Malaysian Airlines flight lost MOD WARNING: NO JOKES!

irishmover

dxhound2005 wrote: »

If it is underwater it should be transmitting a sonar beacon signal which would be picked up by ships with the correct equipment. But they would need to be close by.

http://www.rjeint.com/pdf/DK-100revB.pdf

Range between 1.8km - 3km depending on conditions of environment it's in.

VinLieger

HardLuckWoman wrote: »

This is terrible news. How a plane goes missing in this day and age and nothing found in 3 days.

Shocking how RTE news made more news out of Brian O'Driscoll on Saturday and it was mentioned earlier in this thread that if it was America or any other caucasian country, they'd be all over it.

Watched a clip on rte about an hour ago, whether it was theirs or taken by some other reporter but they had an Australian lady crying her eyes out as her husband was on the flight. There were 6 Australians on the flight. There were over 200 Asians on the flight and they couldn't get a family member from one of them? Surely language shouldnt be an excuse with interpreters. Seems as if there's more importance on people in the western world.

Were any Irish people on the flight? No so they reported it like any other story that they have little to no other information on, would you prefer they continued waffling and filling up airtime with guesswork and useless chatter?

bear1

Does anyone think pilot suicide? I'm watching a documentary about SilkAir and it has popped into my head..

donegal__road

bear1 wrote: »

Does anyone think pilot suicide? I'm watching a documentary about SilkAir and it has popped into my head..

but it appeared that the plane tried to turn back. If they establish this as being true, then it must mean that at least one of the pilots was attempting to avert a threat of some sort.

If it were suicide, and the pilot did manage to crash the plane head-first into the ocean, then the plane's tracking device would have automatically come on and they would have some idea on the whereabouts of the wreckage.

bear1

donegal__road wrote: »

but it appeared that the plane tried to turn back. If they establish this as being true, then it must mean that at least one of the pilots was attempting to avert a threat of some sort.

If it were suicide, and the pilot did manage to crash the plane head-first into the ocean, then the plane's tracking device would have automatically come on and they would have some idea on the whereabouts of the wreckage.

I see your point. Could the transciever have been switched off though?

donegal__road

bear1 wrote: »

I see your point. Could the transciever have been switched off though?

I dont know... I think that those emergemncy location transmitters are at the tail of the plane and are ejected out on the moment of impact.

jamo2oo9

I know I sound daft but this really reminds me of Lost where the plane disappeared with no trace

scdublin

So so sad and scary whatever the cause was. The poor families...must be awful.

donegal__road

passenger's cell phones are ringing out apparently.

Menas

Reports that a debris field has been spotted 300 from the current search zone according to the south china post.

http://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/1445698/10-chinese-satellites-deployed-search-missing-plane

bear1

donegal__road wrote: »

passenger's cell phones are ringing out apparently.

The moment alien abductions was mentioned I just closed the page.
If the phone ringing out story is true though then it's hard to imagine what the hell is actually going on.

Adamantium

jamo2oo9 wrote: »

I know I sound daft but this really reminds me of Lost where the plane disappeared with no trace

Has that story been disconfirmed or denied that North Korean military were missile testing in the area?

If they messed up, you'd be damn sure they would have reason to be quiet

Menas

Adamantium wrote: »

Has that story been disconfirmed or denied that North Korean military were missile testing in the area?

If they messed up, you'd be damn sure they would have reason to be quiet

I doubt Kim could throw a ball in the air without the american spy sattelites spotting it.

Adamantium

We live in an instinctive technophile culture, most of us probably have a latent belief that anything with electricity running through it can be controlled, observed and manipulated anywhere in the world by someone or other.
Turns out the world is still a really big place.

Whatever happened was sudden and catastrophic, evicerating the whole aircraft and everybody on it (no time to even call, skype), like it blinked out of existence. Hell the wing flaps (every other part of the plane run on electricity too, (not piston or steam powered :P), would gliding for any length have even been an viable option, the wifi gone and nobody could call out ?

Aerospace had some of the most complex, redundant systems engineering in the world, it is bizarre. It is ironic that without simple electricity that these things can turn into little more than gigantic coffins.

Big Pussy Bonpensiero

Nothing found as of yet which I would imagine is strange given the pressure that must be put on, China have already vented their frustration over the way Malaysia (Airlines ?) have managed the situation, this was yesterday's front page from The Times:

WakeUp

I wonder what happened that plane. Apparently the two people traveling on stolen passports have now been identified as Iranian nationals one was traveling as an Austrian the other an Italian.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/10688861/Mystery-fake-passport-holders-on-flight-MH370-were-Iranian.html
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-03-10/iranian-stolen-passport-passenger-plot-thickens

Frank Bullitt

Even the term "missing jet" is incredible. This must be hell for the families, I hope they find something of sorts for them.

