Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 Leaders Say Search Won't Stop

Leaders of the two countries heading multinational efforts to solve the mystery of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 pledged Thursday that no effort would be spared to give the families of those on board the answers they need.

[caption id="attachment_2038" align="alignnone" width="620"] Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott, right, chats with his Malaysian counterpart Najib Razak at Perth International Airport as Razak prepares to depart Australia after his visit during the search of the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370, in Perth on Thursday. Najib met with Abbott and got a briefing by Angus Houston, the head of a joint agency co-ordinating the search. (Paul Kane/Associated Press)[/caption]

Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak flew to Australia for briefings on the search for the missing plane and talks with his Australian counterpart, Tony Abbott, whose country is overseeing the hunt in a huge and remote patch of the Indian Ocean.

"It is a very difficult search — the most difficult in human history. But as far as Australia is concerned, we are throwing everything we have at it," Abbott said in a media appearance with Najib.

No trace of the Boeing 777 has been found nearly four weeks after it vanished in the early hours of March 8 on a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board.

Ten planes and nine ships were involved in search operations Thursday, scouring the ocean far off Australia's southwest corner where investigators believe the plane may have ended up after unknown events occurred on board.

Najib, whose government has been harshly criticized by some victims' families for giving sometimes conflicting information about the flight and for the slow pace of the investigation, said everyone involved in the search is thinking of the families of victims who are waiting desperately for news.

"I know that until we find the plane, many families cannot start to grieve," Najib said. "I cannot imagine what they are going through. But I can promise them that we will not give up.

Malaysia Flight MH370 : 300 objects found in Indian Ocean via Thai Sat

A Thai satellite has detected 300 floating objects in the Indian Ocean, about 200 kilometers from the international search area for the missing Malaysia Airlines MH 370.

Anond Snidvongs, executive director of Geo Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency, said that Thaichote satellite or Thailand Earth Observation Satellite, has recorded the objects in the Indian Ocean, on March 24 at 10am local time.

mh370 300 bojects thai satellite 2 211x300 Malaysia Flight Mh370 : Thai Thaichote satellite detects debris,
Taichote Sat Image multiple objects
The site was about 2,700 kilometres from Perth of Australia and about 200 kilometres from the international search area where the ill-fated flight is thought to have come down. Some objects were more than two metres long, Anond said.

The detection is resulted from Thailand’s cooperation with Malaysia in finding the missing jetliner.

He said images of the findings had already been submitted to the caretaker premier and that caretaker Foreign Minister Surapong Tohvichakchaikul will forward the images to his Malaysian counterpart to examine if they were of the debris of MH 370.

Thaichote or Thailand Earth Observation Satellite is a remote sensing satellite for natural resources observation.

Malaysia has concluded that the flight “ended” in the Indian Ocean and all passengers are presumed dead.

Malaysia Air, Flight MH370, Flight MH370 crashed in south Indian Ocean' - Malaysia PM

Malaysia's prime minister has announced that missing flight MH370 crashed in the southern Indian Ocean.

Najib Razak said this was the conclusion of fresh analysis of satellite data tracking the flight.

[caption id="attachment_2027" align="alignnone" width="444"] Marker buoys in place where Mh370 Debris[/caption]

Malaysia Airlines had told the families of the 239 people on board, he said.

The BBC has seen a text message sent to families by the airline saying it had to be assumed "beyond reasonable doubt" that the plane was lost and there were no survivors.

"With deep sadness and regret I must inform you that, according to this new data, flight #MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean."
 

[caption id="attachment_2028" align="alignnone" width="445"] Search Planes drop marker buoys in place where debris is found[/caption]

There were 227 passengers on flight MH370, many of them Chinese.

Relatives of those on board who watched the announcement at a Beijing hotel wept with grief, and some were taken away on stretchers by medical teams.

mh370.

[caption id="attachment_2018" align="alignnone" width="590"] Japanese P-3C Orion aircraft on at RAAF Base Pearce.[/caption]

The crew of the Chinese IL-76 aircraft observed two large objects and several smaller ones spread across several square kilometresstate news agency Xinhua reported.

 

It is the third possible sighting in the area off western Australia that has become the focus of the search effort.


Australian and China radar echoes had picked up several objects about 2,300km (1,430 miles) from Perth, a statement added.

[caption id="attachment_2016" align="alignnone" width="590"] Malaysia MH370 Map with fuel range[/caption]

Flight MH370 disappeared on 8 March while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, with 239 people on board.

