NY Times reports that Malaysian authorities now report that pilot spoke to ATC after the ACARS was turned off, and gave no indication of trouble.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/17/wo...flight.html?hp
Also,
Within the land area with 60 minutes of fuel remaining on the northern (final ping) arc is this:
http://www.fas.org/nuke/guide/china/...y/testarea.pdf
Not sure this area can be reached with 20 minutes of fuel remaining. (Using the NY Times graphic showing distances from the centerline of the arc.)
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/16/wo...ht-370.html?hp