Sunglasses Ron

WakeUp wrote: »

I wonder what happened that plane. Apparently the two people traveling on stolen passports have now been identified as Iranian nationals one was traveling as an Austrian the other an Italian.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/iran/10688861/Mystery-fake-passport-holders-on-flight-MH370-were-Iranian.html
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-03-10/iranian-stolen-passport-passenger-plot-thickens

Iranians are very unlikely to be Al Qaeda, and while they have an interest in the Syrian war it is baffling as to what end their government would hope to achieve with an attack on a neutral target.

irishmover

I'm only seeing these passports stolen thing as a side story and a side discussion for airport security, or lack of. Considering 1 billion passengers in 2013 alone throughout the worlds airports did not have their passports scanned, this issue is a common one. 5 people not boarding the flight has been shown as a common occurrence too.

I've come around to the idea that it's highly unlikely there was any intent involved in this. The chances of it not being an accident for me is in the single digits.

A Primal Nut

Every single one of these threads turns into a "this should be given more attention" or "this should be given less attention". The fact that just because something comes first on the news doesn't mean it's the most important thing that happened. People dying is always the most important thing so if the news only covered what was most important then it would basically be non-stop death, death, death.

Also, just because a thread about some celebrity gets more posts doesn't mean people think its more important. It just means more interesting to discuss. For example, RTE and boards likes to talk about Irish politics because its interesting for the viewers/posters. It doesn't mean it's more important than Iraqi politics or Sierra Leone politics.

I don't have a problem with RTE putting BOD first. Although I'm far more interested in MH370 myself, I accept there isn't a whole lot for RTE to say about it right now.

Also the reason the AH thread is so short is because AH isn't really the best place for discussions about things like this; which is why there is a big thread in Aviation & Aircraft which is the best place for it.

WakeUp

Sunglasses Ron wrote: »

Iranians are very unlikely to be Al Qaeda, and while they have an interest in the Syrian war it is baffling as to what end their government would hope to achieve with an attack on a neutral target.

Yeah I agree with you. If at some future date these Iranians are somehow linked to what might have happened it just wouldnt make any sense for all sorts of reasons.

Sunglasses Ron

WakeUp wrote: »

Yeah I agree with you. If at some future date these Iranians are somehow linked to what might have happened it just wouldnt make any sense for all sorts of reasons.

Not to mention an Austrian passport in a Germanic name is a very odd choice for an Iranian to try and pass himself off on. If they have a preference for using EU passports, instead of obtaining a Spanish, Portugese, Greek, Cypriot etc passport he plugs for an Austrian one?

I read earlier the two passengers were meant to transfer in Beijing onward to Amsterdam, and from there to Frankfurt and Copenhagen separately. Given Frankfurt is one of Europe's largest airports and presumably flies to KL (I'd imagine Amsterdam might as well) it seems a very odd red flag raising itinerary regardless of whether this guy is guilty or not.

A Primal Nut

Sunglasses Ron wrote: »

Not to mention an Austrian passport in a Germanic name is a very odd choice for an Iranian to try and pass himself off on. If they have a preference for using EU passports, instead of obtaining a Spanish, Portugese, Greek, Cypriot etc passport he plugs for an Austrian one?

I read earlier the two passengers were meant to transfer in Beijing onward to Amsterdam, and from there to Frankfurt and Copenhagen separately. Given Frankfurt is one of Europe's largest airports and presumably flies to KL (I'd imagine Amsterdam might as well) it seems a very odd red flag raising itinerary regardless of whether this guy is guilty or not.

China Southern Airlines is often considered the cheapest way to get to Europe by people in that region. Just checked there and they a lot cheaper than Lufthansa who would fly direct.

The travel agent also said Ali did not specifically ask that his clients be booked on the Kuala Lumpur-to-Beijing flight.
Rather, Krutnait said Ali was looking for the cheapest flight for them from Malaysia to Europe.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/world/yellow-object-spotted-sea-found-part-missing-malaysia-airlines-plane-officials-article-1.1716387#ixzz2vdRJANdC

Also I don't why see the nationalities you mentioned would be any better than an Austrian passport? Some Iranians are tanned but I've met some who are quite pale and could pass for northern european. I guess he just chose the one that looks most like him.

The question I have is, what was that lad on about Balotelli?? Unless they are Iranians of African origin?

