Missing Malaysia Airlines jet carrying 239 triggers Southeast Asia search

[noddy77]

I asked this before but I don't think I got an answer.....

Do we have any idea what the plane was carrying? Maybe thats what they wanted? If it was to be used to terror purposes I think that would have happened by now.

[Arma]

I asked this before but I don't think I got an answer.....

Do we have any idea what the plane was carrying? Maybe thats what they wanted? If it was to be used to terror purposes I think that would have happened by now.

Other than the Lithium batteries, the Malays (nor anybody else) have not said much about the cargo...which makes me even more suspicious that the cargo may have something to do with this

[canuckamuck]

What I don't understand is; if this is a hijacking, what would be the purpose of stealing a plane, only to fly it out into the Indian ocean and crash? This part, and the apparent bizarre flying makes me believe that there was either something wrong with the plane, or, the pilot was either fighting over control, or a hijacker pilot was not as good a pilot as he thought.

Otherwise, we would have seen an attempted landing, or an attempted attack. Flying out to the ocean to die without making any statement or demands is not logical.

[noddy77]

I asked this before but I don't think I got an answer.....

Do we have any idea what the plane was carrying? Maybe thats what they wanted? If it was to be used to terror purposes I think that would have happened by now.

Other than the Lithium batteries, the Malays (nor anybody else) have not said much about the cargo...which makes me even more suspicious that the cargo may have something to do with this

Even if the lithium batteries caught fire that doesn't explain what happened to the plane. Fire in the cargo means squawk 7700 and mayday calls etc. None of this happened.

[slipperylobster]

I asked this before but I don't think I got an answer.....

Do we have any idea what the plane was carrying? Maybe thats what they wanted? If it was to be used to terror purposes I think that would have happened by now.

That was, and still is, a good point. Obviously, the details have been kept under wraps. Even the News Reporters keep asking that question.

As far as we now, perhaps weapon's grade plutonium....smuggled to North Korea/or Afghanistan. How the hay would we ever know? Perhaps somebody in the Cargo staging area at KL would like to elaborate on any extraordinary looking crates/cargo.

By the looks of it, with no debris, and knowing they flew at 45,000 ft (illegal) ..it may be that the aircraft was used to smuggle something of that sort....very quickly, to a buyer (who would be thinking of using nukes right now?)

If true...Malaysia is in the loop.

[Tayida]

Somenone is saying carrying a lot of gold.Mah.....and now is 7 days

[laolover88]

So after all this. Saturday a.m.

What do I think? Never mind all the theories and tech stuff. In order of priority!!

1. The plane is at the bottom of the ocean; but which one?

2. The plane is in China, whether Beijing or Xinjiang or wherever

3. The plane is in Diego Garcia or some other US base

4. The plane is in KLIA

5. The plane is on the ground, somewhere, with its valuable cargo being 'acquired'

6. The plane is buried in some Indonesian or other Asian jungle

[webfact]

Military data suggests 'skilled' flyer turned Malaysia jet
by M JEGATHESAN

KUALA LUMPUR, March 15, 2014 (AFP) - A Malaysian jet that vanished a week ago appears to have changed course and continued flying for hours, a senior Malaysian military official said Saturday, citing radar data indicating a "skilled, competent" pilot was at the controls.

Speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, the official cited Malaysian military radar data that investigators believe indicate the Boeing 777 may have radically changed course and headed northwest towards the Indian Ocean.

"It has to be a skilled, competent and a current pilot," the official said.

"He knew how to avoid the civilian radar. He appears to have studied how to avoid it."

The intended flight path for the Kuala Lumpur-Beijing flight was to be north over the South China Sea and Vietnam.

The new information, coupled with multiple corroborative but unconfirmed reports, suggests the investigation into the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 was increasingly focusing on something going wrong in the cockpit.

Analysts have said that could include a sudden loss of cabin pressure or other mechanical event that incapacitated the pilots, catastrophic pilot error, or more sinister possibilities such as the plane being commandeered by a hijacker or rogue member of the flight crew, or pilot suicide.

