Malaysia Airlines flight missing

[Mrs Mungo]

Understand, I have known people who have lived with false hope. It is a cruel thing to put people through. Therefore, I can see how people would find it disrespectful to give families the idea that the passengers are alive.

 

Payne Stewart's plane went off course and flew for something like 1,500 miles on its own before crashing after the pilots and passengers were unconscious or already dead. It is something that can happen when something goes wrong. There is precedent for it. Something goes wrong, the plane turns off course to turn around or to reach a closer point, then loses pressure, incapacitating the crew, eventually crashing, that seems more likely than the passengers being alive.

[mathnerd]

Payne Stewart's plane went off course and flew for something like 1,500 miles on its own before crashing after the pilots and passengers were unconscious or already dead. It is something that can happen when something goes wrong. There is precedent for it. Something goes wrong, the plane turns off course to turn around or to reach a closer point, then loses pressure, incapacitating the crew, eventually crashing, that seems more likely than the passengers being alive.

But, you are not taking into account that there is the case of the transponder that had been switched off and the radars tracking the plane which was "following a route between navigational waypoints" for 5 hours after it last contacted traffic control - this, according to US officials is consistent with the plane being piloted by someone familiar with aviation and it was definitely not on autopilot or out of control. This plane was not communicating and flying through a route from one "navigational waypoint" to another for hours. This case is nothing similar to that golfer's plane crash.

 

And we have been misled that the plane was in 3 totally different regions so far. This is either extreme incompetence or someone is buying time to coverup (and possibly cleanup?) mistakes that have been made (shooting down a non responding civilian aircraft??) and would cause repurcussions if they admitted to them.

 

Interestingly, the US did not take any action when they were searching the first 2 areas. Now suddenly, when the search has been diverted to a third location (Andamans) the US is sending battleships and other help there - so it seems that the US knew all along that the plane was not in the first 2 locations (spy satellites saw all that happened?). And the clues have been staged and timed so that the world's focus has been diverted to location A and then location B and then now to location C - so was anything going on somewhere else when the whole world was looking at location A and location B? 

[Mrs Mungo]

But, you are not taking into account that there is the case of the transponder that had been switched off and the radars tracking the plane which was "following a route between navigational waypoints" for 5 hours after it last contacted traffic control - this, according to US officials is consistent with the plane being piloted by someone familiar with aviation and it was definitely not on autopilot or out of control. This plane was not communicating and flying through a route from one "navigational waypoint" to another for hours. This case is nothing similar to that golfer's plane crash.

I agreed all along that hijacking was a strong possibility due to the transponder being turned off. But, a pilot steering toward a navigational landmark, *then* being incapacitated seems like a strong possibility.

 

And we have been misled that the plane was in 3 totally different regions so far. This is either extreme incompetence or someone is buying time to coverup (and possibly cleanup?) mistakes that have been made (shooting down a non responding civilian aircraft??) and would cause repurcussions if they admitted to them.

It isn't extreme incompetence to need to look for a downed plane. The US is more heavily populated (not by density but by the numbers) than many other countries. We have loads more planes in the air than most countries. We have better technology and tracking of those planes than many countries have. We are used to seeing what happens when a plane crashes in the US. When a plane crashes in a country that doesn't have the same technology or abilities, then the search is going to look very different.

 

Interestingly, the US did not take any action when they were searching the first 2 areas. Now suddenly, when the search has been diverted to a third location (Andamans) the US is sending battleships and other help there - so it seems that the US knew all along that the plane was not in the first 2 locations (spy satellites saw all that happened?). And the clues have been staged and timed so that the world's focus has been diverted to location A and then location B and then now to location C - so was anything going on somewhere else when the whole world was looking at location A and location B?

It doesn't indicate to me *at all* that the US knew in the first place. It indicates that the US looked and eventually found something that they felt was worth acting on. It takes time to sort through and compile the amount of data that satellites, radar systems, etc generate. It is more likely to me that satellites picked up wreckage after the fact. We definitely don't have complete real time satellite coverage of the entirety of the earth's surface.

 

I understand that people *want* instant answers in this day and age, but answers don't necessarily happen instantly in real life. Have you ever talked to a real life soldier about movies versus real life or a real CSI officer about their job versus the tv show? People are too used to how fast tv show and movie authorities get answers.

 

Think about the 1972 plane crash in the Andes. It crashed on 13 October, but wasn't found until December and that was only because one of the survivors managed to go get help.

