Missing Malaysia Airlines jet carrying 239 triggers Southeast Asia search

[boomerangutang]

I like hamster wheels.

[balo]

What if there was a fatal technical error onboard the plane and both the rudder that controls the plane and communication stopped working so they had to follow the path into the southern indian ocean , then the pilots did their best to control the plane to land in the ocean , maybe even some of them survived for a few minutes hoping there would be ships nearby to rescue them . I think this theory is more likely than suicides or hijackers.

If that's the case , the black box will reveal the last 2 hours of voice communication between the brave pilots trying to save everyone.

We are forgetting important points of detail.

SOMEBODY switched off comms soon after departure from KL.

Could be an electrical problem onboard after takeoff that became fatal so they had no other choice.

Sent from my SM-P601 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[GentlemanJim]

I like hamster wheels.

Surprisingly, so do hamsters

[Tywais]

Regarding my previous post:

It is believed that the confusion arose because he was referring to a detection made by a plane on Thursday.

Today’s optimism arose from a more recent spotting by a ship.

The report was Tweeted by aviation expert Geoffrey Thomas, the editor-in-chief of the website airlineratings.com and executive editor of AirlineReview.com.

Mr Thomas told Perth radio station 6PR that the Ocean Shield and the HMS Echo have both left the search area “at speed” and sources had told him there was a possibility they had “triangulated” and located the black box.

“Echo has come along and done a radar scan, an echo scan if you like, along the bottom and they’ve had a return which is a positive, which may indicate the wreckage of a plane.”

More - News.com.au

[empireboy]

I still think one of the "Conspiracy Theories" presents a strong case. I cannot believe that the NSA radio satellites that can see what time it is on your watch; or the technology that triangulates a cell phone to within a few metres of its location, couldn't see this plane when the news first broke. Not to mention the message sent from the IBM employee passenger on board..... don't create a serious "Something is fishy here" reaction from the media and the masses. Maybe it's too inconvenient to contemplate for most!?

Edited April 11, 2014 by empireboy

[GentlemanJim]

I still think one of the "Conspiracy Theories" presents a strong case. I cannot believe that the NSA radio satellites that can see what time it is on your watch; or the technology that triangulates a cell phone to within a few metres of its location, couldn't see this plane when the news first broke. Not to mention the message sent from the IMB employee passenger on board..... don't create a serious "Something is fishy here" reaction from the media and the masses. Maybe it's too inconvenient to contemplate for most!?

Not sure about the mechanics of the NSA stuff but you raise a valid point. When the aircraft was first 'missed' and failed to report in on handover to ATC, who would have been expecting it, it then carried on flying for a long time it would seem, and at that point people WOULD have been actively looking for it. The whole thing has a very bad smell.

[Coppernicussing]

There are no fatal electrical problems on a 777. Only fatal Islam problems.

[P45Mustang]

There are no fatal electrical problems on a 777. Only fatal Islam problems.

A little bold matey, but definitely worth considering I would have thought.

[SOTIRIOS]

....so much information that goes contrary to this apparently fabricated scenario...that has taken weeks to 'evolve'.....

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2014/03/25/355959/the-cia-hoax-flight-370-revealed/

http://beforeitsnews.com/politics/2014/03/rothschild-takes-down-malaysian-airliner-mh370-to-gain-rights-to-a-semiconductor-patent-getting-rid-of-those-who-stood-in-his-way-2607888.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/044430_Malaysia_Airlines_official_story_government_cover-up.html

http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/465557/Malaysian-plane-20-on-board-worked-for-ELECTRONIC-WARFARE-and-radar-defence-company

http://www.secretsofthefed.com/breaking-hijacked-flight-370-passenger-sent-photo-hidden-iphone-tracing-back-secret-u-s-military-base-diego-garcia/

http://www.dcclothesline.com/2014/03/31/flight-370-passenger-philip-wood-allegedly-sends-message-u-s-military-base-indian-ocean/

[P45Mustang]

What if there was a fatal technical error onboard the plane and both the rudder that controls the plane and communication stopped working so they had to follow the path into the southern indian ocean , then the pilots did their best to control the plane to land in the ocean , maybe even some of them survived for a few minutes hoping there would be ships nearby to rescue them . I think this theory is more likely than suicides or hijackers.