The search for the Boeing-777 now in its third week, 10 aircraft are combing a huge patch of the southern Indian Ocean, with two Chinese military planes joining Australian, US, New Zealand and Japanese aircraft. More ships are on their way and the US is dispatching a specialised device to help locate aircraft flight data and cockpit voice recorders.

[caption id="attachment_2021" align="alignnone" width="590"] MH370 Sat Debris Photo[/caption]

The Australian prime minister, Tony Abbott, said that the crew of an Australian P3 Orion had located two objects: the first grey or green and circular, the second orange and rectangular. An Australian navy supply ship, the HMAS Success, was on its way to attempt to recover the objects, with Malaysia's transport and defence minister, Hishammuddin Hussein, suggesting the vessel should reach them by Tuesday morning if not before.



But a US Navy P8 Poseidon was unable to find items seen by a Chinese plane earlier in the day, Australian search co-ordinators announced.

 

Mixed News about Malaysia 777, MH370 Flight

Mixed Conclusions arise on the internet news services about Missing Malaysia 777 Boeing Flight MH370

Update 1: Says MH370's Flight Path Was Altered By Computer Command, Not Manual Controls.

The Slate: Update, March 17, 9:45 p.m.: Flight MH370's initial turn off course, to the west over Malaysia, was programmed into the plane's computer system not manually maneuvered, according to senior U.S. officials. The New York Times, who is reporting the latest development, says the command would have involved seven or eight keystrokes into the Flight Managment System, a computer which sits between the pilot and the co-pilot. It is not clear if the command was programmed before or after the airliner took off.

The latest information, if true, suggests the diversion was initiated by a pilot or someone with very specific technical knowledge. Investigators are still analyzing radar tapes that show the first few movements of the plane after it went off course. The airliner appears to have tracked along several so-called waypoints, or pre-established locations in the sky, as it travelled from its scheduled path. Here's the New York Times with the details:

According to investigators, it appears that a waypoint was added to the planned route. Pilots do that in the ordinary course of flying if air traffic controllers tell them to take a different route, to avoid weather or traffic. But in this case, the waypoint was far off the path to Beijing. ...

Normal procedure is to key in a five-letter code — gibberish to non-aviators — that is the name of a waypoint. A normal flight plan consists of a series of such waypoints, ending in the destination airport. For an ordinary flight, waypoints can be entered manually or uploaded into the F.M.S. by the airline.

Update 2 : America's Head of Home Security says :the crew of missing flight MH370 were overcome trying to save the plane from a fire in the cargo hold.

From Mirror.co.uk : March 18, 2014 America's former head of air security believes the crew of missing flight MH370 died heroically trying to save the plane from a fire.

Billie Vincent, former head of security for the Federal Aviation Administration throughout the 1980s, has dismissed theories of a terror attack or suicide mission.

Instead he believes the pilots struggled to save their aircraft after a blaze in the cargo hold until they were eventually overcome by smoke.

Latest updates on search for missing jet

Mr Vincent, who was an expert witness in the Lockerbie bombing trial, said: “The data released thus far most likely points to a problem with hazardous materials.

“This scenario begins with the eruption of hazardous materials within the cargo hold – either improperly packaged or illegally shipped – or both.”

Mr Vincent believes a fire started in the cargo hold and gradually destroyed the plane’s communications systems.

He says toxic fumes would have quickly overwhelmed the passengers and cockpit.

Mr Vincent guesses that one of the pilots managed to put on an oxygen mask and tried to turn the plane back to Kuala Lumpur.

He puts the plane’s rapid ascent and descent down to the crew simply not being able to see properly until they manage to stabilise at 23,000 ft.

Mr Vincent added: “The airplane then continues flying until no fuel remains and crashes – most likely into the ocean as there has been no report of any Emergency Locater Transmitter (ELT) signal which can be received by satellite if the crash were on land.”

And Mr Vincent, who played a key role in negotiations after the hijackings of US planes during the 1980s, insists it is unlikely the aircraft was sabotaged.

He said: “There is no indication that either of the pilots was criminally involved in the disappearance of this aeroplane.

“Neither has Malaysia released any data indicating anything amiss in the security clearance of the passengers for this flight.

“The one question raised about the two passengers travelling on stolen passports has been cleared indicating that they were planning on illegally claiming refugee status in another country, probably Germany.

“I have yet to see anything released about the nature and content of the cargo carried in the cargo hold of MH370.

“Hazardous cargo can be legally carried on passenger aircraft. However, the amount and type of such hazardous materials are strictly controlled.”

