Malaysia Airlines Mystery

[Guest zipperzone]

I'm surprised that no one has commented on the mysterious disappearance of their Boeing 777.

Especially that there has been no opinion from our resident pilot.

I personally think that they no clue as to where to search and the chances of solving this puzzle is slim to none.

I'd be interested in hearing other's thoughts on the subject.

[ihpguy]

I've been waiting for RA1, with his expertise and vast knowledge to open a thread and post with thoughts and updates as needed.

[Guest CharliePS]

I suspect he has said nothing because the whole thing is so bizarre, with new information and unexpected twists coming daily, that any speculation at this point is likely to be outdated very quickly.

[RA1]

A very large UFO flown by aliens is my first guess. I suppose I should be used to this by now but having so many conflicting so called facts floated about willy nilly is not helping the cause.

Some of these systems should not be able to be turned off from inside the aircraft. The FDR and CVR should run regardless and their information will be on the fluorescent orange boxes aka black boxes. Of course, they need to be found first. The transponders and ACRS can be disabled from inside the aircraft.

in addition to the wild speculation in the so called main stream media there is even wilder speculation in the industry media. One account has co-conspirators of the co-pilot aka SIC, using a garrote on the captain while the others disable the O2 system with the aircraft depressurizing, killing all pax, then descending to near seal level where they dump the bodies over board. Then they fly to a remote landing strip, load an atomic device and drop it on Israel. All nonsense.

The aircraft did have enough fuel to fly another 2000+ NM IF it stayed at altitude. Being at altitude allows all sorts of radars to see you, especially military radars which will not necessarily be looking for transponders. The best bet is to fly low to get under most radars but that severely limits the range.

You can see why experts and others are confused, I am sure.

The ocean on the "other side" of Malaysia is very deep and if it went down there, it might be a while before it is found.

It is difficult for me to conjure up any rational situation of mechanical problems that would cause what has apparently transpired so far. It almost has to be terrorists of some description and they have at least one knowledgeable member.

Best regards,

RA1

[Guest hitoallusa]

I hope passengers are safe somewhere. If something happened it must have been very unexpected and abrupt thing since they went missing silently without any sign.

[Guest zipperzone]

My personal unprofessional opinion is pilot suicide.

[Guest hitoallusa]

Oh my that's scary.. But then what were copilots doing?

My personal unprofessional opinion is pilot suicide.

[Guest hitoallusa]

Oh my investigators conclude it's hijacked. I hope passengers and crews are safe somewhere.

https://news.yahoo.com/malaysian-investigators-conclude-flight-hijacked-035744022.html

[JKane]

The reports about the automated updates are pretty interesting/confusing. I hope hijacking but it'd have been found by now, leaving about the only answers that make sense terrorism/failed hijacking or pilot suicide (it's happened before...).

[ihpguy]

This morning's press briefing by the Malaysian PM was very vague, some indications of continued radar pinging with continual westerly flying at a lower altitude and seemed to suggest some type of hijacking. In line with RA1's thoughts.

[Guest Paragon]

It's hard to believe that the passengers would still be alive. Hopefully they died in a decompression of air or some other painless (?) method. I believe the plane is at the bottom of the ocean for a purpose that was never achieved. Airport security is lax in so many places. In Hong Kong we were barely scrutinized at all. In Thailand they seize our water bottles as though that helped. What did they do in Malaysia? I got a card at EWR yesterday that allowed me to keep my shoes on. That was nice since it is a pain to take them off and put them back on. How many terrorists have been caught by the shoe search? It's all window dressing anyway as security lapses at ports and cargo areas abound.

[TotallyOz]

Guys, this is just too weird for me. Something is awry. I don't believe that the USA can know that I had a Vanilla Latte for a treat at Starbucks today and not know where a plane went. I just don't believe they are telling us everything.

