malaysian airlines flight

by MaxEntropy_Man Sun Mar 09, 2014 8:07 pm

i have been following this news on and off. there is one thing i don't understand. does anyone here familiar with acoustics and signals and systems clue me in? aren't the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder of all modern aircrafts equipped with a beacon? does this not work very well under water?

by MaxEntropy_Man Sun Mar 09, 2014 8:13 pm

a related article. it seems like this technology is still stone age:

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/mar/09/malaysia-airlines-flight-mh370-black-box

by Maria S Mon Mar 10, 2014 9:27 am

I am fascinated by this aviation mystery..will be following closely, until there are some answers. Reminds me of those ancient "Bermuda triangle" disappearances.

As the families wait anxiously (how difficult the not-knowing has to be) for the news about their loved ones..kind of interesting to see even with all the super technology- satellites and missiles included, the extensive multinational search efforts, and a few twists with missing passports to see this mystery still lingers on..although the conspiracy theories seem far-fetched at this time, certainly exposes the limitations of tracking commercial aircrafts.

by Maria S Tue Mar 11, 2014 7:53 am

The mystery continues..becoming curiouser and curiouser!

Mr. VP (a Sulebrity)..says he had a premonition that the flight-related information is suppressed for "ulterior" motives. I am not sure..but, until there are some "real" answers..have to ponder about the various theories..like this one which focusses on the state of mind of the pilot:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/03/11/just-how-common-are-pilot-suicides/

by Marathadi-Saamiyaar Tue Mar 11, 2014 8:36 am

Yet another mystery:

KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia’s military believes it tracked a missing jetliner by radar over the Strait of Malacca, far from where it last made contact with civilian air traffic control off the country’s east coast, a military source told Reuters.

In one of the most baffling mysteries in recent aviation history, a massive search operation for the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200ER, now in its fourth day, has so far found no trace of the aircraft or the 239 passengers and crew.

“It changed course after Kota Bharu and took a lower altitude. It made it into the Malacca Strait,” the military official, who has been briefed on investigations, told Reuters.

The Strait of Malacca, one of the world’s busiest shipping channels, runs along Malaysia’s west coast. The airline said on Saturday that radio and radar contact with Flight MH370 was lost off the east coast Malaysian town of Kota Bharu.

by Merlot Daruwala Tue Mar 11, 2014 9:12 am

I'm reminded of Flt 714 from the Tintin series. Coincidentally, set in the same part of the world.

by Seva Lamberdar Tue Mar 11, 2014 11:42 am

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:i have been following this news on and off. there is one thing i don't understand. does anyone here familiar with acoustics and signals and systems clue me in? aren't the flight data recorder and the cockpit voice recorder of all modern aircrafts equipped with a beacon? does this not work very well under water?

Yes.

by b_A Tue Mar 11, 2014 2:48 pm

Maria S wrote:The mystery continues..becoming curiouser and curiouser!

Mr. VP (a Sulebrity)..says he had a premonition that the flight-related information is suppressed for "ulterior" motives. I am not sure..but, until there are some "real" answers..have to ponder about the various theories..like this one which focusses on the state of mind of the pilot:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/03/11/just-how-common-are-pilot-suicides/

Reminds me the Sherlock Homes quote - "when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth".
Pilot suicide is the only possible explanation now. He must've switched off the transponders, hit the water gently like a landing so that the aircraft will not break up on impact but will rather sink on its own weight. That's why no debris is found so far. What kind of sick soul takes 300 people's lives along with his own ?

by indophile Tue Mar 11, 2014 3:44 pm

Several years ago an Egyptian pilot (of Egyptian Airlines) committed suicide (and took another couple of hundred with him). They found out about it after they found the voice recorder that had a two-line muslim prayer (they said it was a good bye prayer) as the last recorded voice in that device. So it's not unheard of.

by southindian Tue Mar 11, 2014 3:47 pm

b_A wrote:
Maria S wrote:The mystery continues..becoming curiouser and curiouser!