[Colleen]

Interestingly, the US did not take any action when they were searching the first 2 areas. Now suddenly, when the search has been diverted to a third location (Andamans) the US is sending battleships and other help there 

 

This isn't accurate.  The US has been actively involved from the beginning.  Last weekend FBI and NTSB investigators were sent to Malaysia, and we had a presence in the South China Sea earlier in the week.  Now we're searching in the Indian Ocean at the request of the Malaysian government.    

[Colleen]

I understand that people *want* instant answers in this day and age, but answers don't necessarily happen instantly in real life. Have you ever talked to a real life soldier about movies versus real life or a real CSI officer about their job versus the tv show? People are too used to how fast tv show and movie authorities get answers.

 

But…but…shouldn't the story fit into 43 minutes (plus commercials)?!

 

 

 

Think about the 1972 plane crash in the Andes. It crashed on 13 October, but wasn't found until December and that was only because one of the survivors managed to go get help.

 

A side note, Piers Paul Read's telling of the Andes crash is riveting.  Several years ago, team member Nando Parrado wrote a book that was equally compelling.  

[Mrs Mungo]

There are possibilities other than hijacking as to why the transponder signal was lost.

 

http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/12/world/asia/malaysia-airlines-transponder/

[Mrs Mungo]

But…but…shouldn't the story fit into 43 minutes (plus commercials)?!

I think the tv show 24 actually made this phenomenon worse, lol.

 

A side note, Piers Paul Read's telling of the Andes crash is riveting. Several years ago, team member Nando Parrado wrote a book that was equally compelling.

I read Parrado's book; it was terrifying.

[Pawz4me]

But, you are not taking into account that there is the case of the transponder that had been switched off and the radars tracking the plane which was "following a route between navigational waypoints" for 5 hours after it last contacted traffic control - this, according to US officials is consistent with the plane being piloted by someone familiar with aviation and it was definitely not on autopilot or out of control. This plane was not communicating and flying through a route from one "navigational waypoint" to another for hours. This case is nothing similar to that golfer's plane crash.

 

And we have been misled that the plane was in 3 totally different regions so far. This is either extreme incompetence or someone is buying time to coverup (and possibly cleanup?) mistakes that have been made (shooting down a non responding civilian aircraft??) and would cause repurcussions if they admitted to them.

 

Interestingly, the US did not take any action when they were searching the first 2 areas. Now suddenly, when the search has been diverted to a third location (Andamans) the US is sending battleships and other help there - so it seems that the US knew all along that the plane was not in the first 2 locations (spy satellites saw all that happened?). And the clues have been staged and timed so that the world's focus has been diverted to location A and then location B and then now to location C - so was anything going on somewhere else when the whole world was looking at location A and location B? 

 

Do you have a link (or links) as a source for that?  Because it's certainly not what I've been reading and hearing from various news outlets (including non-US media).

[Lanny]

But, you are not taking into account that there is the case of the transponder that had been switched off and the radars tracking the plane which was "following a route between navigational waypoints" for 5 hours after it last contacted traffic control - this, according to US officials is consistent with the plane being piloted by someone familiar with aviation and it was definitely not on autopilot or out of control. This plane was not communicating and flying through a route from one "navigational waypoint" to another for hours. This case is nothing similar to that golfer's plane crash.

 

And we have been misled that the plane was in 3 totally different regions so far. This is either extreme incompetence or someone is buying time to coverup (and possibly cleanup?) mistakes that have been made (shooting down a non responding civilian aircraft??) and would cause repurcussions if they admitted to them.

 

Interestingly, the US did not take any action when they were searching the first 2 areas. Now suddenly, when the search has been diverted to a third location (Andamans) the US is sending battleships and other help there - so it seems that the US knew all along that the plane was not in the first 2 locations (spy satellites saw all that happened?). And the clues have been staged and timed so that the world's focus has been diverted to location A and then location B and then now to location C - so was anything going on somewhere else when the whole world was looking at location A and location B? 

 

I don't know what country you live in, or what country you are a citizen of, but that came across to me as not complementary to the USA or to U.S. Citizens.  The U.S. had two (2) U.S. Navy Destroyers, at least one of them with two (2) helicopters aboard, in the first search area. They went where they were asked to go and sent ships that were nearby. You imply (or state) that the U.S. knew from the get go where the aircraft went. I respectfully doubt that what you wrote is true.