[Guest CharliePS]

Even though the bank teller who took my deposit slip this morning knew that yesterday was my birthday (does she know I have a dentist appointment tomorrow?), there is still a lot of more useful information that will always be unavailable to those who actually need it. If the plane is ever found and the black boxes are intact and decipherable, we still may never know exactly what happened or why. What IS known is confusing. I doubt that there is much relevant info that is being deliberately held back by authorities, but I think there are plenty of arguments among them about what to make of it. The pilots' friends and family will of course give descriptions of them that will try to remove any suspicion, the airline management will do whatever they can to absolve themselves of any responsibility, as will the government and the military (why did no one notice the radar blips of an unidentified plane moving across the country until after questions were raised?). No matter what conclusions are eventually reached by the majority of experts, they will still be disputed by interested parties, just as the Egyptian government still refuses to accept that the Egyptair pilot deliberately flew the plane into the ocean, regardless of the evidence. The legal consequences of this incident are mind-boggling for insurance companies, the airline, government agencies, Boeing, etc., as well as for all the individuals and their families. Aviation law is not designed to deal with a commercial airliner that simply vanishes.

I suspect we may never know what really happened, unless there are outside agents who can convincingly explain what was behind the disappearance, or survivors are found on an island in an episode of "Lost."

[RA1]

Charlie PSP-

Amazing how no one ever wants to take responsibility, isn't it? Most likely the "black boxes" will be decipherable. They are very difficult to damage and there is no erase feature other than in a lab. They could very well tell if the plane was being flown on auto pilot or manually. That is a clue as to who was doing the flying, but that I mean a 777 pilot or just a pilot.

Aviation accidents are covered by a variety of marine insurance. There are stated or mutually agreed upon hull (airframe) values and loss of life or injury is covered by the Geneva Convention. Only in the US does this often not apply with our willy nilly litigious society. I do not know what it is but I am fairly sure there is a procedure for not being able to identify or even find bodies which could be extrapolated to a whole missing aircraft complete with pax.

I agree with you about how can this aircraft just fly over various radars without being suspicious. Lack of hostilities + boredom + a poor attitude is most likely the answer.

The latest "inside" gossip is the aircraft is in a hangar in Pakistan. Good as any other rumor.

Best regards,

RA1

[MsGuy]

The latest "inside" gossip is the aircraft is in a hangar in Pakistan. Good as any other rumor.

I think the hanger bay of a large UFO is the more likely possibly. When the situation is murky, stick with your first instincts, RA1.

What I want to know, is there some kind of device that helps them find that sucker under several thousand feet of salt water?

Barring that, I'd say it unlikely that they will ever find an object the size of a plane in an area the size of the continental US. Hell, sometimes they can't even find a downed craft in rough terrain on land.

[Guest CharliePS]

Charlie PSP-

Amazing how no one ever wants to take responsibility, isn't it? Most likely the "black boxes" will be decipherable. They are very difficult to damage and there is no erase feature other than in a lab. They could very well tell if the plane was being flown on auto pilot or manually. That is a clue as to who was doing the flying, but that I mean a 777 pilot or just a pilot.

Aviation accidents are covered by a variety of marine insurance. There are stated or mutually agreed upon hull (airframe) values and loss of life or injury is covered by the Geneva Convention. Only in the US does this often not apply with our willy nilly litigious society. I do not know what it is but I am fairly sure there is a procedure for not being able to identify or even find bodies which could be extrapolated to a whole missing aircraft complete with pax.

I agree with you about how can this aircraft just fly over various radars without being suspicious. Lack of hostilities + boredom + a poor attitude is most likely the answer.

The latest "inside" gossip is the aircraft is in a hangar in Pakistan. Good as any other rumor.

Best regards,

RA1

It's not amazing at all--whoever is willing to accept responsibility gets stuck with huge financial damages, as well as reputational damage, which can be just as hard to accept. Many people already have egg on their faces from the facts that are known--the failure to check for stolen passports, inattention to the intrusion of an unknown plane into space supposedly being monitored by the military, etc.--and will do their best to divert attention from those embarrassing facts.

