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[aeroslash]

Well, yeah. Above the ocean there's obviously no way to have contact with the ground. Radars don't have unlimited range. They figured something was wrong when the plane didn't make contact with its next ATC point in Vietnamese airspace as scheduled.

We communicate in HF stating the nexts points you'll fly along with the speed and the next time you'll communicate.

Jet engines have an upper ceiling limit. Due to having blades inside the engine that spin to produce thrust, and thus they would not be capable of taking the plane above a certain altitude due to lack of air at higher altitudes.

Rocket engines don't depend on propellers / blades to produce thrust.

Spoiler

That sounds about right anyways -- I'm a software engineer and have no actual formal aerospace education

It's not the blades that produce thrust.. The blades are just there to compress the air that goes into the combustion chamber. Thrust is produced (like rokets) because of the propulsion of high pressure air into the stream.

What are pilots trained to do if terrorists are on board? Like, if they somehow manage to get into the cockpit and put a gun to the pilot's head, is he supposed to just ignore that, or what?

We are not trained for that. There's a special code to squawk to advice atc that there's being a hijack.

 

[KingFire]

The suicide scenario is the one that makes the most sense to me. The captain turned off all communication, changed course, and crashed. The co-pilot did not know what hit him due to his age and inexperience compared to the pilot; he probably had complete trust in the pilot.

There is a similar case: SilkAir Flight 185

Flight 185 remained level at FL350 until it started a rapid and nearly vertical dive around 16:12. While plunging through 12,000 feet (3,700 m), parts of the aircraft, including a great extent of the tail section, started to separate from the aircraft's fuselage due to high forces arising from the nearly supersonic dive.[3] Seconds later, the aircraft impacted the Musi River, near Palembang, Sumatra. The time it took the aircraft to dive from cruise altitude to the river was less than one minute. The plane was traveling faster than the speed of sound for a few seconds before impact.[3]

However, the only difference is that no debris has been found for our case here . Perhaps the pilot changed course before crashing (?)

Hijacking is unlikely in my opinion. The pilot/co-pilot/crew could have reported it all that time.

We are not trained for that. There's a special code to squawk to advice atc that there's being a hijack.

Thanks for the info. Don't you guys think if there were a hijacking, the code would have been used to communicate the situation to ATC?

 

[mercenar1e]

]What happened to the World Trade Center data recorders? Obliterated? Otherwise wouldn't they just be in the rubble[/B]?

Edit: I guess so, considering this is what happened to the Pentagon data recorder.

yeah it was destroyed but we don't need the recorder to figure out what happened.

 

[Sectorseven]

We are not trained for that. There's a special code to squawk to advice atc that there's being a hijack.

What are your options though? If you're over sea with no radio contact like these guys were, and someones trying to break into the cockpit, do you try to make an emergency landing? Barricade the door?

 

[hydragonwarrior]

The suicide scenario is the one that makes the most sense to me. The captain turned off all communication, changed course, and crashed. The co-pilot did not know what hit him due to his age and inexperience compared to the pilot; he probably had complete trust in the pilot.

There is a similar case: SilkAir Flight 185



However, the only difference is that no debris has been found for our case here . Perhaps the pilot changed course before crashing (?)

Hijacking is unlikely in my opinion. The pilot/co-pilot/crew could have reported it all that time.

Still requires motive though - without knowing any backstories for either pilot, it's still a straw grasp.

 

[mercenar1e]

What are your options though? If you're over sea with no radio contact like these guys were, and someones trying to break into the cockpit, do you try to make an emergency landing? Barricade the door?

they would most likely change course to the nearest airport in a situation like that

 

[KingFire]

Still requires motive though - without knowing any backstories for either pilot, it's still a straw grasp.

Even if he was depressed, that does not make my scenario valid, for many people are depressed yet they do not go and crash planes that are full of people. It is just a hypothesis at this point given the info we have about this interesting crash.

But yeah, more background info about the pilot would be nice.