 

Now, the evidence indicates that the aircraft was flown in a Westerly direction, probably  by someone who was familiar with that airspace and with the routes used by civil turbojet aircraft. The U.S. Navy sent the nearest ship, which I believe is a Destroyer, to that area. It was in another ocean and has  moved or is moving into the Indian Ocean.

 

It takes time to sift through databases, whether they are satellite maps, or data sent by the engines of the aircraft, etc. This is "looking for a needle in a haystack". 

 

This is not a simple problem to solve. This will take more time to solve. And yes, I would agree that there is incompetence among the Malaysian officials who are running this operation. Probably they are making the best decisions they can, based upon the data they have available to them. This is a new experience for them. The Security procedures of the airline and the airport, from what I have read, seem to be sub standard.

 

I respect your right to your opinions and I hope that you will respect mine and those of other people in this thread. Nobody knows what the true story is... We can all have our theories, until the probable cause is determined.

[Mrs Mungo]

Do you have a link (or links) as a source for that? Because it's certainly not what I've been reading and hearing from various news outlets (including non-US media).

I think the poster meant that the US took relatively little action, but you don't make battleships appear in Malaysia out of nowhere. It takes them time to get there. And the US isn't in the habit of constantly announcing the courses of its ships, that would be against OPSEC.

[Pawz4me]

This is interesting -- British satellite telecommunications provider says its equipment picked up pings.

 

 

 

David Coiley, a vice president of Inmarsat, a British satellite telecommunications provider, said the missing plane had been equipped with a signaling system from the company that sends out a “keep-alive message†to establish that the plane’s communications system is still switched on.

 

The plane sent out a series of such messages after radar contact was lost, he said. Those messages later stopped, but he declined to specify precisely when or how many messages had been received. Mr. Coiley said Inmarsat was sharing the information with the airline and investigators.

 

“It does allow us to determine where the airplane is relative to the satellite,†he said of the signal, which he likened to the “noises you might hear when you when a cellphone sits next to a radio or a television speaker.†He said: “It does allow us to narrow down the position of the aircraft†— at moment when the signal was sent.

[Colleen]

I think the poster meant that the US took relatively little action, but you don't make battleships appear in Malaysia out of nowhere.

 

On the other hand, I think it's notable how much action the US took from the very beginning.  On Monday, March 10, it was reported that the USS Kidd was joining the USS Pinckney, while a P-3C Orion surveillance aircraft was already in place and an oiler vessel was deployed to help with logistics.  Between that and investigative assistance, our level of involvement throughout qualifies as quite high.

[Mrs Mungo]

On the other hand, I think it's notable how much action the US took from the very beginning. On Monday, March 10, it was reported that the USS Kidd was joining the USS Pinckney, while a P-3C Orion surveillance aircraft was already in place and an oiler vessel was deployed to help with logistics. Between that and investigative assistance, our level of involvement throughout qualifies as quite high.

I agree with you. But sending in battleships might *sound* like we are becoming much more involved to a bystander. I can see how it could be confusing.

[Colleen]

I read Parrado's book; it was terrifying.

 

I read Alive first and yes, it was terrifying.  So much so that I had to confirm the terror by reading Parrado's book as a follow-up.   I was in an Uruguay phase after picking them to do well in the 2010 World Cup. ;)

[mathnerd]

On the other hand, I think it's notable how much action the US took from the very beginning.  On Monday, March 10, it was reported that the USS Kidd was joining the USS Pinckney, while a P-3C Orion surveillance aircraft was already in place and an oiler vessel was deployed to help with logistics.  Between that and investigative assistance, our level of involvement throughout qualifies as quite high.

What I meant was that Vietnam was doing most of the SAR work for the first few days - not much of the SAR was being done by the US even though there were US citizens onboard MH370. Most media reports suggested that a "small team" of experts from NTSB, FAA and Boeing were set to depart to Malaysia to offer assistance. There was no mention of the US Navy actually doing SAR work in the days following the disappearance.

for e.g. look at this link: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/official-fbi-not-in-on-mh370-crash-probe-other-us-agencies-arrive-today

 

BTW, Lanny, I am American and a resident of California. I have traveled to Malaysia a lot and have friends working for Freescale in Austin and hence have a very high level of concern for the welfare of the passengers on MH370. I also try to get my news from media all over the world so I can get a balanced view point rather than depending only on US media outlets - and many of them say that the US can and should do more than it has. That may not sound complimentary to the US, but, not all world opinions are complimentary of the US.