All signs so far point to a "controlled, deliberate act, not a mechanical failure", said Scott Hamilton, managing director of US-based aviation consultancy Leeham Co.

The mounting reports of an unexplained banking to the west have coincided with a shift of search and rescue resources toward the Indian Ocean.

- Search extends to Bay of Bengal -

A US destroyer and surveillance plane joined expanded search operations Saturday in the Bay of Bengal. The international search effort had focused in its early days on the South China Sea.

Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steven Warren said the USS Kidd guided missile destroyer and a P-8 Poseidon aircraft had been deployed to the "western search area" at the request of Malaysian authorities.

While the Kidd would search the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal, the P-8 would cover "a much larger search area... the southern portion of the Bay of Bengal and the northern portion of the Indian Ocean," Warren said.

The Boeing 777, with 239 passengers and crew on board, vanished March 8 over waters between Malaysia and southern Vietnam. The night was clear and no distress signal was received.

The hunt had initially focused on the South China Sea but has shifted dramatically given the absence of any findings, and following the indications the plane altered course.

India's navy said it was doubling, at Malaysia's behest, the number of ships and planes it had deployed to search the Indian Ocean waters around its remote Andaman and Nicobar islands.

The six vessels and five planes were concentrating on an area "designated" by the Malaysian navy in the southern region of the Andaman Sea, naval spokesman D.K. Sharma told AFP.

Close to 60 ships and 50 aircraft from 13 countries have been deployed across the entire search zone since MH370 went missing.

- Reports of altered flight path -

For distraught relatives of the passengers and crew, the expanded search offered no immediate relief from the anguished frustration of a week tainted by false leads and rumours.

Malaysian Transport and Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein on Friday repeatedly refused to comment on what he termed "unverified" information, as reports of an altered flight path mounted.

Multiple US media reports also had cited unidentified officials as saying a satellite continued to detect the plane's automated communication system for hours after radar contact was lost.

The New York Times reported that Malaysian military radar data had shown the airliner altering course at least twice and changing altitude -- sometimes erratically.

"If this is criminal -- as looks increasingly likely -- then information is going to be held closely to prevent leaks," Hamilton said.

Hishammuddin confirmed the expansion of search operations in the Indian Ocean and said Malaysia was "sharing information we don't normally share for security reasons", hinting at confidential military data being scrutinised for clues.

The widening of the geographical search parameters poses enormous logistical challenges for wreckage identification and recovery.

The vast Indian Ocean has an average depth of nearly 3,900 metres (12,800 feet) and any debris would have been widely dispersed by currents after a week.

"Wind and sea conditions are definitely going to play a very big part if there is wreckage, and if it happens to be in the Indian Ocean. It is an immense area," said Greg Waldron, Asia managing editor for aviation industry magazine FlightGlobal.

If it does turn out that Malaysian military radar tracked the missing aircraft, there will be questions as to why the air force was not sent to investigate a large plane flying with no transponders over a strategically sensitive region.

The plane has one of the best safety records of any jet, and the airline also has a solid record.


-- (c) Copyright AFP 2014-03-15

[Tayida]

Mohammed Atta still alive?

[slipperylobster]

I am going to think this way....because it makes sense...alot more sense than freak explosions, pilot error, meteorites and aliens.

1. A cargo so sensitive that it cannot be delivered in any other manner (secretly and quickly). The only ones that knew of it were onboard.

....A nuclear weapon or weapon's grade plutonium....

2. Pilot was probably one of Malaysian's best. A show-off in the cockpit and perhaps the best candidate of a "delivery".

Government recruited. Hijackers would have been to risky and may have accidently crashed the airplane/foiled the delivery.

3. Transponders shut off by the pilot...Had to be. Some evasive maneuvers to confuse tracking....give indication of Hijacking.

4. Other people in the cabin may be privy to the whole plan, and had to be eliminated. No need for hostages, delivery is to be kept secret.

5. No communications of fire, explosion, danger...not even keying the "Mike" . Somebody highly trained and efficient..not nervous...practiced simulated landing on some other remote runway at home.

