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Tag: Malaysia Airlines

  • Jason Biggs Apologizes for Offensive Malaysia Airlines Tweet

    Jason Biggs Apologizes for Offensive Malaysia Airlines Tweet

    Jason Biggs has once again apologized for a tweet he posted Thursday following the downing of the Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine, which killed all 298 people aboard.

    Biggs made his apology while co-hosting ABC’s The View on Monday.

    “I made a tweet the other day, and I’d just like to say a few words on it,” Biggs said to his co-hosts and the studio audience.

    He explained that after he posted the tweet, he received a lot of angry feedback on Twitter, including one that hit home for the Orange Is the New Black actor.

    “There was one line, an old adage: ‘Never attribute to malice that which is explained by stupidity,’” he told his co-hosts.

    “I certainly meant no harm; there was no malice, but I was stupid,” he continued. “It was poorly timed. I’ve always tried to find the humor in situations … it’s a knee-jerk reaction for me, it’s how I cope.”

    The offensive tweet, which Biggs meant as an innocuous joke, read, “Anyone wanna buy my Malaysian Airlines frequent flier miles?” He later deleted the post and followed up with an apology.

    When asked by The View‘s Jenny McCarthy why he decided to retract his tweets and issue an apology, he said, “I just knew when I put it out and the reaction from people. I also wasn’t aware of the extent and magnitude of what had happened. I didn’t think. … I have nothing but sympathy for the victims and their families. I’ve learned my lesson, and I’d like to move on.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Malaysian Flight MH17 Possibly Shot Down: Who Is Responsible?

    Malaysian Flight MH17 Possibly Shot Down: Who Is Responsible?

    On Thursday, a Malaysia Airlines passenger plane was allegedly shot down over Ukrainian airspace. There were a total of 295 people on Flight MH17 and it is not believed that anyone survived the devastating tragedy.

    The story is developing and it’s not exactly clear why the plane was brought down, but early reports indicate that Ukrainian separatists may be responsible.

    Both Ukrainian government and Russian government officials are presently denying any involvement in the hostile act.

    Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his “sincere condolences” to the Malaysian PM and Russia’s Ministry of Emergencie has launched an official inquest with Ukrainian authorities in an effort to offer assistance at the site of the crash.

    President Obama, who was meant to make an address in Wilmington, DE on infrastructure, touched on the ongoing situation.

    The president stated that the first priority was to determine if there were American citizens on board the jetliner.

    As of right now, it is believed that 23 U.S. citizens were on the downed Boeing 777.

    It is not known how the United States government will proceed following this revelation. The nationalities of the victims varies greatly and this violent act will no doubt greatly complicate international relationships for the unstable Ukraine.

    What is especially worrying is that this news comes on the heels of unconfirmed reports indicating that a Russian military jet shot down a Ukrainian fighter jet.

    It’s also quite apparent that the implications of this event are far-reaching.

    Malaysia Airlines is reeling from yet another massive tragedy involving their airline. Flight MH370, which disappeared in March, is still missing.

    At the same time, it is clear that the conflict in the Ukraine is far more dangerous to the international community than perhaps many had previously realized.

    The UN is reportedly scheduling an emergency meeting in order to determine how to proceed following the incident.

    UPDATE: It’s possible that the intended target could have been President Vladimir Putin himself. The Malaysian Airline flight was allegedly following a similar flight plan to the Russian president’s plane.

    Image via YouTube

  • Malaysia Airlines Flight 370: Autopilot Theory Points to Hypoxia

    Malaysia Airlines Flight 370: Autopilot Theory Points to Hypoxia

    The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 continues to be one of the biggest mysteries of 2014, and has left many not just grieving the loss of their loved ones but wondering what happened in the last minutes of their lives. Was something sinister–like terrorism–at play? A new theory based on the belief that the plane was flying on autopilot before and after the crash occurred won’t bring these passengers and crew back, but it might help survivors find some semblance of closure in light of the horrific tragedy.

    According to a report from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, “The final stages of the unresponsive crew/hypoxia event type appeared to best fit the available evidence for the final period of MH370’s flight when it was heading in a generally southerly direction.”

    This theory gives all other theories–including hijacking as a result of terrorist activity–far less credibility.

