Malaysia Air Airliner missing

[ApexOversteer]

Originally Posted by TxAg

Sorry I should have been more specific. I was referencing a few days go when they said they were looking for the mystery passport folks. You just know the internet sleuths are out there combing through any/all data they can to "crack the case".

Yeah, about those guys...

Anyone else feel that the authorities being all "move along, nothing to see here" about two Iranians attempting to illegally emmigrate to Europe is a bit hinky?

[Marc]

I read a report on Fox.com around 2 PM today about a commercial airliner reporting a debris field about 122 km off the southeast coast of Vietnam and a request was made to a cargo ship in the area to check for surface debris. No mention of it now. This whole deal smells bad, like confuse everyone with different information. Anyone else see that report?

[Mike Mercury]

Originally Posted by Marc

I read a report on Fox.com around 2 PM today about a commercial airliner reporting a debris field about 122 km off the southeast coast of Vietnam and a request was made to a cargo ship in the area to check for surface debris. No mention of it now.

Post 180:
https://www.thevettebarn.com/forums/1140292-post180.html

but now this:
https://www.thevettebarn.com/forums/1140348-post188.html

and this:
https://www.thevettebarn.com/forums/1140354-post191.html

most up-to-date article as of now:

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/...LEFTTopStories

[Sea Six]

YES!



This whole thing is just RIPE for a good ol' conspiracy theory.




I'll see what I can conjure up.


I'll have one in a jiffy.

[DAB]

Originally Posted by Sea Six

YES!



This whole thing is just RIPE for a good ol' conspiracy theory.




I'll see what I can conjure up.


I'll have one in a jiffy.

Hijacking gone awry

Ran out of gas

Suicidal pilot

Mechanical problem

Other.

[Mike Mercury]

one thing for certain... the Malaysian government and their military are laughable. Will anyone ever again risk visiting their country of flying their airline?

[onedef92]

The Last Day of Malaysia Airline Passengers With Stolen Passports
Friend of Men Who Used Fake Passports Describes Last Moments With Pair

March 11, 2014—


A man claiming to be the friend of two Iranians who used fake passports to board the missing Malaysia Airlines flight told ABC News that the men stayed at his home the night before the flight vanished.

Mohammad Mallaeibasir, 18, told ABC News that he is a student living in Malaysia who went to high school with one of the men who is believed to have used a fake passport to board the missing flight. He said the other man was a friend of the friend's, and the pair stayed at Mallaeibasir's the night before the flight took off.

Mallaeibasir identified the men as Pouria Nour Mohammadi, 19, and Reza Devalar, 29, are both from Iran. He said he went to high school with Pouria, but had not seen him for a couple of years.

They stayed with Mallaeibeasir and his roommate Friday night, and then Mallaeibasir drove them to the airport, where they used stolen Italian and Austrian passports to board Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 on Saturday morning, he said.

The plane lost contact with air control and radar approximately an hour into its flight and disappeared without a trace. A massive search operation is under way for any sign of the plane in the waters between Malaysia and Vietnam.

Mallaeibasir said he did not know the men were using fake passports until the news stories broke and Pouria's mother called him and told him about it. Mallaeibasir says he then called Malaysia Airlines and told them all of the information he knew.

Today Malaysian Police Chief Khalid Abu Bakar identified one of the two men with stolen passports as Pouria Nour Mohammad Mehrdad, 19, and said he was likely trying to enter Germany to seek asylum. His mother contacted authorities after he didn't arrive in Frankfurt.

Interpol later identified the other man as Delavar Syed Mohammad Reza, 29.

Law enforcement sources told ABC news today that the men's tickets were purchased by an Iranian man known as "Mr. Ali."

Mallaeibasir said that when Pouria and Reza were staying at his house, he heard them briefly talking to an "Ali" on the phone.

"The last night when they were in my home they were talking on the phone for a long time. They were talking in Persian, in their room, and I heard them say 'OK Ali' like that in Persian. I didn't understand because it was like, five seconds. I went into the room to take water from my fridge and I came out and they said, 'Be quiet, we're talking.'"

Besides the hushed phone conversations, Mallaeibasir said that the pair just hung out with him and his housemate and watched movies. Then Mallaeibasir drove them to the airport.

"They stayed here only the last night before the flight. They were supposed to stay in Malaysia for three days but I think they stayed for one week," Mallaebasir said. "They were with me because I had a car and I told them I will take you to the airport. They came to my house."

Mallaeibasir and Pouria went to high school together in Tehran two years ago, before Mallaebasir moved to Malaysia to study business information technology. He said he did not know Reza until the two arrived at his home for a quick night's stay.