[Pawz4me]

What I meant was that Vietnam was doing most of the SAR work for the first few days - not much of the SAR was being done by the US even though there were US citizens onboard MH370. Most media reports suggested that a "small team" of experts from NTSB, FAA and Boeing were set to depart to Malaysia to offer assistance. There was no mention of the US Navy actually doing SAR work in the days following the disappearance.

for e.g. look at this link: http://www.themalaymailonline.com/malaysia/article/official-fbi-not-in-on-mh370-crash-probe-other-us-agencies-arrive-today

 

BTW, Lanny, I am American and a resident of California. I have traveled to Malaysia a lot and have friends working for Freescale in Austin and hence have a very high level of concern for the welfare of the passengers on MH370. I also try to get my news from media all over the world so I can get a balanced view point rather than depending on US media outlets - and many of them say that the US can and should do more than it has. That may not sound complimentary to the US, but, not all world opinions are complimentary of the US.

 

The U.S. is certainly no stranger to the concept of "damned if you do, damned if you don't."

 

The article you cite refers to the FAA and Homeland Security.  Those would be technical experts.  Which is totally different than having military personnel out doing SAR.  Just because that particular article doesn't mention U.S. assets participating in SAR at that point doesn't mean they weren't there, as that aspect of the investigation doesn't appear to be the focus of the article.

 

Like it or not, this is Malaysia's investigation.  There are international treaties that cover these things.  We are limited in what we can do -- at least publicly -- to what Malaysia allows.  Could Malaysia pretty much just turn the whole investigation over to us?  I bet they could.  But they haven't.

 

(And that's not even mentioning the extra sensitivity of this investigation since so many of the passengers were Chinese, and since geographically it's a lot closer to China's back yard than it is to ours.)

[Mrs Mungo]

I also try to get my news from media all over the world so I can get a balanced view point rather than depending only on US media outlets - and many of them say that the US can and should do more than it has. That may not sound complimentary to the US, but, not all world opinions are complimentary of the US.

And many other people around the world have *also* been watching too many tv shows/movies and don't understand the realities of such investigations. Look how some people here believed that the US would have real time satellite coverage available of a random spot in the ocean. That's why some believe the US should be doing more. But, things just don't work that way in reality.

[Colleen]

I also try to get my news from media all over the world so I can get a balanced view point rather than depending only on US media outlets - and many of them say that the US can and should do more than it has. That may not sound complimentary to the US, but, not all world opinions are complimentary of the US.

 

Interesting.  I rely very little on US media outlets ~ don't watch television, and refer primarily to the NY Times and WSJ.  I don't share your impression that many non-US sources are saying the US should do more.  Do you have some links to share?

 

 

Like it or not, this is Malaysia's investigation.  There are international treaties that cover these things.  We are limited in what we can do -- at least publicly -- to what Malaysia allows.  Could Malaysia pretty much just turn the whole investigation over to us?  I bet they could.  But they haven't.

 

Well said.  

[unsinkable]

Speaking of the US Navy...I wouldn't be surprised if our subs aren't sniffing around listening for the ping the black box sends out.

 

Those guys are sneaky, :lol:

[Arcadia]

Does anyone know this, are pilots oft times casual with air traffic control or is there usually a protocol of acceptable responses when breaking communication for a while? It would be interesting to know what the "usual" is.

 

Casual is not unexpected given that the pilot is a veteran and this is a short daily flight.  Kind of like if you speak to the same air traffic controllers for years almost daily, casual slips in. The last words quoted in the news does not sound casual for civilian aircrafts.

 

 

 This person went on to say, and this was fascinating, that the country does not deal with tsunamis, earthquakes, tornados, volcanos,........nothing that would require having an Emergency Plan in place. From a basic, logical point of view, that would explain a lot.

 

 

The only natural disaster that Malaysia have to deal with is wildfires and the possibility of tsunamis from Indonesia's earthquakes.  Those tend to be handled at State level. (ETA: hikers gone missing in the mountains are usually dealt at state level too)

 

The Federal govt. has mainly handled bilateral/international relationships.

 

Speaking of the US Navy...I wouldn't be surprised if our subs aren't sniffing around listening for the ping the black box sends out.