6. Does anyone know how far a plane can glide if it reaches 45,000 feet. Perhaps reserving fuel for an eventual landing.

My 2 cents.

[laolover88]

Military data suggests 'skilled' flyer turned Malaysia jet

by M JEGATHESAN

KUALA LUMPUR, March 15, 2014 (AFP) - A Malaysian jet that vanished a week ago appears to have changed course and continued flying for hours, a senior Malaysian military official said Saturday, citing radar data indicating a "skilled, competent" pilot was at the controls.

Speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, the official cited Malaysian military radar data that investigators believe indicate the Boeing 777 may have radically changed course and headed northwest towards the Indian Ocean.

"It has to be a skilled, competent and a current pilot," the official said.

"He knew how to avoid the civilian radar. He appears to have studied how to avoid it."

The intended flight path for the Kuala Lumpur-Beijing flight was to be north over the South China Sea and Vietnam.

The new information, coupled with multiple corroborative but unconfirmed reports, suggests the investigation into the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 was increasingly focusing on something going wrong in the cockpit.

Analysts have said that could include a sudden loss of cabin pressure or other mechanical event that incapacitated the pilots, catastrophic pilot error, or more sinister possibilities such as the plane being commandeered by a hijacker or rogue member of the flight crew, or pilot suicide.

All signs so far point to a "controlled, deliberate act, not a mechanical failure", said Scott Hamilton, managing director of US-based aviation consultancy Leeham Co.

The mounting reports of an unexplained banking to the west have coincided with a shift of search and rescue resources toward the Indian Ocean.

- Search extends to Bay of Bengal -

A US destroyer and surveillance plane joined expanded search operations Saturday in the Bay of Bengal. The international search effort had focused in its early days on the South China Sea.

Pentagon spokesman Colonel Steven Warren said the USS Kidd guided missile destroyer and a P-8 Poseidon aircraft had been deployed to the "western search area" at the request of Malaysian authorities.

While the Kidd would search the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal, the P-8 would cover "a much larger search area... the southern portion of the Bay of Bengal and the northern portion of the Indian Ocean," Warren said.

The Boeing 777, with 239 passengers and crew on board, vanished March 8 over waters between Malaysia and southern Vietnam. The night was clear and no distress signal was received.

The hunt had initially focused on the South China Sea but has shifted dramatically given the absence of any findings, and following the indications the plane altered course.

India's navy said it was doubling, at Malaysia's behest, the number of ships and planes it had deployed to search the Indian Ocean waters around its remote Andaman and Nicobar islands.

The six vessels and five planes were concentrating on an area "designated" by the Malaysian navy in the southern region of the Andaman Sea, naval spokesman D.K. Sharma told AFP.

Close to 60 ships and 50 aircraft from 13 countries have been deployed across the entire search zone since MH370 went missing.

- Reports of altered flight path -

For distraught relatives of the passengers and crew, the expanded search offered no immediate relief from the anguished frustration of a week tainted by false leads and rumours.

Malaysian Transport and Defence Minister Hishammuddin Hussein on Friday repeatedly refused to comment on what he termed "unverified" information, as reports of an altered flight path mounted.

Multiple US media reports also had cited unidentified officials as saying a satellite continued to detect the plane's automated communication system for hours after radar contact was lost.

The New York Times reported that Malaysian military radar data had shown the airliner altering course at least twice and changing altitude -- sometimes erratically.

"If this is criminal -- as looks increasingly likely -- then information is going to be held closely to prevent leaks," Hamilton said.

Hishammuddin confirmed the expansion of search operations in the Indian Ocean and said Malaysia was "sharing information we don't normally share for security reasons", hinting at confidential military data being scrutinised for clues.

The widening of the geographical search parameters poses enormous logistical challenges for wreckage identification and recovery.

The vast Indian Ocean has an average depth of nearly 3,900 metres (12,800 feet) and any debris would have been widely dispersed by currents after a week.