Mr. VP (a Sulebrity)..says he had a premonition that the flight-related information is suppressed for "ulterior" motives. I am not sure..but, until there are some "real" answers..have to ponder about the various theories..like this one which focusses on the state of mind of the pilot:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/03/11/just-how-common-are-pilot-suicides/

Reminds me the Sherlock Homes quote - "when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth".
Pilot suicide is the only possible explanation now. He must've switched off the transponders, hit the water gently like a landing so that the aircraft will not break up on impact but will rather sink on its own weight. That's why no debris is found so far. What kind of sick soul takes 300 people's lives along with his own ?

In that case the pilot is acting as terrorist. The co-pilot and crew would not go down without a fight. The pilot must have had a scuffle with co-pilot, crew when plane was going down disrupting pilot's plans of smoothly hitting water.

The pilot's plans are only possible if everyone else thinks the pilot is Rashmun and ignored whatever the pilot was doing until it was too late. Maybe the pilot started reading Akbarnama and co-pilot/crew ran away from him.

by nevada Tue Mar 11, 2014 4:22 pm

Next time I go to India maybe I should board a ship.

by b_A Tue Mar 11, 2014 5:21 pm

southindian wrote:
b_A wrote:
Maria S wrote:The mystery continues..becoming curiouser and curiouser!

Mr. VP (a Sulebrity)..says he had a premonition that the flight-related information is suppressed for "ulterior" motives. I am not sure..but, until there are some "real" answers..have to ponder about the various theories..like this one which focusses on the state of mind of the pilot:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/03/11/just-how-common-are-pilot-suicides/

Reminds me the Sherlock Homes quote - "when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth".
Pilot suicide is the only possible explanation now. He must've switched off the transponders, hit the water gently like a landing so that the aircraft will not break up on impact but will rather sink on its own weight. That's why no debris is found so far. What kind of sick soul takes 300 people's lives along with his own ?
In that case the pilot is acting as terrorist. The co-pilot and crew would not go down without a fight. The pilot must have had a scuffle with co-pilot, crew when plane was going down disrupting pilot's plans of smoothly hitting water.

The pilot's plans are only possible if everyone else thinks the pilot is Rashmun and ignored whatever the pilot was doing until it was too late. Maybe the pilot started reading Akbarnama and co-pilot/crew ran away from him.

It could've been the pilot or Co-pilot. it is not unusual for one of them to take naps once the auto-pilot is engaged in cruising altitude. In the Air France crash , the voice recorders showed that the pilot was actually outside the cabin when the problem occurred. By the time he was called back into cockpit and took control , it was too late.

by southindian Tue Mar 11, 2014 8:32 pm

nevada wrote:Next time I go to India maybe I should board a ship.

Yes, Holiday Cruiseships are best and are even half-price now. I wonder why?

by b_A Tue Mar 11, 2014 8:35 pm

southindian wrote:
nevada wrote:Next time I go to India maybe I should board a ship.
Yes, Holiday Cruiseships are best and are even half-price now. I wonder why?

And what if the captain of the ship is another nutcase and hits an iceberg on purpose ?

by southindian Tue Mar 11, 2014 8:38 pm

b_A wrote:
southindian wrote:
b_A wrote:
Maria S wrote:The mystery continues..becoming curiouser and curiouser!

Mr. VP (a Sulebrity)..says he had a premonition that the flight-related information is suppressed for "ulterior" motives. I am not sure..but, until there are some "real" answers..have to ponder about the various theories..like this one which focusses on the state of mind of the pilot:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/03/11/just-how-common-are-pilot-suicides/

Reminds me the Sherlock Homes quote - "when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth".
Pilot suicide is the only possible explanation now. He must've switched off the transponders, hit the water gently like a landing so that the aircraft will not break up on impact but will rather sink on its own weight. That's why no debris is found so far. What kind of sick soul takes 300 people's lives along with his own ?
In that case the pilot is acting as terrorist. The co-pilot and crew would not go down without a fight. The pilot must have had a scuffle with co-pilot, crew when plane was going down disrupting pilot's plans of smoothly hitting water.