If that's the case , the black box will reveal the last 2 hours of voice communication between the brave pilots trying to save everyone.

We are forgetting important points of detail.

SOMEBODY switched off comms soon after departure from KL.

Could be an electrical problem onboard after takeoff that became fatal so they had no other choice.

Sent from my SM-P601 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Comms failures were sequential not simultaneous.

Early comms failure or electrical problem likely to have been detected by pilots and reported.

777 safety record excellent. Manual disablement considered most likely.

But up to you.

[jjock]

Australian Air Chief Marshal Angus Houston: "On the information I have available to me, there has been no major breakthrough in the search for MH370. I will provide a further update if, and when, further information becomes available'

Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott said Friday he was "very confident" that signals detected in the search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 were from the aircraft's black box.

Tony Abbott seems to have all the qualifications of a Thai politician. Guess he didn't bother to consult with the man that should have the latest info. Open mouth, say whatever and no need to have any facts to support statements.

Yep that's Tony Abbot all right!

[NanLaew]

Even if they get lucky and find both the FDR and CVR, considering that only the last couple of hours of data and sound will be recoverable, there's a pretty good chance it will confirm the 'what' and 'where'. However, I don't see a whole lot of closure for the victims familys regarding the 'how' and 'why' which pretty much must have happened within the FIRST couple of hours of flight time.

[coma]

After catching up on the last 4 pages I have to say that from now on I know I can travel by air in absolute confidence that I am safer than I have ever been. In the unlikely event that both pilots suffer a heart attack there will be so many experts down the back that we will have enough volunteers to fly us out of any given situation. I reflect and wonder why I did all those endless years of training and specialist simulator sessions and constant ground exam work to over degree level even when in my 50's when there are so many out there to whom this is all a piece of piss.

Thailand, hub of expat experts in everything

You did all that training & simulator work just in hopes of being called to the cockpit to save the day someday? What a guy! A real hero.

Actually, I actually think a great many people (not saying everybody, but many) would be capable of being talked down in perhaps most of today's airliners if not prone to panic and able to follow instructions by radio calmly. Do flight attendants get any such "contingency" training at all?

Hub of experts & know-it-alls, yeah, maybe, but definitely lurk-central for snarky cynics (who actually just want us to know that they know more than the know-it-alls, but are just more "humble" about it).

I like it a lot !

[ScotBkk]

After catching up on the last 4 pages I have to say that from now on I know I can travel by air in absolute confidence that I am safer than I have ever been. In the unlikely event that both pilots suffer a heart attack there will be so many experts down the back that we will have enough volunteers to fly us out of any given situation. I reflect and wonder why I did all those endless years of training and specialist simulator sessions and constant ground exam work to over degree level even when in my 50's when there are so many out there to whom this is all a piece of piss.

Thailand, hub of expat experts in everything

Hear, Hear'

I myself an ex-pat (for want of a better word) do feel revulsion at these journalism's backseat drivers who are very self-experienced in the ways of the world. I've sat as a back seat passenger for many a year, reading all their tripe on speculation with outward views on anyone that hits the tabloids for some reason or another then are tried and convicted according to whichever fart decides is just. All that <deleted> about life is cheap and it’s a big bad world out there gets on my f**king tits.

Anyway, the reference to the ‘quality tourist & Thailand being the Hub’ is old hat now. The time has come for these wise men to give us something afresh to be interred into their moaning and whining blogs that would put the Spanish inquisition into question.

Got that off my chest.

[boomerangutang]

We're human. We gossip, we speculate. Some speak out, some don't. It's mostly ok. Some of us even learn things from others with more experience in certain fields. Some speak out their ass. It's like a big disfunctional family. Are there any other types of families? My brother once brought home his bride-to-be, a 17 yr. old gal from Colombia, half his age. She tried helping fix food in the kitchen, to get friendly with her soon-to-be mother in law. Mom got angry about how the girl was slicing carrots, and dumped a large bowl of salad on the girl's head, complete with salad dressing. That's the type of family I grew up in.

