Malaysian Airlines Flight MH-370 goes missing

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 15 Mar 2014 12:33

it was stated that the pings give info about location and speed

dhruvM · Post by **dhruvM** » 15 Mar 2014 12:35

How the hell did it reach there without being detected by Indian radars and unkil radar in Afg.

if we get a demand to stop the referendum tomorrow, then we will know.

IMO the inmarsat pings cannot be triangulated with certainty. Maybe you can trace the longitude but not latitude. That may be the reason for two possible corridors that are being speculated. See pic -
http://i.imgur.com/XqAq5tV.jpg

rohitvats · Post by **rohitvats** » 15 Mar 2014 12:51

One explanation about the drastic change in altitude - first increase to 45K and then below 23K - could be an effort to avoid traffic in the corridor. The plane was flying with its transponders switched off and the oncoming traffic would not know about its presence - again, an indication that the people who commandeered the aircraft were in no hurry to go down the blaze of glory path anytime soon.

The routes mentioned are high altitude flying routes.

krishnan · Post by **krishnan** » 15 Mar 2014 12:59

Did the pilot’s “mumbling”, last heard on the radio by another flight crew, signify a slow decompression problem that led to hypoxia?

What about the creepy fact that passenger cell phones were ringing, though calls remained unanswered, after the plane went missing?

the mobile phones rang when someone probably the relative/friend called , but no one picked it up

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 15 Mar 2014 14:05

The only place in India with mil radars 24x7 on alert is western border.
with transponder off and no mil radars in peninsula it could have flown in, crossed into Tibet from up, then moved west again to the stans.

on a peace day we are mostly Nanga..just as everyone.

shiv · Post by **shiv** » 15 Mar 2014 14:16

prahaar wrote:http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ience.html

Are there any strategic Indian establishments in the redzone on Indian territory?

Kolkata. Kalaikunda. Flying over BDesh/Nepal he may have been missed.
ATC radars are radars and do not depend on transmisssions from a/c afaik. They are on 24/7.

Rajiv Lather · Post by **Rajiv Lather** » 15 Mar 2014 14:46

Finally ! Malaysian police search home of pilot of missing MH370, says official

Paul · Post by **Paul** » 15 Mar 2014 16:24

^^^If the northern route is the way it went then Cheen is even more nanga than us. They need to really set radar coverage in the Tibet/Turkestan region. Lots of nangas in the region.

harbans · Post by **harbans** » 15 Mar 2014 16:31

Main culprit looks a consortium of Radar companies. They've proven airspaces of Malaysia, Thailand, India, China, Tajikstan, Pakistan, Bangladesh are all nanga completely. All these countries will rush to buy radars worth tens of billions.

harbans · Post by **harbans** » 15 Mar 2014 16:48

China can afford to be completely Nanga on their front with us and save valuable billions and divert it building roads to Sikkim, Nepal etc. With MMS in power, we are more likely to vacate what's ours than even think of claiming or taking something that they have.

vic · Post by **vic** » 15 Mar 2014 17:13

Perhaps as usual the Plane commandered by terrorists ended up in Afgan-Pak area and US trying to delay the discovery of facts as much as possible.

vina · Post by **vina** » 15 Mar 2014 17:15

Who is Bin Fartin ?
Yeah. Both the Chinese and Malaysians have Bin Fartin. I can't decide whose Fartin the nastiest and smelliest

That this plane has been hijacked has been known to the Malaysians and Chinese for a LONG time. All this rubbish by the Chinese about 10 Saterrites and Ealth Quarkes in the sea floor and the other rubbish are all a dog and pony show.

Ladies & Gentlemen, this IS Kandhahar II. The lesson from that, was that the usual typical playbook of managing hijackings to slow things down, start negotiations etc have been thrown out, by the opposition. They squeezed the critical decision time before which you could react and prevent escalation. The only opportunity that India had was to assault the plane when the pilot landed in Amritsar. The Baboos didn't block the plane from taking off there and it was all downhill from that point. With 9/11 there was no window at ALL.