 

[KHarvey16]

The suicide scenario is the one that makes the most sense to me. The captain turned off all communication, changed course, and crashed. The co-pilot did not know what hit him due to his age and inexperience compared to the pilot; he probably had complete trust in the pilot.

There is a similar case: SilkAir Flight 185



However, the only difference is that no debris has been found for our case here . Perhaps the pilot changed course before crashing (?)

Hijacking is unlikely in my opinion. The pilot/co-pilot/crew could have reported it all that time.



Thanks for the info. Don't you guys think if there were a hijacking, the code would have been used to communicate the situation to ATC?

Why would he turn off communication?

 

[aeroslash]

What are your options though? If you're over sea with no radio contact like these guys were, and someones trying to break into the cockpit, do you try to make an emergency landing? Barricade the door?

It's literaly impossible to open the door from the outside..
But IF they could in some way, the best thing is try to convince them to land any near place.

 

[PopeReal]

Yeah the suicide thing sounds just like a wild guess. How did that start? Do we have any info that would make that a possibilty?

 

[KingFire]

Why would he turn off communication?

Good question. The SilkAir pilot turned off the CVR and FDR, but why? I have no idea.

 

[Daria]

Yeah the suicide thing sounds just like a wild guess. How did that start? Do we have any info that would make that a possibilty?

Because it happened before. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EgyptAir_Flight_990

 

[PopeReal]

Because it happened before. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EgyptAir_Flight_990

Interesting, thank you. I see there were 2 different conclusions as to the cause of the crash.

 

[sonikokaruto]

i was about to get on that same plane in september, but it got full and we had to go on singapur airlines a380.

half of my friends used that plane.

*shudders*

 

[pigeon interrupted]

[After reading the tribute page (if accurate), the captain seems like a good and focussed guy, suicide seems unlikely but life can change in matter of minutes. RIP if so.

 

[coldfoot]

I hope it's not suicide. I have zero sympathy for selfish fucks who would commit suicide by crashing a plane full of people.

 

[delta25]

wait, so they still haven't found it it yet?

 

[dorkimoe]

What's the chance of it being successfully hijacked and actually landed somewhere?

LOST: the sequel


No but i really cant believe they havent found it yet. Just goes to show you how much water there is out there...

As fucked up as this is, i love "mysteries" like this. So interesting and captivating

 

[Betta Lines]

wait, so they still haven't found it it yet?

Nothing.

 

[crozier]

Interesting, thank you. I see there were 2 different conclusions as to the cause of the crash.

Egypt's conclusion doesn't even count. They actually have the guy who crashed it on audio saying "I put it in Allah's hands" right before the pilot barges in the room and screams at him to stop.

 

[johnny956]

Egypt's conclusion doesn't even count. They actually have the guy who crashed it on audio saying "I put it in Allah's hands" right before the pilot barges in the room and screams at him to stop.

I'm amazed they would even say mechanical failure when its was clear based on the audio transcript what was happening on that EgyptAir flight.

 

[PopeReal]

Egypt's conclusion doesn't even count. They actually have the guy who crashed it on audio saying "I put it in Allah's hands" right before the pilot barges in the room and screams at him to stop.

I see. I wondered if it was some form of denial on their part.

 

[Megasoum]

I'm amazed they would even say mechanical failure when its was clear based on the audio transcript what was happening on that EgyptAir flight.

Not really surprising, crash investigations are always super political and kinda bullshit. See the Concorde crash investigation for example.

 

[Hiccup]

Unknown group claiming responsibility? Saw it on CNN

 

[crozier]

Unknown group claiming responsibility? Saw it on CNN

This always happens. With any terrorist attack (not saying this is for sure) they come out of the woodwork to claim responsibility for it. If they can provide some specifics, then I'll believe it.

 

[Tugatrix]

Unknown group claiming responsibility? Saw it on CNN

took too many time to come forward i call it bullshit

 

[MThanded]

Unknown group claiming responsibility? Saw it on CNN

I was watching cnn for the last 15 minutes. They didn't say anything about that. Must have missed it.