    If Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 was truly on autopilot until it ran out of fuel, this means there was likely no deliberate attempt to crash or redirect the plane, and the fact that the pilots were no longer communicating despite being on autopilot could indicate that the crew was somehow incapacitated. The loss of cabin pressure would have rendered everyone on board incapacitated.

    Word of this theory about the missing flight has spread to news agencies around the world.

    Not only might this theory about Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 alleviate the horror of terrorism in survivor’s minds, they might also find some comfort in knowing their loved ones were likely already deceased when the plane crashed into the ocean.

    Yes, these means of comfort are small ones in comparison to what these people have experienced, but hopefully they will nudge them toward the road of recovery–putting the shattered pieces of their lives back together again.

    Image via YouTube

  • Flight MH370: New Witness Comes Forward

    Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 remains unaccounted for since it vanished on March 8th.

    Though recovery efforts are ongoing, hope is fading that the plane—along with the 239 people aboard—will ever be seen again.

    In the time since the plane’s disappearance, there have been conflicting stories as to what is thought to have happened to it.

    A few “eyewitness accounts” were offered by persons who claimed they saw the missing plane fly overhead. Eventually these leads were proven false.

    Now there is yet another person who has stepped forward with an alleged eyewitness account.

    A woman named Katherine Tee said that she believes she not only saw Flight MH370 while sailing in the Indian Ocean, she may have witnessed the plane going down.

    The British woman said of the supposed sighting, “It caught my attention because I had never seen a plane with orange lights before.”

    Tee also noted “black smoke” trailing behind the plane.

    “It did occur to me that it might be a meteorite. But I thought it was more likely that I was going insane.”

    Somehow the idea that she was witnessing an actual plane crash struck the woman as “insane” and made her fear that she was “hallucinating”.

    Perhaps the reason why Tee was so puzzled by what she was seeing (and the lack of efficient response after the fact) was that according to her account,

    “There were two other planes well above [it] at the time.”

    Tee described the planes as moving away from the scene, but certainly close enough to witness the plane’s state of distress.

    When asked why she didn’t come forward with what she’d seen until months after the fact, Tee could only apologize.

    “I chose to sweep it under the carpet and now I feel really bad…I am sorry I didn’t take action sooner.”

    Do you believe Tee’s story or is it yet another false eyewitness report? Comment below!

    Image via YouTube

  • MH370 Report: Why Did Officials Wait Four Hours?

    On March 8th, Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 went missing and was never heard from again.

    Even though the search continues, it seems to grow more hopeless by the day.

    The mounting frustration at the lack of clarity as to what went wrong has resulted in numerous accusations of incompetence. Much of the anger and criticism has been leveled at the Malaysian government specifically.

    Many onlookers, but most especially the grieving families, want to know how things could have been so mishandled.

    With the release of the Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 preliminary report, we are given a small glimpse into what happened on the day that the jetliner went missing.

    The report was prepared on April 9th, but was not released to the public until Thursday. It is remarkably brief at only five pages and contains mainly information that has been public knowledge for some time.

    However, there is one key piece of information in the report that is truly disconcerting.

    After Ho Chi Minh Air Traffic Control reported that Flight MH370 had not made its required radio contact, approximately four hours passed before any kind of search or rescue effort was launched.

    Even more disturbing than this, the brief report fails to adequately explain exactly what Malaysian officials were doing during that four hour window of time.

    The report also lacks any indication of what efforts the Malaysian government are making with regards to a recovery effort at present.

    It seems to confirm the worst fears many have held for weeks: That the inept response by Malaysian officials may very well be to blame for the inability to organize a successful rescue mission. The time wasted in those four hours may also have directly contributed to the inability to find the plane even now.

    In addition to the preliminary report, passenger and cargo manifests and audio recordings of flight communication with air traffic control were also released.

    Image via YouTube

  • MH370 Report Shows Time Gap Before Search And Rescue

    According to a preliminary report released concerning Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (MH370), air traffic controllers did not realize the plane was missing until 17 minutes after it disappeared from civilian radar.

    The report, analyzed in an article by The Associated Press, is a mere five pages and includes mostly information that was previously known to the public.