The pilot's plans are only possible if everyone else thinks the pilot is Rashmun and ignored whatever the pilot was doing until it was too late. Maybe the pilot started reading Akbarnama and co-pilot/crew ran away from him.

It could've been the pilot or Co-pilot. it is not unusual for one of them to take naps once the auto-pilot is engaged in cruising altitude. In the Air France crash , the voice recorders showed that the pilot was actually outside the cabin when the problem occurred. By the time he was called back into cockpit and took control , it was too late.

Remember past news, when of a short Indian Ahemdabad-Mumbai 45 min flight reached over Goa, before pilots' sleep interrupted by a flight attendant. The flight was on auto-pilot after take-off.

I hate when pilots can't even take an hour nap on domestic flights.

by nevada Tue Mar 11, 2014 8:48 pm

A conspiracy theorist on the internets has this to say about the case:

This is my assessment. By now MH 370 Boeing 777 is in Myanmar. Passengers are now Hostages. The plane will be repainted and transponders reset. The Boeing 777 has a range of 8000 - 10,000 miles with a FULL Load. Terrorists can take off and fly NON STOP to any City in the World. Right now the 777 will be full of Nuclear Explosives. I would guess the Terrorists are planning to take out Millions of Americans OR Israelis. More likely Americans. That's the reason for the Long Range 777. They have help from the "Inside". Its a conspiracy. They will mimic the Transponder Signals of a Legitimate Aircraft and fly into a very populated City. Even IF they are detected. It will be too late. If the USA doesn't treat this situation like an eminent Terrorist Attack, until otherwise facts say different, then millions of Americans could die and millions more could die from radiation. Until the plane is found, its a very dangerous situation for America.

by swapna Tue Mar 11, 2014 10:54 pm

Jai says that the plane didn't crash, but that it was hijacked; that's why there's no trace of it.

by bw Tue Mar 11, 2014 11:21 pm

swapna wrote:Jai says that the plane didn't crash, but that it was hijacked; that's why there's no trace of it.

why doesn't jai post here?

by bw Tue Mar 11, 2014 11:23 pm

nevada wrote:Next time I go to India maybe I should board a ship.

bah, am boarding a 777 in a few days.

by Marathadi-Saamiyaar Tue Mar 11, 2014 11:57 pm

bw wrote:
nevada wrote:Next time I go to India maybe I should board a ship.

bah, am boarding a 777 in a few days.

Should serve as a warning to all terrorists...

by Rekz Wed Mar 12, 2014 5:55 am

Chant this before boarding...

by Maria S Wed Mar 12, 2014 8:03 am

b_A wrote:

Reminds me the Sherlock Homes quote - "when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth".
Pilot suicide is the only possible explanation now. He must've switched off the transponders, hit the water gently like a landing so that the aircraft will not break up on impact but will rather sink on its own weight. That's why no debris is found so far. What kind of sick soul takes 300 people's lives along with his own ?

I like that quote Mr. b_A.

People like me who believe in the metaphysical, can relate to that quite easily:)

While the "why-did it happen" (mind and motives) questions are fascinating, am waiting for "where- is it?" and "when- will find physical evidence" of the location of the intact plane/or fragments..the limitations on that front reveals the glaring gaps in technology.

Looks like the Malaysian Govt has asked India officially for assistance..we'll see who comes up with answers.

by southindian Wed Mar 12, 2014 8:28 am

swapna wrote:Jai says that the plane didn't crash, but that it was hijacked; that's why there's no trace of it.