"Wind and sea conditions are definitely going to play a very big part if there is wreckage, and if it happens to be in the Indian Ocean. It is an immense area," said Greg Waldron, Asia managing editor for aviation industry magazine FlightGlobal.

If it does turn out that Malaysian military radar tracked the missing aircraft, there will be questions as to why the air force was not sent to investigate a large plane flying with no transponders over a strategically sensitive region.

The plane has one of the best safety records of any jet, and the airline also has a solid record.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2014-03-15

So you come back to the passenger manifest. About which I have heard almost nothing!! STOWAWAYS??

[Chicog]

More disinformation from an unverifiable "source".

[laurentbkk]

well in fact nobody know anything and no one have a clue ...... the world was not built on supposition .

[Tayida]

2. Pilot was probably one of Malaysian's best. A show-off in the cockpit and perhaps the best candidate of a "delivery".

Why the authorities not yet check his house and that amazing fs?

[trainman34014]

What I don't understand is; if this is a hijacking, what would be the purpose of stealing a plane, only to fly it out into the Indian ocean and crash? This part, and the apparent bizarre flying makes me believe that there was either something wrong with the plane, or, the pilot was either fighting over control, or a hijacker pilot was not as good a pilot as he thought.

Otherwise, we would have seen an attempted landing, or an attempted attack. Flying out to the ocean to die without making any statement or demands is not logical.

If the purpose of stealing the plane was suicide there would be no statements or demands !

[Farma]

AP is reporting a Malaysian offical has stated Malaysian investigators have concluded the plane was hijacked.

[EyesWideOpen]

2. Pilot was probably one of Malaysian's best. A show-off in the cockpit and perhaps the best candidate of a "delivery".

Why the authorities not yet check his house and that amazing fs?

I said that a long time ago. If there are low flying radar avoiding simulations on his home

flight simulator, then this is clearly a hijacking. The last time I checked on this, the report

simply said police were stationed outside his home.

[Chicog]

2. Pilot was probably one of Malaysian's best. A show-off in the cockpit and perhaps the best candidate of a "delivery".

Why the authorities not yet check his house and that amazing fs?

Do they need to? He posted pics and descriptions of it all over the interwebnet.

[Chicog]

AP is reporting a Malaysian offical has stated Malaysian investigators have concluded the plane was hijacked.

So basically AP reporting a bloke said something without authenticating it.

[harrry]

Often I see ebooks written about Thailand and on reading it is obvious they do not have a clue.

I see the same here. We have some very inventive people on this forum but their knowledge is fairly suspect.

[mania]

Does anyone know how far a plane can glide if it reaches 45,000 feet. Perhaps reserving fuel for an eventual landing.

What ever the lift:glide ratio is you just divide by the altitude in a perfect world

I do not know what the Boeing 777 lift:glide ratio is

But a 747 is 17:1 so forward 17' for every 1' drop. I imagine similar to that?

I doubt much gliding occurred if the plane was hijacked

They would want out of the skies ASAP

[JesseFrank]

Does anyone know how far a plane can glide if it reaches 45,000 feet. Perhaps reserving fuel for an eventual landing.

What ever the lift:glide ratio is you just divide by the altitude in a perfect world

I do not know what the Boeing 777 lift:glide ratio is

But a 747 is 17:1 so forward 17' for every 1' drop. I imagine similar to that?

I doubt much gliding occurred if the plane was hijacked

They would want out of the skies ASAP

Or they just need to reach as far as possible, with the absence of gas-stations in the sky.

[EyesWideOpen]

AP is reporting a Malaysian offical has stated Malaysian investigators have concluded the plane was hijacked.

So basically AP reporting a bloke said something without authenticating it.

A bit more than that....

http://news.sky.com/story/1226362/missing-malaysia-plane-was-hijacked

"The official said one or more people with significant flying experience hijacked the jet, switched off communication devices and steered it off-course.

He said no motive has been established and it is not yet clear where the plane was taken, but said hijacking was "conclusive"."