    In a press statement by Malaysian Minister of Defense and Acting Minister of Transport Hishammuddin Hussein, he says, “The Prime Minister set, as a guiding principle, the rule that as long as the release of a particular piece of information does not hamper the investigation or the search operation, in the interests of openness and transparency, the information should be made public.”

    The information released along with the report includes audio recordings between the cockpit of MH370 and Kuala Lumpur, a map that contains the flight path of MH370 deduced by authorities, and a document showing the actions of authorities during the hours of confusion when the plane disappeared near the border between Malaysian and Vietnamese airspace.

    The report noted that there is no requirement for real-time tracking of commercial aircraft, and that the uncertainty surrounding MH370’s last position has made it much more difficult to locate the plane. It recommended that international aviation authorities examine the safety benefits of introducing a standard tracking system.

    The report was dated April 9 and sent last month to the International Civil Aviation Organization.

    One instance documented in the report that is notable is the four-hour gap between MH370 disappearing from radar and the first search and rescue operation initiated by authorities.

    According to the report, Vietnamese air traffic controllers began contacting Kuala Lumpur at 1:38 a.m. after they failed to establish verbal contact with the plane and could not locate it on radar. At 5:30 a.m., the documents show that the first official search and rescue operation was initiated by Malaysian authorities after efforts to locate the plane had failed.

    Hishammuddin noted in his statement that authorities reviewed data from Malaysian military radar hours after the plane had vanished from civilian radar and only then saw that the plane had made a turn-back in a westerly direction across Peninsular Malaysia.

    Hishammuddin said, “The aircraft was categorized as friendly by the radar operator and therefore no further action was taken at the time.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Malaysia Airlines Wreckage to be Surveyed Underwater

    Malaysia Airlines Wreckage to be Surveyed Underwater

    On April 5, the international search for the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 had its biggest discovery to date – a ping from below the ocean’s surface. The ping was discovered by the Ocean Shield, an Australian navy ship towing a US Navy ping locator. Three days after the first two initial pings were discovered, two more pings were heard, giving much credence to the idea that the international search had now been limited to a very defined area.

    That area is a five kilometer by eight kilometer area some 963 miles northwest of Perth, Australia.

    Unfortunately for search crews, the second set of pings heard on April 8 was the last hint of life observed from the plane’s black box. Flight MH370 originally crashed on March 8 after leaving Kuala Lampur, heading toward Beijing. The batteries on a black box are only expected to last for 30 days. As it currently stands, it has been 38 days since the search for the missing plane began.

    With the search area now limited and the Ocean Shield ping-locator being no longer of use, the United States Navy has agreed to lend a mini-submarine search vessel to the investigative efforts.

    The Bluefin-21 is an autonomous underwater vehicle that the Navy has used with some success before. The submarine was able to find an Air France plane that crashed into the Atlantic Ocean in 2009.

    The Bluefin-21 works by using side-scan sonar – a device which can create 3D images of an area by using acoustics rather than light.

    The downside of using the Bluefin-21, however, is that the process is slow. For each portion of the search area crews wish to investigate, the Bluefin-21 will need 24 hours to do its thing – two hours to descend to the ocean floor, 16 hours to map the area, two more hours to resurface, and at least four hours to download all of the images and information.

    All in all, it may take a couple months for the Bluefin-21 to make the five by eight kilometer area.

    “I would caution you against raising hopes that the deployment of the autonomous underwater vehicle will result in the detection of the aircraft wreckage – it may not,” stated Angus Houston, head of the search effort.

    “However, this is the best lead we have, and it must be pursued vigorously. Again, I emphasize that this will be a slow and painstaking process.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370: Nearly Found?

    Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370: Nearly Found?

    In a short time the black box belonging to Flight MH370 will run out of battery life. That is, if the black boxes on the plane haven’t lost power already.

    Time is not on the side of the international joint search effort hoping to find the lost airplane.

    On Tuesday, it will have been a full month since the Malaysia Airlines flight went missing. It will also mark the anticipated end of the battery life of the black box equipment on the plane.

    Experts say it is possible for black boxes to send out signals for up to several days beyond this time limit.

    The race is on to confirm possible signals from the jetliner before it’s too late.

    Three pings have already been detected nearly 1,000 miles off the coast of Perth, Australia.

    Angus Houston, who is at the head of a joint agency coordinating the search, considers the latest ping a promising lead.