What did FlimFlam Aunty say?

by Propagandhi711 Wed Mar 12, 2014 9:21 am

nevada wrote:A conspiracy theorist on the internets has this to say about the case:

This is my assessment. By now MH 370 Boeing 777 is in Myanmar. Passengers are now Hostages. The plane will be repainted and transponders reset. The Boeing 777 has a range of 8000 - 10,000 miles with a FULL Load. Terrorists can take off and fly NON STOP to any City in the World. Right now the 777 will be full of Nuclear Explosives. I would guess the Terrorists are planning to take out Millions of Americans OR Israelis. More likely Americans. That's the reason for the Long Range 777. They have help from the "Inside". Its a conspiracy. They will mimic the Transponder Signals of a Legitimate Aircraft and fly into a very populated City. Even IF they are detected. It will be too late. If the USA doesn't treat this situation like an eminent Terrorist Attack, until otherwise facts say different, then millions of Americans could die and millions more could die from radiation. Until the plane is found, its a very dangerous situation for America.

internets are full of kooks, conspiracy theorists and spelling correctionists

by garam_kuta Wed Mar 12, 2014 10:51 am

..and pathetic, sechsu-starved bAvas Laughing

by swapna Wed Mar 12, 2014 10:56 am

southindian wrote:
swapna wrote:Jai says that the plane didn't crash, but that it was hijacked; that's why there's no trace of it.
What did FlimFlam Aunty say?

by Propagandhi711 Wed Mar 12, 2014 11:01 am

garam_kuta wrote:..and pathetic, sechsu-starved bAvas

frog face WI dog boy,
what happened to your other handle, no new appearances now that outing happened?

by garam_kuta Wed Mar 12, 2014 11:06 am

Propagandhi711 wrote:
garam_kuta wrote:..and pathetic, sechsu-starved bAvas

frog face WI dog boy,
what happened to your other handle, no new appearances now that outing happened?

substituting for the other CJ ?

by MaxEntropy_Man Wed Mar 12, 2014 11:10 am

and now the indian navy and the IAF have been pressed into service to search in the andaman sea. still a mystery.

by swapna Wed Mar 12, 2014 11:41 am

garam_kuta wrote:
Propagandhi711 wrote:
garam_kuta wrote:..and pathetic, sechsu-starved bAvas

frog face WI dog boy,
what happened to your other handle, no new appearances now that outing happened?

substituting for the other CJ ?

What's CJ?

by southindian Wed Mar 12, 2014 11:49 am

No one has ANY clue were the plane could be.

The most probable location, Malacca Strait is a very busy waterway, maximum 100-200 meters deep. Someone could spot the plane going down day/night and a downed plance can be easily spotted from air.

If Malacca Strait is their best guess then it means they have no clue where the flight went.

by garam_kuta Wed Mar 12, 2014 11:57 am

swapna wrote:
garam_kuta wrote:
Propagandhi711 wrote:
garam_kuta wrote:..and pathetic, sechsu-starved bAvas

frog face WI dog boy,
what happened to your other handle, no new appearances now that outing happened?

substituting for the other CJ ?
What's CJ?

the first defn..

by Maria S Wed Mar 12, 2014 4:14 pm

Looks like the Chinese *could be the first to provide a lead with satellite images. Will have to wait and see if this leads to answers.

As soon as I saw this, has to post a follow-up here:)

https://twitter.com/CNNSitRoom/status/443852151261896704/photo/1

by Rishi Wed Mar 12, 2014 4:20 pm

Maria S wrote:Looks like the Chinese *could be the first to provide a lead with satellite images. Will have to wait and see if this leads to answers.

As soon as I saw this, has to post a follow-up here:)

https://twitter.com/CNNSitRoom/status/443852151261896704/photo/1

Maria

Chinese are thorough in their work. They will not rush. The double-check before coming out with any definitive statement.

My heartfelt condolences for the families of the passengers on that ill-fated flight.

by Maria S Wed Mar 12, 2014 4:27 pm

I have to agree with you Sara, on this one.

