Missing Malaysia Airlines jet carrying 239 triggers Southeast Asia search

[Tayida]

Sirchai,sorry,but i no understand.if i put the clock 8 hours ahead its show me the departure time of the missing plane.Is right or i mistake?

[george]

Italian foreign ministry says no Italian was on missing Malaysia flight, despite Italian listed among passengers - @Reuters

[Mister Fixit]

You would think that the Thai navy would have some kind of presence in the Gulf of Thailand, but heard nothing of them yet. Lots of other countries are helping the search in the area.

This didn't happen in the Gulf of Thailand - it happened off the coast of Malaysia, apparently not too far from Vietnam.

Wrong sea, chum. Miles away around the coast of Singapore and back north again ...

[NanLaew]

Water depths in the area reported (153 nm from Tho Chu Island and 55 nm SW of Phu Quoc Island) will be favorable for recovery of flight data recorders, etc., unlike the AF flight that crashed in very deep waters between NE Brazil and W Africa.

Weather conditions and sea states at this time of year are also in favor of search although I would think any rescue of survivors would be unlikely assuming a rapid decent. The total lack of any emergency transponders being triggered is a mystery.

Jet aircraft use kerosene which is a light emoluent and thus vaporises rapidly from the sea surface. Otherwise, there isn't a great amount of other lubricants in modern jet engines. These reported 'oil slicks', if jet A1, will dissipate rapidly.

The area where the plane is suspected to have crashed is away from major shipping lanes and organised fishing activity.

[sandrabbit]

Those Boeing 777 airplanes are supposed to fall suddenly from the sky in normal weather conditions.

Even the Professional Pilots Rumour Network is guessing...so we will have to wait for some meaningful explanation

http://www.pprune.org/rumours-news/535538-mh370-contact-lost-9.html

What are you smoking? They have a fantastic safety record and it's a plane I fly on frequently with different airlines and even had an interesting conversation with an Aussie 777 captain in Ban Phe 2 years ago. As your link shows it has rumour in it's title.

[Farma]

An interesting web page showing search area maps.

http://www.jacdec.de/news/[email protected]

[sirchai]

Italian foreign ministry says no Italian was on missing Malaysia flight, despite Italian listed among passengers - @Reuters

George, that's pretty odd like the whole accident. I'd like to apologize for the Italian guy, as I really thought it was a bad joke.

Still something that had just started for all involved. Heads up.-

[sandrabbit]

You would think that the Thai navy would have some kind of presence in the Gulf of Thailand, but heard nothing of them yet. Lots of other countries are helping the search in the area.

This didn't happen in the Gulf of Thailand - it happened off the coast of Malaysia, apparently not too far from Vietnam.

Wrong sea, chum. Miles away around the coast of Singapore and back north again ...

Problems with geography?. Singapore is South of Malaysia when I was there 2 weeks ago. I didn't realise Malaysia had a border with Vietnam, even Borneo is a fair distance from Vietnam. Surprised no fishing or squid boats didn't see anything.

[george]

Stolen Italian, Austrian passports on missing Malaysian airlines plane

MILAN: -- Foreign ministry officials in Rome and Vienna confirm that names of two nationals listed on the manifest of the missing Malaysian airlines flight match passports reported stolen in Thailand.

Italy's Foreign Ministry said Saturday that an Italian man whose name was listed as being aboard is travelling in Thailand and was not aboard the plane.

A foreign ministry functionary, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed Italian reports that Luigi Maraldi had reported his passport stolen last August.

Italian news agency ANSA says Maraldi called home after hearing reports that an Italian with his name was aboard the plane.

Austrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Weiss confirmed that a name listed on the manifest matches an Austrian passport reported stolen two years ago in Thailand. Weiss would not confirm the identity.

Source: AP 2014-03-08

[harrry]

http://www.sharelor.net/1/post/2014/03/malaysian-airlines-captainzaharie-ahmad-shah-of-mh370-is-an-experienced-pilot-here-is-a-flight-simulator-that-he-set-up.html

The pilot ws obviously someone who really loved his work.