 

Those guys are sneaky, :lol:

 

There was a regional counterterrorism exercise in Sept. 2013 hosted in Indonesia where US was a participating country.  Like I said before, US has a strong presence in the region all along.  There is a list of major joint military exercise in this US Pacific Command page. The Cobra Gold exercise in February, 2014 included US, Thailand, China, Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia.

 

"The first Asia Pacific regional counterterrorism exercise involving 872 military personnel from 18 countries has officially started at the International Peace and Security Center (IPSC) in Sentul, West Java.

 

The participating countries comprising all 10 of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member countries and their eight partner countries — the United States, Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, South Korea, India and Russia — will discuss and share their best on counterterrorism practices during the event, which runs through Friday."

 

ETA:

"There are currently 57 ships and 48 aircraft in the search. Thirteen countries are now involved and with Bangladesh, it will be 14." (15 March 2014 last updated at 02:02AM)

[Danestress]

But…but…shouldn't the story fit into 43 minutes (plus commercials)?!

Not at all. They can cover this story 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, whether there are facts or not. No facts? Theories entertain the masses just fine.

[Colleen]

They can cover this story 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, whether there are facts or not. 

 

Until something more entertaining ~ er, newsworthy ~ comes along, right?

[Mrs Mungo]

Not at all. They can cover this story 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, whether there are facts or not. No facts? Theories entertain the masses just fine.

 

Exactly. I see this as seriously irresponsible journalism. But, journalism has nearly disappeared as the search for facts and real information that it was once. 

[Scrub Jay]

Jet was hijacked, Malaysian official tells AP http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/jet-was-hijacked-malaysian-official-tells-ap/2014/03/15/ec7397d6-abff-11e3-af5f-4c56b834c4bf_story.html

[DawnM]

I spent some time yesterday talking to a pilot who has flown the 777.  He flies 80% of his routes overseas.  He was Airforce and then civilian/commercial for a combined total of 26 years.

 

Anyway, he was telling me that the US can't just go over there and start searching nor can they go over and take over the investigation, as much as they would like to.  Because the plane is a Malaysian Airliner, the Malaysian government calls the shots.   The Malaysians don't have much of a plan for emergencies because they haven't had a whole lot of them, so this is very new territory for them.

 

It is highly frustrating for everyone (including the Malaysians) that they can't figure this out, and the news is only reporting theories at this time and when I got a chance to watch CNN last night (we are at a hotel and don't have cable at home) they were very careful to say, "This is one theory" and then elaborate on why this may or may not be a possibility.  

 

I don't find this investigation nearly as bad as the reporting on Sandy Hook.  That was completely all over the place, erroneous information coming out as absolutely fact and then changed later with not so much as an apology. 

 

I am still glued to this story as I find it fascinating that in this day and age of technology we can have a huge airplane vanish into thin air.    (ok, that was a figure of speech, for those of you who are very literal.)

 

I keep thinking, "Surely they will find it today" and then they don't.

 

Dawn

[flyingiguana]

But now I can see a possible explanation for why they didn't want to release this information, even if they knew it. If the satellite was able to track the plane, maybe they still hoped to get info from that. And reporting this would have tipped off whoever was responsible that they needed to disable that satellite tracking.

[DawnM]

I think sometimes when it comes to releasing information, they are damned if they do and damned if they don't.

 

 

 

 

But now I can see a possible explanation for why they didn't want to release this information, even if they knew it. If the satellite was able to track the plane, maybe they still hoped to get info from that. And reporting this would have tipped off whoever was responsible that they needed to disable that satellite tracking.

 

[PrincessMommy]

I spent some time yesterday talking to a pilot who has flown the 777.  He flies 80% of his routes overseas.  He was Airforce and then civilian/commercial for a combined total of 26 years.

 

Anyway, he was telling me that the US can't just go over there and start searching nor can they go over and take over the investigation, as much as they would like to.  Because the plane is a Malaysian Airliner, the Malaysian government calls the shots.   The Malaysians don't have much of a plan for emergencies because they haven't had a whole lot of them, so this is very new territory for them.

 

It is highly frustrating for everyone (including the Malaysians) that they can't figure this out, and the news is only reporting theories at this time and when I got a chance to watch CNN last night (we are at a hotel and don't have cable at home) they were very careful to say, "This is one theory" and then elaborate on why this may or may not be a possibility.  