I would not have even posted the pic, thought about it and felt the same way, as you did.

The Chinese are *usually very cautious, don't brag or blabber..like others:)

by MaxEntropy_Man Wed Mar 12, 2014 7:09 pm

this got posted five mins ago:

http://www.nst.com.my/latest/font-color-red-missing-mh370-font-fishermen-find-life-raft-near-pd-1.509222

by MaxEntropy_Man Thu Mar 13, 2014 12:23 am

meanwhile the americans are saying the plane was in the air four hours after the transponder stopped transmitting. this is increasingly pointing to hijacking/terrorism.

http://m.us.wsj.com/article_email/SB10001424052702304914904579434653903086282-lMyQjAxMTA0MDEwMzExNDMyWj?mobile=y

by Maria S Thu Mar 13, 2014 7:17 am

Day 6..and the mystery continues..with conflicting reports and new theories.

Well Sara..if it was a false lead from the Chinese, who are usually not attention-seeking and very cautious, that is kind of puzzling too!

by MaxEntropy_Man Thu Mar 13, 2014 1:31 pm

the WSJ is not retracting its story despite criticism from the malaysian govt and denials. and now the WH has joined the fray affirming they have reason to believe it went down in the indian ocean. my theory is that pentagon surveillance satellites picked it up and planted the story in the WSJ so the malaysians would take note of it. not wanting to reveal the source as their spy sat, they attributed the source to the rolls royce engine. given that here is my likely scenario -- the first officer appears to have been a bit of a lech admitting attractive young women into the cockpit from time to time. some terror outfit could have taken advantage of this, forced an entry into the cockpit and attempted to fly the plane to an intended terrorist target (india? not particularly short of nutbag enemies) a la 9-11. what do you think?

by swapna Thu Mar 13, 2014 2:30 pm

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:the WSJ is not retracting its story despite criticism from the malaysian govt and denials. and now the WH has joined the fray affirming they have reason to believe it went down in the indian ocean. my theory is that pentagon surveillance satellites picked it up and planted the story in the WSJ so the malaysians would take note of it. not wanting to reveal the source as their spy sat, they attributed the source to the rolls royce engine. given that here is my likely scenario -- the first officer appears to have been a bit of a lech admitting attractive young women into the cockpit from time to time. some terror outfit could have taken advantage of this, forced an entry into the cockpit and attempted to fly the plane to an intended terrorist target (india? not particularly short of nutbag enemies) a la 9-11. what do you think?

What's WH?

by MaxEntropy_Man Thu Mar 13, 2014 2:32 pm

swapna wrote:
MaxEntropy_Man wrote:the WSJ is not retracting its story despite criticism from the malaysian govt and denials. and now the WH has joined the fray affirming they have reason to believe it went down in the indian ocean. my theory is that pentagon surveillance satellites picked it up and planted the story in the WSJ so the malaysians would take note of it. not wanting to reveal the source as their spy sat, they attributed the source to the rolls royce engine. given that here is my likely scenario -- the first officer appears to have been a bit of a lech admitting attractive young women into the cockpit from time to time. some terror outfit could have taken advantage of this, forced an entry into the cockpit and attempted to fly the plane to an intended terrorist target (india? not particularly short of nutbag enemies) a la 9-11. what do you think?
What's WH?

veLLai vIdu. ask jai to translate if you don't understand.

by Impedimenta Thu Mar 13, 2014 3:25 pm

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:
swapna wrote:
MaxEntropy_Man wrote:the WSJ is not retracting its story despite criticism from the malaysian govt and denials. and now the WH has joined the fray affirming they have reason to believe it went down in the indian ocean. my theory is that pentagon surveillance satellites picked it up and planted the story in the WSJ so the malaysians would take note of it. not wanting to reveal the source as their spy sat, they attributed the source to the rolls royce engine. given that here is my likely scenario -- the first officer appears to have been a bit of a lech admitting attractive young women into the cockpit from time to time. some terror outfit could have taken advantage of this, forced an entry into the cockpit and attempted to fly the plane to an intended terrorist target (india? not particularly short of nutbag enemies) a la 9-11. what do you think?
What's WH?

