Missing MH 370: Malaysian general says plane changed course

[webfact]

Malaysian general says missing plane changed course

KualaLumpur - The search for a Malaysian Airlines passenger plane was extended to the Strait of Malacca Tuesday, three days after the Boeing 777 went missing, after a top military official said radar last picked up the flight far from its intended route to Beijing.

General Tan Sri Rodzali Daud, head of Malaysia’s air force, told the Malay-language Berita Harian newspaper that military radar last detected the plane near Pulau Perak, an island in the strait between the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

"After that, the signal from the plane was lost," he was quoted as saying.

The general told the newspaper that the plane changed course and disappeared an hour later than what had been widely reported.

Aviation authorities had earlier said that the plane had vanished about an hour into its flight over the South China Sea between Malaysia’s east coast and the southern coast of Vietnam.

A search involving nearly 100 ships and aircraft from 10 countries has failed to turn up any signs of the jet liner in the South China Sea.

Rodzali’s account intensified the mystery of what happened to Flight MH370, which disappeared from radar early Saturday after taking off from Kuala Lumpur bound for the Chinese capital.

The pilots did not send any distress signals and the plane’s computer did not signal that there were any technical problems to ground control.


-- The Nation 2014-03-12

[khwaibah]

Could be credence to this..

Malaysia Airlines Missing Flight MH370 Conspiracy Theory: Why Are Passengers Cell Phones Ringing?

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/555446-malaysia-airlines-missing-flight-mh370-conspiracy-why-are-passengers-cell-phones-ringing/

[Mosha]

So if the military knew where it was then. why didn't they send something up to give chase, and find out what was going on?

[jayjayjayjay]

Is it possible that flight MH370 had an incident of "explosive decompression" similar to the plane of Stuart Payne in 1999. If so, this might have rendered the pilots unconcious(and entire crew/passengers), therefor momentarily causing the plane to decend/change direction etc., in which case the planes "flight" might have been recovered by some components of autopilot. In this scenario "a very strange event" resulting in it flying towards the west, almost opposite to original flight trajectory, as claimed by Malaysian military personnel, tracked by Military radar. With another 6/7 hours of fuel this could have easily sent the plane anywhere in a 4000km radious from it's last know contact point. It doesn't explain why signaling/GPS from responders etc., was lost, but I leave that for electrical engineers to postulate!

[phantomfiddler]

Did no-one receive any phone calls from passengers on this plane ? Many people phoned from the doomed sept 11th plane. This suggests sudden terminal closure, unfortunately

Edited March 12, 2014 by phantomfiddler

[Ulysses G.]

Is it possible that flight MH370 had an incident of "explosive decompression" similar to the plane of Stuart Payne in 1999.

If so, why would the pilots turn off two transponders, with numerous backup systems, right before turning the plane off course? It sure looks like a human being was behind this. It could be be a suicidal pilot or terrorists highjacking the plane, but it does not look like it was mechanical error or just an explosion without other factors.

[Tywais]

Off topic posts removed.

[Tywais]

Well, more confusion, denial and backtracking. Seems he changed his mind.

THE search for missing Flight MH370 has been thrown into yet more confusion after a key Malaysian military chief denied earlier reports that radar had spotted the plane hundreds of kilometres off course.

Air force chief General Rodzali Daud was quoted in a local pro-government newspaper as saying a military base had detected the Malaysia Airlines aircraft near an island in the Malacca Strait, far to the southwest of where it should have been headed.

The news injected even more mystery into the investigation of the Boeing 777 jetliner’s disappearance, with aviation experts theorising about how the plane could have strayed so far off track for so long.

But General Daud has since released a statement saying that while authorities have not ruled out the possibility the plane inexplicably changed course before losing contact, reports that it had been detected far from its planned flight path were incorrect.

“The (air force) has not ruled out the possibility of an air turn-back on a reciprocal heading before the aircraft vanished from the radar,” he said.

More here news.com.au

[yankee99]

Did no-one receive any phone calls from passengers on this plane ? Many people phoned from the doomed sept 11th plane. This suggests sudden terminal closure, unfortunately

Probably not to many cellphone towers located in the ocean and i doubt those planes have behind the seat sat phones.

[tx22cb]

But on another thread, I saw that this morning it seems he changed his story again. Maybe it'll change again this afternoon.

"But General Daud has since released a statement saying that while authorities have not ruled out the possibility the plane inexplicably changed course before losing contact, reports that it had been detected far from its planned flight path were incorrect."