 

I don't find this investigation nearly as bad as the reporting on Sandy Hook.  That was completely all over the place, erroneous information coming out as absolutely fact and then changed later with not so much as an apology. 

 

I am still glued to this story as I find it fascinating that in this day and age of technology we can have a huge airplane vanish into thin air.    (ok, that was a figure of speech, for those of you who are very literal.)

 

I keep thinking, "Surely they will find it today" and then they don't.

 

Dawn

 

Me too.  I'm also amazed by this story.. it's so crazy that this could happen.  I hope they find the plane very soon..

 

[SKL]

I kind of wish they had not shared so much info regarding how they are finding out the plane's course.  Why tell potential terrorists what to disable?  Maybe they are keeping some things secret because it's safer that way.

[SeaConquest]

Focus on Chinese separatist group:

 

http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2014/03/15/flight_370_disappearance_missing_airliner_apparently_flew_to_central_asia.html

[MBM]

I'm following this on a forum for pilots. Several days age a few of them mentioned that one passenger, an Uygher, has extensive flight simulator experience.

 

 

[MariannNOVA]

I'm following this on a forum for pilots. Several days age a few of them mentioned that one passenger, an Uygher, has extensive flight simulator experience.

That is very interesting in light of what I heard a former 777 Captain say last night on Greta van Sustern's show.

 

He said that the irregularities that are being spoken of regarding altitude say to him that (1) there likely was a struggle in the cockpit and (2) the individual who finally was at the controls after said altitude changes, had probably only flown a simulator and was totally unaware how different it is IN COMPARISON to fly the actual aircraft.

[staceyobu]

The slate article linked seems to think there is a good possibility the plane was successfully landed. This just becomes more and more bizarre.

[Laura Corin]

Do you have a link (or links) as a source for that?  Because it's certainly not what I've been reading and hearing from various news outlets (including non-US media).

 

 On BBC radio I heard an interview with the commander of the US section of the search earlier in the week, talking about being assigned a zone to search.  I believe there were three US ships involved at that time.

 

L

[Laura Corin]

Interesting.  I rely very little on US media outlets ~ don't watch television, and refer primarily to the NY Times and WSJ.  I don't share your impression that many non-US sources are saying the US should do more.  Do you have some links to share?

 

I have not heard any suggestion on UK news that the US should be doing more.  Why in particular should it be?

 

L

[Woodhaven]

According to the BBC news the plane was likely in the air up to 7 hours and could have made it as far as Kazakhstan. Although the us thinks it is more likely it flew out over the Indian ocean and went down.

[Berta]

<<Tightening the tin foil hat>>

[umsami]

My hearts just go out for the poor families of the passengers and crew.  To think that your loved ones went down in an accident is bad enough… now to worry that they may have been hijacked and be alive somewhere…. or been hijacked and worried about their fate for 7 hours before dying is horrifying.

 

I really hope they find some answers soon.

[Melissa in Australia]

I have not heard any suggestion on UK news that the US should be doing more.  Why in particular should it be?

 

L

 

:iagree:

[Laura Corin]

Focus on Chinese separatist group:

 

http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2014/03/15/flight_370_disappearance_missing_airliner_apparently_flew_to_central_asia.html

 

A correction: the article states that the knife attack of a few weeks ago took place in the Uighur province of Xinjiang.  In fact it took place in Kunming, which is the capital of Yunnan, hundreds of miles away.  It is convenient for China to blame..... everything on Uighurs or Tibetans.  This is a more balanced article.  

 

For me, the fact that Uighurs have been arrested for the attacks does not necessarily mean that they are to blame.  They could be - I just don't know, and I don't think anyone outside of the Chinese police force/government does.

 

L

[Melissa in Australia]

I reckon this is   going to make a great movie.

[Word Nerd]

My hearts just go out for the poor families of the passengers and crew. To think that your loved ones went down in an accident is bad enough… now to worry that they may have been hijacked and be alive somewhere…. or been hijacked and worried about their fate for 7 hours before dying is horrifying.

 

I really hope they find some answers soon.

It's terrible. The anguish must be awful. I hope the families are reunited with their loved ones if they survived, and if not, that they can at least get answers and have closure.

[Mrs Mungo]

According to the BBC news the plane was likely in the air up to 7 hours and could have made it as far as Kazakhstan. Although the us thinks it is more likely it flew out over the Indian ocean and went down.

How would they get it to Kazakhstan without the US tracking it through Afghanistan and Kyrgystan?

