Possible bad news for a B777 [Malaysian MH370]

[The Wizard]

Did it not take two years to locate the French plane that took off from Brazil ? And they knew roughly where it went down

There was wreckage seen within 48 hours of the crash so they knew definitively it had gone down, and that was in the massive Atlantic Ocean. It's the black box they found 2 years later.

 

[Psychobilly freakout]

There was wreckage seen within 48 hours of the crash so they knew definitively it had gone down, and that was in the massive Atlantic Ocean. It's the black box they found 2 years later.

Ok thanks

 

[Hornblower]

Been in the US, Texas, for the last week and all the news attention here is focusing on the pilot and co-pilot.

 

[beorhthelm]

There was wreckage seen within 48 hours of the crash so they knew definitively it had gone down, and that was in the massive Atlantic Ocean. It's the black box they found 2 years later.

they knew the French plane's course. the problem it seems here is that, even though they knew there was a change of direction on the Sunday 9th, the authorities focused everything on the original flight path (understandably). they've effectivly started the search again this week end to the west, but its a big o'l ocean out there.

 

[TomandJerry]

"China begins searching its territory for the missing Malaysian plane and says no evidence was found of terror links among Chinese passengers."

 

[TomandJerry]

"Chinese relatives fast to protest at lack of information
Australia announces 600,000 square kilometre search zone
Flight path in Indian ocean may take weeks to search
China says no evidence its nationals caused disappearance
Chronology muddled as officials change accounts"

"Hunger strike threat

Relatives of some of the missing Chinese passengers are threatening to go on hunger strike in an effort to get more information from the Malaysian authorities."

Poor people

 

[Bwian]

It must be hell for relatives not knowing what has happened. Equally, it must be difficult for the Malaysian authorities to give out information whilst maintaining some level of security until they know what they are dealing with. None of us know what had happened to the plane. Is it a tragic 'routine' plane crash? Terrorism? A precision hijacking? For all anybody knows the 777 could be in the hands of some terrorist group who plan on using it as a bomber (very far fetched I know but as plausible as any other theories).

Until they know with absolute certainty what has happened the authorities simply cannot give the families the news they are desperate for. Going on hunger strike will not improve the flow of information.

 

[TomandJerry]

"It is unclear why investigators appear so certain that the two communications systems were disabled deliberately, rather than malfunctioning. Attention has focused on the crew – particularly the pilots – because of the difficulty of shutting off the systems and because of the way the plane navigated subsequently."

Possibly not a hijacking anymore? The plot thickens Watson !

 

[Surport Local Team]

It is a very scary idea, that if plane is landed somewhere it could be filled with explosives and used as a giant bomb!!

 

[Guinness Boy]

It is a very scary idea, that if plane is landed somewhere it could be filled with explosives and used as a giant bomb!!

Scary scenario: Landed in Southern Pakistan and fitted with a nuclear bomb...

If that's the plan what has happened to the passengers? All of them would need to have been "dealt with" in some way. They certainly wouldn't have been let off the plane, raising the grizzly possibility that they'd starve to death. If I was starving to death and seeing my plane get turned in to a bomb I'd fight so you'd then need to know who was 'controlling' the passengers and how. How have they constantly stopped mobile communications or a group effort like Flight 93?

 

[kevo]

If it took the north corridor, I wonder if it was shot down over one of the central Asian countries (or possibly even China) for entering airspace without authorisation.

It surely would have been detected - and I can imagine if it didn't respond to requests, jets may have been scrambled or missiles launched. For whatever reason, whoever shot it down doesn't want to admit this is what happened. If it had been blown up mid-air over remote mountains, the debris would be very scattered and hard to find.

 

[ditchy]

Scary scenario: Landed in Southern Pakistan and fitted with a nuclear bomb...

This or landed in Iran ..

 

[Hillian1]

This or landed in Iran ..

It didn't have enough fuel to get there I thought.

Either way, the whole idea of somebody sticking a nuke in it is frankly terrifying.

 

[Paskman]

"China begins searching its territory for the missing Malaysian plane and says no evidence was found of terror links among Chinese passengers."

So much for an effecient air defence in China (or the other SE Asian countries) then - they might only have missed a wide bodied passenger jet flying through their airspace. They all like to spend vast sums on flash defence equipment to impress their neighbours, pity they do not appear to have spent as much time and effort on personel and training!

 

[cloud]

If that's the plan what has happened to the passengers? All of them would need to have been "dealt with" in some way. They certainly wouldn't have been let off the plane, raising the grizzly possibility that they'd starve to death.

Could have decompressed the cabin, which would be gentler than execution on arrival

 

[hybrid_x]

 

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

It didn't have enough fuel to get there I thought.

Either way, the whole idea of somebody sticking a nuke in it is frankly terrifying.

I think the probability of a nuclear bomb/warhead falling into the wrong hands is virtually zero, however nuclear waste products to create a "dirty" bomb is a reality.

 

[Nibble]

Shhh, the grown ups are talking.

The reason we don't hear so much about missing kids is actually in the overly simplified picture you posted. If that many kids went missing from ONE location at the SAME time without a trace there's a fair bet it would be big news. So stop being a wally.

 

[Guy Fawkes]

Could have decompressed the cabin, which would be gentler than execution on arrival

Wasn't there a report that the plane climbed to 45,000ft, far higher than their normal operating altitude and then made a rapid descent? or was this found to be untrue? (was it the Malaysian authorities saying this earlier in the week?)

If it did climb that high, its unlikely to have shadowed another plane (theory given earlier)

The cabin could have been decompressed at that height which would have killed the passengers (hence no mobile comms) and the pilots could have been incapacitated too if the plane did decompress, meaning that it flew on until out of fuel. It could mean that the pilot who did this could have used this method to kill the other passengers and crew before flying onto their target destination (or committed suicide)

Why would the plane climb that high if it did? and why the sudden descent? (something like 40,oooft in a minute or 2?)

 

[Guinness Boy]

Could have decompressed the cabin, which would be gentler than execution on arrival

I think the probability of a nuclear bomb/warhead falling into the wrong hands is virtually zero, however nuclear waste products to create a "dirty" bomb is a reality.

Why bother though? I mean with the whole thing? Turning a tomb full of stinking corpses in to a bomb. Doing something as obtrusive as stealing a commercial airliner full of passengers, the majority of whom are Chinese (I can't think of a country I'd less want angry with me but maybe that's the point). Couldn't you achieve the same thing with far less fuss by taking a cargo plane that's only going to be missed by the airline and an insurance company from somewhere nearer Pakistan or Iran and more third worldy?