[slipperylobster]

My penny input is that Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, the United States, along with with NZ and AU just wrapped up a military exercise, and all radar systems were up to speed. I do not believe anybody at TAC Op was sleeping. Perhaps even some rear party echelons were still flying out of this region.

[weegee]

So if the military knew where it was then. why didn't they send something up to give chase, and find out what was going on?

If the military knew all this, why did they send all these rescue teams on a wild goose chase in the South China sea?

The plot thickens...

Smokescreen??????????

[slipperylobster]

Perhaps, with a bit more pressure, the Malaysian Military will backtrack even once again. Confused signals...searches conducted in places even though the plane had turned around and was on radar elsewhere...

Sounds like the answers you would get from a gal who spent a night in your hotel room before your wallet turned up missing. They are groping around for answers to darn good questions...which should put them on the defensive. My guess, something other that Limburger Cheese is being tucked away.

[animatic]

Malaysian military and civilian air authorities face being lost serially.

Removal with a trowel and garden rake, and fed to the fishes, every time they open their mouths.

Their air-security systems are utterly compromised or un-workable. Heads will roll over this one have no doubts.

Edited March 12, 2014 by animatic

[Tanlic]

Could be credence to this..

Malaysia Airlines Missing Flight MH370 Conspiracy Theory: Why Are Passengers Cell Phones Ringing?

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/555446-malaysia-airlines-missing-flight-mh370-conspiracy-why-are-passengers-cell-phones-ringing/

Surely if that is true that would give them the exact location of the plane? If Facebook can tell you where you are surely a telephone company can

Edited March 12, 2014 by Tanlic

[slipperylobster]

I scratched another potential trip off of my fly-in wish list for now, as I think even a bargain flight is not a good deal. At least until something finally does come out. It would be interesting to see if this particular airline in question has been receiving cancellations....particularly out of K.L.

[Tywais]

Could be credence to this..

Malaysia Airlines Missing Flight MH370 Conspiracy Theory: Why Are Passengers Cell Phones Ringing?

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/555446-malaysia-airlines-missing-flight-mh370-conspiracy-why-are-passengers-cell-phones-ringing/

Surely if that is true that would give them the exact location of the plane? If Facebook can tell you where you are surely a telephone company can

A good article with the technical explanation of why it doesn't mean it is in contact with the phone.

Cell phones operate on technologies that require the use of special equipment to send, receive and route calls.

During calls, the caller phone seeks out and connects to a cell site, colloquially called a cell tower or simply “tower.” The call is routed to what is called a switch. The switch conducts a global scan for the other phone then connects the call via the strongest cell site.

This is important because in order for a phone to receive a call it has to be within range of a cell site. If the phone is out of range or turned off, the call will be diverted to a server that stores voice messages for later retrieval.

Cell phone carriers have the ability to determine whether or not a phone is active on its network. They can also tell what network the phone is operating on even if it is pinging off another carrier's cell sites.

The range of a cell site depends on line-of-sight propagation, frequencies being used, and other variables and can be affected by terrain and atmospheric conditions as well. Unless a device is waterproof, it will cease to function if submerged in water. If calls are actually reaching the phones, this indicates that the devices are functioning and located on land somewhere within range of a cell site.

Carriers can triangulate location based on what cell sites are picking up the signal.

Smartphones also have built-in GPS that can function as long as there is power to the phone.

The ringing callers are experiencing, however, could also be the result of a delayed effect of the networks attempting to reach the other phones

More here allvoices.com

[Tywais]

More technical explanation of phone ringing.

After three days, wouldn’t the phone batteries be dead by now?

Not necessarily. Smartphones are renowned for their poor battery life and will typically last up to around 24 hours. But the batteries of older phones can last considerably longer.

For example, the Nokia 100 boasts a standby battery life of a staggering 35 days. Smartphone batteries can also last longer if the handset isn’t being used, and especially if the phone is in Flight Mode.

However, if the phone is in Flight Mode, it switches off all wireless activity meaning calls wouldn’t be able to connect, effectively ruling out this theory.

If the phone batteries are dead, wouldn’t the call go straight to voicemail?

In a word, yes. However, the process of sending the call to voicemail can differ depending on the service provider.

For example, the majority of phones will go straight to voicemail, or callers will get an out of service message if voicemail hasn’t been set up.

This will occur even if the phone is underwater, or not near a cell signal.

However, some service providers will ring once or twice before the phone goes to voicemail, or cut off. This may explain the reports that claimed phones rang before seeming to hang up.