veLLai vIdu. ask jai to translate if you don't understand.

err? who is jai? first of all, who is swapna? swapna sundari or sundaran? sometimes when I log into this forum, it almost feels like I woke up into another year. Shocked

by Guest Thu Mar 13, 2014 6:37 pm

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:the WSJ is not retracting its story despite criticism from the malaysian govt and denials. and now the WH has joined the fray affirming they have reason to believe it went down in the indian ocean. my theory is that pentagon surveillance satellites picked it up and planted the story in the WSJ so the malaysians would take note of it. not wanting to reveal the source as their spy sat, they attributed the source to the rolls royce engine. given that here is my likely scenario -- the first officer appears to have been a bit of a lech admitting attractive young women into the cockpit from time to time. some terror outfit could have taken advantage of this, forced an entry into the cockpit and attempted to fly the plane to an intended terrorist target (india? not particularly short of nutbag enemies) a la 9-11. what do you think?

ohh maybe they got shot down once it was realized they are off course. no government would want to admit they knowingly killed 239 passengers for the reasons of security.

by Rishi Thu Mar 13, 2014 9:46 pm

>>>I did not see any Chinese or Indian among the officials representing the Malaysian government in the news conference.

by Marathadi-Saamiyaar Thu Mar 13, 2014 11:35 pm

.......With US intelligence and military suspecting Indian Ocean to be the likely place...it is a whole new ball game. The Indian ocean seem to "drop off" steeply to 15,000 ft depths within 100 miles of the coast of most countries.

it means the plane will be at a depth of 15,000 ft or more.....

Perhaps, this is a mission for the Deep Challenger...

by MaxEntropy_Man Fri Mar 14, 2014 7:16 am

reuters is reporting that the apparent heading of the plane was the andaman & nicobar islands. india has a naval base there and who knows what else the military keeps there. it's out of sight, out of mind kind of remote place. some not so friendly element may have figured out what the indian military maintains or stores there and maybe tried to sabotage it by flying an aircraft into it. i'm sticking with my story.

by indophile Fri Mar 14, 2014 7:34 am

Rishi wrote:>>>I did not see any Chinese or Indian among the officials representing the Malaysian government in the news conference.

Yeah, that's blatant "in your face" discrimination!

by MaxEntropy_Man Fri Mar 14, 2014 7:55 am

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/15/world/asia/india-expands-its-efforts-in-search-for-missing-jet.html

The vast operation is being led by the Indian Navy, which, despite a number of deadly accidents and embarrassing episodes over the past year, is widely considered the country’s most capable military branch.

does anyone know what this guy is talking about? what deadly accidents and what embarrassing episodes?

by garam_kuta Fri Mar 14, 2014 8:00 am

anything is possible

Other possibilities include a strike by a missile or military aircraft.

EXPERT VIEW: Analyst Ravikumar Madavaram said data from the plane's communications systems could prove crucial in ruling out a sudden catastrophe.

"If (all the systems) went off at the same time, it points towards a mid-air blast," said Ravikumar, an aerospace and defence consultant at Frost & Sullivan Asia-Pacific.

"But if there is a significant time lag and there are signs the systems were shut down sequentially, definitely that goes towards the theory about hijacking or a sabotage by the pilots themselves."

Unconfirmed reports say the two main communication systems shut down 14 minutes apart, which would not suggest an explosion.

But Australian aviation expert Neil Hansford said that for him, the available evidence still pointed to sudden catastrophe.

"I believe it's been hit with a military aircraft or some military ordnance, a stray missile or something similar," he said, adding that a bomb was another possibility.