A similar game MUST have played out here as well. Either the Chinese or the Malaysians would have got a call with a set of demands and a firm deadline of 6 hours . This is where I am not sure who is Bin Fartin nastiest. My money is on the Chinese. They would have simply suppressed that info of call and demands and that is showing up in the aggressiveness in media manipulation and stuff in the search and rescue when it has no cards to play. The Malaysians will play a similar game as well. Both the Chinese and Malaysians are made for each other and deserve each other. Information suppression and repression is part of their culture and game. They too did the usual play copy book hijack handling game of waiting and hoping to negotiate.

Nope. The hijackers, took the plane out of area, set it on a suicide mission if their 5 hr / 6 hr demand window wasn't met. Hence the max endurance Yak Butter wallah UB tactics pointed out in this thread. This effectively the Chinese/ Malaysians (whoever suppressed that call/demand) telling the hijackers go ahead and do your worst and they did it. They will be doing their damnedest to suppress the news from coming out. Something as easy as we will be hearing on a particular frequency for a particular message, within 6 hrs and if it doesn't come about, it is the drink is exactly what the hijackers did. Their exit was to take the plane to Australia if the message came within time.

When the cockpit voice recorder and FDR are recovered, under any circumstance, it should not be given to the Malaysians. It must be decoded and played publicly and published on the internet. Only then the whole truth can be deciphered.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 15 Mar 2014 17:39

strange this film has come out about same time where a pilot is hijacker

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 15 Mar 2014 17:42

vina: Finally a competing CT worthy of UB CTs Inc.

B4 I discuss the latest "sightings", one point to Gagan re: TWA 747 that crashed off Rhode Island:

It then proceeded to ascend near vertically to some crazy altitude and then came down sharply and hit the ocean.

Never heard the ascent part before. The explosion was at low altitude during climbout from JFK, very short distance over the sea. It was supposed to be at the main wing fuel tanks, knocking out the main spar and destroying the wings. "Climb" after that goes against laws of both thermodynamics and Isaac bin Newton. It dropped into the ocean. I have not checked Wikipedia on this, because there are plenty of CTs on why the crash occurred, prominently including US govt. or other missile.

You may be confusing with two other crashes. There was one in generally same area, EgyptAir I think. Co-pilot is said to have declared AOA! b4 executing terminal dive at full power. THAT may have been preceded by sharp climb to maximize impact. The other terminal dive event was the Valujet, where there was a fire in the cargo compartment (i.e., below the front cabin). I forget what things, were stored close to oxygen canisters. Cabin filled with toxic smoke in seconds, crew knocked out, control cables burned with extreme high-temperature fire, plane dived vertically into swamp, all evidence swallowed up and swamp returned to normal appearance within minutes. Terminal velocity estimated as ~ or > Mach 1. Wreckage (probably in little pieces) went down at high velocity, was buried in mud, nothing floated up for a while. Eventually someone found something that came up and was floating.
***************************************************
Now for latest CT: KAZAKHSTAN/TURKMENISTAN??????
So they were able to land and refuel and disappear to Lawd knows wheyar, unless the pilot messed up on landing and damaged the gear. Pray for the passengers! This is getting awfully and uncomfortably close to the grazing grounds of those who first advanced a credible CT on hijack..

Note from UB CTs Inc: THAT WAS BASED STRICTLY ON PROBABILISTIC DEDUCTION FROM FACTS AVAILABLE PUBLICLY AT THE TIME!!!!!![/i][/b] Mainly on lack of any wreckage sightings, report of Malaysian military radar, possible course connecting the last ATC and that, and the availability of cellphone non-Internet GPS and availability of extensive cellphone contact over SE Asia if the pilots wanted to establish ground contact or nav aids. Plus awareness of where it took off, and the general politics of the region. Apologies to anyone to whom those pointers may have pointed.
B4 anyone takes it any other way, note that same algorithm yielded excellent results for cricket matches, and we haven't made a dime on those either.