[slipperylobster]

Does anyone know how far a plane can glide if it reaches 45,000 feet. Perhaps reserving fuel for an eventual landing.

What ever the lift:glide ratio is you just divide by the altitude in a perfect world

I do not know what the Boeing 777 lift:glide ratio is

But a 747 is 17:1 so forward 17' for every 1' drop. I imagine similar to that?

I doubt much gliding occurred if the plane was hijacked

They would want out of the skies ASAP

Or they just need to reach as far as possible, with the absence of gas-stations in the sky.

And if you glide, you do not transmit a heat signature from the engines, that a missle could lock on to...nor a satellite can sense....

[webfact]

MISSING 370: Attention turns to veteran pilot of missing plane
The Straits Times

As the mystery deepens into the missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner, attention has now turned to the veteran Malaysian pilot who flew the Beijing-bound plane which disappeared 50 minutes after it took off.

At yesterday's media conference, the questions focused on the man described as such a flying buff that he had a self-assembled flight simulator in his home.

Zaharie Ahmad Shah, 53, joined Malaysia Airlines in 1981. He has clocked more than 18,000 flying hours, and is said to be an expert on the Boeing 777 that he was flying when it vanished last Saturday.

The search for the plane has now extended thousands of kilometres from the original site, suggesting that the plane may have continued to be flown hours after it lost radar contact.

Investigations showed it may have deviated from its original easterly flight route and headed west over Peninsular Malaysia.

Acting Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein was asked at the media conference yesterday why police had not searched the pilots' homes.

"Some information may need to be confirmed by the police," he said.

Asked if the pilot was a suspect, Hishammuddin said everyone on the passenger and crew list was being investigated.

Malaysian police have said they are investigating four angles: hijack and sabotage, as well as personal and psychological problems of the crew and passengers.

"On that premise, that is what we are investigating and we don't want to pre-empt what the police have found out," Hishammuddin said.

He declined to answer if Zaharie had a flight simulator in his home in a Selangor suburb, as shown by photographs on his Facebook page.

"We can't answer that question until we are able to go in and see. I've indicated, from the police (information), that they have not actually gone into the house," he said. "But the investigations into the pilots are ongoing."

Malaysia Airlines chief executive Ahmad Jauhari Yahya, who was at the same press conference, said "quite a few pilots" had flight simulators at home.

"Everyone is free to have (his) own hobby," he said.

Co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid, 27, made the news in recent days; he had reportedly invited two South African teenagers into the cockpit on a flight three years ago.

Zaharie's Facebook also indicated that his passion for flying extended to owning several remote-controlled aircraft and an interest in all things mechanical.

Outside of work, colleagues and neighbours have described Zaharie as a sociable man who enjoyed cooking and often participated in community events.

He grew up in Penang, and attended the Penang Free School.

According to Malaysian officials, the last words heard from the cockpit of MH370 in the hours of last Saturday morning were "alright, good night", as Malaysian air traffic control informed the pilots that control was being handed over to Vietnam.

It is not certain, though, if it was Zaharie or his co-pilot who had said this.


-- ANN 2014-03-15

[angeldevil69]

http://vietnam.craigslist.org/for/4372477162.html

What the???

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

[slipperylobster]

That was one hell of a "Good night" he relayed in his final report, before disappearing right in between transitioning flight control operations from Malaysia to Vietnam.

[slipperylobster]

http://vietnam.craigslist.org/for/4372477162.html

What the???

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

In Bad Taste...

Besides, no advertising allowed in the new rules.

[EyesWideOpen]

http://vietnam.craigslist.org/for/4372477162.html

What the???

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

In Bad Taste...

Besides, no advertising allowed in the new rules.

Must be a different airplane. The plane for sale is a 777-200, but the missing

plane is a 777-300ER......

[slipperylobster]

http://vietnam.craigslist.org/for/4372477162.html

What the???

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

In Bad Taste...

Besides, no advertising allowed in the new rules.

Must be a different airplane. The plane for sale is a 777-200, but the missing

plane is a 777-300ER......

No chance to upgrade?