    He said, “In the search so far, it’s probably the best information that we have had.”

    Despite the renewed optimism and interest in the case, Houston warns that confirmation will likely not come overnight. It may be days before it is known if those pings belong to the missing jetliner.

    Malaysian defence minister Hishammudin Hussein echoed the tone of “cautious optimism” as news is released regarding this latest search effort.

    He also said that “miracles do happen” and that they will “continue to pray for survivors”. Though it’s highly unlikely at this stage that survivors will be found.

    As for the pings, there were three confirmed signals: The first two lasted two and a half hours and the third a mere thirteen minutes.

    It is now a matter of finding a signal again and sending down an underwater vehicle to investigate. Since the water in this part of the ocean is so deep, such items will be operating at their capacity limit.

    It is expected that even if an object is located, the act of confirming whether or not it’s the missing flight will begin a new and difficult phase of the search process.

    Image via YouTube

  • Malaysia Airlines Flight Simulator News Update

    Malaysia Airlines Flight Simulator News Update

    We told you recently that investigators had finished their comb-through of all the passengers of flight MH370. The police Inspector-General had determined that there was no reason to suspect anyone with a ticket of hijacking, sabotage, psychological, or personal problems that might have led to the disappearance of the airliner. However, we did note that the cabin crew, pilot and co-pilot were still under investigation.

    Now one more piece of the puzzle has been cleared. Remember the flight simulator belonging to the pilot, Captain Zaharie Shah? It had been the focus of a lot of suspicion and concern. Authorities had seized the equipment, wondering if Shah had practiced any maneuvers or flight paths that might give them a clue as to what happened. The equipment was sent to the FBI’s lab in Quantico, Virginia for further investigation.

    Then came the news that some files had been deleted from the flight simulator. The 24-hour news cycle was all abuzz on that revelation for a bit. While some saw that as suspicious, others realized that it may be a simple matter of a man clearing hard drive space so he could load more simulation materials.

    Now, ABC News reports that the FBI has finished its fine-tooth-comb work on the flight simulator.

    “They have finished with the simulator,” an official confirmed. “There is nothing suspicious whatsoever about what they found. There’s nothing at all (criminal) about the pilot. Right now there is zero evidence of a criminal act by the flight crew.”

    The further the loose ends of this investigation are sewn up, the more it looks like what almost everyone has come to suspect for a while: there was a fire in the cabin or cockpit. In an effort to fight that fire, altitude was changed, systems were rebooted, and perhaps a course change was made to try to find a place to land. Failing in that effort, the plane eventually crashed in the Indian Ocean.

    Crews are still searching for wreckage, hoping to find a flight data recorder and other evidence about what may have happened.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Black Box Data Detector: Why Did It Take So Long?

    Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 went missing on the morning of March 8th. Nearly three weeks later, a warship equipped with a black box detector will be used to attempt to find the missing plane. It comes by way of the United States.

    For those who have been following the increasingly bewildering and frustrating search for the missing jetliner, the first question that comes to mind would have to be, “It took you THIS long?!”

    Weeks were spent flying over the area or diverting ships to search much of the Indian Ocean. There’s no telling what the final cost will be even if at some point a search is called off.

    And after all of the man hours that have been spent, we’re just now starting to look for the black box?

    The delay for deploying the use of such vital recovery technology is mind-bogglingly frustrating to say the least. It certainly adds to the anger expressed by citizens over the lack of transparency and efficiency in how the matter has been handled thus far.

    Even though it is easy to argue that the use of such a device is long overdue, it’s also possible there were many constraints that stood in the way of allowing such an item to be made available.

    At the same time, the hunt for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 is making it clear just how many changes need to be made in how information and resources are used for these type of large-scale missions.

    Open ommunication between government organizations and the upfront acknowledgement of available resources is key.

    The black box detector will be carried to the search area by way of Australian navy ship, the Ocean Shield. It’s expected the vessel will take approximately three to four days to arrive in the designated search area.

    Despite objects being recovered from and spotted in the ocean, there is no definite connection that has been established to the missing Boeing 777.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Black Box Data: Lost MH370 Fuels Live-Streaming Talk

    With the fate of Malaysia flight MH370 still uncertain three weeks after the plane’s disappearance, a debate has reignited over the possibility of live streaming a plane’s flight data and voice recorders — known as the “black box” — during all flights.

