News Contact lost with 777-200ER of Malaysia Airlines

[Artlav]

This may be indicative of such a event. In particular, read what it says just below the article's heading...

It had been clear skies and half moon. Nothing that could usually cause disorientation at night. Also, the pilot counted as very experienced (over 18000 hours of experience with a 777) and also skilled in instrumental flight.

Rapid loss of altitude?
Can be indicative of such a disorientation.
The pilot might have been good at instrumentation flight, but what if instrumentation go wrong?
Couple that with some visibility problem - i.e. some sort of a bright light in the cockpit that can't be easily turned off, and we have a disaster.

Or it could be pilot suicide, like EgyptAir Flight 990:
[ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EgyptAir_Flight_990"]EgyptAir Flight 990 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

It might not have been the experienced captain, but someone taking over while he went to the bathroom, or even a sudden hijacking attempt going wrong.

Then again, people who commit suicide do not necessarily appear obviously disturbed beforehand, especially to some online community. So we can't rule it out.

 

[Quick_Nick]

From various Guardian articles:
Two passengers with stolen passports had booked the flight simultaneously with consecutive ticket numbers, and had later destinations including Amsterdam. (Not that the later destinations necessarily imply intention to reach them)

 

[Urwumpe]

Rapid loss of altitude?
Can be indicative of such a disorientation.

During cruise flight? Even in case of AF447 we had a communications and telemetry from the aircraft, when exactly that happened together with instrument failure. In cruise flight, the aircraft is on autopilot until something goes wrong. No indication, that the pilot disabled the autopilot before.

Remember: There had been communications with ATC right until the sudden disappearance. Later communication must not be with the aircraft - there is no indication at all, that the other aircraft communicated with the lost aircraft. It just got a signal from something on the right VHF frequency. Which could also be another aircraft or another ATC on this frequency, but out of communication range.

There is not even information, if Air Malaysia uses the telemetry system, that helped in case of AF447.

Also, should the found wreckage be of the flight, Air Malaysia will be ultimatively wrong: Their positition is, that the aircraft did not crash near Tho Chu, but kept on flying for one more hour before contact was lost. Vietnamese military says, that they lost radar contact to the aircraft 150 km south of Tho Chu. Wreckage was found south of Tho Chu now.

 

[n122vu]

Still no sign of wreckage or any trace of the plane. And it turns out the oil slicks were in fact fuel oil commonly used in cargo ships.

Days later, no sign of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370

 

[garyw]

Still no sign of wreckage or any trace of the plane. And it turns out the oil slicks were in fact fuel oil commonly used in cargo ships.

Days later, no sign of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370

Yeah we discussed this in IRC and did wonder if it was oil from a ship doing some dumping or something.

I'm now wondering if the plane has landed somewhere, if it has and it's the work of terrorists then why no ransom demands?

Very bizarre that nothing has been spotted yet.

from the BBC:

 

[kamaz]

It took two months to find KAL007, despite the fact that a lot of resources was committed by both sides.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Air_Lines_Flight_007#Search_and_rescue

 

[astrosammy]

A bit strange that nearly no other media picked up a debris field spotted south of Vietnam by another airliner today:

[...] a Cathay Pacific flight from Hong Kong to Kuala Lumpur spotted large amount of debris [...]

http://avherald.com/h?article=4710c69b

 

[Hielor]

A bit strange that nearly no other media picked up a debris field spotted south of Vietnam by another airliner today:



http://avherald.com/h?article=4710c69b

Perhaps because the website doesn't seem to be loading...

 

[Urwumpe]

Perhaps because the website doesn't seem to be loading...

Only slightly slashdotted here. But I can understand what you mean. :lol:

 

[MattBaker]

Nearly 300 nautical miles away from the last reported position? To me that would roule out engine failure (you can't glide that long), rapid disintegration (technical and violent), everyone losing consciousness (autpilot wouldn't crash there) and pilot suicide (why take over half an hour to bring that thing down?).

Which would only leave a few options so I have my doubts this is the actual wreckage.


Also: The guy buying the tickets for the fake passports is said to be Iranian.
Although I don't see why Iranian radicals would try to bring down a plane filled with Chinese, not really their standard enemy. Apparently they were booked from Beijing to Amsterdam and then to Copenhagen and Frankfurt respectively.
Which still doesn't make any sense, if I'm a terrorist I'd hijack the plane from Amsterdam to Frankfurt later, at least if I want to hit the NATO countries.
Somehow this looks more like two guys trying to get into the EU, doing this with fake passports they bought from some guy in SE Asia and end up in a plane that disappears.

Then again: If the debris are the plane how did it end up there since at least I couldn't explain the plane crashing there without foul play involved.

tl;dr: Speculation, complicated, doesn't make sense, plane got raptured into Nirvana

Also nice to see shipping still doesn't care about the environment, leaving oil trails behind. Yay humans!

 

[Urwumpe]

Maybe... it was kidnapped by aliens!

 

[Fabri91]

Regarding the theories of an attack: what would the point of it be if no organization/individual claimed to have done it?

 

[Codz]

Maybe the individuals acted alone. Perhaps it was more personal than political?

 

[JSwift]

Maybe... it was kidnapped by aliens!

Ha. This occurred to me too, while trying to watch CNNs "we don't want to speculate, but..." coverage. Surprised they didn't bring it up.

Such a bizarre set of circumstances surrounding this one at the moment, even bizarre scenarios start to pop into your head.

 

[Melvin]

garyw posted on 3/10 an image that showed a search area in the Malacca Straight region. What information did authorities have that would cause them to search an area that far away and that far off course? If the map is laid out due north, I don't think a heading of 333deg would put it in that area.

As morbid as it may sound, I'm really very interested in hearing the rest of this story. Fair skies and tailwinds for the souls on board.


In my opinion the aircraft suffered from structural failure due to either..

A) Mechanical breakdown
B) Terrorist plot
C) Accidental (or deliberate) shootdown

Perhaps there was somebody or something on the aircraft that wasn't to be allowed to land in China.

 

[ISProgram]

In my opinion the aircraft suffered from structural failure due to either..

A) Mechanical breakdown
B) Terrorist plot
C) Accidental (or deliberate) shootdown

Perhaps there was somebody or something on the aircraft that wasn't to be allowed to land in China.

I hope you are not inferring that China would shoot down a aircraft because it had someone/something they didn't want in their country, as opposed to securing that someone/something at the airport.

I mean, they landed a bunny on the Moon in a rare display of openness, and now you think they do a [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_Air_Lines_Flight_007"]007[/ame] situation again?

...Given that's its China, I actually don't think we can rule any of this out, given their history. They just might not care...though I doubt this.

 

[boogabooga]

Shooting down an airliner filled with your own citizens?

I don't believe it

EDIT: sorry, forgot this isn't the basement.

 

[Melvin]

I never said it was the Chinese.

 

[n122vu]

Desmond forgot to enter The Numbers.

 

[Urwumpe]

The Malaysian Military has confirmed to Reuters, that the aircraft turned around and was last seen in the Strait of Malacca at a lower altitude.