Some reports claim the phones are just ringing and ringing though. How is this possible?

Telecoms expert Alan Spencer told MailOnline that if the phones are really ringing, they can categorically not be under the sea.

He added that the phones will only be ringing if they are ‘switched on, not in water, the battery is charged, and [they are] near a mobile cell site.’

This means that if the phones are genuinely ringing, the plane needs to have landed on land – not in the sea – and be in a location where there is cell service, rather than landing in the middle of a jungle, for example.

Why can’t network operators locate the phones?

A number of family members have asked the network operators why they can’t use the phone’s signal to locate the missing people.

Professor William Webb, a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, told MailOnline: ‘The phones definitely won't be working. They'll be underwater, out of coverage and by this time out of battery.

‘So there's absolutely no way they could be used for triangulation.

‘As to why they are ‘ringing’ it'll be the same as if they were out of coverage - in some cases it may ring before going to voicemail.’

More details here - Dailymail

[y2k]

Could be credence to this..

Malaysia Airlines Missing Flight MH370 Conspiracy Theory: Why Are Passengers Cell Phones Ringing?

http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/555446-malaysia-airlines-missing-flight-mh370-conspiracy-why-are-passengers-cell-phones-ringing/

Probably because of call-forwarding. It's commonplace in a number of countries and free.

[slipperylobster]

Silly, that phone theory. if, for example, the airplane had crashed (or landed) within distance to a tower ...it stands to reason that somebody would have seen that huge event. I would think that towers only existed where enough people lived to make them cost effective. An airplane that size would have been spotted. Sure, and since they turned around everybody immediately powered on their phones...not even permitted to be on in the first place.

[Pimay1]

More technical explanation of phone ringing.

After three days, wouldn’t the phone batteries be dead by now?

Not necessarily. Smartphones are renowned for their poor battery life and will typically last up to around 24 hours. But the batteries of older phones can last considerably longer.

For example, the Nokia 100 boasts a standby battery life of a staggering 35 days. Smartphone batteries can also last longer if the handset isn’t being used, and especially if the phone is in Flight Mode.

However, if the phone is in Flight Mode, it switches off all wireless activity meaning calls wouldn’t be able to connect, effectively ruling out this theory.

If the phone batteries are dead, wouldn’t the call go straight to voicemail?

In a word, yes. However, the process of sending the call to voicemail can differ depending on the service provider.

For example, the majority of phones will go straight to voicemail, or callers will get an out of service message if voicemail hasn’t been set up.

This will occur even if the phone is underwater, or not near a cell signal.

However, some service providers will ring once or twice before the phone goes to voicemail, or cut off. This may explain the reports that claimed phones rang before seeming to hang up.

Some reports claim the phones are just ringing and ringing though. How is this possible?

Telecoms expert Alan Spencer told MailOnline that if the phones are really ringing, they can categorically not be under the sea.

He added that the phones will only be ringing if they are ‘switched on, not in water, the battery is charged, and [they are] near a mobile cell site.’

This means that if the phones are genuinely ringing, the plane needs to have landed on land – not in the sea – and be in a location where there is cell service, rather than landing in the middle of a jungle, for example.

Why can’t network operators locate the phones?

A number of family members have asked the network operators why they can’t use the phone’s signal to locate the missing people.

Professor William Webb, a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, told MailOnline: ‘The phones definitely won't be working. They'll be underwater, out of coverage and by this time out of battery.

‘So there's absolutely no way they could be used for triangulation.

‘As to why they are ‘ringing’ it'll be the same as if they were out of coverage - in some cases it may ring before going to voicemail.’

More details here - Dailymail

A little information to add here. The last seven years before I retired from Ma Bell I worked in the cellular division installing cellular switches known as MTSO or mobile telephone switching office and installing cell sites. Every cell phone has an SID, System ID, better known as System Identification Code. It is a unique 15-bit number that is assigned to each phone. When a cell phone roams out of its home area and comes in the range of another service provider cell site, the phone sends a registration request along with its SID to the MTSO. The local MTSO contacts the MTSO of your home system, they are connected worldwide, which then checks its database to confirm that the SID of the phone you are using is a valid identification. Your home system verifies you phone to the local MTSO which then tracts your phone as you move through its cell sites. When a call is made to your phone the calling number is recorded along with the cell site identification where you are presently located. Missed calls are recorded as well as completed calls. If a phone is in the fringe area coverage of a cell site there will be one or more adjacent cell sites that have locked a signal on your phone whereby getting ready to receive a hand off of the phone from the original cell site. In this case there will also be records and a process of vectoring can be done to determine the location of the phone with accuracy within a few meters. The local MTSO keeps records of where you are at all times even if you switch to another cell site within the system. This information is easily retrieved. So if any of the phones on the plane registered to another cellular carrier there is a record of it and is easily obtained by the right people.

