Malaysian B777 missing!

[Rossbeef]

Agreed Parsley, the first two are too hard to see but the third one does look like an outline of an aircraft. I wouldn't wish to speculate however.

[Milan]

Apparently Vietnamese officials received a letter about a possible crash:

http://twitpic.com/dy1qmm

No idea, obviously, if this is real or not.

[RRconway]

If it is genuine, I bet he's really pleased his email and passport numbered are being shown to the world.

Comment not aimed at you Milan, it's already been done on twitter obviously.

[Thumper]

Gmail and Hotmail are hardly email providers I would associate with 'officials'.

[A380Heavy]

So the Chinese release three images from one of their satellites which purported to show possible debris from flight MH370, where they were very precise about the dimensions of this 'debris'.

Today we learn that these images were released "by mistake" by the Chinese and do not show debris from the missing B777.

The alleged measurements of the three pieces of 'debris' were 13x18, 14x19 and 24x22 metres respectively. When Malaysian SAR crews searched the area for these very large items nothing at all was found!

Three questions - 1) Assuming that these large items have sunk in the time between the images were captured and the SAR crews reaching the area, why is there no mention of submarines being utilised?, 2) Was the mistake actually that these images were meant just for the Chinese authorities and should not have been made public - maybe for potentially sinister reasons (for the conspiracy theorists out there) and finally 3) If this 'debris' isn't the missing B777, what is it - these are huge items, not just flotsam and jetsam that's been tipped overboard by some careless, maritime litterer!!!?

[phreakf4]

I never speculate about the causes of incidents such as this, preferring to wait for the report from the professional investigators.

One point which does occur to me is that it has been assumed that if the transponder was not operating it would be because the crew had "switched it off". Is it not equally possible that the transponder was not operating because it had failed. Would not be the first instance of a u/s transponder.

Reports that the aircraft "flew on for hours after contact was lost" have been dismissed as "inaccurate" by authorities, including Rolls-Royce whose engine monitoring datastream was quoted as the source of this "misinformation".

[Harlequin67]

A wild'ish thought, trying to tie-in some things that have been mentioned....

The New Zealander on the oil rig saw a flash streak of light at night on a basic East/West track.

The plane was travelling N/S roughly and then the transponder was lost and the plane seemed to turn and change direction.

My wild thought, could this whole incident be related to a meteorite? The New Zealander sees a flash and a streak of light. A meteor exploding in the upper atmosphere similiar to the recent Russian meteor. Remembering the Russian event the main damage was caused by the shockwave that came several minutes after the initial visual streak of light.

Could the plane have passed through the shockwave or even the fire trail of a meteor? I know the chances of actually being hit by space objects is virtually nil, but the shockwave can be powerful and cover a wide area. The fire trail is relatively small, but still can cover a wide area, especially if the object breaks up into smaller pieces, like shotgun pellets.

The Russian meteor was estimated to be the size of a building/house, and was not picked up by any(?) man made sensors. Something smaller could stand more chance of getting past our sensors, but still create a powerful shockwave.

Wild I know, but eventually an aircraft will be effected by a space object one day. However improbable the risk is still there.

[RRconway]

A wild'ish thought, trying to tie-in some things that have been mentioned....

The New Zealander on the oil rig saw a flash streak of light at night on a basic East/West track.

The plane was travelling N/S roughly and then the transponder was lost and the plane seemed to turn and change direction.

My wild thought, could this whole incident be related to a meteorite? The New Zealander sees a flash and a streak of light. A meteor exploding in the upper atmosphere similiar to the recent Russian meteor. Remembering the Russian event the main damage was caused by the shockwave that came several minutes after the initial visual streak of light.

Could the plane have passed through the shockwave or even the fire trail of a meteor? I know the chances of actually being hit by space objects is virtually nil, but the shockwave can be powerful and cover a wide area. The fire trail is relatively small, but still can cover a wide area, especially if the object breaks up into smaller pieces, like shotgun pellets.

The Russian meteor was estimated to be the size of a building/house, and was not picked up by any(?) man made sensors. Something smaller could stand more chance of getting past our sensors, but still create a powerful shockwave.

Wild I know, but eventually an aircraft will be effected by a space object one day. However improbable the risk is still there.

Ian, have you had your head in a storage tank again???? Gotta watch those fumes.

[foxfour]

There seems to be quite a lot of debate about the transponder on the ill-fated aircraft being switched on or off. The intended flight path of the aircraft would appear to take it over an area where there was quite possibly no radar coverage. A transponder is only effective if it is being painted by radar and it may very well be the case that the transponder was set to "standby" just because the aircraft wasn't receiving any kind of radar service at the time it disappeared.

