Missing Malaysia Airlines MH370... Thread 4

[GoldieMumbles]

Thread 1

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Thread3

I don't know how accurate this is because thinking with a data collection head on it doesn't make much sense (depends on how they gather the data in the first place), but on the RR thing:

'The Daily Telegraph learnt yesterday that the aircraft could have been located if Malaysia Airlines had paid just $10 (£6) for additional satellite information.

The airline, along with several international carriers, opted to transmit only minimal information rather than pay an additional small fee to transmit detailed flight data. “For 10 dollars, you could have told within half an hour’s flying time where the plane would have gone,” a source said.'

$10 a what, I wonder? A flight? A day?

If that is £6 per plane perhaps it adds up over the course of an operating year and eats into their profits more than they found acceptable. In 2012 Malaysian Airlines was operating at a loss and just managed to turn their business around in 2013 via competitive pricing. That's the trouble with a lot of airlines cutting costs - industry experts have been saying for years that the various cutbacks will have a negative effect on safety.

Didn't go into Thai airspace. Definitely too much films on my part. I take it back. And a bit of info on the Maldives and the flight path.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/malaysia/10706853/MH370-Maldives-Islanders-claim-to-have-spotted-low-flying-jet.html

Oh fgs I need to wake up more before I post. Too many not too much.

Also on the cost of the data it depends on the fleet size as well, wouls you do all planes etc. All in the language of the reporting.

Some areas are indeed watched 24/7. Others aren't, but there may be 24/7 recordings. Or perhaps not. The likelihood of properly maintained kit, being monitored in real time, depends on the sensitivity of the circumstances. So incursions into eg Indian airspace (given relations with neighbours) would be noticed; other places perhaps not (Europe is not unique in having austere public sectors which cannot afford to staff everything they want to do or reducing military budgets in favour of other areas of spending).

The Maldives sighting may well prove as illusory as the sightings in the early days. So it'll be investigated, but may not be a breakthrough.

Goldie's comments on tankering, and how much that would extend possible flying time, raise worrying possibilities. I hope the amount of fuel has been double checked and the public answer that it was enough for the flight is right (or did they mean return flight?) Because otherwise, places like Somalia and Yemen might be reachable (though I would expect international monitoring of airspace near there).

Very sad that the news now seems to be saying: 'it may never be found / known' as though 'they' have given up?

This experienced pilot's theory that the plane turned left to land at the nearest airport because of an electrical fire, that people are dismissing because it wouldn't still be able to fly hours later after a fire.....

Are there any other reasons why a pilot would head for the nearest airport at that point? Sick (or pretending to be sick as a distraction) passenger? Hijacking attempt where the pilot managed to turn the plane before whatever else happened? Or something quite ordinary and routine problem?

Could there not have been a fire that was somehow put out but incapacitated the pilot?

I think the problem with this theory now is that the plane seems to have been actively flown after the turn, rather than just continuing straight

I am all for the simple explanations. These "the pilot flipped after an entirely anticipated political stitch up and then offed his co-pilot and flew over a few islands without being detected by radar" explanations do not work for my instincts. But one by one, everything obvious seems to be being eliminated.

Maybe the plane was expected to be tankered and was being flown at a distant target but wasn't in fact tankered and came down before getting there?

That's an interesting theory, Doctrine.

Still absolutely morbidly fascinated by the whole thing. The receptionists at work have the tv tuned to sky news live feed. Keep nipping out to see if there's any news.
Sad. But fascinating. I jut hope we hear something soon.

Here is omething on when and why the transponder turned off, with a hint that it may not have been deliberate. Guardian:

'The transponder – an identifying device that replies to radar signals from the ground – appears to have switched off two minutes after the last verbal communication with air traffic control. The Malaysia Airlines chief executive, Ahmad Jauhari Yahya, said a malfunction could not be ruled out. While an onboard plane-to-ground monitoring system known as Acars had stopped sending data back to base, the plane’s satellite transmitter had continued to communicate its presence to satellites until 8.11am.

“There [was] some functionality in the system, except the reporting system was disabled,” he said.'

So they aren't ruling out a malfunction but then again they aren't ruling out anything at this stage. So for me it is still no clearer. If the system has a malfunction would it still Continue to ping? Does it depends on the severity of the technical issue?

Also a good interactive map on the potential sightings. Doesn't cover the Maldives though.

www.theguardian.com/world/ng-interactive/2014/mar/12/flight-mh370-last-claimed-sightings-contact-plane-search-interactive

So few facts are known for definite - by the press & us anyway.

• a plane took off with people on board
• it didn't land where & when it was supposed to
• it disappeared from civilian radar
• it was tracked by at least Malaysian & Thai military radar after this point

Beyond that, nothing seems definite as opinions/announcements keep changing.

How awful it must be to have family & friends on board

And to add to that the plane was pinging to a satellite for seven hours after last contact.

Apart from that, not much. It is awful :(

Also the longest unexplained aviation disappearance in history now.

Livingzuid wouldn't that be Amelia Earhart, though? Agreed that this is much stranger than that disappearance.

Fox News have a line in their report saying that Israel has gone on a higher state of alert.

A possible sign that behind the scenes there is some sensitive information that is not being publicised.

NBC reports 'The missing Malaysia Airlines jet's abrupt U-turn was programmed into the on-board computer well before the co-pilot calmly signed off with air traffic controllers, sources tell NBC News. The change in direction was made at least 12 minutes before co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid said "All right, good night," to controllers on the ground, the sources said.
The revelation further indicates that the aircraft's mysterious turnaround was planned and executed in the cockpit before controllers lost contact with Flight 370. But it doesn't necessarily indicate an ulterior motive. Some pilots program an alternate flight plan in the event of an emergency.'

Question is, if there was an emergency, why didn't the pilot report it? If he had time to say 'good night' to ATC, surely he had time to warn them about an emergency landing?

Assuming this pilot regularly flies this route I wonder if the 'good night' was his normal sign off? I assume they have checked that. I hope the authorities know a lot more than they are letting on and have reasons for not sharing info. If not it seems such a mess and heartbreaking for the families.

Don't think they are giving up, just nothing to report I guess

They do have to give up at some point though I guess, it could be years until any trace is found if it crashed. And if it landed awol, it would just be a criminal investigation that could also possibly never be solved.

Of course now I can't find the articles I read the longest disappearance thing in.

I only read one comment doubting the plane would be found. Lots of media sources citing the same thing.

And reports coming out that the course change was done before signing off but that it may not mean anything as pilots often do that to plot emergency routes. Must get on my laptop to find things...

Difficultpickle, i agree. I asked that question on a previous thread but it haven't seen anything more on it. I read (though in the Mail, I think ['poor choice of news source' face] ) that this isn't a typical sign off.

I'd have thought that's potentially quite important - ie, it's something pilots would usually say = pilot thinks, or is trying to convince everyone, that everything's normal. It's not something he'd usually say = perhaps he's trying to subtly alert authorities to something being wrong.

"Fox News have a line in their report saying that Israel has gone on a higher state of alert."

I thought that this was because of the Syrian strikes?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-26641815