Malaysia airlines plane may have crashed 239 people on board #8

[Bravo]

Or, a struggle happened when the pilot realized what was happening.
We don't know the pilot did this. Or either of them, at this point. Sigh.

Agree. I'm just going on one of the present theories. I'm just speculating on the Pilot as he would be the most experienced. I do hope there are answers as unfortunately there will always be a cloud of suspicion. Tough on the Families.

 

[panthera]

Apologies if this has already been posted. I am new, hi everyone! and have been following the discussion from the start. It really is baffling how this plane has disappeared ....I pray the families get some answers soon.

I remember reading in a post earlier, that the words "alright good night" is not standard protocol. Could the pilot have been trying to relay in code that the plane was under control by a third party? I feel like the pilot is a scapegoat due to the lack of answers.

MOO

:welcome5:

That has been debated, and as of the moment, not certain what the standard protocol is for that airline. It does appear to be the end of a transmission with something else being said beforehand. I also am not certain either that the pilot or co-pilot are responsible for whatever happened to this flight, however, because they are the ones responsible for controlling what occurs inside the cockpit (basically navigating the plane), they are under scrutiny.

MOO

 

[CARIIS]

I can see them staying for a couple more days if they can get cheaper tickets. Unless they are rich, it can make a huge difference financially. If they are heading to a new country they will need a bit of a nest egg since there won't be any guarantee that they will have an income anytime soon.

Oh, I thought that since the tickets were only bought the day before the flight how could they be in MAL for a week - i am cofused!

 

[Derryn Hunch]

"Alright goodnight" is pretty standard... We don't all talk like robots over comms. It's lazy for sure, he should have repeated back to ATC their final instruction to him as a confirmation then said "goodnight" technically, but wasn't completely abnormal.

 

[LadyL]

Members can create topic specific threads for in depth discussion, new developments in the case or as the need arises. New threads will go under mod review and a decision will be made whether to approve and open the thread for posting. Most threads are approved immediately.

we need who, what, when, where, why, and how threads

 

[QueenD]

Fox reporting now that the final words of the pilot came AFTER signal was shut down.

 

[raeann]

FWIW.....the AMAZING RACE episode airing tonight was filmed in Kuala Lumpur

 

[Nymeria]

:welcome5: JUSTAMUNCH!

 

[Chilly Willy]

I thought it was helpful:

Another clue is that part of the Boeing 777's Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) was shut off.

The system, which has two parts, is used to send short messages via a satellite or VHF radio to the airline's home base. The information part of the system was shut down, but not the transmission part. In most planes, the information part of the system can be shut down by hitting cockpit switches in sequence in order to get to a computer screen where an option must be selected using a keypad, said Goglia, an expert on aircraft maintenance.

That's also something a pilot would know how to do, but that could also be discovered through research, he said.

But to turn off the other part of the ACARS, it would be necessary to go to an electronics bay beneath the cockpit. That's something a pilot wouldn't normally know how to do, Goglia said, and it wasn't done in the case of the Malaysia plane. Thus, the ACARS transmitter continued to send out blips that were recorded by the Inmarsat satellite once an hour for four to five hours after the transponder was turned off. The blips don't contain any messages or data, but the satellite can tell in a very broad way what region the blips are coming from and adjusts the angle of its antenna to be ready to receive message in case the ACARS sends them. Investigators are now trying to use data

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/16/malaysia-airlines-takeover_n_4972889.html

Ahhh....thank you. That makes so much more sense than the earlier rumors about someone having to climb through a hatch and down a flight of stairs to some kind of electronics room in order to disable the ACARS. That never sounded right to me.

 

[Chilly Willy]

Fox reporting now that the final words of the pilot came AFTER signal was shut down.

After which signal?

 

[CARIIS]

I either heard or read that there was not a request for these Pilots to fly together on this trip. So I'm not leaning toward both being involved. Perhaps the "struggle" in the cockpit was between these two when the co-pilot realized what was happening. It makes sense to me that if indeed the Pilot is involved there were others posing as passengers. IMO.

I have seen that too - sorry but I keep going back to the professor being a particpant in this!!

Alathough you know what just hit me this INSTANT - the last transmission was described as mumbled -- and since whoever was involved - it was to start right after that transmission SO whoever was on the mike might have just been clobbered.

The transmission was also described as static - wrestling with the mike??