But we have to ask: How credible are these new reports? And is this (a) why Russkies were awfully quiet so far (Air defense radar and Star Wars satellites detected the intrusion but it would have seemed so utterly nonsensical at the time) and (b) why Malaysia now announces this? Or did they?
I don't think the plane/its contents are there at this location any more, or they would have been surrounded already. They cannot make any contact over the airwaves without being detected. Coded messages via Internet possible: we will have to wait for Snowden II to get those read and analyzed.
So they may be at North Pole (or South Pole) by now. Good thing Search Area doesn't extend to Moon. All I can say is that I can't see it around my yak-shed. This may have to be the ultimate Crowd-Sourced Search, hain? Loved that comment from Indian officer saying 1000 Indian fishermen are searching. Beats the heck out of (Chinese) satellites for quick identification.
BTW, Chinese reports of two boats "parked" together in open ocean, disappeared b4 anyone got there. Drug deal?

Chinese govt credibility is approaching that of Malaysia's, heading in terminal dive towards the exception depths reached b4 only by Pakistan.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 15 Mar 2014 17:44

strange this film has come out about same time where a pilot is hijacker

True but so has this:

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 15 Mar 2014 17:45

I knew afpak was there in the unholy brew..it usually is.
kazkhstan is a vast emptiness...plane could have been put under cover there.
rus is more concerned with abm radar on that front.

positive news is our patchy coverage over peninsula and a&n will be funded now,
hopefully with desi radars all over and oth radar to monitor entire should reach ears of namo team.

member_28173 · Post by **member_28173** » 15 Mar 2014 18:09

"My Name is Khan"

Aditya_V · Post by **Aditya_V** » 15 Mar 2014 18:10

Singha, Even if our coverage in Penunsula A&N is patchy, there is no way the 777 could have crossed the Northern Airspace without being detected by IAF and various ATC, quite frankly its more likely the aircraft flew in South to Indian ocean or even flew to Western Australia whose radar coverage will be much more patchy.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 15 Mar 2014 18:13

OK, there is NO Kazakhstan sighting.
Malaysian PM merely said that that they have no clue, it had 7.5 hours fuel, (agrees with very first report, so I believe that statement.
had its communications deliberately disabled and its last signal came
about seven and a half hours after takeoff, meaning it could have ended up as far as Kazakhstan or deep in the southern Indian Ocean, Prime Minister Najib Razak said Saturday....

"In view of this latest development, the Malaysian authorities have refocused their investigation into the crew and passengers on board," Najib said, stressing they are still investigating all possibilities as to why the plane deviated so drastically from its original flight path.
"Clearly the search for MH370 has entered a new phase," Najib told a televised news conference.
.....The plane's communications with civilian air controllers were severed about 1:20 and the plane went missing in one of the most puzzling mysteries in modern aviation history.
Najib said investigators now have a high degree of certainly that one of the planes communications, the Aircraft and Communications Addressing and Reporting System, was disabled before the aircraft reached the east coast of Malaysia. Shortly afterward, someone on board then switched off the aircraft's transponder, which communicates with civilian air traffic controllers.

The prime minister then confirmed that Malaysian air force defence radar picked up traces of the plane turning back westward, crossing over peninsular Malaysia into the northern stretches of the Strait of Malacca. Authorities previously had said this radar data could not be verified.
He then said the last confirmed signal between the plane and a satellite came at 8:11 a.m. Malaysian time — 7 hours and 31 minutes after take-off. Airline officials have said the plane had enough fuel to fly for up to about eight hours, while investigators believe the aircraft flew for nearly seven hours after it vanished from civilian radar.
"The investigations team is making further calculations which will indicate how far the aircraft may have flown after this last point of contact," Najib said.
Investigators believe one or more people with flying experience deliberately steered the missing Malaysia Airlines jet off course after switching off communication devices. (Lai Seng Sin/Associated Presss)
.... A Malaysian government official involved in the investigation on Saturday said "it is conclusive" that one or more people with significant flying experience hijacked the jet, switched off communication devices and steered it off-course... The official said that hijacking was no longer a theory, UB CTs had it right all along.
Najib said authorities had determined that the plane's last communication with a satellite was in one of two possible "corridors" — a northern one from northern Thailand through to the border of Kazakstan and Turkmenistan, and a southern one from Indonesia to the southern Indian Ocean. ... searching in the South China Sea, where the plane first lost contact with air traffic controllers, would be ended. The current search involved 14 countries, 43 ships and 58 aircraft.[/quote]