[Lanny]

How would they get it to Kazakhstan without the US tracking it through Afghanistan and Kyrgystan?

Yes. If it was near U.S. "assets" it would probably have been detected...

[Arcadia]

 Apparently, the fly in the ointment (and if you know otherwise, kindly correct me) is that since this is not an investigation being conducted by the U.S., (it is being conducted by Malaysia), the U.S., or anyone else for that matter, must wait until their assistance is requested.

 

Saw the latest press release  on 15 March by Malaysia's Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak which says FAA and NTSB are involved. 

 

"Early this morning I was briefed by the investigation team – which includes the FAA, NTSB, the AAIB, the Malaysian authorities and the Acting Minister of Transport – on new information that sheds further light on what happened to MH370.

 

Based on new satellite information, we can say with a high degree of certainty that the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) was disabled just before the aircraft reached the East coast of peninsular Malaysia. Shortly afterwards, near the border between Malaysian and Vietnamese air traffic control, the aircraft’s transponder was switched off.

 

From this point onwards, the Royal Malaysian Air Force primary radar showed that an aircraft which was believed – but not confirmed – to be MH370 did indeed turn back. It then flew in a westerly direction back over peninsular Malaysia before turning northwest. Up until the point at which it left military primary radar coverage, these movements are consistent with deliberate action by someone on the plane.

 

Today, based on raw satellite data that was obtained from the satellite data service provider, we can confirm that the aircraft shown in the primary radar data was flight MH370. After much forensic work and deliberation, the FAA, NTSB, AAIB and the Malaysian authorities, working separately on the same data, concur.

 

According to the new data, the last confirmed communication between the plane and the satellite was at 8:11AM Malaysian time on Saturday 8th March. The investigations team is making further calculations which will indicate how far the aircraft may have flown after this last point of contact. This will help us to refine the search.

 

Due to the type of satellite data, we are unable to confirm the precise location of the plane when it last made contact with the satellite."

 

ETA:

Another article said the same thing

"Najib said among the agencies involved in the tracking of the plane were the Federal Aviation Administration, National Transportation Safety Board, UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch and Malaysian authorities as well."

[Arcadia]

How would they get it to Kazakhstan without the US tracking it through Afghanistan and Kyrgystan?

 

 

Yes. If it was near U.S. "assets" it would probably have been detected...

 

This article raise interesting questions  "MISSING MH370: Plane saga highlights air defence gaps"

 

"The reality, analysts and officials say, is that much of the airspace over water - and in many cases over land - lacks sophisticated or properly monitored radar coverage.

Analysts say the gaps in Southeast Asia's air defences are likely to be mirrored in other parts of the developing world, and may be much greater in areas with considerably lower geopolitical tensions.

"Several nations will be embarrassed by how easy it is to trespass their airspace," said Air Vice Marshal Michael Harwood, a retired British Royal Air Force pilot and ex-defence attaché to Washington DC.

"Too many movies and Predator (unmanned military drone) feeds from Afghanistan have suckered people into thinking we know everything and see everything. You get what you pay for. And the world, by and large, does not pay."

 

"Military systems, meanwhile, are often limited in their own coverage or just ignore aircraft they believe are on regular commercial flights. In some cases, they are simply switched off except during training and when a threat is expected.

That, one senior Indian official said, might explain why the Boeing 777 was not detected by installations on India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands, an archipelago which its planes were searching on Friday and Saturday, or elsewhere.

"We have many radar systems operating in this area, but nothing was picked up," Rear Admiral Sudhir Pillai, chief of staff of India's Andamans and Nicobar Command, told Reuters.

"It's possible that the military radars were switched off as we operate on an 'as required' basis."

Separately, a defence source said that India did not keep its radar facilities operational at all times because of cost. Asked what the reason was, the source said: "Too expensive."

"It's hard to tell exactly why they (countries involved) did not notice it," says Elizabeth Quintana, senior research fellow for air power at the Royal United Services Institute in London.

"It may have been that the aircraft was flying at low level or that the military operators were looking for other threats such as fast jets and felt that airliners were someone else's problem."

 

 

"U.S. military satellites monitor much of the globe, including some of the remotest oceans, looking primarily for early warning of any ballistic missile launch from a submarine or other vessel.

After the aircraft's initial disappearance a week ago, U.S. officials said their satellites had detected no signs of a mid-air explosion."