[baxida]

NSA...Carlyle Group..Freescale...Patents....Diego Garcia...

Conspiracy 'theories' are based on no evidence. Plenty evidence to call it a conspiracy possibility.

[Chicog]

Even if they get lucky and find both the FDR and CVR, considering that only the last couple of hours of data and sound will be recoverable, there's a pretty good chance it will confirm the 'what' and 'where'. However, I don't see a whole lot of closure for the victims familys regarding the 'how' and 'why' which pretty much must have happened within the FIRST couple of hours of flight time.

Only the CVR is limited to the last two hours.

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[Oxpilot]

I still think one of the "Conspiracy Theories" presents a strong case. I cannot believe that the NSA radio satellites that can see what time it is on your watch; or the technology that triangulates a cell phone to within a few metres of its location, couldn't see this plane when the news first broke. Not to mention the message sent from the IMB employee passenger on board..... don't create a serious "Something is fishy here" reaction from the media and the masses. Maybe it's too inconvenient to contemplate for most!?

Not sure about the mechanics of the NSA stuff but you raise a valid point. When the aircraft was first 'missed' and failed to report in on handover to ATC, who would have been expecting it, it then carried on flying for a long time it would seem, and at that point people WOULD have been actively looking for it. The whole thing has a very bad smell.

I am a retired pilot and instructor for a major US international airline. At the point of lost radio contact or soon after, a low key search would start as it did with Ho Chi Min center requesting other aircraft to attempt to call MH370. This is not that unusual to that point, and events over the next few hours and days led to a search in the wrong area, so no satellites would be sent looking for it until after the search shifted a few days later and long after the 7 hours remaining flight duration.

Nobody really knows what happened, but throw out almost every possibility other than a psychologically crippled pilot grieving over his family and friends decided to commit suicide and take over 200 people with him. Everything I have seen is consistent with that scenario. The one thing that made me wonder was the wrong information as to which pilot made the final radio call. It was reported to have been the First Officer, but recently several MH pilots listened to the tapes and are convinced that it was the Captain and not the First Officer who made the call. Much was made about the release of the wrong wording of the last message "OK, Goodnight" but the important thing was who made it. If the F/O was out of the cockpit he could not have easily regained entrance quickly. The climb to FL450 accompanied by depressurization would eventually kill everyone onboard after their individual O2 supply was finished. The cockpit O2 is separate and lasts much longer. With everyone else dead, he then descended to avoid radar and when clear of radar overwater climbed back to altitude to extend the fuel range. Did he just set a course and allow himself to pass out while the autopilot held course and altitude until fuel starvation? I doubt we will ever know even with the recorders. If he pulled the circuit breaker for the Flight Data Recorder there will be nothing useful on it. On the other hand if he pulled the CVR there could be some clues as to a struggle before the C/B was pulled. If he did not pull the breaker and let it run we will only hear the last 2 hours and other than engines flaming out and the airplane crashing into the ocean, not much else unless he was talking to himself out-loud.

The theories I have seen on this forum are many and involve CIA (always a target), a dozen different governments Iran, Israel, The US Navy, Pakistan Talaban, secret bases etc. Have fun guys, but keep it at least feasible.

It looks like the Captain then took the

[khaosai]

Hi,

Still no definitive information on whether the aircraft flew back across the Malaysian peninsula then North West bound or immediately turned South from the Vietnamese boundary.

A North West route then turning Southbound would be more likely deliberate action. The other scenario which would take it directly over Indonesia could possibly be multiple uncontrollable failures leading to loss of control.

If the aircraft had hit the ocean at high speed I would still expect debris to be visible somewhere by someone.

The best description of flight path I have seen is this one.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-26503141

It's a good summary, yes but has many assumptions to 'fill in the gaps'. The truth is that we really DO NO KNOW. The assumptions start with the Malaysian military primary radar, when MH370 turned west and started to head back over the peninsula. I know that the Vietnamese military radar also reported a turn, but there is no way to be sure that this was MH370 that they were tracking, especially given the intermittent track of the Malaysian radar.

