Originally Posted by
barrel_owl
Engine performance data are sent automatically through ACARS.
Now, IF such data were actually downlinked by the aircraft and indicate an additional 4 hour flight time, then two questions arise:
1) Where did the WSJ take this information from? Boeing? ARINC?
2) Why did Malaysia Airlines declared at an earlier stage of the investigation that no ACARS had been received after the time the aircraft had disappeared?
Either someone is speculating without any shred of evidence or someone is withholding vital information for some reason.
It's my understanding that Malaysia Airlines would only receive ACARS messages which were specifically sent to it. For most messages (like the ones sent by AF447 before it crashed), the airline would be at least CC:'d. Here we're talking about engine maintenance data packets, which would end up in the inbox of the engine manufacturer, Rolls-Royce (or possibly Boeing).