According to findings from Australian investigators, the wing flaps of the Boeing 777 were in a "cruise" position when the aircraft hit the ocean surface.

The fresh evidence casts doubt on the theory held by a number of air crash analysts that someone was in control of the plane as it descended, BBC News reports.

The new theory came to light after investigators from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB), studied fragments of the aircraft’s right outboard wing flap.

Investigation teams also used satellite data, flight simulations and analysis of debris which had been recovered after drifting away from the suspected crash site to draw their conclusions.

"The purpose of the examination was to inform the end-of-flight scenarios being considered by the search team," the report said.

"The right flaperon was probably at, or close to, the neutral position at the time it separated from the wing," it added.

The report’s release comes as teams of international aviation experts gather in Canberra to discuss the next stage of the search process.

Flight MH370 disappeared en route to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur with 239 people onboard in March 2014.