MAS B-777-200 Missing

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H Khan
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MAS B-777-200 Missing

Post by H Khan »

Malaysia Airlines is contacting the next of kin of 239 passengers missing on a flight that has disappeared over Vietnam.
Source
AAP
UPDATED 1 HOUR AGO

Malaysia Airlines says a flight carrying 239 people from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing has gone missing, and the airline is notifying next of kin in a sign it expects the worst.

The airline said flight MH370 disappeared at 2:40am local time (0540 AEDT), about two hours after leaving Kuala Lumpur International Airport. It had been due to arrive in Beijing at 6:30am local time (0930 AEDT).

It was carrying 227 passengers, including two infants, from 13 different nationalities, and 12 crew members.

There are Australian passengers on board the aircraft, says the carrier.

China's state television said 158 of the passengers were Chinese.

"We deeply regret that we have lost all contacts with flight MH370 which departed Kuala Lumpur at 12.41am earlier this morning bound for Beijing," Malaysia Airlines Group Chief Executive Officer Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said in a statement.

The statement said the Malaysian flag carrier was working with authorities, who had launched an effort to locate the aircraft.

"Our team is currently calling the next-of-kin of passengers and crew," Ahmad Jauhari said.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with all affected passengers and crew and their family members."

The plane was a Boeing 777-200. The airline's Kuala Lumpur-Beijing route passes roughly over the Indochinese peninsula.

A report by China's Xinhua news agency said contact was lost with the plane while it was over Vietnamese airspace.

Xinhua also quoted Chinese aviation authorities saying the plane did not enter China's air traffic control sphere.

China's foreign ministry spokesman Qin Gang said in a statement: "We are very concerned learning this news."

"We are contacting relevant authorities and are trying to confirm relevant information."

A Beijing airport spokeswoman said the facility had activated an emergency response system. Screens at the airport indicated the flight was "delayed."

Boeing, which has been best by problems with its high-tech 787 Dreamliners put into service two years ago, including a months-long global grounding over battery problems last year, issued a brief statement on its Twitter feed.

"We're closely monitoring reports on Malaysia flight MH370. Our thoughts are with everyone on board," it said.
H Khan
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Re: MAS B-777-200 Missing

Post by H Khan »

March 8, 2014 10:51 am
Malaysia Airlines are working to verify the authenticity that its flight MH370 that had lost contact with traffic control has reportedly landed in Nanming, Group CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said Saturday.
In his statement, he confirmed that the flight had lost contact with Subang Air Traffic Control at 2.40am, today. It It departed Kuala Lumpur at 12.41 am earlier this morning bound for Beijing. The aircraft was scheduled to land at Beijing International Airport at 6.30am local Beijing time.

"We are deeply saddened this morning with the news on MH370. There has been speculation that the aircraft has landed at Nanming. We are working to verify the authenticity of the report and others," he said. He apparently referred to Nanming in China.

http://www.malaysiaairlines.com/my/en/s ... -site.html
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Shaheer
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Re: MAS B-777-200 Missing

Post by Shaheer »

Vietnam Navy official says Malaysian plane crashed into sea near Vietnam's Tho Chu island: state media

source Reuters.com
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raihans
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Re: MAS B-777-200 Missing

Post by raihans »

very very sad news in the morning to read, rest in peace for all the departed souls :(
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Re: MAS B-777-200 Missing

Post by haroon_ek »

Again 777-200ER. So sad! :cry:
H Khan
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Re: MAS B-777-200 Missing

Post by H Khan »

What is so disturbing is that they have found not found any wreckage of the aircraft. It has been three days.

Is it possible that someone forced the aircraft to land with during off the transponder and other satellite tracking equipment.
Raza_Ali
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Re: MAS B-777-200 Missing

Post by Raza_Ali »

well, Vietnam Navy has sighted oil spill layers and some wreckage in South Vietnam Sea according to BBC, but they couldnt say anything because it was night and they left it to morning, to look for further details.
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Re: MAS B-777-200 Missing

Post by altitude »

Is is unsual that no wreckage has been found ... and in case of hijacking there are severals SOPs that need to be followed but there was no signal of hijacking from cockpit crew or any sign of mechanical /technical fault... strange :-k
t_kaay
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Re: MAS B-777-200 Missing

Post by t_kaay »

H Khan wrote:What is so disturbing is that they have found not found any wreckage of the aircraft. It has been three days.

Is it possible that someone forced the aircraft to land with during off the transponder and other satellite tracking equipment.
Very unlikely. Even with the transponder off, the aircraft would still show up on radar as a primary target. It can't suddenly go "stealth". If it landed, where did it land without a single person seeing it? Out of 240 passengers, surely at least one person would have managed to get a text message out? Black box radio signal? Everything seems to point to a mid air collision/explosion/disintegration, which would support the fact there was no transmission from the aircraft.