    Currently, air accident investigators have to wait for the recovery of the black box before they can reliably analyze what has happened to a plane during an accident.

    Proponents of flight data-streaming suggest it is the only way to prevent a plane from becoming lost during flight. This is the second flight to disappear in five years — it took nearly two years to recover the black box of an Air France flight that plunged into the Atlantic Ocean during its 2009 flight from Rio de Janeiro to Paris.

    Time is ticking for the possibility of ever finding out what happened to MH370 — the black box will stop emitting a signal after 30 days.

    Oliver McGee, a former scientific adviser to former President Bill Clinton, is an avid proponent of storing crucial data in the cloud.

    Joe Kolly, the director of research and engineering at the National Transportation Safety Board, said discussions have begun on how to prevent crucial flight information from being lost.

    “You’re looking for what is the most important information,” he said. “If the airline industry goes to that in the future, what would be those requirements?” he said.

    “We have our staff involved in technical meetings and discussions and working groups on just what type of data you would need.”

    Kolly said governments are becoming more interested in the possibility of streaming flight data for security reasons, but says there are many questions to consider.

    “What are the rates at which those data need to be transmitted?” Kolly said. “And also … what is going to trigger the data download?”

    This could very well become an important topic of conversation in June at an annual summit of the International Air Transport Association — comprised of the heads of the world’s major airlines — at Doha, Qatar.

    Image via YouTube

  • Flight MH370 Victims’ Families Upset Over Text

    For eighteen days, family members have been anxiously awaiting news about their loved ones, who were on board the Malaysia Airline’s flight MH370 when it crashed into the ocean.

    They have pleaded for any information they could get, and had remained hopeful that their family members would be found and returned home safely. Sadly, this was not the case, as Malaysian Prime Minster Najib Razak held a breaking news press conference on March 24 to inform the world that it had been determined that the plane had crashed into the Indian Ocean, and that there were no survivors.

    Many of the families had come to expect this outcome, but were not prepared for the way that they were told. Only a few short minutes before the conference was held, the families received a TEXT message, telling them that their loved ones were dead.

    “Malaysia Airlines deeply regrets that we have to assume beyond any reasonable doubt that MH370 has been lost and that none of those on board survived,” the text read. “As you will hear in the next hour from Malaysia’s Prime Minister, we must now accept all evidence suggests the plane went down in the Southern Indian Ocean.”

    As to be expected, the families were outraged at the lack of common courtesy from the Malaysian government and airlines. After receiving the text, the family members, who were representing the Chinese nationals on the flight, issued a statement.

    18 days have passed, during which the Malasyian government and military constantly tried to delay and deceive the passengers’ families and cheat the whole world. This shameless behaviour not only fooled and hurt the families of the 154 passengers but also misguided and delayed rescue actions, wasting a large quantity of human resources and materials and losing valuable time for the rescue effort.

    If the passengers did lose their lives, Malaysia Airlines, the Malaysian government and military are the real executioners who killed them.

    We, the families of those on board, submit our strongest protest against them. We will take every possible means to pursue the unforgivable crimes and responsibility of all three.

    Malaysia Airlines explained that most of the families were told prior to the press conference via in person or by telephone, and that the text messages were used as an additional method. Bridget Welsh, a Malaysian politics expert from the Singapore Management University said that the intentions of the text messages were good, but they went about it the wrong way. “The use of SMS messages even for additional communication could have been rethought. I imagine every time a person looks at their phone they will be reminded of their loss,” she said.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Malaysian Flight 370 Found? Crashed In Indian Ocean

    Malaysian Flight 370 Found? Crashed In Indian Ocean

    After weeks of speculation as to the fate of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, Malaysian government officials announced today that they are certain the plane went down in the southern Indian Ocean and that there are no survivors.

    It is also heavily speculated that the debris spotted by multiple rescue planes likely belongs to what’s left of the crashed plane.

    The New York Times is reporting that Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak stated that this conclusion has been drawn by international authorities based on new analysis of satellite photos.

    The analysis of the imagery was provided by British satellite maker Inmarsat and the British national aviation safety agency.