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 15 Mar 2014 18:14

Via NYTimes:

This map released by Malaysian officials shows two red lines representing the possible locations from which Flight 370 sent its last hourly transmission to a satellite at 8:11 a.m. on March 8, more than seven hours after it took off from Kuala Lumpur's airport, and when the plane would most likely have been running low on fuel. Credit Office of the Prime Minister of Malaysia

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 15 Mar 2014 18:17

What the NYTimes says about the northern arc:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/16/world ... ml?hp&_r=0

The northern arc described by Mr. Najib passes through or close to some of the world’s most volatile countries that are home to insurgent groups, but also over highly militarized areas with robust air-defense networks, some run by the American military. The arc passes close to northern Iran, through Afghanistan and northern Pakistan, and through northern India and the Himalayan mountains and Myanmar.

An aircraft flying on that arc would have to pass through air-defense networks in India and Pakistan, whose mutual border is heavily militarized, as well as through Afghanistan, where the United States and other NATO countries have operated air bases for more than a decade.

Air bases near that arc include Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan, where the United States Air Force’s 455th Air Expeditionary Wing is based, and a large Indian air base, Hindon Air Force Station.

Singha · Post by **Singha** » 15 Mar 2014 18:20

Aditya sir, could have gone over east of andamans, left turn, Andhra, chattisgarh, Bihar, Nepal, Tibet....
our atc radars r just small circles and i doubt we have mil radars on 24x7 bordering nepal

a south north channel in west andhra is a dark territory where ysr helicopter crashed.

anyways the map above indicates probable Myanmar route..far safer than a bold clever dash across India with odd chance of being nabbed.

if it was the chief pilot, with 18000 hrs he must know every route east nd west of his country like back of hand,
and could have flown it n times on simulator as well. Msft sw usually saves logs and gameplay , the police must be going over that now to see which missions he was flying at home.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 15 Mar 2014 18:24

So what was the contact at 7.5 hours, if ACARS was turned off? If it was ACARS it was "engines shutting down, out of fuel" or "vibration data on landing". Probably the former, which indicates crash followed. So all dead/unconscious on flight before that. Search for wreckage still valid, but at radius of 7.5 hours, except that flight speed and altitude are unknown.

Thanks for the NYT map, but the arcs are not flight paths: they define some boundary from where the communication could have come. The fuel-available region has to be a circle centered at last transmission, not at the satellite (Einsteins show the altitude of the satellite, which is clearly GEO). Unless they tell us WHAT that last signal was, there is no meaningful info here. For all we know the signal could have been

Flight Mohammed Abdul Salah Three Seven Zero to Kuala Lumpur Tower Requesting clearance for takeoff again from taxiway at Kuala Lumpur , you ****ing &%$^###@@!!"

which would have been "not-mumbled but unprintable comm from cockpit".

Based on this, UBCTs have to issue our latest suggestion: Look for islands in the south Indian Ocean. Abdul Blofeld bin SPECTER may have taken over one of those. But most probably it was an "out of fuel" signal, and the plane crashed in the ocean. All dead/passed out looong before that, mercifully.

This explains the initial US "plane went in the water in the Indian Ocean" statement, and the total lack of hurry accompanying that. The destroyer Kidd was sent into the Malacca Straits per request of Malaysia, not request of US National Reconnaissance Office.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 15 Mar 2014 18:39

UlanBatori wrote: Thanks for the NYT map, but the arcs are not flight paths: they define some boundary from where the communication could have come.

The arcs are obviously not flight paths - see the big dot on the map in the Malacca Strait showing last known radar contact? The arcs are the locus of last known position based on satellite info. A bit misleading I think, because the uncertainty in position is not depicted, which is no doubt there.

So the plane could be safely landed in Myanmar (given otherwise all the radar it would have had to dodge). The question then is why they left the engines running.

I think the unlikelihood of the plane having evaded so much radar on any of the extreme positions on the northern arc is what is leading the search to the south.