Edit:
Weird that the 2 guys who both had fake passports had tickets bought by the same guy. Both one way tickets and paid for in cash. Who knows if it matters at all. It's just very odd.

 

[crozier]

I was watching cnn for the last 15 minutes. They didn't say anything about that. Must have missed it.

http://www.ibtimes.com/obscure-grou...rigade-claims-responsibility-missing-malaysia

Could be related to the train stabbings? I seriously doubt this is the case. Who knows at this point, though. It's all wild speculation...here's hoping for some actual developments in the near future.

 

[lemmykoopa]

I know Air Force One is mostly escorted by fighter jets but say on a particular flight it was flying on its own over the ocean and suffered a catastrophic failure on board and crashed into the ocean could it also take so long to find the wreckage or does the airplane carry state of the art location sending equipment and is in constant communication with air traffic control?

Also, did MH370 vanish from radar at 1.30 or was it supposed to enter area at 1.30 where it's supposed to make contact with air traffic but didn't?

 

[Sec0nd]

The suicide scenario is the one that makes the most sense to me. The captain turned off all communication, changed course, and crashed. The co-pilot did not know what hit him due to his age and inexperience compared to the pilot; he probably had complete trust in the pilot.

There is a similar case: SilkAir Flight 185



However, the only difference is that no debris has been found for our case here . Perhaps the pilot changed course before crashing (?)

Hijacking is unlikely in my opinion. The pilot/co-pilot/crew could have reported it all that time.



Thanks for the info. Don't you guys think if there were a hijacking, the code would have been used to communicate the situation to ATC?

There's a special place in hell for people like that. Taking people with you while committing suicide. God damn...

 

[Coins]

took too many time to come forward i call it bullshit

Took awhile for Bin Laden to come forward, too. Keeps people on edge not knowing.

 

[crozier]

There's a special place in hell for people like that. Taking people with you while committing suicide. God damn...

The guy had recently been punished for sexual harassment and the boss responsible for disciplining him was on the flight too.

 

[kmax]

http://www.ibtimes.com/obscure-grou...rigade-claims-responsibility-missing-malaysia

Could be related to the train stabbings? I seriously doubt this is the case. Who knows at this point, though. It's all wild speculation...here's hoping for some actual developments in the near future.

The statement, which came through an encrypted Hushmail anonymous service that is reportedly almost impossible to be traced, on March 9, read: "You kill one of our clan, we will kill 100 of you as pay back."

Yeah, I find it dubious that they would of perpetrated the whole thing. Groups love to take responsibility for acts they haven't done, simply because it gives them the exposure that they truly are desperate to have. They're usually nothing more than attention seekers.

 

[Pandaman]

Good question. The SilkAir pilot turned off the CVR and FDR, but why? I have no idea.

the silkair guy took out a life insurance policy on himself the week before.

 

[gcubed]

I was watching cnn for the last 15 minutes. They didn't say anything about that. Must have missed it.

Edit:
Weird that the 2 guys who both had fake passports had tickets bought by the same guy. Both one way tickets and paid for in cash. Who knows if it matters at all. It's just very odd.

i doubt its very odd, i'm sure there are "safe" guys to go to if you are going to use a fake passport, or the two that got the fake passports were family

 

[themagicalkitsune]

The guy had recently been punished for sexual harassment and the boss responsible for disciplining him was on the flight too.

That makes it even worse.

 

[TomServo]

Spent the day on the road with a senior coworker who spent much of his career in the Air Force.

One point he made is that the various military resources may in fact know more, but they're often reluctant to say something publicly because it tips their hand on what their intelligence gathering capabilities are.

 

[SuperSah]

This is weird..

I know it's unlikely anyone survived, but I send my prays to those affected.

 

[GaimeGuy]

I just find it crazy that they completely lost contact and all coverage.

The depth of the water is only 160 feet in the area it was last seen so debris should be very easy to spot, even though it can be spread over a very wide area (unlike that Air France flight from 2009). They're not getting any signals from the Black Box's transponder in the area, either.