I am still trying to wrap my mind around the fuel and weight issues. MH370 left the gate with 19,100 kg of fuel which is about right for a fully loaded T7 to get to Beijing with considerable safety margin. Malaysian has never announced the take-off weight or the complete cargo manifest - only walkie -talkies, mangosteens and baggage. However, the fight departed with 50 empty seats, which is usually done to compensate for heavy cargo ( ie fully loaded), and the walkie-talkies should have flown out of Penang,

The calculations and recalculations of the Inmarsat .plots, getting further and further north are really straining credibility concerning fuel consumption. Of course we are only observers, and have no need to know.

Hi,

The fuel figure of 19100 kg you mention will be insufficient to complete a flight to Beijing. The authorities will have the flight plan that was generated on this particular flight so will know precisely what weights were involved.

The Boeing 772ER basic operating weight will be approx 140 tons.

Add on approx 2 tons for crew and approx 5 tons for pantry to generate a dry operating weight (DOW) of approx 147 tons.

You then add to the DOW the traffic load which is generated by the passenger, baggage and cargo weight which then gives you the zero fuel weight (ZFW)

Total passenger weight will be approx 17 tons.

Checked in bags will be approx 6 tons.

Let's assume a cargo weight of 5 tons.

This gives a ZFW of 175 tons.

To the ZFW you then add on the actual fuel required for the flight.

The fuel loaded will be in the region of 50 to 55 tons.

This aircraft will burn the following per hour at a cruise altitude of 35000 ft depending on the aircraft weight:

180 tons: 5600kg/hr

200 tons: 6200kg/hr

220 tons: 6800kg/hr

240 tons: 7300kg/hr

[F430murci]

We're human. We gossip, we speculate. Some speak out, some don't. It's mostly ok. Some of us even learn things from others with more experience in certain fields. Some speak out their ass. It's like a big disfunctional family. Are there any other types of families? My brother once brought home his bride-to-be, a 17 yr. old gal from Colombia, half his age. She tried helping fix food in the kitchen, to get friendly with her soon-to-be mother in law. Mom got angry about how the girl was slicing carrots, and dumped a large bowl of salad on the girl's head, complete with salad dressing. That's the type of family I grew up in.

Wow, no wonder you so jacked up with a mom like that . . . JK! But that was a bit rude. Poor girl.

Edited April 11, 2014 by F430murci

[RubbaJohnny]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/11/us-malaysia-airplane-investigation-idUSBREA3A0NS20140411

Reuters) - Malaysia's government has begun investigating civil aviation and military authorities to determine why opportunities to identify and track Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 were missed in the chaotic hours after it vanished, two officials said.

The preliminary internal enquiries come as tensions mount between civilian and military authorities over who bears most responsibility for the initial confusion and any mistakes that led to a week-long search in the wrong ocean.

"What happened at that time is being investigated and I can't say any more than that because it involves the military and the government," a senior government official told Reuters.

[Chicog]

You're dumb for a reason you know.

Sent from my SM-N9005 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[hawker9000]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

After catching up on the last 4 pages I have to say that from now on I know I can travel by air in absolute confidence that I am safer than I have ever been. In the unlikely event that both pilots suffer a heart attack there will be so many experts down the back that we will have enough volunteers to fly us out of any given situation. I reflect and wonder why I did all those endless years of training and specialist simulator sessions and constant ground exam work to over degree level even when in my 50's when there are so many out there to whom this is all a piece of piss.

Thailand, hub of expat experts in everything

You did all that training & simulator work just in hopes of being called to the cockpit to save the day someday? What a guy! A real hero.

Actually, I actually think a great many people (not saying everybody, but many) would be capable of being talked down in perhaps most of today's airliners if not prone to panic and able to follow instructions by radio calmly. Do flight attendants get any such "contingency" training at all?

Hub of experts & know-it-alls, yeah, maybe, but definitely lurk-central for snarky cynics (who actually just want us to know that they know more than the know-it-alls, but are just more "humble" about it).

How funny, and I was referring to if I should be one of those who suffer the heart attack. Actually I wasn't referring to posts by you or Mustang who seems to like your response, but as you have taken offence and replied with a personally aimed attack then go take a hike.