That information is coming out now that could have been made available days ago, to me, is a sign of significant involvement of governments in what happened. Why would American/European companies keep silent for all these days? I don't believe that digging data out of their data lakes or warehouses and processing it, takes seven days.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 15 Mar 2014 18:48

Guptaji: Innocent explanation. They detected a crash way out in the middle of nowhere (south Indian ocean). If you were running the spy satellite that found that, would you go public? You could not be sure, or even have reasonable cause, until other things pointed this plane there.
So the govts were in a race to see who could be the LAST to come out with the info, as the first would give away their observation capability. It was so far out that SAR was all but impossible, takes weeks. Maybe there's a whole Navy/Fishing Trawler convention out there by now (week later) and the secret is out, hence all the announcements.

IndraD · Post by **IndraD** » 15 Mar 2014 18:51

one learning lesson coming out is that it should be impossible for any one to shut off communication device in cockpit and there should be technique to make sure a plane is always traceable I am sure massa unkil must be thinking about this

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 15 Mar 2014 19:02

UlanBatori wrote:Guptaji: Innocent explanation. They detected a crash way out in the middle of nowhere (south Indian ocean). If you were running the spy satellite that found that, would you go public? You could not be sure, or even have reasonable cause, until other things pointed this plane there.

The map that the PM of Malaysia released has nothing to do with spy satellites or exotic technological capabilities. That the plane engines were running 7 hours after take-off reveals nothing about military capabilities.

Even if INMARSAT could not provide the arcs in the map (let's stipulate it takes a team of five Turing Award Winners to do the computation in a week), the fact that pings were received upto 7 hours after take-off would have been immediately available, say on day one.

On Day Two, nobody should have been searching in the Gulf of Thailand, based on a 7 hours flight.

There is no innocent explanation.

Dilbu · Post by **Dilbu** » 15 Mar 2014 19:06

Malaysians probably know more than they claim and from initial responses to probing questions they pretty much said there are some things they can't disclose. Some big bully is definitely arm twisting them regarding the data they can give out. If it is indeed China then what is the motive? As someone said a highjacking which was wrongly handled by cheens resulting in a major loss of face? Or is it something bigger in scale?

Rajiv Lather · Post by **Rajiv Lather** » 15 Mar 2014 19:11

OK now, me thinks this is a combined AQ/Uighur operation with active help from either one or both pilots. The operation has been very meticulously planned and would have been difficult for the Uighurs alone. This brings me to the next point, someone who planned it so thoroughly would not fly north into the dragon's den.

Vina's hypothesis is improbable if you analyze Chinese reaction. If the plane went down in the ocean after fuel ran out, then the Chinese would be frothing at the mouth and come down hard on the Malaysians. But we can see they have quietened down and withdrawn into their shell. So the negotiations are still on...

I still maintain the liner could not have flown across Indian mainland without the government's knowledge. The so-called International community have played a dirty game once they realized what was happening. And am sure, the Chinese now know about it.

Victor · Post by **Victor** » 15 Mar 2014 19:19

Malay govt is redeploying all assets to west of Malacca from S China Sea per Reuters. It is now officially a criminal investigation.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 15 Mar 2014 19:20

^^^What pull does the Malaysian government have on INMARSAT, a company traded on the London Stock Exchange? When INMARSAT CEO sees nations piling on ships and planes searching in the Gulf of Thailand, when his techs say that the plane engines were running for 7 hours, what keeps that silent - not even a leak to the press? What "official secrets" would be revealed by that?

They all have to have been told "shut up" from the highest level of their own government.

Theo_Fidel · Post by **Theo_Fidel** » 15 Mar 2014 19:22

If it had crashed anywhere in the northern arc the ELT would be transmitting.

The most plausible remains the Southern arc. Somewhere deep in the South IOR. Never to be recovered.

