Malaysian Airlines MH370 contact lost
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I have never flown an airliner, and I can't remember any corprate jet where you had to switch the transponder to standby before changing codes.

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Scribe Marks......
http://www.dca.gov.my/Division/Airwo...es/AN%2091.pdf
Will the DCA re-issue a follow up of this Airworthiness Notice, if this aircrafts last repaint took place in the mid to late 2000's?
Will the DCA direct the operator/MRO to conduct immediate inspections of its fleet to discount this possibility?
Will the DCA investigate whether the MRO continued to have, or took disciplinary action against employees who were found to have unapproved implements in their possession in the years following the issue of this AN?
Will the DCA re-issue a follow up of this Airworthiness Notice, if this aircrafts last repaint took place in the mid to late 2000's?
Will the DCA direct the operator/MRO to conduct immediate inspections of its fleet to discount this possibility?
Will the DCA investigate whether the MRO continued to have, or took disciplinary action against employees who were found to have unapproved implements in their possession in the years following the issue of this AN?
Last edited by Acute Instinct; 12th Mar 2014 at 02:00.

Pigboat
Great Handle.
I have run across the concept you mention. I think the original post was questioning whether it was a requirement to go to standby before changing codes, or a procedural one like you mentioned.
Maybe someone here with knowledge of MH procedures could clarify this.
It may he helpful in determining why the transponder was turned off.
I have run across the concept you mention. I think the original post was questioning whether it was a requirement to go to standby before changing codes, or a procedural one like you mentioned.
Maybe someone here with knowledge of MH procedures could clarify this.
It may he helpful in determining why the transponder was turned off.

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in my opinion from the little evidence available, it had a depressurisation problem rendering the flight crew and passengers unconscious, resulting in the aircraft flying solely on autopilot and completely unmonitored from the malacca straights on an approximate track taking it over the indian ocean towards the island of madagascar via diago garcia, where at some point it ran out fuel.

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transponder
The reason one switches to standby before changing the code, is that if one cycles the code numbers it does flash other transponder codes.
Which is also a reason for having "Ident".
The transponder is a radar aid, it is not a training line to air traffic control.
If there is no transponder, or its off , ATC just read a target: no identity, no altitude no TAS/IAS.no supplementary information
Which is also a reason for having "Ident".
The transponder is a radar aid, it is not a training line to air traffic control.
If there is no transponder, or its off , ATC just read a target: no identity, no altitude no TAS/IAS.no supplementary information

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No doubt this plane was taken care of - MAS typically has things in order. On the other hand, what about the aspect that the plane was last "touched" as short as 2 weeks ago?

Surely the 777 does not have those steam-driven transponders with rotary code select knobs. Surely it would be fitted with the newer push-button code entry controllers that don’t change the transmitted code until the fourth number in the code is entered.


With the older rotary Transponders the policy of turning the unit to STBY has merit but with modern keyboard Transponders the likleyhood of an incorrect code is slim and is easily rectified.
The problem with turning the Transponder unit to STBY is that TCAS protections are now lost which in my mind is not an ideal situation.
By all means turn it to STBY but just realise the repercussions whilst it is off and god forbid if it is not turned back on.
The problem with turning the Transponder unit to STBY is that TCAS protections are now lost which in my mind is not an ideal situation.
By all means turn it to STBY but just realise the repercussions whilst it is off and god forbid if it is not turned back on.

Surely the 777 does not have those steam-driven transponders with rotary code select knobs. Surely it would be fitted with the newer push-button code entry controllers that don’t change the transmitted code until the fourth number in the code is entered
Also in some jets I fly with the rotary code selector knobs, as soon as the knob is turned to change the code the TCAS/Transponder goes to standby mode until all digits are selected and set for something like 3 seconds, not sure of exact timing.
As far as this thread goes...Never have so many understood so little but written so much about it!

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Jet we don't know that. Both transponder antennas are close together. It the section of skin they are both mounted on departed the aircraft.....
Just as likely a major loss of electrics....or for some reason multiple databuses went down at once.
IMHO: until we recover her, were gonna drive ourselves crazy guessing.
Asking again any 777 or 767 drivers remember what the load shedding scheme is?
Just as likely a major loss of electrics....or for some reason multiple databuses went down at once.
IMHO: until we recover her, were gonna drive ourselves crazy guessing.
Asking again any 777 or 767 drivers remember what the load shedding scheme is?

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Just to point our on some of the information provided by the Malaysian military last night around its last know position, more so around the fact the the aircraft descended to around 3000ft would this simply be to maintain VFR , cloud base in kl usually sits between 3000ft and 10,000ft
this would indicate the the PIC certainly had control of the Aircraft
this would indicate the the PIC certainly had control of the Aircraft

The stream of news and rumors is ridiculous
Malaysia's air force chief denied a media report that the military last tracked a missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner over the Strait of Malacca, far from where it last made contact with civilian air traffic control when it disappeared four days ago.
"I wish to state that I did not make any such statements," air force chief Rodzali Daud said in a statement on Wednesday.
Malaysia air force denies tracking missing jet to Strait of Malacca
Malaysia's air force chief denied a media report that the military last tracked a missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner over the Strait of Malacca, far from where it last made contact with civilian air traffic control when it disappeared four days ago.
"I wish to state that I did not make any such statements," air force chief Rodzali Daud said in a statement on Wednesday.
Malaysia air force denies tracking missing jet to Strait of Malacca

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Reagarding the transponder and why it was not returning a secondary paint on radar could be as mentioned above. If a decompressurization did occur, and in the process of changing the code from assigned code to 7700, the PNF left it in Standby mode and not return it to TA/RA mode due to increase in workload or partial or deteriorating awareness due to hypoxia, it may explain why the transponder was 'off'. Quite plausable and we all know how overloaded we can become during simulator proficiency checks for similar scenarios.

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It's the only scenario which I can piece together which fits the evidence. The aircraft could be anywhere from the last primary radar return to 3000nm west of there. - and may not be found for a very long time.

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I have never switched the transponder to standby before changing code.
