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Malaysian Airlines MH370 contact lost

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Old 16th Mar 2014, 09:15
  #4401 (permalink)  
 
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Just the thing for Australian P3's performing a SAR in the southern arc
Indeed, or for that case any other country's assets that may be able to help. I wouldn't think anybody would object, the hard bit would be keeping up with the consumables.
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Old 16th Mar 2014, 09:22
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awblain,

Circuit breaker design isn't going to stop a deranged crew, or fraction thereof, of going postal.
No, of course, but they may think twice if they know they can be traced.

My post was actually partly inspired by a BEA study post-AF447 investigation, referred to somewhere in the early part of this thread. It had a slightly different theme - the scope was to detect when the airplane is doing unusual maneuvers (as AF447 did) and then communicate relevant alert messages over ACARS satcom.

So the main intention was the same - to ASAP inform the outside world that something unusual was happening to the plane, with some details (such as position)

I don't know what has been the result of the BEA study, which recommended implementation in aircraft getting certified in 2018 and in legacy aircraft by 2020 IIRC. I thought it notable in this context anyway.

Linking to the legacy equipment hardware is of course slightly more difficult than linking to the flight instruments (which presumably are already connected to ACARS in most a/c types) as in the BEA study. But there may be some easy wins, especially for future airplane designs.
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Old 16th Mar 2014, 09:22
  #4403 (permalink)  
 
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If it was a hijacking, they end up on the northern arc.

If it was suicide, they end up on the southern arc.
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Old 16th Mar 2014, 09:26
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At this stage of the investigation there is precious little real news and probably will not be until physical evidence is found, then it is a question of whether it is a criminal act (including suicide) or an accident.

Either way, I think one result of this might be that the "Loneliness of Command" might get a bit deeper: extra toilet and E&E both accessible only from Flight Deck, plus refreshments for flight crew passed in through double hatches.
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Old 16th Mar 2014, 09:27
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Erwin Schroedinger said

The last time I counted, there were two pilots in an airliner cockpit. Why is the Captain the only pilot under suspicion? Why has the F/Os home, hard drive etc not been searched? Why is he not stated to be under suspicion? Why is he not 'a pilot'?
The answer to that, sadly, might be this

The son of a high-ranking official in the public works department of a Malaysian state, Fariq joined Malaysia Airlines when he was 20.
Now I will say, reports are his home was also searched. (as seems to have been addressed by others)

But that quote might possibly give some indication as to why more official attention seems to be paid to Zaharie Ahmad Shah rather than Fariq Ab Hamid. It might also be why the prior against-policy actions of Fariq seemed to have flown so far under the radar as to not only apparently result in a lack of discipline, but even seemingly proved no resistance in his resent promotion to the cockpit of a 777.

(this works off my belief that the incident with the ladies/smoking can not be a one-time thing, and that the airline had to have been aware at some point. I could be wrong, of course, but...)

That said, if I had to pick one of the two as being involved, I would go with Zaharie. Mainly because of that initial sharp Ascent/Descent and the skill it likely would have taken to pull it off seemingly rather smoothly (even if was not as extreme as reported, it was still drastic.) Was Fairq experienced enough to do that? Then add in all the radar avoidance tricks and all... And on second thought, stuff such as that could be playing a huge role in their seemingly leaning towards Zaharie as well.
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Old 16th Mar 2014, 09:28
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@ overthewing

Interesting. Do you happen to know where you might have read that?
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Old 16th Mar 2014, 09:37
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Whittle

I prefer Sherlock Holmes's version: "How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?"
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Old 16th Mar 2014, 09:41
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Why bother going to FL450 and then back to FL295 and making a lot of unexplainable turns?

Too many whys
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Old 16th Mar 2014, 09:42
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Nothing new from the press conference, other than confirmation they've formally contacted and briefed representatives from governments in the expanded search zone. They're currently taking questions from Malaysian journalists. Other journos to follow.
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Old 16th Mar 2014, 09:49
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There is nothing elaborate or complicated about the home Sim.

1. Just split the visual display in 3 individual screens.
2. MCP,FMC,EFIS,Overhead 2D panels on separate screens.
3.Simple consumer yoke.
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Old 16th Mar 2014, 09:50
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Fuel - press conference
Whilst not speaking Malay? the second answer to the local journalist's question included the words along the lines of "normal to fill it up" which suggested to me something along the lines of "Eco tankage" and that the aircraft had full tanks.
Did anyone understand the question and answer?
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Old 16th Mar 2014, 09:51
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Aircraft took on only planned fuel. No additional fuel.
- Minister.
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Old 16th Mar 2014, 09:52
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GobonaStick,

Why bother turning northwest, towards the Andamans, if you're only planning to head south and put it in the drink?
Avoided radar. If you are committing suicide but want an insurance payout for your family, you need to obscure your suicide.