Boeing 777 Flight MH370 Flown off course, deliberately

Investigators have concluded that at least one person with considerable flying experience flew the missing Malaysia Airlines jet off course for seven hours in a "deliberate action" after turning off its communication systems.

From CNN, TIME, Saturday 15, 2014



Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak announced at a press conference on Saturday that Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which disappeared a week ago with 239 people aboard, appeared to be intentionally steered off-course by at least one person with considerable flying experience.

“This has been a situation without precedent,” said Najib, adding that the plane’s disappearance was the result of a “deliberate action by someone on the plane.”

Authorities are very confident that the jet’s transponder was disabled during the flight, he added, and that the last satellite communication from the aircraft came about seven hours after takeoff. The investigation has been “refocused” into the passengers and crew members.

[caption id="attachment_1925" align="aligncenter" width="460"] Map of possible flight routes/capabilities of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH370[/caption]

Satellite data confirms that the plane turned to fly in a westerly direction soon after reaching the South China Sea. Two “corridors” have been identified where the plane may have flown: a northern sector around the borders of Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and northern Thailand; and a southern sector stretching from Indonesia to the southern Indian Ocean. Search efforts will now be concentrated in these vast expanses.Captain Ross Aimer, an aviation consultant who was formerly an instructor for the 777, tells TIME that a pilot with “considerable skill and experience” could land the aircraft in as little as 3,000 ft (900 m). “It’s conceivable that if this was a calculated set-up they may have an old military field somewhere in the middle of some jungle,” he says. “You could even land it on a beach or small strip of land.”

[caption id="attachment_1923" align="aligncenter" width="599"] Malaysia Airlines Flight Mh370 Corridors map[/caption]

Other theories that gained steam in the last few days, including pilot suicide, an in-flight bomb or mid-air disintegration, seem to be being put on the back-burner. However, Najib insisted that all avenues were still open.

“Despite media reports that the plane was hijacked,” he said, “I wish to be very clear: we are still investigating all possibilities as to what caused MH370 to deviate from its original flight path.”No motive for any hijacking has been established and no demands are known.

(MORE: ‘I’m Safe’: Last Status Update of Teenager on Missing Malaysia Airlines Flight)

Other possible theories might include a loss of cabin pressure rendering passengers and crew unconscious, and a malfunctioning autopilot causing the plane to veer off-course. However, the seemingly deliberate route and numerous direction changes would make that unlikely.

The aircraft had 227 passengers and 12 crew on board when it departed Kuala Lumpur International Airport for Beijing at 12:21 a.m. local time on March 8. The Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System, or ACARS, was disabled just before the aircraft reached the east coast of peninsular Malaysia, and shortly afterwards, near the border between Malaysian and Vietnamese air traffic control, the aircraft’s transponder was switched off. Investigators conclude that any gap would be unlikely in the event of an explosion.

Despite a massive search, no wreckage has yet been found in the immediate vicinity of where communication was lost between Malaysia and Vietnam. Najib said in the press conference that Malaysia had ended its search in the South China Sea. A search team boasting 43 ships and 58 aircraft from 14 nations has been enlisted.

Earlier, an American official said investigators were examining the possibility of “human intervention” in the jet’s disappearance, addi

Malaysia Airlines Mh370: Stolen Passports not linked to terrorism.

Police chief Khalid Abu Bakar said: "He [Iranian man] is not likely to be member of terrorist group"

The 2 men travelling with stolen passports in the Mh370 Malaysia Airlines are not supposedly linked to terrorism.

Malaysian police named one as Pouria Nour Mohammad Mehrdad, 18, and said he was probably migrating to Germany.

Interpol identified the other as Delavar Seyed Mohammadreza, 29.

View Photos here
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-26525281

The Search for MH370 continues

[caption id="attachment_1903" align="alignnone" width="590"] BBC's Alice Budisatrijo says searchers are 'using the naked eye' to try to find the missing plane[/caption]

Four areas of investigation were focused on the possibility of human agency, the police chief said: hijacking, sabotage, psychological problems or personal problems with passengers or crew.

Two-thirds of the passengers were Chinese. Others were from various Asian countries, North America or Europe.

Relatives have expressed frustration at the lack of information about the plane's fate.

At least 40 ships and 34 aircraft are taking part in the search in the seas off Vietnam and Malaysia.

[caption id="attachment_1904" align="alignnone" width="590"] Mh370 Extended Search Area[/caption]

 

Q&A: What happened to Malaysia Airlines flight MH370?