    The work by these organizations is said to have narrowed down all the possible paths that the missing jetliner could have taken once it went missing.

    Despite weeks of conspiracy theories surrounding the possible fate of the missing airplane, it seems there is no other conclusion that can be drawn.

    Sadly, it’s likely the one conclusion to be drawn is the one that was most painfully obvious from the beginning: The Boeing 777 went down in the ocean and all 239 passengers were killed.

    The only area of speculation that remains is determining how or why the plane went off course and crashed. Nothing can be known until such time as the remnants of Flight 370 are recovered.

    The prime minister said that it was “with deep sadness and regret” that he was to inform the public that “according to this new data, Flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean”.

    It is a painful blow to the families of the missing passengers and flight crew aboard MH370. All of these no doubt heartbroken individuals hoped against hope as the weeks went by that somehow, someway, there would be a different ending.

    It has been reported that the family members in Kuala Lampur were notified directly and that text communications were sent to relatives in other locations.

    One of the more frustrating aspects of this case has been the delay in time period between information becoming available and then being shared with the media and public.

    Perhaps this tragedy will encourage various nations to update their use of satellite images and methods of disseminating information.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Conspiracy Theories Over Flight MH370 Inevitable

    Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 went missing on March 8th and so did the 239 people on board. Two weeks have passed and there is still no sign of the airplane or its passengers.

    As the search for the jetliner heads into its third week, some believe that it’s very possible the plane may never be seen again.

    With mystery continuing to swirl around the circumstances of the jetliner’s disappearance, it is inevitable that it would prove to be a lighting rod for a number of conspiracy theories.

    Was the plane hijacked by air pirates or terrorists? Did the plane crash into the ocean or in a remote jungle location? Did it fly low over fishermen in the early hours of March 8th or was it re-routed to Pakistan to be used in an attack?

    These are in fact the mildest of conspiracy theories floating around the internet. Some are blaming the plane’s vanishing on a “Bermuda Triangle”-type incident while others think Flight 370 was spirited away by extraterrestrial beings.

    Those closest to the passengers have made conspiracy accusations of their own. Family members grow increasingly distrustful of Malaysian Airlines and government officials. There have been numerous calls by relatives for these organizations to reveal the truth about what led to their loved ones’ disappearance.

    The finger-pointing and endless theories make some wonder why some circumstances seem to generate so many wild conspiracy claims.

    In reality, it has been the same with other missing flights: The lack of a definite explanation results in a void that is simply unbearable.

    Something must have gone wrong. This is the only certainty after all this time. But it’s not enough to bring closure to so many anguished families and concerned observers.

    In order to cope, individuals offer up what explanations seem logical to them.

    For the family members, the truth is there but government authorities are cruelly hiding it from them.

    Onlookers imagine many spectacular explanations to avoid believing that the Malaysia Airlines flight simply crashed and there are no survivors.

    At least in the imaginations of many there is a reason to hope for the best, even after all this time.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Malaysia Airlines Flight: China Shares Debris Photo

    Yet another satellite image has been released that identifies possible debris from Flight 370. This time the nation of China has come forward with a satellite photo taken on Tuesday at around noon.

    The significance of this image is that it places the missing Malaysia Airlines flight in the same area of the remote Indian Ocean as the Australian satellite image which was released earlier in the week.

    Also significant is that the alleged debris in the Chinese satellite image appears to be the same size as what was seen in the Australian image.

    The major difference is that the image of what could be the remains of the Boeing 777 is shown to be drifting away from the current search area. It’s not surprising as currents can carry items away from where they are first spotted at sea quite some distance. Even more startling, in a matter of days, the items can float a distance of some miles.

    This latest development comes on the heels of the latest international joint search efforts, which have turned up nothing.

    The failed effort marked the third straight day of searching the 1500 miles of ocean that authorities feel may contain debris from crash.

    Authorities have already declared that they expect the search for Flight 370 and its 239 passengers to continue for some time, if not indefinitely.

    The images coming in by satellite are the best leads available in a situation that feels more and more like a wild goose change with each passing day.

    It has been two weeks since Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 last sent a signal. There has been speculation of its fate that ranged from crashing in the Gulf of Thailand to being hijacked and rerouted to a hostile location.

