Where in the world is Malaysia Airlines Flight 370?

[girth-brooks]

This news story is driving me crazy. Normally I can't be bothered by news stories like this, but usually there is a logical answer within a few days. No expert can seem to figure it out, and it is a mystery on so many levels. Was it hijacked? Did it crash? Was it sabotaged and taken to another country? Is it one big conspiracy?

One thing I can't believe is that in the modern world we live in that there is no way to find it. Did any passenger make a call? Did the captains call for "mayday" whether it was being held up by terrorists or with a technical malfunction? This thing just went up and vanished...

What's your take?

http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/14/world/asia/malaysia-airlines-plane/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

 

[twotip]

Sudden change in air pressure that resulted in the entire plane losing consciousness.

 

[girth-brooks]

Sudden change in air pressure that resulted in the entire plane losing consciousness.

Yes, but wasn't this just a 'routine flight'? I mean, isn't that one of those things that just doesn't happen? Bear in mind I am NOT an aviation expert by any means. Why would the plane just go off the grid even if that did happen. There has to be more to it than that. There is crucial time where pilots can do all kinds of maneuvers or at least communicate to a tower before realizing they are in danger.

 

[retriever]

Russian sympathizers took over the plane and are holding Canadians in an attempt to get us to become Communists and invade the US.

Mind you this just a theory being put forward.

 

[Ms Erica Phoenix]

Sudden change in air pressure that resulted in the entire plane losing consciousness.

This is EXACTLY what happened to Payne Stewart's plane, and it also flew hundreds of miles off course in the wrong direction for hours before crash landing. Everyone on board was determined to have been deceased prior to the crash due to lack of oxygen. Since the Malasia airlines flight was over a tropical and very deep ocean, I imagine the sharks ate well this week.

 

[Lo-ki]

As anyone check AREA-51....???

Loki

 

[girth-brooks]

This is EXACTLY what happened to Payne Stewart's plane, and it also flew hundreds of miles off course in the wrong direction for hours before crash landing. Everyone on board was determined to have been deceased prior to the crash due to lack of oxygen. Since the Malasia airlines flight was over a tropical and very deep ocean, I imagine the sharks ate well this week.

Yes Ms. Erica, but Payne Stewart was in a Learjet, tiny compared to a Boeing 777. The Boeing is far superior in terms of handling air pressure, and I would imagine that an alarm would notify the tower. I think that there is a good chance this may have happened, but the mystery revolves around why this was not communicated. This is usually found within hours or days. This plane has been gone 7 days as of today and no expert can tell why.

 

[retriever]

All kidding aside.

What do we really know?

Both data and voice transponders were manually turned off.

The engine data communication device was not and continued to ping off a satellite for over three hours after the plane "disappeared".

This plane was hijacked but for what purpose we don't know.

 

[Elle Diablo]

It was an alien abduction and within 30 days there will be an overwhelming slue of reported anal probings in the gossip rags. (just joking but wouldn't be surprised if it really turns out that way)

 

[sdw]

This news story is driving me crazy. Normally I can't be bothered by news stories like this, but usually there is a logical answer within a few days. No expert can seem to figure it out, and it is a mystery on so many levels. Was it hijacked? Did it crash? Was it sabotaged and taken to another country? Is it one big conspiracy?

One thing I can't believe is that in the modern world we live in that there is no way to find it. Did any passenger make a call? Did the captains call for "mayday" whether it was being held up by terrorists or with a technical malfunction? This thing just went up and vanished...

What's your take?

http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/14/world/asia/malaysia-airlines-plane/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

It's on the bottom of the Indian Ocean. I think that it suffered a major failure and the pilot attempted to do a "Sully Landing" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chesley_Sullenberger The pilot wasn't as lucky as Sully was and the plane decided to become a submarine. That's why there isn't a lot of debris, the plane didn't break up to any large extent.

It could be found if anti-submarine warships and helicopters did a full search, however, it will probably be found by a fisherman who snags it.

 

[twotip]

It's on the bottom of the Indian Ocean. I think that it suffered a major failure and the pilot attempted to do a "Sully Landing" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chesley_Sullenberger The pilot wasn't as lucky as Sully was and the plane decided to become a submarine. That's why there isn't a lot of debris, the plane didn't break up to any large extent.

It could be found if anti-submarine warships and helicopters did a full search, however, it will probably be found by a fisherman who snags it.

With the force that the plane hit the water and the driving pressure of the water after it crashed, it would surely sink to the lowest point.

Who can forget ol' Sully. He is an American hero!