[jayjayjayjay]

Is it possible that flight MH370 had an incident of "explosive decompression" similar to the plane of Stuart Payne in 1999.

If so, why would the pilots turn off two transponders, with numerous backup systems, right before turning the plane off course? It sure looks like a human being was behind this. It could be be a suicidal pilot or terrorists highjacking the plane, but it does not look like it was mechanical error or just an explosion without other factors.

I am not contending the point that the tracking units "went" off. Even today we can not verify how. Therefor, I postulate an addition to the theory, and that is what it is, a wild theory!

Point One, New Zealander Mike McKay saw something burn and fall in the night skye at 1:20am from an oil rig. His location and direction of the 10-15 second burn is acurately documented. Therefor some of the only hard eyewitness evidence we have. Second, the plane/debris has not been identified in GOT or surrounding area. Three, the plane diverted course.

So, hypothisis! Plane flying at altitute, has a mid aircollision with a smaller high altitude something! Drone, cargo plane, falling satelite pieces, ok long shot, but with all the planes in the sky it is a wonder that there are not more possibilities. The burning debis Mike McKay sees is the result of the colision, but is the smaller plane/drone/falling star whatever, Flight MH370's 777 is a big plane, nicely stable in the air and it's wide body giving it great balast. The cockpit area is damaged in the strike. Windows implode, all electronics destroyed, responders off as per switching off theory! Pilots dead, explosive decompression dominos throughtout the plane, maybe some oxygen maks drop and some passengers still remain conscious. The cockpit area is destroyed, no chance of recovery.....BUT, one of the three computer systems, based in the rear of the plane took over autopilot, the plane was bumped from it's flight path due to the impact, but after the slave computer came online it stabalised the plane(hence the direction change). The status is now a new heading assumed correct by the new computers autopilot, the autopilot oversees maintanence of all flight speeds, heights etc. nobody from within the plane crew or passengers if conscious are able to do anything, the plane now has no cockpit or even lost 5 meters of it's front section. Violent wind blasts through the plane and may cause significant speed loss! The plane fly's under the autopilot which goes another 500 km in one direction, over the Andaman Sea, then adjusts course according to degree of course change preset for a location beacon approximately near Hong Kong(but the plane is over Andaman Sea), this preset adjustment sends the plane deep into the Indian Ocean at altitude until it runs out of fuel. Or, the the direction change takes it north into the second tracking zone assumed now by the satellite reponders. Crashes into K2, Kazakstan or some unknow remote northern desert plateau!

Ok, wild I know. But there does not appear to be much logic around this entire disappearance so far!

[Mrjlh]

They are now saying the plane flew another 6 hours after lost radar contact based on the pinging received from the engines to the satellite. 6hrs X 600 MPH = 3600 miles. Somalia is only 3100 miles from the last contact point off Malaysia and within the range of the satellite recording the pinging. And in the direction it was last seen heading. Just a thought. The 777 has a 7,000 mile range.

Edited March 16, 2014 by Mrjlh

[xoxman]

Sent from my HTC Wildfire S A510e using Tapatalk 2

[lostinisaan]

All theories and of course the Malaysian statements, that always denies other country's news.

What really bugs me is how the heck could the transponders switch off from alone? Or did one of the pilots turn them off?

Then the very serious question. If the transponders are turned off, ( I'm pretty certain that this will change now) why didn't other countries see an unidentified object on their Radar screen?

A Chinese plane almost got hit by a missile from North Korea, a day before this flight went missing.

Would North Korea tell the world that they had to shut it down, if that would have been the case?

I'm sorry for so many assumptions, just thinking about all the relatives and friends. How do they feel?

Then another serious issue. Wouldn't such a big plane be prefect when equipped with many explosives to hit a target?

Edited March 16, 2014 by lostinisaan

[Credo]

A plane taking off from a remote location is going to draw attention, especially if that happens in the near future. If it's in a remote location, it's going to have trouble getting to a populated or important center.

There are better and more efficient ways of taking out a target.

At this point, I doubt that they could even get a ransom for the plane. The passengers maybe, but the plane would be taken by the military one way or the other.

The three letter organization have a lot of ways of acquiring a plane without hijacking it from a foreign country.