By Martin Abbugao (AFP) – 20 hours ago

Singapore — Nearly three days after it disappeared while en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing, mystery still shrouds the fate of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 and the 239 people on board.

No debris from the Boeing 777-200ER has been recovered despite an international search involving the navies and air forces of several Asian nations as well as the United States.

Following are some questions surrounding the disappearance and the search, and answers by industry experts who spoke to AFP:

Q: Could the plane have disintegrated in mid-air?

The failure of the plane's pilots to send a distress signal has given rise to speculation there was a sudden catastrophe -- possibly caused by a mechanical failure or an explosion.

The lack of wreckage recovered so far also suggests a high-altitude disaster which spread debris across an area too wide to be easily detected.

"If it had been an impact at sea level of the whole craft, chances are more debris will be found immediately," said Chris de Lavigne, an expert on aerospace and defence issues at business consultancy Frost & Sullivan.

Sudden, accidental structural failures are considered extremely unlikely in today's passenger aircraft. This is especially so with the Boeing 777-200, which has one of the best safety records of any jet.

Authorities said the plane was at cruising altitude, 35,000 feet (11 kilometres) above sea level, when it last made contact.

"It's the safest point in the flight," de Lavigne said. "It's an extremely safe aircraft with very, very few incidents in its history. This is just overly puzzling."

Q. Have there been other plane mysteries like this?

Air France flight 447 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean in June 2009 while on a flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris, killing 216 passengers and 12 crew. Debris was not found for days and it took years to locate the wreckage. Investigators eventually concluded that both technical and human error were to blame for the tragedy.

Adam Air flight 574 with 102 people on board disappeared from radar in January 2007, also at its cruise phase during a domestic flight in Indonesia. Debris was found nine days later after an extensive search and it took months to recover the plane's black box.

Indonesian authorities said the pilots lost control after becoming preoccupied with malfunctioning navigational equipment.

Q: What are the theories on what happened to MH370?

"One possibility is a mid-air explosion," said Gerry Soejatman, an Indonesia-based independent aviation analyst.

"The other is when there is a simple problem and then the crew tries to diagnose it, gets caught up in it and then they don't realise what's happening and the plane crashes. That's what happened with the Air France case. At the moment, until we find anything, it has to be one of these two scenarios."

De Lavigne said that at this stage, with so little information, all possibilities must be considered.

"It's either a serious mechanical failure or something a little bit more sinister," he said.

"It's pretty surprising that there was no SOS call from the plane and it just disappeared. It would lead to the conclusion that something fast and drastic happened."

Malaysian authorities have launched a terror investigation, but are refusing to rule anything out, including a possible hijacking.

Q: Why is it so hard to find evidence?

The region being searched, including the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea, are busy shipping lanes with large amounts of flotsam that will complicate the search for any wreckage.

"When they see something, it is not blatantly obvious that it is a wing or tail. They have to go and examine what it is, it takes time," Soejatman said.

Q: Why have authorities not picked up any signals?

Aircraft have an Emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT) which is designed mainly for when the plane crashes on land and pilots are still trying to control it. In the event of a major crash, it may not work.

"Basically what this beacon does is simply say 'I've been activated, find me!'" Soejatman said. "It is not fool-proof but it is the best thing that we have at the moment."

The plane also has a "black box" consisting of the cockpit voice recorder and the flight data recorder. If immersed in water they should activate a "pinger" that can draw investigators to the location. However, the sound cannot be heard over long distances.

"You need a ship equipped with a listening sonar to pick up the signal within the area," Soejatman said, cautioning however that the shallow waters of the MH370 search site could create interference.

The missing Boeing 777-200ER was also equipped with ACARS (Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System), a system which sends short messages to ground controllers -- either automatically or manually depending on the airline.

"If Malaysia Airlines does have these messages, that would be very useful" to determine events before it lost contact, Soejatman said.

Malaysia Airlines' chief executive Ahmad Jauhari Yahya told reporters at a press conference late Monday that the missing aircraft was equipped with ACARS, but did not provide any further details.

An airline representative later confirmed: "The aircraft has got the ACARS system which transmits automatically. There were no distress calls. No information was relayed."

Q: Is security at Kuala Lumpur International Airport questionable?

Revelations that at least two people aboard the plane were using stolen European passports have heightened fears about a security breach.

Rohan Gunaratna, a terrorism expert at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University, said the passport issue could indicate a "glaring flaw" in the airport's immigration clearance.

He noted that Interpol maintains a database of stolen passports that should have raised alarms at the immigration counter.