Anyway, I would bet any money they weren't terrorists. Reading the article makes it seem like they were straightforward illegal immigrants. The travel agent said she is used to dealing with "Mr. Ali", so sounds like he is a middle man to help illegal immigrants get to Europe.

Sunglasses Ron

A Primal Nut wrote: »

I guess he just chose the one that looks most like him.

Have they ascertained if he may have removed and added the passport photo, or if the passenger attempted to pass on a resemblance to the passport holder? Malaysia is a rich, 1st world state, I would highly suspect they scan all passports as standard.

The question I have is, what was that lad on about Balotelli?? Unless they are Iranians of African origin?

Aren't there another two people unconfirmed to have dodgy details?

RollieFingers

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2578020/Why-cellphones-missing-Malaysian-Airlines-passengers-ringing-Family-members-claim-loved-ones-smartphones-active.html

Mad that their cellphones are still ringing

Duggy747

It's unsettling seeing the cameras surrounding the family members like vultures as if they were celebrities.

bear1

RollieFingers wrote: »

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2578020/Why-cellphones-missing-Malaysian-Airlines-passengers-ringing-Family-members-claim-loved-ones-smartphones-active.html

Mad that their cellphones are still ringing

It's like something out of the twilight zone.
What I don't understand though is that if the phones are on and emitting a signal then why aren't the authorities trying to triangulate the phones?
Surely this is common sense

B_Rabbit

RollieFingers wrote: »

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2578020/Why-cellphones-missing-Malaysian-Airlines-passengers-ringing-Family-members-claim-loved-ones-smartphones-active.html

Mad that their cellphones are still ringing

Surely they should be able to track the phones then?

Big Pussy Bonpensiero

Sunglasses Ron wrote: »

Iranians are very unlikely to be Al Qaeda, and while they have an interest in the Syrian war it is baffling as to what end their government would hope to achieve with an attack on a neutral target.

If, and it's a very big if (personally I don't think it was a terrorist attack) I would say that China was the target, and they aren't necessarily neutral. There is a lot of unrest in the muslin communities there now and they were reportedly responsible for the brutal knife attacks that happened recently. Apparently, the main reason they haven't been subjected to more terrorist attacks from Jihad groups is because the Pakistani secret service are going to huge lengths to prevent them to ensure that Pakistan maintain their diplomatic and economic ties with China.

Larbre34

RollieFingers wrote: »

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2578020/Why-cellphones-missing-Malaysian-Airlines-passengers-ringing-Family-members-claim-loved-ones-smartphones-active.html

Mad that their cellphones are still ringing

Ugh, that gave me a chill.

At this point they should be looking for a 50ft Polar bear.

Larbre34

Remember golfer Payne Stewarts plane crash?

Possibly this flight suffered a massive cabin decompression which rendered everyone instantly unconcious.

If the autopilot was disengaged at the time it could have continued on a level flight albeit off course until it ran out of fuel over the open ocean somewhere and glided into the sea, in which case it could be a few thousand miles from where theyre looking. If they were far enough from civilisation then the auto sounders from the black boxes or onboard computer might be broadcasting but nobody is close enough to pick them up....

The phone thing remains weird though.

Merkin

Larbre34 wrote: »

Remember golfer Payne Stewarts plane crash?

Possibly this flight suffered a massive cabin decompression which rendered everyone instantly unconcious.

If the autopilot was disengaged at the time it could have continued on a level flight albeit off course until it ran out of fuel over the open ocean somewhere and glided into the sea, in which case it could be a few thousand miles from where theyre looking. If they were far enough from civilisation then the auto sounders from the black boxes or onboard computer might be broadcasting but nobody is close enough to pick them up....

The phone thing remains weird though.

Surely if it was a case of sudden decompression they would still be visible on radars etc?

It's just bizarre - very disturbing

Big Pussy Bonpensiero

Larbre34 wrote: »

Remember golfer Payne Stewarts plane crash?

Possibly this flight suffered a massive cabin decompression which rendered everyone instantly unconcious.

If the autopilot was disengaged at the time it could have continued on a level flight albeit off course until it ran out of fuel over the open ocean somewhere and glided into the sea, in which case it could be a few thousand miles from where theyre looking. If they were far enough from civilisation then the auto sounders from the black boxes or onboard computer might be broadcasting but nobody is close enough to pick them up....

The phone thing remains weird though.

It has been said that it's highly unlikely that this crash (or whatever it was) was a result of a mechanical failure. The model of the plane in question has a very good safety record and indeed the actual plane that went missing was in perfect working order.

Any crash eventually ascribed to a fault with a plane is by definition likely to throw up a previously unknown and unenvisaged problem. Boeing has sent a team to Asia to offer assistance as technical advisors. But aviation experts agree that the Boeing 777 has a very good safety record and regard technical failure as much more unlikely than deliberate sabotage or pilot error.