 

[sdw]

With the force that the plane hit the water and the driving pressure of the water after it crashed, it would surely sink to the lowest point.

Who can forget ol' Sully. He is an American hero!

It only takes one wave in the wrong place at the wrong time and your perfect "Sully Landing" turns into the aircraft becoming a submarine. Sully had very good water conditions for his landing. The water was almost completely flat.

The pilot couldn't have hit the water any harder than Sully did because there is no debris floating on the surface. So, the plane will be intact.

 

[girth-brooks]

It only takes one wave in the wrong place at the wrong time and your perfect "Sully Landing" turns into the aircraft becoming a submarine. Sully had very good water conditions for his landing. The water was almost completely flat.

The pilot couldn't have hit the water any harder than Sully did because there is no debris floating on the surface. So, the plane will be intact.

You're right sdw - here is a flight simulation:

A bit long, but if you jump to the landing it shows just how close it really is!

 

[vancity_cowboy]

Russian sympathizers took over the plane and are holding Canadians in an attempt to get us to become Communists and invade the US.

Mind you this just a theory being put forward.

i checked with my people - the russians are holding the canadians hostage until the next winter olympics to use against the canadian hockey team. they flew the plane to crimea... :nod:

 

[sdw]

He was such an American hero, his salary had been cut by 40 percent and his pension terminated and replaced by a "PBGC" guarantee worth only pennies on the dollar. Americans and their every day heroes have a weird relationship. 9/11 responders can't get money for the cancer they got from digging dead bodies out and many members of the Army are on food stamps.

The vast majority of us, American and Canadian, are going to retire to a worthless pension. NOBODY is required to fully fund a pension. What happens is the world changes and the company that owes you the pension discovers that it's not doing very well. NOW the company doesn't have the money to fund the pension.

Also, the first thing hedge funds do when they take over a company is zero the pension. Both Canada and the USA have corporate bankruptcy laws that permit the "reorganization" of a company so that little things like the employee's pensions are no longer payable - BUT - the company continues to do business and the shareholders get increased dividends.

 

[deathreborn]

I have quite a few friends who are commercial pilots, in fact my current roommate is a pilot! One was also an ops manager and is now in school to be a on aircraft mechanic. It's totally random that I know so many pilots, kinda weird really. But now that I live with one I am meeting infinitely more pilots haha. My friends in Winnipeg are either from the barn or pilots.

I asked the ops manager/pilot/mechanic friend his opinion on this, this is our conversation:

HIM: not totally sure tbh. depends highly on if the reports of it going off course and staying aloft for hours after loss of contact or not. the 777 has been around since the mid 90s so corrosion is becoming more of a factor on older airframes. all it takes is one seam to bust and SHOOOOOOOMP you're gonna have a bad time.

ME: It just seems so strange to LOSE a huge aircraft with the technology we have today

HIM: well from a bit offshore of north america and until a hundred or more miles from Europe, air traffic is not covered by radar. Same over the Pacific.
they call in position reports at certain points along the way.
but over there i'm fucking amazed that no fisherman in a junk, villager in the jungle etc hasn't seen and said shit.

HIM: and keep in mind the whole "quietly landed somewhere safely" theory, you need an 8000'+ runway for a 777 and at least 9000' to take-off again so it's not exactly many places to hide.

those takeoff and landing figures are with maximum takeoff weight. the 777 can use significantly shorter runways with less then full fuel and no passengers or cargo.

 

[deathreborn]

You're right sdw - here is a flight simulation:

A bit long, but if you jump to the landing it shows just how close it really is!

i still use fs2004. fsx sucks on framerates.

 

[deathreborn]

So they just shoved the passengers out midair?

no my point is that particular flight could land at airports with shorter runways, then 9000 feet. the flight would have been significantly less then maximum takeoff weight. the range of a 777-200ER is 7725 nm. the flight segment from KUL to PVG is 2385 nm. that is only 31% of the max range of the aircraft. thereby they were probably only carrying 41% to 46% of the total fuel the aircraft can carry (having added in 10 to 15% for diversions, missed approaches, go-arounds etc.). as well malaysian's 777-200's are configured to seat 282 people. passenger manifest was 227. so 55 empty seats. i know you're probably like wtf?? well aviation is a hobby of mine, so there you go.

 

[bcneil]

What I don't understand, is why a plane like a 777 gives the pilots the ability to shut off all communications, transponders, ect.
Why do they need this ability?

 

[yazoo]

I would think that a pilot want to be shut out of the control of any electrical gadget. It it is burning or smoking, whether it is a transponder or not, shut it off.