    There have been false eye-witness reports and family members continue to grow increasingly restless and distrustful of the Malaysia Airlines company and Malaysia government information.

    This latest lead does seem to confirm that something is floating in the waters of the southern Indian Ocean.

    It is not certain whether or not what China has shared will prove to be the missing piece of the puzzle.

    Image via YouTube

  • Malaysia Airlines: Search For MH370 Debris Continues

    A major break in the case of missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 has led to a massive search of the freezing southern waters of the Indian Ocean. An Australian satellite photo showed chunks of what could be debris from the plane. Because of the volume of satellite images that had to be sorted through, it took some time to make the discovery.

    Following confirmation that the lead is genuine, an area spanning roughly 1500 miles of water is now the site of a desperate search by air and sea.

    Multiple objects were observed in the satellite photo, including one thought to measure about 79 ft. The size of the items in the water is what led some to believe it’s perfectly credible that these could be what is left of the missing plane.

    The photo imagery was itself corroborated by other satellite photos.

    A search of the area resumed on Friday in the hopes that something will be found. It is a huge area of water to cover and from the air, the search and rescue mission is especially daunting.

    This area of the Indian Ocean is so remote that the search planes take four hours to arrive. The journey back to refuel takes up an additional four hours, leaving a window of just two hours to perform a comprehensive search.

    Planes from Australia and the United States have staggered their departure times in order to cope with this.

    Meanwhile numerous ships are being diverted into the area as the international community continues to cooperate in the hunt for the missing jetliner.

    The first to arrive into the area was Norwegian cargo ship Höegh St. Petersburg. The massive ship joined the search on Thursday at the request of Australia.

    Sailors aboard worked into the night said Erik Gierchsky, spokesman for the Norwegian Shipowners Association. He also stated the men remained on deck for many hours, using lights and binoculars to search the waters for debris.

    Despite the renewed search efforts bringing some measure of optimism, authorities cautioned that it could be that the objects may not have anything to do with the missing plane and may be something else entirely. It’s also possible the objects may never be found.

    Family members of the missing passengers were also cautious about the lead.

    Sarah Bajc, fiance of missing American passenger Philip Wood, said of the news, “It strikes me as just one more lead that may or may not come true.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Amelia Earhart Situation For Flight 370

    International attention focusing on the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 has led to collective concern that the most recent occurrence could be another unsolved global mystery, similar to the officially-unsolved case involving renowned pilot Amelia Earhart. Former U.S. aviation accident investigator Ric Gillespie, who studied the 1937 disappearance of Earhart, spoke about the public’s reaction to the recent unresolved tragedy.

    “When something like this happens that confounds us, we’re offended by it, and we’re scared by it. We had the illusion of control and it’s just been shown to us that oh, folks, you know what? A really big airliner can just vanish. And nobody wants to hear that,” Gillespie said.

    Though many are having difficulties grappling with the revelation that a plane can disappear from the technological radar in this day-and-age, the Journal of Transportation Security‘s editor-in-chief Andrew Thomas offered some realistic insight behind the limitations involving modern-day aviation advancements. “There are lots of reasons why they haven’t changed, but the major one is cost. The next-generation technology would cost $70 to $80 billion in the U.S.,” Thomas explained.

    Understanding the events that influenced the disappearance of Flight 370 represent only part of the public’s anxiety when discussing this most recent tragedy. Another part of the struggle is determining the societal recourse needed to lessen, if not prevent, future situations of a similar nature from occurring. According to Brian Havel, who is the director of DePaul University’s International Aviation Law Institute, “The international aviation legal system does not anticipate the complete disappearance of an aircraft. We just don’t have the tools for that at present.”

    The 1937 disappearance of female pioneer pilot Earhart shocked the international community and led to debates and discussions regarding potential underlying factors. Conspiracy theories have persisted since the late 1930’s just like the current onslaught of conspiracy theories concerning Flight 370. While it may be falsely comforting to hope that these events are relegated to the past, present-day aviation is not immune from disastrous mysteries.

    Image Via Wikimedia Commons

  • Malaysia Airlines Theories Run Rampant. What’s Yours?

    Malaysia Airlines Theories Run Rampant. What’s Yours?