Malaysian investigators are turning their attention to the psychological background of the passengers and 12 crew members on board the missing plane. Malaysian police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said: “We are looking into four areas: one, hikacking, two sabotage, three psychological problems of the passengers and crew and four personal problems among the passengers and crew.”

I Heart Internet

The lack of any physical evidence gives this tragic event an air of conspiracy or of being supernatural. That's just my reading of it - people (some media) want it to be UFOs or defence-grade cloaking technology run-amok.

From this perspective, it does seem like a case of "truth is stranger than fiction."

But I imagine a pretty mundane, but tragic, reason is behind this.

At the moment, I'm inclined to believe those that say there was a catostrophic loss of pressure to the cabin, all lost-consciousness and the plan drifted/glided to its demise in a jungle or the waters west of Malaysia.

Could be 100% wrong of course.

Samba

This would freak me out, feel so sorry for the families waiting for news.

SpaceTime

asteroth wrote: »

Just thinking about the whole terrorism thing.

Why would anybody blow up an airliner to make a political point? It makes zero sense to me.

You want to kill a few hundred innocent people just blow up a train. You'd never be detected and probably never caught.

First assumption there is that terrorists are entirely rational. That's a big error as it could be a lone crazy like the guy in Norway who shot all those people.

Duiske

A rather odd story coming out that the Malay military tracked the plane after the transponder stopped working, as it turned around, reduced altitude by 1,000 metres and travelled 300 miles back towards the coast.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/03/11/malaysia-airlines-idUSL2N0M725520140311

Why would the military keep this to themselves for 3 days ? If true, it suggests the planes engines, or at least one engine were working as it turned back, so why no contact from pilot as to reason for course change ? Why did the transponder stop working if the plane still had power ?

Hello_MrFox

Do you think maybe the pilots got lost and flew into space?

Femme_Fatale

Samba wrote: »

This would freak me out

Fuhkkkkk... :eek:

Peregrine

Samba wrote: »

This would freak me out, feel so sorry for the families waiting for news.

A man from Beijing also called his missing brother on the plane, and reported to the airlines that the phone connected three times and rang before appearing to hang up

Comfort tone to fill in for the silence when trying to connect?

Then eventually failing to connect, hence the immediate "hanging up"?

dxhound2005

Femme_Fatale wrote: »

Fuhkkkkk... :eek:

It's probably not what it seems.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/03/11/288998085/ringing-phones-do-not-mean-malaysian-passengers-are-ok

I Heart Internet

The search zone has been extended yet further today, it seems.

RossFixxxed

Samba wrote: »

This would freak me out, feel so sorry for the families waiting for news.

Of all the awful news sources, the Daily Mail (I know, I know) called the mobile operators who apparently said that their phones ring twice before voicemail even if powered off and that this doesn't actually mean the phones are ringing at all.

If the Daily Mail aren't all over it, it's sadly probably not a sign that people are somewhere and the phones are intact

I can't link as it's blocked in the office. I'm open to correction on this.

I Heart Internet

RossFixxxed wrote: »

Of all the awful news sources, the Daily Mail (I know, I know) called the mobile operators who apparently said that their phones ring twice before voicemail even if powered off and that this doesn't actually mean the phones are ringing at all.

If the Daily Mail aren't all over it, it's sadly probably not a sign that people are somewhere and the phones are intact

I can't link as it's blocked in the office. I'm open to correction on this.

Yeah, just desperate (understandable) wishful thinking, to think that the phones are still active.

As I said before, the lack of any clue or physical evidence means every outlandish theory is considered. The dismal truth will certainly be a lot more mundane.

Bog Standard User

the plane had an experimental jump drive... its orbiting alpha centauri now

bear1

Bog Standard User wrote: »

the plane had an experimental jump drive... its orbiting alpha centauri now

Really funny.

JJJJNR

you can hardly blame people making light of this situation, its a natural defense mechanism to stress.

bear1

I just think it's too soon.

mike65

Remember that cancelled TV series - The Event?

FunLover18

On the whole phone, it was pointed out to me today that it was a bit weird that there wasn't contact from any of the passengers (or at least I haven't heard of anything and I haven't read this thread so apologies) via phones or social media. Usually the news would pick up on stuff if say the passengers had had time to phone relatives.

Didn't people on the 9/11 flight phone relatives etc? If the plane was so severely diverted surely they would have had to let passengers know. Was there any contact from at all, even a disgruntled tweet about how the flight had been diverted? It strikes me as very odd