I believe the cockpit voice recorder only records the last 30 minutes of the flight, so it would not be very helpful if there were only one person alive in the cockpit during that long flight, unless he engaged in a final monologue.

And where does that gossip say the passengers are? Not likely being housed in a hotel nearby.

Given the short attention span we have for news stories these days, I think this one will soon be limited to brief updates in the back pages if the plane isn't found soon, unless Putin can find a way to keep it alive to distract us from events in Ukraine.

[Guest CharliePS]

I don't know what the situation is in other countries, but in this one it is difficult to even get someone declared dead without some kind of proof that they really are. The families of everyone on board are probably going to be stuck in legal limbo for years if the plane isn't found.

[RA1]

MsGuy- The ELT (Emergency Locator Transmitter) sends out a signal for at least 72+ hours but, under water, it certainly has a limited range. You may find it interesting that several years ago jet aircraft were not required to have ELT's (although passenger airlines always have been required) and a Lear Jet crashed in a snow storm in Vermont and was not found until many months later. It was only 1 mile from the airport of intended landing. The FAA decided then and there that ALL aircraft would be required to have ELT's.

Charlie PSP-

Many folks have egg on their faces so far but, as you also say, the news moves on and most of this will be largely forgotten all too soon. Modern CVR's record for hours, not just 30 minutes like in the "old" days. I think it difficult to judge now how reputations will fare in a relatively short period of time. People tend to forgive and forget, mainly forget.

It seems to be mostly the families that are jumping up and down right now ( I do not blame them). Probably you notice that the Chinese government is not terribly upset or providing aid and comfort to these families.

Regardless, the convention assigns a few ten thousand dollars for death in an airline accident. Virtually all countries, except the USA, abide by this convention.

Best regards,

RA1

[Guest EXPAT]

Since Janeway freed the 37's, I suspect that the alien race, called the Briori, came back for more slaves and a plane with 239 passengers made for a good haul and they are now in stasis in the delta quadrant.

[RA1]

So, many of us are in a agreement, it was aliens.

I miswrote earlier. An ELT will last 3+ week not 3 days (72 hours).

Best regards,

RA1

[Guest Paragon]

I don't know what the situation is in other countries, but in this one it is difficult to even get someone declared dead without some kind of proof that they really are. The families of everyone on board are probably going to be stuck in legal limbo for years if the plane isn't found.

Not if they are Chinese citizens. laws can change quite easily there depending on whom you know.

[ihpguy]

Unlucky for them

[ihpguy]

Responding to Paranoia and the comment on the need for shoe inspections

I cannot tell you my source, but it is very reliable and someone in the US Federal Government,

but Richard Reed, "The Shoe Bomber" who was caught, was not the first shoe bomber, there was one before him

who was successful and who did bring down a plane although the reason for the downing was not due to a shoe bomb.

The Feds never actually told the public the true story.

You can't handle the truth!......You don't want the truth. Because deep down, in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall. You need me on that wall. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it! I'd rather you just said thank you and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon and stand a post. Either way, I don't give a damn what you think you're entitled to!

[RA1]

If indeed the "whatever" spotted via satellite in the far reaches of the Indian Ocean turns out to be our wayward 777, why on earth fly it there to commit suicide? What statement is being made? What statement could even be implied?

Today, we have an expert saying he thinks there is an oil slick at that spot. That would be pretty amazing. The 777 had to be out of fuel to reach this spot so any oil slick would have to be engine oil and hydraulic oil + a little fuel that cannot be pumped to the engines. How big a slick would 20 gallons or even 50 gallons of various liquids make on the open ocean? If it is the 777 it has been there for over a week. Could a small oil slick just stay in one place for a week+?

As speculated by various before, even when we find the 777 we may have not many clues as to the why.

Best regards,

RA1

[Guest hitoallusa]

Well I hope the passengers safe somewhere.