Making everything look like a hijacking and ditching the plane in about as difficult of waters to search as you can find seems like a pretty brilliant plan to accomplish just that, imo.

I'll really be impressed if we eventually learn the tail was drug somewhere along the trail to drop the black box away from the wreckage. (unbelievably unlikely, I know - but hey, look where we already are!)
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Old 16th Mar 2014, 09:53
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@ snowfalcon2

I think you are referring to the

Oceanic Position Tracking Improvement & Monitoring (OPTIMI) project

Check the sesarju website for info......
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Old 16th Mar 2014, 09:55
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Sea landing

I believe the aircraft 'landed' in the ocean and is now resting on the sea floor.

Most likely it is still in tact if the landing (suicide) was smooth enough.

If it is really deep then no debris (from hull collapsing under pressure) will surface, maybe in a few weeks it may due to ocean currents but then several hundred miles from its resting point.

Time to drop some sonars.

If this is the case then the aircraft could never be found. Think of the hundreds of ships lying at the bottom of the ocean containing vast treasures and not found.

Unless there is debris found within the next week then most certainly this is where the aircraft is.

Terrorist activity is unlikely as someone could have got a transmission out.

Even using the portable ELTs

Last edited by James7; 16th Mar 2014 at 10:02. Reason: Typo
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Old 16th Mar 2014, 09:57
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Originally Posted by GobonaStick
Why bother turning northwest, towards the Andamans, if you're only planning to head south and put it in the drink?
He was following waypoints.
Next question is what did he do after he was out of Primary Radar range.
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Old 16th Mar 2014, 09:58
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Acting Transportation Minister, "this will possibly change the history of aviation".

Chief of Police, "all pax have been checked by various agencies from around the world and cleared"

I for one am very glad not to be crew in an airline operation or a wanna be looking for an airline job in the future
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Old 16th Mar 2014, 09:59
  #4418 (permalink)  
 
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uhhhmm..here we have many things similar to what happened on 9/11.
Aircraft diverting and no too much ATC enquiry about it.
The military "got distracted" at the beginning.
Many different scenarios proposed and then a direct accusation, in this case to the pilots, that will make all the parties happy isn't it?

So the Malaysian government is saying that the only way to detect an "intruder" is having the transponder ON?
If the intruder has it OFF the military will not intervene cause the spot is too tiny and almost invisible to the radars?
What sort of radar they got not detecting a 70 x 70 meter airplane without transponder?
No datalink from the 777 to the MAS HQ after the initial turn back?

The Vietnamese promptly reported to the Malaysian that the aircraft turned back and the Malaysian did not reply at all. It was silence, silence, silence.
It seems to me a very bad managed inside job.
May be those 2 pilots and the crew were really able to "stop the plan".
Otherwise why the Malaysian Government let 8 country search the aircraft where the Malaysian knew very well it was not even close to that area?

A similar accident happened in Italy in 1980 where in the following 10 years 40+ military people died in very strange circumstances. Al those people were witnesses of the ditching of the Itavia DC9 in the Mediterranean sea.

Hope no strange accidents will happen in the future the those military that for sure have witnessed many things and are now under an enormous amount of pressure from their Government and not only.
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Old 16th Mar 2014, 09:59
  #4419 (permalink)  
 
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Originally Posted by X-37
How can they be sure that communications weredeliberatelydisabled?
It could be that a chain of events cut the ACARS, transponder and VHF and that chain caused them to turn back but the crew were themselves overcome by the events.
Exactly my post at 23:50 UTC last night that was deleted, so sadly yours and mine may now also be deleted. Just before the mods do that could someone with the 777 / electronics expertise please categorically confirm that the ACARS system and later the transponder / ADS-B systems can ONLY go offline by the "deliberate act of someone on board". The Malaysian authorities are so definite on this point they are categorically ruling out equipment failure / fire / etc.
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Old 16th Mar 2014, 10:02
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Originally Posted by Above The Clouds
Chief of Police, "all pax have been checked by various agencies from around the world and cleared"
Was there 2 or 4 PAX travelling on someone else's passports?
That is still a question MAS need to answer.

Along with their prior history of allowing people with dodgy passports onboard
Malaysia Airlines has previous conviction for 'falsifying passport details to allow passenger on board' | South China Morning Post
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