Elo guys,
zaharie here.... pls to join x-sim. About a month ago I finish assembly of FSX and FS9 with
6 monitors .... with the latest graphic card ( 2 pieces of asus 7970) on one cpu awesome view on 3 panasonic 32 in. LCD HDMI
and 3 touchscreen Dell 21 inches for main (MCP) , center pedestal, overhead panel.
time to take to the next level of simulation.Motion! looking for buddies to share this passion.
Capt Zaharie Ahmad Shah
BOEING 777 MALAYSIA AIRLINES
[email protected]

[george]

Search called off for missing Boeing 777 as it is emerges that two people on board were using STOLEN PASSPORTS

- Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 took off from Kuala Lumpur at 12.21am

- Vietnamese Navy detected emergency signal 153 miles out to sea

- Flight MH370 declared missing nearly 90 minutes after it was due to land

- Malaysian Transport Minister said 'no crash site has been found'

- 227 passengers and 12 crew were from 14 different countries including Malaysia, China, U.S., France, Canada, and Australia

- Three Americans, including a baby, feared dead

- Two passengers believed to have been travelling on a stolen passports

- Aviation expert Chris Yates said the aircraft will not have been carrying enough fuel to still be flying and 'will have crashed'

- He said the investigation will look at two areas, the maintenance of the aircraft and possible terrorism

- Vietnamese air force spot two oil slicks suspected to be from the wreckage

An air search for the Malaysian Airlines plane that vanished off the coast of Vietnam has been called off until daylight as it emerged two passengers were travelling using stolen passports.

Two oil slicks were spotted by the Vietnamese air force earlier today, as the major search and rescue operation was launched when Flight MH307 disappeared shortly after losing contact with air traffic controllers.

The Boeing 777, with 227 passengers and 12 crew members on board, took off from Kuala Lumpur at 12.21am (4.21pm GMT) bound for Beijing, where it was expected to land at 6.30am (10.30pm GMT). Among them were three Americans, including a baby.

But after reaching 35,000ft and 120 nautical miles off the coast of the Malaysian town of Kota Bharu the plane vanished, prompting fears the aircraft 'could have crashed'.

As Malaysian Airlines released a full list of the passengers on board - including five children aged two to four years old - it emerged two passengers were travelling on stolen passports.

Foreign ministry officials in Rome and Vienna have confirmed that names of two nationals listed on the manifest of the missing Malaysian airlines flight match passports reported stolen in Thailand.

Italy's Foreign Ministry said that an Italian man whose name was listed as being aboard is traveling in Thailand and was not aboard the plane.

A foreign ministry functionary, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed Italian reports that Luigi Maraldi had reported his passport stolen last August.

Italian news agency ANSA says Maraldi called home after hearing reports that an Italian with his name was aboard the plane.

Austrian Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Weiss confirmed that a name listed on the manifest matches an Austrian passport reported stolen two years ago in Thailand. Weiss would not confirm the identity.

As the air search is abandoned over night aviation expert Chris Yates said the plane would not be carrying enough fuel to still be in the air and would 'definitely have crashed'.

He told Sky News: 'Frankly the plane would not have been carrying enough fuel to stay aloft much longer than an hour after it was due to arrive in Beijing.

'We simply don't know the circumstances behind what caused that crash at the moment.

'There will be two areas for the investigation: the maintenance of the aircraft and also possible terrorism.'

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2576087/Malaysia-Airlines-says-plane-missing.html

[Prbkk]

both passports stolen in Thailand...although the individuals/owners not connected.. the tragedy appears to have some similarities with CI611 ( the China Airlies Taipei-Hong Kong (very old) 747. Blew apart without warning over water, no time for any warning. Prematute to speculate but there have been reports of door issues on 777s, including a relatively recent BA return to Heathrow with a forward door issue

[mcfester]

Very strange indeed, no floating debris found. Stolen passports, just a week after the China knife attacks. Those guys intended to kill hundreds. Could be linked?

[3NUMBAS]

recent warnings about toothpaste tube bombs were doing the rounds

[george]

In addition, the U.S. Embassy said the 2:43 U.S. military bases stationed in Thailand U-Tapao SOS signal was listening to some of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 emergency call, said the aircraft cabin facing disintegration driver call, they want a forced landing . U.S. troops are currently stationed in Thailand, Malaysia has been providing this signal.

Above suggests that U-Tapao Military base in Thailand received emergency call.

Source: Translated by Google Translate from source:

http://www.chinatimes.com/realtimenews/20140308003502-260401

[george]

Stolen Passports Prompt Terror Concerns in Missing Jet, Officials Say

U.S. officials told NBC News on Saturday they are investigating terrorism concerns after two people listed as passengers on the missing Malaysia Airlines jet turned out not to be on the plane and had reported their passports stolen.

“We are aware of the reporting on the two stolen passports,” one senior official said. “We have not determined a nexus to terrorism yet, although it’s still very early, and that's by no means definitive.”