I have always been a bit dubious on the decompression idea because the transmitters were all turned off. Even if there is a fire you would think the transmitter would send some data before being overwhelmed. The AF flight sent 25-30 bursts of data about problems in a matter of minutes before it crashed.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 15 Mar 2014 19:28

Code: Select all

Even if INMARSAT could not provide the arcs in the map (let's stipulate it takes a team of five Turing Award Winners to do the computation in a week), the fact that pings were received upto 7 hours after take-off

Guptaji, the problem with that is:
a) Malaysian PM said someone switched off ACARS BEFORE Malaysian radar spotted it cruising out to the Indian Ocean.
Which means INMARSAT link via ACARS was kaput right then. No more engine data transmissions etc unless the pilot wanted it to happen and turned ACARS back on.
b) So what was INMARSAT picking up? No publicly announced mode of comm.
c) So what picked up the transmission 7.5 hrs later? Obviously NOT a civilian satellite or at least a civilian mode of transmission/detection. Either it was not INMARSAT or it wasn't a civilian transponder/camera/IR detector/Djinn Pakon* counter whatever. Q.E.D.

*Pakon: smallest known discrete element of a terrorist network. Detected using smell of pakistan.

Now let's try reconciling that with the other "authoritative" reports. Go back to WSJ report. Someone was briefing POTUS/NSC etc 3 days ago (probably after reading BRF) on hijacking/ 911-type scenarios. Based on what other info? Had to be spy-sat data. THEN after WSJ report (which was a deliberate leak, or someone is heading for big trouble) they came out and said "US satellites detected something going into the water in the Indian ocean". So I think govt-2-govt comms have been saying these from Day 1.

Now go far back to Malaysian Military guy's first statement:

There are some things I can tell you and some things I can't.

Yes, they sort-of knew right away.

SwamyG · Post by **SwamyG** » 15 Mar 2014 19:30

So why were they searching Bay of Bengal?

Dilbu · Post by **Dilbu** » 15 Mar 2014 19:32

Buying time? For negotiations or soemthing else?

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 15 Mar 2014 19:33

^^^ There probably is a protocol, in case of a plane crash, all data that these various companies have **must** be given to their governments, and they are not allowed to talk about it, until authorized by said governments. Then the question becomes, why these governments kept silent.

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 15 Mar 2014 19:37

So that we can all read between the same lines:

Following is the text of Prime Minister Najib Razak’s statement Saturday on the investigation into the missing Malaysia Airlines plane, as provided by Mr. Najib’s office.

Seven days ago Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 disappeared. We realize this is an excruciating time for the families of those on board. No words can describe the pain they must be going through. Our thoughts and our prayers are with them.

I have been appraised of the ongoing search operation round the clock. At the beginning of the operation, I ordered the search area to be broadened; I instructed the Malaysian authorities to share all relevant information freely and transparently with the wider investigation team; and I requested that our friends and allies join the operation. As of today, 14 countries, 43 ships and 58 aircraft are involved in the search. I wish to thank all the governments for their help at such a crucial time.

Since day one, the Malaysian authorities have worked hand-in-hand with our international partners – including neighboring countries, the aviation authorities and a multinational search force – many of whom have been here on the ground since Sunday.

We have shared information in real time with authorities who have the necessary experience to interpret the data. We have been working nonstop to assist the investigation. And we have put our national security second to the search for the missing plane.

It is widely understood that this has been a situation without precedent.

We have conducted search operations over land, in the South China Sea, the Straits of Malacca, the Andaman Sea and the Indian Ocean. At every stage, we acted on the basis of verified information, and we followed every credible lead. Sometimes these leads have led nowhere.

There has been intense speculation. We understand the desperate need for information on behalf of the families and those watching around the world. But we have a responsibility to the investigation and the families to only release information that has been corroborated. And our primary motivation has always been to find the plane.

In the first phase of the search operation, we searched near MH370’s last known position, in the South China Sea. At the same time, it was brought to our attention by the Royal Malaysian Air Force that, based on their primary radar, an aircraft – the identity of which could not be confirmed – made a turn back. The primary radar data showed the aircraft proceeding on a flight path which took it to an area north of the Straits of Malacca.

Given this credible data, which was subsequently corroborated with the relevant international authorities, we expanded the area of search to include the Straits of Malacca and, later, to the Andaman Sea.

Early this morning I was briefed by the investigation team – which includes the F.A.A., N.T.S.B., the A.A.I.B., the Malaysian authorities and the acting minister of transport – on new information that sheds further light on what happened to MH370.