 

 

[Mrs Mungo]

This article raise interesting questions "MISSING MH370: Plane saga highlights air defence gaps"

 

I agree there isn't much coverage over water. And maybe India can't keep its radars running, but I am not sure I believe that US posts in the region weren't running theirs in an area where we are still engaged in regular battles. Our radar systems may not cover the ocean around Malaysia, but they surely cover Afghanistan and Kyrgystan.

 

After the aircraft's initial disappearance a week ago, U.S. officials said their satellites had detected no signs of a mid-air explosion."

Which says nothing about whether the plane could have developed some other sort of problem (or was hijacked), turned and then crashed into the ocean.

[Lanny]

I agree there isn't much coverage over water. And maybe India can't keep its radars running, but I am not sure I believe that US posts in the region weren't running theirs in an area where we are still engaged in regular battles. Our radar systems may not cover the ocean around Malaysia, but they surely cover Afghanistan and Kyrgystan.

 

Which says nothing about whether the plane could have developed some other sort of problem (or was hijacked), turned and then crashed into the ocean.

 

Yes. The U,S, tries to protect assets. If it were near U.S. assets, it probably it would have been detected.

 

How it could have been ignored, by anyone looking at Radar, assuming it was a Civil Turbojet, is something I cannot grasp. How would they know it was a Civil Turbojet, since the Transponder had been turned off? With the Transponder turned off, there was nothing to identify the aircraft as a Civil Turbojet.

 

They are looking closely at the Captain, who apparently was very unhappy about a Malaysian opposition leader he supported, being jailed. Here's a link to a story that contains that information:

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/03/16/pilots-become-focus-malaysia-airlines-investigation/

 

The aircraft may have landed safely, or, it may have run out of fuel or crashed for some other reason, including suicide, mechanical failure, or pilot error.

 

We must continue to pray for the people aboard the aircraft and their families. 

[Pawz4me]

Saw the latest press release  on 15 March by Malaysia's Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak which says FAA and NTSB are involved. 

 

"Early this morning I was briefed by the investigation team – which includes the FAA, NTSB, the AAIB, the Malaysian authorities and the Acting Minister of Transport – on new information that sheds further light on what happened to MH370.

 

It's been well known for a week now that those agencies are assisting.  The worry, though, is how much information Malaysia is allowing them access to.  It's been reported here that only since about mid week did Malaysia actually begin to allow the outside agencies access to some of the information they have.  Probably not coincidentally, that was about the time we started getting what seemed to be useful information about the probable flight path.  But days of valuable time were lost.

 

Also, it was reported a couple of days ago that Malaysia had not yet given the FBI or any other expert security agency the pilot's or co-pilot's cell phone numbers or e-mail addresses.  Without those key pieces of information, it's very hard to impossible to conduct investigative work to determine if either had any ties to terrorist groups.  I don't know if that information has been turned over yet or not.  Even if it has been by now, there were several days of valuable time lost working on that part of the investigation.

 

The delays in getting access to information, or not being given information at all, are because Malaysia is the one conducting the investigation and thus they control timely access (or not) to the most important information.

[umsami]

Yes. The U,S, tries to protect assets. If it were near U.S. assets, it probably it would have been detected.

 

How it could have been ignored, by anyone looking at Radar, assuming it was a Civil Turbojet, is something I cannot grasp. How would they know it was a Civil Turbojet, since the Transponder had been turned off? With the Transponder turned off, there was nothing to identify the aircraft as a Civil Turbojet.

 

They are looking closely at the Captain, who apparently was very unhappy about a Malaysian opposition leader he supported, being jailed. Here's a link to a story that contains that information:

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/03/16/pilots-become-focus-malaysia-airlines-investigation/

 

The aircraft may have landed safely, or, it may have run out of fuel or crashed for some other reason, including suicide, mechanical failure, or pilot error.

 

We must continue to pray for the people aboard the aircraft and their families. 

 

As the BBC pointed out, it's highly unlikely that if the captain was involved, he would have failed to turn off the SATCOM thing for so long if he was trying to remain undetected.  As such a senior experienced pilot, he would be very well of its existence.  

 

Honestly, I think the Malaysian gov't is trying to throw him under the bus because they simply don't have a clue.  Supporting the opposition leader does not mean one would all of a sudden give up a long career of serving people and decide to murder 200+ people.  I don't buy it.