Mallaeibasir said he did not ask Pouria or Reza why they were in Malaysia. Pouria said he was heading to Germany or Copenhagen after Malaysia in order to visit his mother because they were having family problems, Mallaeibasir said.

The two men traveled lightly, Mallaebasier said. Pouria had a mountain climbing-type backpack and a laptop, while Reza carried a suitcase and a laptop, he said.

After he dropped them at the airport, Mallaebasier called the men on their cell phones. Pouria answered but hung up quickly, and Mallaebasier ended up talking to Reza for about three minutes, he said.

[onedef92]

New Search Area Suggests Malaysia Airlines Plane Flew Off Course
Investigators Still Trying to Determine Why Plane Went Missing

March 11, 2014—


Malaysia has extended the search for the missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner hundreds of miles to the west of the plane's normal course, officials told ABC News today. The search for MH370 had been concentrated in the Gulf of Thailand between Malaysia and Vietnam because the plane with 239 people aboard had been bound for China and the last contact with the plane was just off Malaysia's east coast, officials had said.

According to a senior U.S. official, American authorities were informed by Malaysian officials Monday that they have information suggesting the plane went west. The reason for the possible turn was not known. Consequently, the search area has been expanded to include west coast of Malaysia.

Malaysia Airlines said search and rescue teams "have expanded the scope beyond the flight path to the West Peninsula of Malaysia at the Straits of Malacca." An earlier statement had said the western coast of Malaysia was "now the focus," but the airline subsequently said that phrase was an oversight. "The search is on both sides," Civil aviation chief Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said.

For the jetliner to reach the west coast of Malaysia, it would have to travel more than 300 miles off course.

The airline says the pilots didn't send any distress signals and radio any change of course.

The news of the expanded search came as officials identified the two passengers who boarded the plane with stolen passports as a pair of Iranian men. But the resolution of the stolen passports appeared to downplay any connection to terrorism in the plane's disappearance.

Malaysian Police Chief Khalid Abu Bakar said the first man, named Pouria Nour Mohammad Mehrdad, 19, was likely trying to enter Germany to seek asylum. His mother contacted authorities after he didn't arrive in Frankfurt. Interpol later identified the other man as Delavar Syed Mohammad Reza, 29.

An image from Interpol showed the two men boarding a plane at the same time. Interpol secretary general Ronald K. Noble said today the two men traveled to Malaysia on their Iranian passports, then apparently switched to the stolen Austrian and Italian documents.

Noble said the recent information about the men made terrorism a less likely cause of the plane's disappearance on March 8.

The announcements appeared to only compound the mystery of the plane's disappearance.

U.S. authorities said they have run the identities of the Iranian men who traveled on MH370 using stolen passports through available terrorism and criminal databases and have come up with no hits on either of the two men.

Khalid said investigators had not ruled out any possibility, including hijacking, sabotage or a personal motive to down the plane by either the crew or passengers. He also said that the police "had no prior information or intelligence about any involvement of terrorists."

The plane took off from Kuala Lumpur, on the western coast of Malaysia, early Saturday en route to Beijing. It flew overland across Malaysia and crossed the eastern coast into the Gulf of Thailand before disappearing from radar screens.

Authorities are looking at a possibility that MH370 attempted to turn back toward Kuala Lumpur. If it did indeed retrace its path, the plane could conceivably have crashed into the sea on the western coast, the other side of Malaysia from where it was reported missing. But this doesn't explain why it did not continue to show on radar while flying back toward Kuala Lumpur, and Malaysia Airlines or other authorities have not addressed that question.

"All angles are being looked at. We are not ruling out any possibilities," is all that the Malaysia Airlines statement said.

Malaysia's air force chief also said Sunday there were indications on military radar that the jet may have done a U-turn.

Potential clues discovered during the search have failed to bring authorities closer to the missing plane. Samples from an oil slick – as well as an orange object spotted floating in the ocean – had nothing to do with the plane wreckage, authorities said.

[onedef92]

Malaysia defends search for missing jet

World March 12, 2014

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysian authorities defended their handling of the hunt for the missing Boeing 777 on Wednesday but acknowledged they still are unsure which direction the plane was headed when it disappeared, highlighting the massive task facing an international search now in its fifth day.

The mystery over the plane's whereabouts has been confounded by confusing and occasionally conflicting statements by Malaysian officials, adding to the anguish of relatives of the 239 people on board the flight — two thirds of them Chinese.