Based on new satellite information, we can say with a high degree of certainty that the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) was disabled just before the aircraft reached the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Shortly afterwards, near the border between Malaysian and Vietnamese air traffic control, the aircraft’s transponder was switched off.

From this point onwards, the Royal Malaysian Air Force primary radar showed that an aircraft which was believed – but not confirmed – to be MH370 did indeed turn back. It then flew in a westerly direction back over Peninsular Malaysia before turning northwest. Up until the point at which it left military primary radar coverage, these movements are consistent with deliberate action by someone on the plane.

Today, based on raw satellite data that was obtained from the satellite data service provider, we can confirm that the aircraft shown in the primary radar data was flight MH370. After much forensic work and deliberation, the F.A.A., N.T.S.B., A.A.I.B. and the Malaysian authorities, working separately on the same data, concur.

According to the new data, the last confirmed communication between the plane and the satellite was at 8:11 a.m. Malaysian time on Saturday 8th March. The investigations team is making further calculations which will indicate how far the aircraft may have flown after this last point of contact. This will help us to refine the search.

Due to the type of satellite data, we are unable to confirm the precise location of the plane when it last made contact with the satellite.

However, based on this new data, the aviation authorities of Malaysia and their international counterparts have determined that the plane’s last communication with the satellite was in one of two possible corridors: a northern corridor stretching approximately from the border of Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan to northern Thailand, or a southern corridor stretching approximately from Indonesia to the southern Indian Ocean. The investigation team is working to further refine the information.

In view of this latest development the Malaysian authorities have refocused their investigation into the crew and passengers on board. Despite media reports that the plane was hijacked, I wish to be very clear: we are still investigating all possibilities as to what caused MH370 to deviate from its original flight path.

This new satellite information has a significant impact on the nature and scope of the search operation. We are ending our operations in the South China Sea and reassessing the redeployment of our assets. We are working with the relevant countries to request all information relevant to the search, including radar data.

As the two new corridors involve many countries, the relevant foreign embassies have been invited to a briefing on the new information today by the Malaysian Foreign Ministry and the technical experts. I have also instructed the Foreign Ministry to provide a full briefing to foreign governments which had passengers on the plane. This morning, Malaysia Airlines has been informing the families of the passengers and crew of these new developments.

Clearly, the search for MH370 has entered a new phase. Over the last seven days, we have followed every lead and looked into every possibility. For the families and friends of those involved, we hope this new information brings us one step closer to finding the plane.

UlanBatori · Post by **UlanBatori** » 15 Mar 2014 19:44

Yes.

(ACARS) was disabled just before the aircraft reached the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. Shortly afterwards, near the border between Malaysian and Vietnamese air traffic control, the aircraft’s transponder was switched off.

Rajiv Lather · Post by **Rajiv Lather** » 15 Mar 2014 19:46

The passengers - I cannot reconcile Chinese silence and meekness with the death of all the passengers. If the Chinese knew for sure the passengers were all dead, they would have come out all guns blazing against Malaysians, Boeing and RR. Moreover the operation was too well planned for the hijackers to run out of fuel. If they die like this, what will they gain ? No publicity, and they lose the golden bargaining chips - the Chinese passengers. After going through all this trouble they wouldn't want to lose the hostages without gaining anything.

The Indian search has confirmed no trace of the crash or the debris. The airliner is on land and some if not all, passengers are alive. The indication of crash and passengers' death can come either from a confirmed crash site, or from official Chinese reaction. Both are absent...

A_Gupta · Post by **A_Gupta** » 15 Mar 2014 19:47

UlanBatori wrote: Guptaji, the problem with that is:
a) Malaysian PM said someone switched off ACARS BEFORE Malaysian radar spotted it cruising out to the Indian Ocean.
Which means INMARSAT link via ACARS was kaput right then. No more engine data transmissions etc unless the pilot wanted it to happen and turned ACARS back on.

As WSJ and dailymail.uk reported:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... lying.html

Despite these two crucial tracking devices being inoperative, the plane still sent signals to a satellite after the aircraft went missing in the form of 'pings' - rather like a cellphone does, even if it is not switched on.

Is the "BIG SECRET" that they were trying to keep was the fact that ACARS continues to ping even when turned off?