There are a number of avenues to look at here:

Suggestions that the radar target seemed to turn back, although this can be explained by exploding aircraft. TWA800 was seen to also look as though it was turning back on radar.

Missile test gone wrong? Shot down by mistake?

What was on the plane, cargo wise?

Planes don't just disappear, the wreckage must be out there somewhere. Maybe they are looking in the wrong place.

Just feel for the relatives, not knowing must be so heart breaking.
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Re: MAS B-777-200 Missing

Post by smhusain_1 »

You have correctly pointed that the target doesn't disappear with the aircraft transponder off. The weather was unreported, it was not a factor. If the disintegration possibility is considered for any cause at altitude, there would debris on the surface. It could be a hijack, but to where? There was no distress call or code from the transponder.This leaves the only option that it will be discovered in time. The ocean or sea is a vast expanse and the location is indefinite and estimated only.

There could be security concerns with Malaysia about their radar tracking capabilities, and how much to pass on? The Japanese invasion of Malaya and Singapore in WWII started at Kota Baharu where this aircraft exited the mainland, so definitely there would be surveillance devices here, it is also close to military airfields in the area.
t_kaay wrote:
H Khan wrote:What is so disturbing is that they have found not found any wreckage of the aircraft. It has been three days.

Is it possible that someone forced the aircraft to land with during off the transponder and other satellite tracking equipment.
Very unlikely. Even with the transponder off, the aircraft would still show up on radar as a primary target. It can't suddenly go "stealth". If it landed, where did it land without a single person seeing it? Out of 240 passengers, surely at least one person would have managed to get a text message out? Black box radio signal? Everything seems to point to a mid air collision/explosion/disintegration, which would support the fact there was no transmission from the aircraft.

There are a number of avenues to look at here:

Suggestions that the radar target seemed to turn back, although this can be explained by exploding aircraft. TWA800 was seen to also look as though it was turning back on radar.

Missile test gone wrong? Shot down by mistake?

What was on the plane, cargo wise?

Planes don't just disappear, the wreckage must be out there somewhere. Maybe they are looking in the wrong place.

Just feel for the relatives, not knowing must be so heart breaking.
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raihans
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Re: MAS B-777-200 Missing

Post by raihans »

On particular link, images show the radar coverage by Malaysia & Vietnam

http://www.jacdec.de/news/2014-03-08_9M ... to-sea.htm

BTW, i think authorities need to consider the estimated fuel on board and the possible range of #MH370 could fly with that fuel, accordingly they have to search the whole circle whether it is land or sea!!!
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H Khan
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Re: MAS B-777-200 Missing

Post by H Khan »

Why doesn't the US re orbit one of its several satellites from the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and let it fly over the designated area and take HR imagery. it would make things much easier and faster to locate this missing B-777. At 150 miles above the earth these satellites cover an expanded area and take HR images.

On the other hand, there was the last communication on Emergency frequency by another flight which was ahead MH 370. According to the pilot it was a very static communication and they couldn't
figure it what was going on.

As my late father would put, the cockpit becomes a very lonely place when there is an emergency going on.
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Re: MAS B-777-200 Missing

Post by zerokool »

What could be the reason for MH370

The search for missing flight MH370 that vanished over 4 days ago is still ongoing with the search now focusing on the Strait of Mallaca they say that MH370 turned back, crossed entire country undetected and fell in Malacca straits. Is it possible?

Pilots often pull fuses to cut warning alarms, etc.Is it possible to pull fuses which would prevent serious warnings from going off?

Was Pilot hypoxic? or it can be involved in a flash fire in the cockpit, disabling communications.

Disproven Reports

Some early Twitter and Facebook sources indicated that the plane had landed in Nanming, Vietnam or Nanning, China. Those reports have been disclaimed by Chinese authorities and MH leadership.

An apparent oil slick originally photographed from a plane overflying area waters has been lab-tested and was determined NOT to be aircraft fuel.

Debris observed near the point of last contact was originally thought to be an aircraft door. This has been determined to be inaccurate.

Reports of a possible life raft have been determined to be inaccurate.

Reports of another pilot contacting MH370 have been discredited (source:AvHerald).

Reports of a debris field in the South China Sea sighted by a passing CX flight have been discredited (source: http://on.wsj.com/1nbi4p0)

Reports of passenger cell phones still ringing when called are almost certainly an artifact of international telephony - see explanation below.
"OK, let me add couple lines regarding telecom. I've spent number of years working at telecom, while it is not my primary specialization at this moment, nothing has changed last several years.

First of all, as it was said before - if phone rings, or, better to say - if you hear ringback, that does not really mean anything. (telecom) Network equipment determines a lot of things this days and multiple intermediary devices can generate ringback even before request reaches the phone. This method is used in google voice for example - you will hear ringback pretty much immediately while call setup is still in progress.

