Missing MH370 thread cont...

[Pennies]

Old thread here

New thread here.

PPrune makes interesting reading.

According to one post there was a MAS mechanic on the flight, is anything known about him/her? Also of interest are comments about how comms can be disabled from outside the flight deck on a 777. Apparently this security issue had been highlighted by people in the industry in the past but comments about it are being removed on PPrune.

Here is a link to the 777E&E bay. Anyone accessing this could cause havoc.

Looks like the pilots and 'Islamic terrorists' are fast becoming the scapegoats. I personally feel the culprits are neither.

The most bizarre thing for me is that if it crashed, was brought down by the pilot or a government why is there no debris anywhere? It can't be hiding away somewhere surely?

My latest theory.
Plane gets hijacked by some group.
Forced to turn around and head back to KL. Pilot turns the plane and doesn't head for KL, but heads for a random location in the sea.
Plane is ditched in the sea when runs out of fuel?

Hey Cerisier I signed up to PPrune (declaring my MN UK epaulettes) so I could ask the question about the power lines sourcing the transponder and ACARS outside of the cockpit - how many and hedging the possibility that a timed (non-explosive) cutting device could have been laid and primed when the A/C was on the ground. Anyway after accepting my registration and posting for moderation it didn't appear, after an hour checking for my post - I'm now missing a 'security code' and need to refer to admin.

The internals/cabin of an aircraft are just a whole load of lightweight panels (to make it look better for passengers and give places to put and stow things) covering a huge bunch of mechanical/hydraulic/electrical systems. (obviously I'm not a prof and hoping Goldie will be up soon). Lots of these panels give access to very relevant areas of the aircraft (and some are quite large, like the aircraft). Often, as the aircraft on the ground is prepared for flight, there are loads of people going on and off doing everything from the highly technical and specified to the mundane - cleaning the bogs (ends) for example from the inside and outside, catering, fixing something, counting something, checking something. The only personnel check that I know of (tho' out of the biz for years) is the Airport Pass (designated Airside/Apron). The guy or gal in charge of the depatch of the aircraft, who is more concerned about ensuring that minor fault is repaired and the correct fuel is loaded and the pilot's not pissed (sorry in darkest moments...that British thing) is not paying attention, nor required to as far as I know, to the number of cleaners,etc that have got on or off the aircraft, or if that quiet but highly respected Engineer X didn't stay on unnoticed as he's always in and out of those panels.

Here we go another day of what if's , speculation and scraping the barrel for any kind of factual information. ( comment not aimed at those on here who are trying to make any form of sense but at those who I believe do know something and are hiding it / not releasing it.)
Its f*ing me right off ...heaven knows what the families are going through.
There are too many obvious gaps things which could have an explanation and if they are masking something they are not doing a good job of it.

Don't buy either theory (dm & telegraph). Dm one is just silly to tie in anwar to the hijacking. And telegraph one doesn't make sense- why would Islamists want to blow up personas twin towers- is a symbol of a successful Islamic government. Malaysia is generally friends with everyone- and while appearing to be a modern secular society to the west, is still an Islamic country with sharia law and has hosted the Islamic council etc. it may be a case that a terror group emerged from malaysia and the target is somewhere else, but I very much doubt the target is malaysia!

Lessonsintigtropes that's a fairly comprehensive list!

Is there any possibility that the plane was hijacked flew for ? A number of hours passengers and crew watched / waited and overpowered hijacking to save planned target. Similar to one of the 9/11 planes?

I think following 9/11 there would be more people who would try to save others on the ground if they felt the situation was similar.

I have absolutely no evidence for this I am just musing...

Hairy- sharia law in Malaysia only applies to Muslims. For non Muslims the law is mainly based on the British system.

As a child I flew as an unaccompanied minor from 5 between Singapore and the UK regularly. It's really common and perfectly safe. And great fun for the kids. Mum did say her heart was in her mouth every time she waved us off but we were well looked after.

This is horrendous what has happened but we must remember it's the exception rather than the norm. There's still more chance of dying in a road accident than because of something like this. And you wouldn't not get in your car just in case would you?

Hysteria and huge disruption is what terrorists want. If this is a terrorist thing. Chances of this happening again will be miniscule. Security must be crazy right now and it always was stringent in Europe and North America.

Doesn't seem to be much new today although India are stepping down their search efforts the Guardian says. With that terrible Mail article getting quite rightly a blasting from Malaysia. Press conference at 9.30 GMT.

Can I ask about the altitude changes? Has there been a sensible summary of what they were? As I haven't read about them except on here.

Personally thinking
A) landed somewhere with negotiations going on and the authorities trying to keep us in the dark
Or
B) crashed in the Indian Ocean for various reasons.

What will have to be asked eventually is could anyone have been saved if the truth had come out quicker - esp in reference to B.

Interesting that Indian navy were asked to to stop searching by Malaysian authorities, maybe focus is moving specifically to the land based northern corridor of satellite arc?

Hate to mention this, but if the plane crashed, wouldnt bodies as well as debris be starting to emerge after a whole week?

That is what I am having trouble getting my head round. If they have been hijacked and are still alive, they must be wondering where their rescuers are, 8 days on.

Strangely, I dont feel at all frightened by this. Though I might be I think if I lived in that region.

Yes interesting indeed. Malaysian officials have posted a re enactment of the plane's movements which says they know exactly where to search

www.theguardian.com/world/2014/mar/16/flight-mh370-police-focus-on-pilots-as-search-for-airliner-goes-on-live-updates

Very insightful and intelligent discussion here, thanks to all contributing particularly goldie.

I'm still convinced they know where it is but won't say. Lives may be stake still, we just don't know what happened.

Imagine all the politics going on and Malaysia stuck between the US and China. Not to mention all the other countries involved in the search. One thing is for sure, I wouldn't want to risk annoying China if I was a terrorist.

to read

There seems to be a lot of focus on the pilots this morning on the news, and again on the fact that the pilot had a flight simulator in his home. Accepting the fact that others have said it's not unheard of for pilots to have their own simulators, does anyone know how simulators work?

I'm just wondering if the simulator would retain information about what scenarios he had been simulating? Does it work like that?

I hope we find out today what really happened.

Can I ask a couple of questions please?

If the plane has landed somewhere to be used again for another purpose, with its communications system and transponder turned off and only vague communications with a satellite so there is no way of knowing exactly where it is, how would it be detected by radar or satellites when it took off again? if planning to be flown into a target how would anyone know where or what it was to shoot it down?

Also if it has landed why are its black boxes not giving off signals or can they be disabled manually as well?

I am beginning to think that is has ended up being crashed in a remote place like a jungle or one of the inhabited islands, where it can take days to be found.

Keeping 237 people alive and there not being talk of it would be almost impossible. People talk, even children.

Apparently when the silk air plane crashed, (the plane crashed in pilot suicide) there were no sizable pieces of debris left nor one single identifiable body part, let alone body because it was forced in a dive which at one point went faster that the speed of sound. The entire plane and passengers disintegrated on impact. Eventually some debris was found but this was in a lake not a huge ocean so if something similar happened in terms of a nose dive, they may never find anything. Air France came down much more level.

My other current thought.
That there could have been a stowaway?

Sorry if this has already been covered but does anyone know how good the Myanmar radar / air traffic control etc is ?
Just looking at a map, it seems to me that if you were wanting to head to Xinjiang / western China / the 'Stans without being picked up, Myanmar's air space would probably be the least proactively monitored .... ?

Still no news :( waiting for news conference at 9:30am