A plane doesn't just vanish off of radar over shallow open water without any debris. Unless the radar data was hundreds of km off.

 

[sangreal]

I was watching cnn for the last 15 minutes. They didn't say anything about that. Must have missed it.

Edit:
Weird that the 2 guys who both had fake passports had tickets bought by the same guy. Both one way tickets and paid for in cash. Who knows if it matters at all. It's just very odd.

It is not strange, as they were traveling together. Pointing out that they were one-way tickets is misleading as they were not one-way tickets to China, but rather to Europe. That is significant, because the stolen passports were European, so Occam's Razor suggests that they just wanted to get into Europe without a visa.

Their identity is not really relevant to their ability to carry out and terrorist action anyway. They should be subject to the same screening of their person and belongings regardless.

 

[crozier]

A plane doesn't just vanish off of radar over shallow open water without any debris. Unless the radar data was hundreds of km off.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the plane wasn't even on radar. The range of airport radar systems is only 80 miles or so. They only know where it was when the airport stopped tracking it and where its intended flight path should have been afterwards.

 

[MThanded]

It is not strange, as they were traveling together. Pointing out that they were one-way tickets is misleading as they were not one-way tickets to China, but rather to Europe. That is significant, because the stolen passports were European, so Occam's Razor suggests that they just wanted to get into Europe without a visa.

Their identity is not really relevant to their ability to carry out and terrorist action anyway. They should be subject to the same screening of their person and belongings regardless.

Just surmising but if you were actually going to do something and two of you are using fake passports its probably better to get 2 different destinations if you are worried about being possibly flagged for a fake passports.

They most likely had nothing to do with the plane going down. I'm just saying.

 

[akaoni]

The fact that they were supposed to get a connecting flight to Europe meant that security on them was more lax, or I believe that's what I read.

 

[trinest]

So posted on that other forum someone linked to, this is interesting https://imageshack.com/i/mao7vaj

Could fly right through the island :| I guess that is why they are looking on the other side?

 

[Insane Metal]

Some news, finally?

http://www.scmp.com/news/asia/artic...-search-missing-passenger-plane-families-grow

Hong Kong’s Civil Aviation Department (CAD) said on Monday it had received a report from the crew of a Cathay Pacific Hong Kong-Kuala Lumpur bound flight that a large amount of debris was spotted at about 3pm off the coast of Vung Tau, southeast Vietnam. The department said it had notified its counterparts in Vietnam, Malaysia and in Sanya city, Hainan province of the sighting.

The location of suspected debris does not match the path expected to have been taken by Malaysia Airlines flight 370, which should have flown directly over Ho Chi Minh City. The location supplied to the CAD was over the sea more than 125 kilometres south-east of the original flight path.

edit

Also, from the same website:

Warning of ‘possible terrorist attack on China’ received by Taiwan days before Malaysia Airlines jet vanished

:|

 

[SniperHunter]

the captain seems like a cool guy and not an extremist going by his blog and youtube channel. I doubt this was a case of pilot suicide

 

[Jimrpg]

My friend says it's possible to fly under the radar and not be detected under 1000ft. Is this true? And if so have we explored the scenarios in this situation?

If it's a hijacking and the passengers are safe maybe they don't want the government to tell the media?

 

[Yamauchi]

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2014/03/11/2003585363 << More details on the tip received by China Airlines.

As for how often they receive a threat, the article states that this is the first time an airline in Taiwan has ever received a tip relating to a terrorist attack.

 

[LQX]

the captain seems like a cool guy and not an extremist going by his blog and youtube channel. I doubt this was a case of pilot suicide

I doubt a extremist or suicidal pilot would post blog entries or make videos about it.

 

[daw840]

My friend says it's possible to fly under the radar and not be detected under 1000ft. Is this true? And if so have we explored the scenarios in this situation?

If it's a hijacking and the passengers are safe maybe they don't want the government to tell the media?

It all depends on the area. Some areas we can see to the ground, and some areas we can't see shit under 10,000 MSL. It just depends on how many radar sites are around what area.

<-----Air Traffic Controller