"There's too much information and confusion right now. It is very hard for us to decide whether a given piece of information is accurate," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang told reporters in Beijing. "We will not give it up as long as there's still a shred of hope."

Malaysian Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein described the multinational search for the missing plane as an unprecedented and complicated effort and defended his country's efforts. Some 43 ships and 39 aircraft from at least eight nations were scouring an area of 92,600 square kilometers (35,800 square miles).

"It's not something that is easy. We are looking at so many vessels and aircraft, so many countries to coordinate, and a vast area for us to search," he said. "But we will never give up. This we owe to the families."

Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 took off from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing early Saturday morning and fell off civilian radar screens at 1:30 a.m. about 35,000 feet above the Gulf of Thailand between Malaysia and southern Vietnam. It sent no distress signals or any indication it was experiencing any problems.

Malaysian authorities have since said that air defense radar picked up traces of what might have been the plane turning back and flying until it reached the Strait of Malacca, a busy shipping lane west of the narrow nation some 400 kilometers (250 miles) from the plane's last known coordinates.

Military and government officials on Wednesday said American experts and the manufacturer of the radar systems were examining that data to confirm it showed the Boeing 777. Until then, they said the search would continue on both sides of the country, with an equal focus.

Dozens of ships and planes searching waters have failed to turn up anything, prompting officials to expand the hunt. Malaysia asked India to join the search for the missing jet in waters near the Andaman Sea — far to the northwest of its last reported position.

"As of today, we have not found anything, but we are extending (the search) further," Hishammuddin said. Air force chief Gen. Rodzali Daud said air defense radar showed an unidentified object at 2:15 a.m. about 200 miles (320 kilometers) northwest of Penang.

"I am not saying it's flight MH370. We are still corroborating this. It was an unidentifiable plot," he said. It's unlikely the plane would have flown across Malaysia without being detected by civilian radar unless its electrical systems, including transponders allowing it to be identified by radar, were either knocked out or turned off.

Authorities have not ruled out any possible cause, including mechanical failure, pilot error, sabotage and terrorism. Both the Boeing 777 and Malaysia Airlines have excellent safety records. Until wreckage or debris is found and examined, it will be very hard to say what happened.

Malaysian authorities contacted their Indian counterparts seeking help in searching areas near the Andaman Sea, Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said. Hishammuddin praised India for joining the efforts and vowed to keep up the search until the plane was found.

Earlier, Gen. Rodzali released a statement denying remarks attributed to him in a local media report saying that military radar had confirmed that aircraft flew west over and made it to the Malacca Strait. The Associated Press contacted a high-level military official who confirmed the remarks.

Indonesian air force Col. Umar Fathur said the country had received official information from Malaysian authorities that the plane was above the South China Sea, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Kota Bharu, Malaysia, when it turned back toward the strait and then disappeared. That would place its last confirmed position closer to Malaysia than has previously been publicly disclosed.

Confusion over whether the plane had been spotted flying west has prompted speculation that different arms of the government have different opinions about where the plane is most likely to be, or even that authorities are holding back information.

Asked about this, Hishammuddin said his government had been transparent from the start. "There is only confusion if you want to see confusion," he said. Choi Tat Sang, a 74-year-old Malaysian man, said his family is still holding out hope that the plane and all on board are safe. His daughter-in-law, Goh Sock Lay, 45, is the chief stewardess on the flight. Her 14-year-old daughter, an only child, has been crying every day since the plane's disappearance.

"We are heartbroken. We are continuing to pray for her safety and for everyone on the flight," he said. The mother of passenger Zou Jingsheng, who would only give her name as Zou, wept and spoke haltingly about her missing son at a hotel near the Beijing airport. She expressed frustration with the airline and the Malaysian government over their handling of the case.

"I want to talk more, but all this is very stressful, and after all it is my son's life that I am concerned about. I just want to know where he is, and wish he is safe and alive," she said.

[Mike Mercury]

interesting...

Australian aviation consultant Neil Hansford accused the Malaysian government of not telling the full story of what happened.

He told Sky News: "I'm finding in any interviews I'm doing with Malaysians, there is a fair bit of spin, there's a fair bit of denial of the boarding procedures and the manifest checking with the stolen passport list, and inconsistencies all the time.

"What I've advocated all along is what I call the 'Silk Air situation' where the captain waited until the first officer left the flight deck, slammed the door and effectively committed suicide, taking everybody with him," he said.

"Now I don't know which pilot was flying, whether it was the captain or the first officer, but all of this starts to indicate why we cannot find any wreckage, and why the aircraft didn't make scheduled contact with control."