Secondly, if phone is called, all network operators can trace the call, not only signaling part, but content if required (google CALEA). Network operator always can identify which cell tower is used to handoff the call to the end user device. Which would pinpoint the location of the phone within 2-5 miles radius.

Thirdly, as it was already pointed - if you have ringback after three days, this is something very unusual here. W/o airline mode 'on' a phone in search of a signal would discharge in several hours maximum. And even if there was signal available all the time (how??) standby mode would not be three days for sure, unless you use some >10y old Nokias which had standby time of two-three weeks."


Be careful about relying on aircraft position data from sites like FlightRadar24, FlightAware, and others. Public access to radar data in the region is not reliable, and erroneous readings may be present on some sites. The aircraft most likely did not climb to 49,500 feet as some site may indicate, as that would be physically impossible.

Other speculation (terrorist activity, shot down, etc.) has been turn down by interpol

Passports and Airport Security Issues

Two passengers listed on the manifest as being an Austrian and an Italian, were apparently traveling on stolen passports. The true passport holders were not on the flight. Both are alive and well. Both reported their passports stolen in Thailand within the last year or two, confirmed by their respective countries and Interpol.

The true identity of one travelling with the stolen Austrian passport has now been established at a news conference on Tuesday, March 11, 2014 by Malaysian police chief Khalid Abu Bakar. Both tickets were purchased one day before the flight as China Southern Airlines codeshares through a travel agent in Thailand. The tickets were numbered sequentially, but several posters have pointed out that this would not be uncommon with codeshares and/or tickets issued by a TA.

Discussion of Chinese visa requirements for these two passengers have been settled, as both were supposed to be transiting at Beijing and then Amsterdam, with one - now identified as a 19 year old Iranian named Pouria Nour Mohammad Mehrdad with no known terrorist connections - ticketed KUL-PEK-AMS-FRA, and the other, still now identified by Interpol’s chief Ronald Noble as 29 year old Iranian national Delavar Syed Mohammad Reza, flying KUL-PEK-AMS-CPH. EU passport holders do not require a visa for transits of 72 hours or less at PEK.

There are reports of a third passenger, listed on the manifest as Zhao Qiwei, who appears to be traveling on a forged Chinese passport. The holder of the genuine passport still has possession of the passport, has reportedly never traveled abroad, and is still at home in mainland China.

Authorities have confirmed that five other passengers checked in for the flight, but did not board. Reports indicate that these passengers' bags were offloaded, and that there was no unaccompanied baggage on the aircraft.

Aircraft Background

Very experienced captain (53 yo with 18,365 total flight hours).

First officer relatively new to aircraft type (27 yo with 2,763 total flight hours).

MH has a good safety record.

In its history, the 777 aircraft type has been involved in three other hull-losses (one of which, Asiana 214, is unofficially but widely considered the result of pilot error) and is considered a safe aircraft.

This particular vessel (registration 9M-MRO, s/n 28420, line #404) had accumulated 53,465 flight hours in 7,525 flight cycles since delivery to MH in May, 2002. Maintenance last undergone Feb 23rd 2014. All MH aircraft are equipped with ACARS transmitting monitoring data automatically; no distress call or information was transmitted or relayed. The search area has been extended and includes the Strait of Malacca west of Malaysia looking at the possibility that the aircraft may have turned back and diverted to Subang (Malaysia).


was previously involved in an incident in Shanghai Pudong International Airport on August 9, 2012, when the tip of its wing collided with a China Eastern Airlines Airbus A340-600. The wing was subsequently repaired. Some FT posters have speculated that this repair may have been a factor in the current incident, however, there is no data to substantiate that claim at this time.
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Re: MAS B-777-200 Missing

Post by pk363 »

MD Pakistan message to CEO Malaysian Airlines

Managing Director Muhammad Junaid Younus and PIA Family, take the opportunity to express that our thoughts and prayers are with the passengers and crew of MH370 and their affected families. PIA also offers its fullest assistance and PIA Teams are at your disposal for any required assistance at these critical moments. Kindly let us know if we could be of any assistance to you during these crucial moments.

https://www.facebook.com/PakistanIntAirlines
H Khan
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Re: MAS B-777-200 Missing

Post by H Khan »

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/m ... -balotelli


Well, according to Malaysian air defense radars aka RMAF Chief they have located the last known location of the missing MAS B-777. It is somewhere in Straits of Malacca which is west of province of Selangor which is roughly 450 miles west from the last known position of the flight.

A little information, the military or Air Defense radars are capable of location air objects which are normally not identified by civilian air traffic radars. Military uses IFF system to identify aircrafts not transponders.

Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) has has some of the most sophisticated air defense radars available in the market. Their ThalesRaytheonSystems (TRS) radars which supports Malaysian Air Defense Ground Environment Sector Operations Center III (MADGE) program are really top of the line.

Unless I see tangible evidence of a wreckage I'm of the this temporary view that something very extraordinary happened to this airliner it might might might be an episode of hijacking.