I have pondered if the aircraft was carrying any kind of ELT (Emergency Locator Transmitter)? There are several different kinds; some have to be manually activated whilst others are activated automatically by contact with sea water for example. They use satellites to relay their location when activated. Of course an ELT is only any good if the device itself isn't destroyed in whatever kind of catastrophe befalls the aircraft or ship it's carried in.

[Homer]

Now it's said engine data suggests the plane flew on for another FOUR HOURS, undetected and untracked.

Seems that what RR actually said was that based on their data the plane could have flown for another 4 hours, but we knew that already.

[Inthrustwetrust]

Here's a stupid question, but taking into account the sizemagraphical problems all over that area and the laying of undersea sensors, wouldn't they, of the various sosus sensors or even subs in the nearish area pick up a plane crashing into the sea, plus breakup noise?

Maybe the sea is the wrong place to look. Maybe, just maybe, the plane was taken?

[iainpeden]

A wild'ish thought, trying to tie-in some things that have been mentioned....

The New Zealander on the oil rig saw a flash streak of light at night on a basic East/West track.

The plane was travelling N/S roughly and then the transponder was lost and the plane seemed to turn and change direction.

My wild thought, could this whole incident be related to a meteorite? The New Zealander sees a flash and a streak of light. A meteor exploding in the upper atmosphere similiar to the recent Russian meteor. Remembering the Russian event the main damage was caused by the shockwave that came several minutes after the initial visual streak of light.

Could the plane have passed through the shockwave or even the fire trail of a meteor? I know the chances of actually being hit by space objects is virtually nil, but the shockwave can be powerful and cover a wide area. The fire trail is relatively small, but still can cover a wide area, especially if the object breaks up into smaller pieces, like shotgun pellets.

The Russian meteor was estimated to be the size of a building/house, and was not picked up by any(?) man made sensors. Something smaller could stand more chance of getting past our sensors, but still create a powerful shockwave.

Wild I know, but eventually an aircraft will be effected by a space object one day. However improbable the risk is still there.

Ian, have you had your head in a storage tank again???? Gotta watch those fumes.

To paraphrase the great detective: "Once you have eliminated the possible, the impossible must be considered."

[aviodromefriend]

Reports now of possible piracy! Don't believe that for one second.

Well, two persons coming from countries with an Al Qaeda supportive government travelling with stolen passports (as was known from day 2 already)...

[DanH]

Did anyone else see the hastily thrown together programme about this on Channel 5 this evening?

[Domvickery]

Did anyone else see the hastily thrown together programme about this on Channel 5 this evening?

It was the worst thing I've ever seen, I turned it over halfway through

[2e1var]

Did anyone else see the hastily thrown together programme about this on Channel 5 this evening?

Yes, appalling piece of television.

[DanH]

I quite agree with both of you, it was truly awful cringe-worthy television, which seemed more like Brian Fantana's 'Panda Watch' than serious reporting.

[RRconway]

I quite agree with both of you, it was truly awful cringe-worthy television, which seemed more like Brian Fantana's 'Panda Watch' than serious reporting.

+1 and as for the piece of film at the beginning labeled 'reconstruction".... good grief.

[Maisie]

I didn't see it, but reconstruction of what?

[RRconway]

I didn't see it, but reconstruction of what?

Assuming yours isn't a rhetorical question as I too thought how can you reconstruct what you don't know.

It was a view down a darkened cabin and then a view looking out if a flight deck window into a twilight sky.

[Big Eric]

I watched it, it was quite frankly awful and Pablo Mason did his best to look interested at all times.

[Inthrustwetrust]

Today's bull-o-meter has the Malaysian PM saying it WAS hijacked, comms WERE shut down, and it could have flown for another SEVEN hours...

Crazy thing is Dan, all the snippets of info put together do point towards a hijacking.

I must admit I'd prefer that than losing all those lives, but the lack of wreckage around where they 'thought' (if there any real joined up thinking going on) it went in is suspicious.

However these snippets are very interesting for us conspiracy theorists.

[neilos]

Reports now of possible piracy! Don't believe that for one second.

Well, two persons coming from countries with an Al Qaeda supportive government travelling with stolen passports (as was known from day 2 already)...

Wouldn't pirates (or terrorists, for that matter) have made themselves known by now, to either claim a ransom, or to prove their political point?

Depends, if it's safely landed somewhere, what they intend to use the aircraft for.

God forbid they decide to fly it into something, they therefore don't need to make themselves known...

[pbeardmore]

The channel 5 thing was a perfect example of all that is wrong with British media : shallow, stupid and just a waste of time. All involved should be ashamed of themselves.

[phreakf4]

The channel 5 thing was a perfect example of all that is wrong with British media : shallow, stupid and just a waste of time. All involved should be ashamed of themselves.

I did not see the programme, but the comments about the British popular media are spot on.

Unfortunately there are millions who believe that "It must be true because it was on the telly"......