I honestly misread your post as cheap sniping (not so much that I thought it was actually aimed at me personally as to the "many out there to whom... [etc.]"). And I was not aware that you are a professional pilot in these aircraft and missed completely that you were referring to yourself as one of the "both pilots" to which you referred. So I take responsibility for misreading what you posted, do sincerely apologize for my gaffe, and am standing by to be corrected where I've posted anything about the MH370 incident you know from your own experience and professional training to be in error. I assure you however that as much respect as I have for your qualifications to speak in this matter, to me this incident is not a "piece of piss" and I do take it quite seriously. And I also most fervently hope you never fall prey to that heart attack!

[Carmine6]

What if there was a fatal technical error onboard the plane and both the rudder that controls the plane and communication stopped working so they had to follow the path into the southern indian ocean , then the pilots did their best to control the plane to land in the ocean , maybe even some of them survived for a few minutes hoping there would be ships nearby to rescue them . I think this theory is more likely than suicides or hijackers.

If that's the case , the black box will reveal the last 2 hours of voice communication between the brave pilots trying to save everyone.

We are forgetting important points of detail.

SOMEBODY switched off comms soon after departure from KL.

Could be an electrical problem onboard after takeoff that became fatal so they had no other choice.

Sent from my SM-P601 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Comms failures were sequential not simultaneous.

Early comms failure or electrical problem likely to have been detected by pilots and reported.

777 safety record excellent. Manual disablement considered most likely.

But up to you.

Just a comment on the sequential shut down. First, unless info has changed, it is not clear it was sequential. The transponder was off at a certain time. The ACARS is not a constant signal, so it was more like it was heard from at a certain time, then half an hour later was not heard from. Could have been shut down at any time in between, which could have been at the same time as transponder shut down. I recall stories that there might be a shut down procedure which might send a signal, which would indicate time of shut down and imply manual shut down, but don't recall those being confirmed.

Second, why does a sequential shut down mean it has to be manual, or not a technical problem? Unless there's a catastrophic incident, it very well could be something like a fire growing to engulf ever more cables or systems. Or maybe a fire in one system led them to try to shut down systems to try to stop the source. Could have been an electrical fire in a completely different system, and then they shut down transponder, then other systems to try to stop the source. Or maybe fire in one then manual shut down of the other.

Also, the airplane had already changed radio frequencies to Ho Chi Minh, so perhaps they were trying to contact, but after having turned back were out of radio range. There was the reported garbled contact to that one plane going to Japan??, which if true indicates they were still on that frequency at that unknown time. That plane was reachable by Ho Chi Minh, but this airliner may have been on the far end of even reaching that plane that was somewhat closer to Ho Chi Minh.

Having said all that, I do think there's more to this than a fire or other technical problem. After Indonesia verified no fly over, it leaves the plane coming back, then turning northwest. Then turning south. That's not someone trying to emergency land. I was thinking it might have over flown Indonesia but they weren't saying. But if the plane site has been found, it was because those doing the calculations probably have a good idea of the entire route it took to have calculated the fuel usage and distance it went.

[tigermonkey]

Hi,

Still no definitive information on whether the aircraft flew back across the Malaysian peninsula then North West bound or immediately turned South from the Vietnamese boundary.

A North West route then turning Southbound would be more likely deliberate action. The other scenario which would take it directly over Indonesia could possibly be multiple uncontrollable failures leading to loss of control.

If the aircraft had hit the ocean at high speed I would still expect debris to be visible somewhere by someone.

The best description of flight path I have seen is this one.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-26503141

It's a good summary, yes but has many assumptions to 'fill in the gaps'. The truth is that we really DO NO KNOW. The assumptions start with the Malaysian military primary radar, when MH370 turned west and started to head back over the peninsula. I know that the Vietnamese military radar also reported a turn, but there is no way to be sure that this was MH370 that they were tracking, especially given the intermittent track of the Malaysian radar.

I am still trying to wrap my mind around the fuel and weight issues. MH370 left the gate with 19,100 kg of fuel which is about right for a fully loaded T7 to get to Beijing with considerable safety margin. Malaysian has never announced the take-off weight or the complete cargo manifest - only walkie -talkies, mangosteens and baggage. However, the fight departed with 50 empty seats, which is usually done to compensate for heavy cargo ( ie fully loaded), and the walkie-talkies should have flown out of Penang,

The calculations and recalculations of the Inmarsat .plots, getting further and further north are really straining credibility concerning fuel consumption. Of course we are only observers, and have no need to know.

Hi,

The fuel figure of 19100 kg you mention will be insufficient to complete a flight to Beijing. The authorities will have the flight plan that was generated on this particular flight so will know precisely what weights were involved.

The Boeing 772ER basic operating weight will be approx 140 tons.

Add on approx 2 tons for crew and approx 5 tons for pantry to generate a dry operating weight (DOW) of approx 147 tons.

You then add to the DOW the traffic load which is generated by the passenger, baggage and cargo weight which then gives you the zero fuel weight (ZFW)

Total passenger weight will be approx 17 tons.

Checked in bags will be approx 6 tons.

Let's assume a cargo weight of 5 tons.

This gives a ZFW of 175 tons.

To the ZFW you then add on the actual fuel required for the flight.

The fuel loaded will be in the region of 50 to 55 tons.

This aircraft will burn the following per hour at a cruise altitude of 35000 ft depending on the aircraft weight:

180 tons: 5600kg/hr

200 tons: 6200kg/hr

220 tons: 6800kg/hr

240 tons: 7300kg/hr

You are quite right . Sorry about my typo. The confirmed fuel load was 49100 Kg

Edited April 12, 2014 by tigermonkey

[boomerangutang]

Pilot on Way to Japan Says He Made Contact with Missing Malaysian Flight

March 8 Dave Urbanski/The Blaze

"A Boeing 777 pilot flying 30 minutes from the missing Malaysia Airlines plane told the New Straits Times in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia that he made contact with MH370 minutes after Vietnamese air traffic control asked him to message the plane.

The captain, who declined to give his name, said his Narita, Japan-bound plane was well into into Vietnamese airspace when controllers — who could make contact — requested that he relay with his plane’s emergency frequency a message to MH370 so that it would establish its position.

“We managed to establish contact with MH370 just after 1:30 a.m. and asked them if they have transferred into Vietnamese airspace,” the pilot reportedly told New Straits Times. “The voice on the other side could have been either Captain Zaharie (Ahmad Shah, 53,) or Fariq (Abdul Hamid, 27), but I was sure it was the co-pilot.

“There were a lot of interference… static… but I heard mumbling from the other end.

“That was the last time we heard from them, as we lost the connection,” the pilot said, adding that he thought nothing of the lost contact since it happens frequently — until he learned of MH370 never landing.

“If the plane was in trouble, we would have heard the pilot making the Mayday distress call,” the pilot said.

source: TheBlaze.com

Boomerangutang's comment: note: the above article is from March 8, the day the plane went missing. I only became aware of it just now, because of a mention on this thread. If true, the most succinct sentence is its last: the Japan-bound pilot says he 'heard no Mayday distress call.'

[boomerangutang]

I am a retired pilot and instructor for a major US international airline. At the point of lost radio contact or soon after, a low key search would start as it did with Ho Chi Min center requesting other aircraft to attempt to call MH370. This is not that unusual to that point, and events over the next few hours and days led to a search in the wrong area, so no satellites would be sent looking for it until after the search shifted a few days later and long after the 7 hours remaining flight duration.