 

[ptandj]

Here is a timeline: http://abcnews.go.com/m/story?id=22924054

ACARS definitely before last voice contact, which was sometime right around when the transponder went off. 1:30 was after transfer to Vietnam ATC's area

 

[Brightbird]

Absolutely. The ACARS and the transponder are two different things. The ACARS was shut down at 1:07. The voice transmission was at 1:20. The transponder was shut down at 1:21, as the plane left Malaysian airspace. That's what I've been saying all along.

This has been my understanding too. The ACARS was shut off before the last communication between pilots and ATC, and the transponder was shut off after.

 

[highflyer]

Yes. But let's not even go there... It's so far into the realms of conspiracy land that it's crazy town...

With all due respect, as odd as this is, it is hardly crazy to consider all possibilities.

 

[redheadedgal]

Does anyone know the type of life raft that would have been onboard the missing 777?
If people are looking for life rafts, surely it helps to determine what shape and colour the ones on board were. Or are there always two types? The slides which come down from the doors which detatch and become rafts, and the orange round (or hexogonal) ones?

Someone posted this on the last thread, but I am not finding it yet.
It was this kind though-

if you google Boeing "life raft" and click on images you get this

it is my understanding that 777's are equipped with slides that function as rafts as well. the slides are usually grey.

"the slides are not for fun... this hybrid of boeing 777 and airbus a380 ... ": http://www.airlinereporter.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/IMG_7768.jpg

"Bearing this in mind, slide/rafts have been designed to accommodate about 60 survivors in the sea with an overload of up to 80 each, if that is the numbers that would come out from any of the doors. The slide/raft are dual lanes, meaning that, at any one time, two person can evacuate and slide down together on them.": http://www.askcaptainlim.com/-emerg...each-emergency-exit-during-an-evacuation.html

"This AD was prompted by reports that escape slides/rafts did not deploy...": http://airnation.net/2013/03/31/faa-ad-boeing-777-slide/

 

[popsicle]

Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 dropped to altitudes as low as 1524 metres (5000 feet) using a dangerous flying technique called “terrain masking” to avoid radar in at least three countries, investigators believe.

http://www.smh.com.au/world/missing...e-countries-investigators-20140317-hvjlf.html

I found it for you.

 

[SeriouslySearching]

Investigations are ongoing into the pilot and co-pilot. It emerged yesterday that Zaharie Shah, the plane's pilot, had a flight simulator in his home. It has now been dismantled and taken into police care for further investigation.

The police chief also dismissed speculation that the pilot's family had moved out of their house just days before the flight disappeared, saying that was untrue.

The two men had not asked to fly together, Hussein told the news conference.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/03/16/malaysia-plane-missing_n_4974043.html?utm_hp_ref=uk

What do we know about this issue? Which one made the request or did both?

 

[Boodles]

Here is a timeline: http://abcnews.go.com/m/story?id=22924054

ACARS definitely before last voice contact, which was sometime right around when the transponder went off. 1:30 was after transfer to Vietnam ATC's area

This was published prior to yesterday's presser where the prime minister et al elaborated/revised/clarified.

Whatever. Maybe there should be a separate thread for "Before or After 'alright, goodnight'"...

 

[Chilly Willy]

The article stated the Malaysia Airlines said it was the voice transmission so I don't understand the discrepancy. Where are you finding the 1:20am response time?

Malaysia Airlines has previously said that the last voice communication with the plane came around 1:30 a.m. Mr. Hishammuddin was not asked and did not say whether that communication came after the disabling of the transponder as well as of ACARS.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/17/world/asia/malaysia-airlines-flight.html

Waddles stated that during the press conference it was said that the transponder was shut off before the "All-right, good night" transmission. I responded with the quote from the NYtimes which reports that the matter was not addressed.

And, in the words of Lily Thomplin, that's all I've got to say about that. Pfft.

 

[katydid23]

Investigations are ongoing into the pilot and co-pilot. It emerged yesterday that Zaharie Shah, the plane's pilot, had a flight simulator in his home. It has now been dismantled and taken into police care for further investigation.

The police chief also dismissed speculation that the pilot's family had moved out of their house just days before the flight disappeared, saying that was untrue.

The two men had not asked to fly together, Hussein told the news conference.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2014/03/16/malaysia-plane-missing_n_4974043.html?utm_hp_ref=uk

What do we know about this issue? Which one made the request or did both?

HUH? Neither made the request.