U.S. officials said they were checking into passenger manifests and going back through intelligence.

Luigi Maraldi, 37, was the only Italian on a passenger manifest released by the airline after the jet disappeared over the South China Sea.

But his father, Walter Maraldi, told NBC News from Cesena, Italy: “Luigi called us early this morning to reassure us he was fine, but we didn’t know about the accident. Thank God he heard about it before us.”

Luigi Maraldi was on vacation in Thailand, the father said. He said that Luigi Maraldi’s passport was stolen one year ago.

The foreign ministry of Austria confirmed to NBC News that police had made contact with a citizen who was also on the passenger list, and who reported his passport stolen two years ago while traveling in Asia.

-- NBC News 2014-03-08

[JesseFrank]

Both passports stolen in Thailand.

Malaysian airliner.

Southern Thailand insurgents ???

[roamer]

Both passports stolen in Thailand.

Malaysian airliner.

Southern Thailand insurgents ???

Muslim terrorists tend not to blow up airlines from Islamic nations.

[JesseFrank]

Both passports stolen in Thailand.

Malaysian airliner.

Southern Thailand insurgents ???

Muslim terrorists tend not to blow up airlines from Islamic nations.

Maybe I missed something but, I notice that in Islamic nations those Muslim terrorists blow up each other as if there isn't any tomorrow.

[DGIE]

If the jet plane is confirmed to have crashed in the ocean and if it sinked, in an hour all are already drowned

[geriatrickid]

The circumstances remind me on the Air France tragedy

AF 447 Air France from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, 1. June 2009

I disagree. AF crash was due to an unrecoverable descent due to an "aerodynamic stall" following conflicting airspeed measurements, most likely due to blocked pitot tubes. AF involved design flaw, and pilot training and response . All indications to date suggest to a different cause for the MAS crash.

Note the following incident; A taxiing Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 passenger plane (9M-MRO), flight MH389, contaced the tail of a China Eastern Airlines A340 plane, B-6050, waiting on the taxiway at Pudong International Airport.No one was injured.The tip of the wing of the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 was broken off and hung on the tail of the China Eastern Airbus 340-600, according to pictures posted by passengers on the Internet.

Other reliable incident reports the structural damage as "substantial"

The French air safety monitor filed this in its log http://www.bea.aero/fr/enquetes/2012/2012.semaine.32.pdf

A BOEING 777-200 9M-MRO AD Shanghai Pudong - Chine Inconnu0 0 26N3on déterminé TP Collision au sol entre deux avions

The translation of the event is collision on the ground between 2 airplanes. The Chinese civilian aviation authority was the investigating agency.

If there was structural separation/disintegration, no amount of pilot training or pilot competency will help. The maintenance records and certification of the MAS equipment following the repair will be a major focus of the investigation. Once the plane is recovered, the remaining structure it will be much easier to determine the probable cause of the crash compared to the AF incident which was far more difficult to ascertain. Fortunately, Boeing and its US regulator will be involved and there should be reliable disclosure as I the Malaysian civil aviation authority has neither the resources nor experience to run the necessary detailed investigation. (Not a swipe at Malaysia, just the reality as the skill set and competency required is in a small pool of people spread around the world.)

[geriatrickid]

If the jet plane is confirmed to have crashed in the ocean and if it sinked, in an hour all are already drowned

The pax were most likely dead, long before the plane impacted the water. Sudden decompression at 35,000 feet results in a quick demise. Even if still alive despite oxygen deprivation, the speed at which the plane would be descending would have resulted in severe physical injury such as broken necks and crushed chests such that there would be death in seconds. Fortunately, the lack of air would have put people in a stupor so that they would not be in pain, This was most likely a very quick end for the pax and crew.

[Noi657]

Doesnt the black box have sonar?

[geriatrickid]

Maybe I missed something but, I notice that in Islamic nations those Muslim terrorists blow up each other as if there isn't any tomorrow.

May we please leave this aspect alone until such time as there is actual supporting evidence to support such a possibility.

Thank you.

[roamer]

The circumstances remind me on the Air France tragedy

AF 447 Air France from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, 1. June 2009

I disagree. AF crash was due to an unrecoverable descent due to an "aerodynamic stall" following conflicting airspeed measurements, most likely due to blocked pitot tubes. AF involved design flaw, and pilot training and response . All indications to date suggest to a different cause for the MAS crash.