"If it had turned back, the Malaysian air force would have gone into the skies. The aircraft was allegedly not emitting any transponder signals, so it would have been a foreign aircraft over Malaysia."

[Rob]

I have a new theory that hit me while I was sleeping last night....

Remember the Pane Stewart issue back in the 90's? I wonder if they had a similar issue with a rapid decompression and autopilot took over and flew that plane off in some odd direction to where it may be a long time before anyone finds the wreckage?

just a theory....

[mrvette]

Originally Posted by Dixievet

I have a new theory that hit me while I was sleeping last night....

Remember the Pane Stewart issue back in the 90's? I wonder if they had a similar issue with a rapid decompression and autopilot took over and flew that plane off in some odd direction to where it may be a long time before anyone finds the wreckage?

just a theory....

IF so, the only 'rapid decompression that makes any sense is a bomb....

islam......

[Mike Mercury]

info on the SilkAir tragedy:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SilkAir_Flight_185"The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), which also participated in the investigation, concluded that the evidence was consistent with a deliberate manipulation of the flight controls, most likely by the captain."

Evidence suggests that the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) was intentionally disconnected.

In the aftermath of the crash, several potential motives for the captain's alleged suicide/homicide were suggested, including recent financial losses (his share trading showed losses of more than $1 million and his securities trading privileges had been suspended 10 days before the accident due to non-payment), his obtaining an insurance policy on his life the previous week (the policy was to have gone into effect on the day of the accident), his receipt of several recent disciplinary actions on the part of the airline (including one that related to improper manipulation of the CVR circuit breaker).

[Rob]

Originally Posted by Gilligan

IF so, the only 'rapid decompression that makes any sense is a bomb....

islam......

there are just as many crazy Christian people as crazy Islamic folks.

[Stangkiller]

Originally Posted by Stangkiller

A coworker suggested this morning, rapid decompression rendering the pilots unconscious, but allowing the plane to continue flying, while that doesn't explain turning off the transponder, i thought I'd read due to terrorism concerns they didn't use the transponders like they usually would due to their location?

Originally Posted by Dixievet

I have a new theory that hit me while I was sleeping last night....

Remember the Pane Stewart issue back in the 90's? I wonder if they had a similar issue with a rapid decompression and autopilot took over and flew that plane off in some odd direction to where it may be a long time before anyone finds the wreckage?

just a theory....

I suspect this may turn out to be the story.

[Cybercowboy]

Originally Posted by Stangkiller

I suspect this may turn out to be the story.

The 777 has monitors for air quality, and the pilots have actual real oxygen masks that are a whole lot better than the little plastic cups the rest of the plane gets. They could have easily put on their oxygen masks, and the Payne Stewart incident resulted in all planes getting air quality monitors installed if they are pressurized. That is if I remember correctly.

The autopilot would have kept them more or less on their current course, as did Payne Stewart's plane.

[99 pewtercoupe]

Originally Posted by TxAg

Sure there are extreme Christians out there.

But I have yet to see a group of militant Christians blow up a plane, ram a plane into a building or call for a war to rid the world of anyone non-Christian.

Maybe I'm missing something.

I have to laugh every time I hear Muslim apologists fall back on The Crusades as an example of Christian vilolence against another religion when that happened around 1200 AD.
Show me something from the last couple of centuries

[Rob]

Originally Posted by TxAg

Sure there are extreme Christians out there.

But I have yet to see a group of militant Christians blow up a plane, ram a plane into a building or call for a war to rid the world of anyone non-Christian.

Maybe I'm missing something.

It may not always be Christians or Islamic - That was just an example. I just feel that it is a bad habit for people to always want to lay the blame on one particular group of people when we do not know the facts.

That being said - there is a huge issue in this country with sovereign citizens and Timothy McVeigh was a fine example of how extreme that an American extremist group can become

[Mike Mercury]

info from Malaysian briefing:

Malaysian authorities said at a news conference Wednesday that radar records reviewed in the wake of the plane's disappearance reveal an unidentified aircraft traveling across the Malay Peninsula and some 200 miles into the Straits of Malacca.

However, it wasn't clear whether that radar signal represented Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, Gen. Rodzali Daud, head of the Malaysian Air Force, said at the news conference.

[Mike Mercury]

first time I've seen this:

Rolls Royce may have been sent at least two bursts of technical data from the missing Malaysia Airlines jet before it disappeared, according to New Scientist.

The missing Malaysia Airlines jet sent at least two bursts of technical data back to the airline before it disappeared. The first was at take-off and the second was during the climb towards Beijing. The data is from the Airborne Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS).