Search intensifies for Malaysian airliner and 239 people, rescue ships head to sea

[Johnboy60]

(CNN) -- (CNN) -- Malaysia Airlines flight carrying 239 people from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing disappeared Saturday after air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane, the airline said.

"At the moment we have no idea where this aircraft is right now," Malaysia Airlines Vice President of Operations Control Fuad Sharuji said on CNN's "AC360."

Search launched for Malaysian airliner carrying 239 people - CNN.com

 

[Forest Wolf]

TIME - U.S. Destroyer Joins Hunt For Vanished Malaysia Airlines Flight Oil slicks on the water would lead one to believe something could be found. Don't planes have tracking beacons?

 

[Supreme]

This is so strange a mysterious, that a plane would just go off the radar like that. I hope that they'll find it, and indeed I'm confident that they will find it with such a huge effort going on, but whether anyone has survived- time will tell. Ocean crashes are very much survivable, however, so it's far too early to lose hope.

 

[Trogdor the Burninator]

This is so strange a mysterious, that a plane would just go off the radar like that. I hope that they'll find it, and indeed I'm confident that they will find it with such a huge effort going on, but whether anyone has survived- time will tell. Ocean crashes are very much survivable, however, so it's far too early to lose hope.

The facts at the moment point to a sudden explosion of break-up mid-flight an at cruising altitude. This will either turn out to be a bomb, or faultly maintenance of some sort causing sudden failure of a bulk-head or cargo door.

Given that two people were both travelling on the same plane with passports which were stolen 18 months apart, there is speculation that it was terrorism.

 

[cow451]

The facts at the moment point to a sudden explosion of break-up mid-flight an at cruising altitude. This will either turn out to be a bomb, or faultly maintenance of some sort causing sudden failure of a bulk-head or cargo door.

Given that two people were both travelling on the same plane with passports which were stolen 18 months apart, there is speculation that it was terrorism.

Less likely as more info comes in:

But Interpol's chief said on Tuesday that they were increasingly skeptical that the plane may have been brought down by an attack of some kind. "The more information we get, the more we are inclined to conclude it is not a terrorist incident," said Interpol Secretary General Ronald Noble.

 

[GoldenBoy89]

They should stop looking for the plane and start looking for the island from Lost.

 

[Forest Wolf]

What if this plane was hijacked? Falling below radar, offloading a bit of fuel into the ocean to make those slicks that were reported on the surface and appear as if a plane had crashed close to there, and while that distracted search teams the plane headed to a landing strip unknown.

Two people with stolen passports gained entry onto the flight. First thought was they might be terrorists, now this morning I saw a report that said one man was an Iranian national seeking sanctuary in Germany with his mother.

Odd that they'd know who this was this soon. I didn't hear about the second person with the stolen passport.

What countries could be on a heading for this flight were it to be hijacked for that purpose of landing elsewhere than the former destination? What benefits would be achieved if an airliner full of passengers that originated from a Malaysian airport were basically stolen away?

Rather than thinking this was a crash why not an abduction?

Obviously just bouncing ideas off there.

 

[OGM]

Perhaps there are "over-the-horizon" radars that could have tracked it better in that region. It would be a matter of looking at the tapes. Problem is they are usually military radars. Could be a sensitive subject.

 

[Johnboy60]

What if this plane was hijacked? Falling below radar, offloading a bit of fuel into the ocean to make those slicks that were reported on the surface and appear as if a plane had crashed close to there, and while that distracted search teams the plane headed to a landing strip unknown.

Two people with stolen passports gained entry onto the flight. First thought was they might be terrorists, now this morning I saw a report that said one man was an Iranian national seeking sanctuary in Germany with his mother.

Odd that they'd know who this was this soon. I didn't hear about the second person with the stolen passport.

What countries could be on a heading for this flight were it to be hijacked for that purpose of landing elsewhere than the former destination? What benefits would be achieved if an airliner full of passengers that originated from a Malaysian airport were basically stolen away?

Rather than thinking this was a crash why not an abduction?

Obviously just bouncing ideas off there.

You might just be right about being hijacked.

 

[Forest Wolf]

It's odd that the family members of those on this flight say that when they call their loved one's cell phones they ring.
If a cell is underwater it would go straight to voice mail if that's the option set on the phone. Just like what happens when the phone is turned off.
But news reports say that all family members report the cells keep ringing when called.

I wonder if anyone has sent a text to their family member? If there's a confirmation option for receipt in the inbox if that has generated via the system itself or what.

I think it is the cell phone reports that make this appear more than what is presumed to be a crash.

 

[Forest Wolf]

Then there's this news report out of China via BBC, that I posted below.


Chinese officials suggest the images may show pieces of wreckage
Continue reading the main story


Satellite images of possible debris from the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 have been released on a Chinese government website.
The three images show what appear to be large, floating objects in the South China Sea. Previous sightings of possible debris have proved fruitless.
The China-bound plane went missing on Friday with 239 people on board.
It vanished about an hour after it took off from Kuala Lumpur as it flew south of Vietnam's Ca Mau peninsula.
No distress signal or message was sent.
The three images are:

The images were taken on Sunday, a day after the plane disappeared, but were only released on Wednesday on the website of China's State Administration for Science.

 

[OGM]

It's odd that the family members of those on this flight say that when they call their loved one's cell phones they ring. If a cell is underwater it would go straight to voice mail if that's the option set on the phone. Just like what happens when the phone is turned off. But news reports say that all family members report the cells keep ringing when called. I wonder if anyone has sent a text to their family member? If there's a confirmation option for receipt in the inbox if that has generated via the system itself or what. I think it is the cell phone reports that make this appear more than what is presumed to be a crash.

That is normal when the phone network is trying to find a number...especially when it is polling other networks looking for the phone. The initiator of the call can hear many rings, even when the phone is turned off.

 

[Forest Wolf]

I did not know that. When my husband and I try to call one another and our phone is off it goes straight to voice mail.

 

[wing2000]

The images were taken on Sunday, a day after the plane disappeared, but were only released on Wednesday on the website of China's State Administration for Science.

Is the resolution really that poor from Chinese satellites?

 

[OGM]

I did not know that. When my husband and I try to call one another and our phone is off it goes straight to voice mail.

I call mobile phones overseas a great deal for business. Sometimes I get quite a few rings before it goes to voicemail...assuming the recipient has voicemail. Many people do not because of per-minute usage fees.

 

[Forest Wolf]

I call mobile phones overseas a great deal for business. Sometimes I get quite a few rings before it goes to voicemail...assuming the recipient has voicemail. Many people do not because of per-minute usage fees.

Every phone and plan is different I guess. It's just something the news brings up from time to time about the cell phones continuing to ring. All of them.

I'd like to know if the airline has tried calling the on board phones, those located in the back of certain seats on the plane, to see what happens.

I was on a flight once inbound Ohio to Houston, and about 30 minutes from landing one of those phones started ringing. No one answered it but I remember thinking, that's either the most outrageous wrong number or it could be a means of causing something to happen to the flight.
Like the way cell phones over in Iraq were used to set off IED's.

 

[OGM]

That plane might not have those seat phones. Most don't nowadays...that service never took off like the airlines wanted.

 

[leftrightleftrightleft]

What if this plane was hijacked? Falling below radar, offloading a bit of fuel into the ocean to make those slicks that were reported on the surface and appear as if a plane had crashed close to there, and while that distracted search teams the plane headed to a landing strip unknown.

Two people with stolen passports gained entry onto the flight. First thought was they might be terrorists, now this morning I saw a report that said one man was an Iranian national seeking sanctuary in Germany with his mother.

Odd that they'd know who this was this soon. I didn't hear about the second person with the stolen passport.

What countries could be on a heading for this flight were it to be hijacked for that purpose of landing elsewhere than the former destination? What benefits would be achieved if an airliner full of passengers that originated from a Malaysian airport were basically stolen away?

Rather than thinking this was a crash why not an abduction?

Obviously just bouncing ideas off there.

A couple things:

1) People travel with stolen passports all the time. Its incredibly common especially for emigrants that have a difficult time leaving their own country

2) Every terrorist act in history is for a reason or cause. Most of all, a terrorist organization wants the world to know who they are and what they want. Terrorist organizations often claim responsibility for events even if its dubious that they were involved purely for the publicity. What the heck is a terrorist doing hijacking a plan for nearly a week and just what...chilling on some remote island where no one would have noticed a massive jet landing? Hanging out with all 239 passengers just waiting for them to formulate a plot to overthrow their captors? It doesn't add up.




I would say there is a high chance that the plane crashed and a near-equal chance that, sadly, all passengers on board died. It is likely mechanical failure coupled with human error, similar to the 2009 Air France crash off the coast of Brazil. It must have been either very sudden, or included electrical problems that compromised the communications networks.

But again, a lot of mystery still until they find...something...anything.

 

[bhsmte]

Right now, this thing could go in many different directions, because there is contradictory speculation going on here.

Did the plane turn around? They don't know for sure and this is a key. If the pilots had the ability to turn the plane and fly it for a while, which radar seems could be possible, why would they not radio in, unless they were forced to not radio in and also turn off transponder? This plane was either hijacked, it broke apart in the air from a catastrophic event, which could have either been failure of the plane itself or man made.

 

[Kings servant]

Does anyone else think this flight was shot down?

Think about it.
1. This would explain the sudden lose of contact.
2. This would explain the small radar contact found on radar flying in the other direction.
3. It would also explain all the lies and dis-information from those involved. All they have done is steep on each others stories and I think this is going on because no one wants the truth known.
4. There is a post on CNN's face book page showing the letter a man on an oil rig sent saying he had seen something explode in the sky in the same area where the contact was lost. He tried to contact all involved but no one would talk to him so he put the letter on the web for all to see.

Something just doesn't seem right with this. You cant tell me that with all the eyes in space, that not one of them did not pick up this crash or explosion. I remember watching a story on NORAD and the officer who was interviewed said ( paraphrasing here ) there is nothing that goes on in the air that they don't know about. Someone saw something but they are keeping quiet about it.