane gas also explain the disappearance of planes?

 

There would be a change in conditions in the air above the sea surface if those methane gases escape. And it has been suggested by some that this would affect the lift of the aircraft.

 

After leaving the water, the methane would rise straight into the atmosphere. The gas is lighter than air so it would continue upward until dissipating but could still potentially disrupt planes at low altitudes.

 

Instructors at a flight school in Florida want to find out what happens when a plane flies into a cloud of methane.

 

Right now, we're flying in a 'Diamond' DA-42 flights simulator. It's an actual replica of the twin engine, small airplane. It simulates the controls, the fuel and all the instrumentation of an actual airplane.

 

Their simulator will replicate the change in air conditions when a plume of methane enters the surrounding atmosphere.

OK. We're flying the simulator towards Key West International. We're approximately thousand feet. We're a few miles out and here we're coming in on the approach path for the airport. And we're gonna simulate what happens if we watch the altimeter. On both these we will see immediate change as we fly into that cloud of methane.

 

The altimeter determines altitude by measuring outside air pressure. Methane is half as dense as air. So when the cloud envelopes the plane the effect on the instruments is shocking.

 

And all the sudden, that jumps up to approximately 2000 feet. Thomas's now responding to that by descending the airplane 'cause he needs to maintain 1000 feet.

 

The altimeter shows the plane is climbing rapidly. The pilot trusts his instruments and tries to drop to an altitude of 1000 feet. But now he's dangerously close to the ocean's surface.

 

And as we descend we're getting closer and closer to the water, but looking outside without reference to land or ships on the water, it's very hard to judge our altitude. And he's trained this instrument power to trust his instruments and not look outside the plane.

 

The plane's instruments continue to confuse the pilot.