Nobody really knows what happened, but throw out almost every possibility other than a psychologically crippled pilot grieving over his family and friends decided to commit suicide and take over 200 people with him. Everything I have seen is consistent with that scenario. The one thing that made me wonder was the wrong information as to which pilot made the final radio call. It was reported to have been the First Officer, but recently several MH pilots listened to the tapes and are convinced that it was the Captain and not the First Officer who made the call. Much was made about the release of the wrong wording of the last message "OK, Goodnight" but the important thing was who made it. If the F/O was out of the cockpit he could not have easily regained entrance quickly. The climb to FL450 accompanied by depressurization would eventually kill everyone onboard after their individual O2 supply was finished. The cockpit O2 is separate and lasts much longer. With everyone else dead, he then descended to avoid radar and when clear of radar overwater climbed back to altitude to extend the fuel range. Did he just set a course and allow himself to pass out while the autopilot held course and altitude until fuel starvation? I doubt we will ever know even with the recorders. If he pulled the circuit breaker for the Flight Data Recorder there will be nothing useful on it. On the other hand if he pulled the CVR there could be some clues as to a struggle before the C/B was pulled. If he did not pull the breaker and let it run we will only hear the last 2 hours and other than engines flaming out and the airplane crashing into the ocean, not much else unless he was talking to himself out-loud.

other than some of the details in the above post, that's essentially what I sensed happened - from the moment I heard of the troubled plane, on March 8. It will be very interesting to garner data from the recording devices. There may yet be an added layer of mystery, if the recorders are found, and Malaysian authorities choose to spoon feed the data to outsiders - to possibly pursue an agenda. Edited April 12, 2014 by boomerangutang

[WorriedNoodle]

3749 posts in this thread make it unmanageable? I cannot find anything in it. Why not have a separate forum just for this incident?? There are more posts on this thread than some entire web sites.

[WorriedNoodle]

Please humor me on this as I am lost in all the news posts, but I would be wondering why so little news/discussions on following:.

1. Why haven't I seen any news on the relationship between the captain and his family that deserted him the day before? Did I miss something?

2. No more stories expanding on the captain and his connection with Anwar sentencing for sodomy in Malaysia day before he flew the jet?

[Carmine6]

“We managed to establish contact with MH370 just after 1:30 a.m. and asked them if they have transferred into Vietnamese airspace,” the pilot reportedly told New Straits Times. “The voice on the other side could have been either Captain Zaharie (Ahmad Shah, 53,) or Fariq (Abdul Hamid, 27), but I was sure it was the co-pilot

...

“If the plane was in trouble, we would have heard the pilot making the Mayday distress call,” the pilot said.

source: TheBlaze.com

Boomerangutang's comment: note: the above article is from March 8, the day the plane went missing. I only became aware of it just now, because of a mention on this thread. If true, the most succinct sentence is its last: the Japan-bound pilot says he 'heard no Mayday distress call.'

I'm trying to find the latest chronology if there's one that mentions the turn back, but just after 1:30AM seems to be 9 minutes after transponder signal stops.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/timeline-missing-flight-mh370/story?id=22912595

1:21 a.m.: The plane's transponder, which transmits location and altitude, shuts down. Sources told ABC News that U.S. officials are “convinced that there was a manual intervention.”

1:22 a.m.: MH370 should have come to the navigational way-point called Igari point. Before it reached this point, Vietnamese air traffic control noticed they had lost contact with MH370, according to the Vietnam’s Civil Aviation Authority.

1:30 a.m.: The last moment that the plane was seen by Malaysian radar.

1:38 a.m.: Air traffic control in Ho Chi Minh City informs Kuala Lumpur air traffic control about the signal loss. Ho Chi Minh City asks two other planes to contact MH370. Neither plane is able to raise the pilot of MH370. At least of the planes report getting a “buzz signal” and no voices, then losing the signal.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/17/malaysia-airlines-idUSL3N0ME0RL20140317

- 0121: The plane drops off air traffic control screens as its transponder - which responds to civilian radar - is switched off. The Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam says the plane failed to check in as scheduled at 0121 with air traffic control in Ho Chi Minh City. Malaysian authorities believe that someone on board shut off the plane's communications systems and turned it sharply to the west.

- 0215: Malaysian military radar plots Flight MH370 at a point south of Phuket island in the Strait of Malacca, hundreds of miles west of its last known location.

http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/11/world/asia/malaysia-airlines-flight-370-timeline/

Around 1:30 a.m.: About 45 minutes after takeoff, air traffic controllers in Subang (outside Kuala Lumpur) said they lost contact with the plane over the sea between Malaysia and Vietnam at coordinates 06 55 15n 103 34 43e.