Note the following incident; A taxiing Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 passenger plane (9M-MRO), flight MH389, contaced the tail of a China Eastern Airlines A340 plane, B-6050, waiting on the taxiway at Pudong International Airport.No one was injured.The tip of the wing of the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 was broken off and hung on the tail of the China Eastern Airbus 340-600, according to pictures posted by passengers on the Internet.

Other reliable incident reports the structural damage as "substantial"

The French air safety monitor filed this in its log http://www.bea.aero/fr/enquetes/2012/2012.semaine.32.pdf

A BOEING 777-200 9M-MRO AD Shanghai Pudong - Chine Inconnu0 0 26N3on déterminé TP Collision au sol entre deux avions

The translation of the event is collision on the ground between 2 airplanes. The Chinese civilian aviation authority was the investigating agency.

If there was structural separation/disintegration, no amount of pilot training or pilot competency will help. The maintenance records and certification of the MAS equipment following the repair will be a major focus of the investigation. Once the plane is recovered, the remaining structure it will be much easier to determine the probable cause of the crash compared to the AF incident which was far more difficult to ascertain. Fortunately, Boeing and its US regulator will be involved and there should be reliable disclosure as I the Malaysian civil aviation authority has neither the resources nor experience to run the necessary detailed investigation. (Not a swipe at Malaysia, just the reality as the skill set and competency required is in a small pool of people spread around the world.)

Even if with all that taken on board it's hard not to ascribe significance to not 1, but 2, pax travelling on passports stolen a year earlier.

[geriatrickid]

Doesnt the black box have sonar?

The flight data recorder does not have sonar. It has a passive locator beacon that emits a signal certified to operate for a minimum of 30 days.

[NeverSure]

If the jet plane is confirmed to have crashed in the ocean and if it sinked, in an hour all are already drowned

The pax were most likely dead, long before the plane impacted the water. Sudden decompression at 35,000 feet results in a quick demise. Even if still alive despite oxygen deprivation, the speed at which the plane would be descending would have resulted in severe physical injury such as broken necks and crushed chests such that there would be death in seconds. Fortunately, the lack of air would have put people in a stupor so that they would not be in pain, This was most likely a very quick end for the pax and crew.

+1 Explosive decompression due to sudden structural failure by any means will suck the air out of the lungs and ears, and consciousness might last 10 seconds. That's in addition to all you mentioned. Add to that the extremely low temperature at altitude and the bodies might quickly freeze.

RIP and best wishes to friends and family.

[Chicog]

The circumstances remind me on the Air France tragedy

AF 447 [/size] [/size]Air France from [/size]Rio de Janeiro to [/size]Paris, 1. June 2009[/size]

I disagree. AF crash was due to an unrecoverable descent due to an "aerodynamic stall" following conflicting airspeed measurements, most likely due to blocked pitot tubes. AF involved design flaw, and pilot training and response . All indications to date suggest to a different cause for the MAS crash.

With all due respect, the circumstances are almost identical. Flying at night over water on an easy part of the flight, the aircraft is lost with no mayday call and there is nothing to explain why (apart from a report of some previous wing damage).

My first thought was AF447 as well - in as much as it is pointless speculating on the reason until there is some actual evidence of what happened.

[wooloomooloo]

May we please leave this aspect alone until such time as there is actual supporting evidence to support such a possibility.

Thank you.

Two passengers both with stolen passports on the same flight adds a whole new dimension to the incident.

The intelligence services won't be ignorant to the fact either and ascertaining their true identities will be as much a priority as locating where the aircraft came down.

[tobf16]

The circumstances remind me on the Air France tragedy

AF 447 [/size] [/size]Air France from [/size]Rio de Janeiro to [/size]Paris, 1. June 2009[/size]

I disagree. AF crash was due to an unrecoverable descent due to an "aerodynamic stall" following conflicting airspeed measurements, most likely due to blocked pitot tubes. AF involved design flaw, and pilot training and response . All indications to date suggest to a different cause for the MAS crash.

With all due respect, the circumstances are almost identical. Flying at night over water on an easy part of the flight, the aircraft is lost with no mayday call and there is nothing to explain why (apart from a report of some previous wing damage).

My first thought was AF447 as well - in as much as it is pointless speculating on the reason until there is some actual evidence of what happened.

Not really identical at all.

The AF flight was flying into very bad weather conditions and at night as you say. This flight was in nice weather conditions and daytime. So weather shouldn't be a factor in this case.

Besides that the AF flight was an Airbus and this is a Boing 777, two very different flight control systems.

But something happened very quickly since the flight crew had no time to notify anyone over the radio.