THEORY: Hijacking

WHY: Authorities and media reports have repeatedly suggested the plane may have veered sharply away from its flight path. On Friday the hunt spread to the edges of the Indian Ocean -- a huge distance from the original search area.

The idea that the plane could have flown for hours in the wrong direction could lend credence to the theory of a cockpit takeover.

But analysts say the plane would surely have been picked up by regional military radars if it strayed so far off-route, noting that Malaysia, India, Thailand and Indonesia all monitor the area in question.

EXPERT VIEW: "The burning question is, how many military radars would the aircraft have gone through to reach the Indian Ocean?" said Gerry Soejatman, an aviation analyst based in Jakarta.

"How could it get past all of that? And if it did, how many people in the military are going to lose their jobs?"

If the plane did fly onwards, there is also the pressing question of whether it was hijacked or changed course for another reason.

Frost & Sullivan's Ravikumar said he believed several factors rule out a hijacking -- including the lack of a credible claim of responsibility.

THEORY: Technical difficulties

WHY: The sudden disappearance could also point to a technical problem forcing a rapid descent.

The reports that the jet may have veered west before losing contact could also point to the pilots struggling to rectify a problem.

EXPERT VIEW: "To me (the veer) suggests there was a stall," said Mary Schiavo, an aviation lawyer and inspector general of the US Department of Transportation.

"That doesn't mean you lose your engines. It means that you're losing your air flow over your wings, sufficient speed to keep the plane in the air," she told Australia's ABC television.

"It would lose altitude really dramatically."

She compared the possible scenario to the fate of Air France 447, which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean in June 2009 after its speed sensors malfunctioned and the pilots lost control.

THEORY: Structural disintegration

WHY: The lack of wreckage or black box transmission has led to speculation that the plane may have disintegrated in mid-air.

On Wednesday it emerged that US regulators warned months ago of a "cracking and corrosion" problem on Boeing 777s beneath their satellite antenna that could lead to a mid-air break-up.

But Boeing later confirmed that the warning did not apply to the missing plane, which had a different kind of antenna.

EXPERT VIEW: While structural disintegration has been behind some previous aircraft disappearances, new planes use "better materials, technology and maintenance schedules", Ravikumar said.

"This last happened to China Airlines flight 611, during its cruise at 35,000 feet in 2002. Flight 611 was a Boeing 747 aircraft and the reason for that crash was faulty repair."

He noted that the technology on a Boeing 747 was 20 years older than on a 777.

THEORY: Pilot suicide

WHY: While rare, there have been cases in the past of pilots crashing planes to take their own lives. In December 1997, a SilkAir Boeing 737 from Jakarta to Singapore plunged into a river in Indonesia with the loss of 104 passengers and crew. US investigators blamed pilot suicide.

EXPERT VIEW: A suicide bid "is possible and if that's the case there might not be a lot of debris because the plane would have come down in relative structural integrity", said Terence Fan, aviation expert at Singapore Management University.

"The airplane is not meant to float and if the airplane sinks in the water, water will go inside because the door seals are not meant to seal water."

Nothing has emerged to suggest any serious psychological problems with either of the pilots who were flying MH370, although an Australian TV report has accused the first officer of violating airline rules in 2011 by allowing two young South African women into the cockpit during a flight.

While theories abound as to the fate of flight MH370, Malaysia is not ruling anything out as the second week of searching approaches.

"Anything is possible," Transport Minister Hishammuddin Hussein said Friday.

by b_A Fri Mar 14, 2014 8:45 am

MaxEntropy_Man wrote:http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/15/world/asia/india-expands-its-efforts-in-search-for-missing-jet.html

The vast operation is being led by the Indian Navy, which, despite a number of deadly accidents and embarrassing episodes over the past year, is widely considered the country’s most capable military branch.

does anyone know what this guy is talking about? what deadly accidents and what embarrassing episodes?

Embarrassing enough for the navy chief to step down.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/27/world/asia/indian-naval-chief-resigns-after-submarine-accident.html

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