    Ever since Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 went missing on March 8, we’ve seen one idea after another trying to explain what happened as the search for the missing airplane continues. From alien abductions to terrorist schemes, there are a lot of interesting theories out there. Check out some of the missing Malaysia airline theories below.

    Cockpit Fire Theory

    Chris Goodfellow, a former pilot from Florida, has one of the more reasonable (and probably less interesting) theories on what happened to Malaysia Flight 370. Goodfellow made a detailed post on his Google+ account suggesting that a fire is to blame for the missing flight.

    As you may remember from other reports, Flight 370 took a sharp turn west before losing radio communication. Goodfellow believes this turn indicates that there was a fire on board and that the pilot was trying to get to the nearest airport as quickly as possible:

    We old pilots were always drilled to always know the closest airport of safe harbor while in cruise. Airports behind us, airports abeam us and airports ahead of us. Always in our head. Always. Because if something happens you don’t want to be thinking what are you going to do – you already know what you are going to do. Instinctively when I saw that left turn with a direct heading I knew he was heading for an airport. Actually he was taking a direct route to Palau Langkawi a 13,000 foot strip with an approach over water at night with no obstacles.

    Goodfellow says that a similar sequence of events has been seen before, but with a more positive outcome.

    Flight 370 Hid Behind Another Plane Theory

    This theory–aside from the alien abduction and Bermuda Triangle theories–is probably one of the more far-fetched that we’ve seen, but it is certainly interesting. According to self-described hobby pilot Keith Ledgerwood, he thinks it is possible that Flight 370 hid beneath the shadow of another plane while flying “dark.”

    It is my belief that MH370 likely flew in the shadow of SIA68 (Singapore Airlines flight number 68) through India and Afghanistan airspace. As MH370 was flying “dark” without transponder / ADS-B output, SIA68 would have had no knowledge that MH370 was anywhere around and as it entered Indian airspace, it would have shown up as one single blip on the radar with only the transponder information of SIA68 lighting up ATC and military radar screens.

    The purpose of “hiding” behind another plane, according to Ledgerwood? To get past military radar and go to one of many countries, including the Xingjian province, Kyrgyzstan, or Turkmenistan. Ledgerwood doesn’t speculate on why we haven’t heard from any passengers or the reason Flight 370 would hide behind another plane.

    Military Shot Plane Down Theory

    This theory may not involve an elaborate plan where Flight 370 uses another flight to go into stealth mode, but writer Charlie Martin suggests that the plane could have been hijacked and subsequently shot down in Chinese airspace. Martin believes that the Chinese military picked up the plane on its radar and, being unable to communicate with the plane, eventually decided to shoot it down.

    In the U.S., we’d intercept and have a look. I’ve got no idea what the terms of engagement might be in the People’s Liberation Army Air Force, but I’m betting they are a little sensitive about unidentified aircraft coming in from the whole Vietnam/Myanmar/South China Sea area. It think it’s entirely possible that COL Wang on his own authority says “so shoot it down.” PLAAF intercepts it and shoots it down, leaving debris and bodies scattered over the terrain.

    Instead of admitting what happened after news of the missing flight made headlines, Martin says that the Chinese military possibly covered up the incident to avoid embarrassment.

    Do you buy any of the above theories that try to explain away the disappearance of Malaysia Flight 370? Add your comments–and theories–in the comments section below.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Malaysia Airlines: Deleted Flight Files Now Sought

    As the hunt for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 continues, one of the avenues of investigation centers around the fact that the captain of the flight, one Zaharie Ahmad Shah, had a flight simulator in his home. While this is not necessarily proof of anything, nor even all that unusual, investigators have looked further into what sort of simulations Shah may have been running to see if they give any clues that might help the investigation.

    For example, if one theory – that Shah hijacked his flight and took it somewhere else – were given credence, he may have practiced his plan in his own flight simulator.

    However, according to the Associated Press, Malaysian authorities are now saying that they have found that there were files deleted from the simulator data storage on February 3. Again, this is not necessarily unusual. Like anyone who uses a computer, Shah may have needed to delete old files simply to make room on his hard drive.

    But investigators are leaving no stone unturned in this hunt.

    Hopefully that means they will also be chasing the theory put forth by pilot Chris Goodfellow, a shockingly simple explanation of what may have happened to the flight, that we reported on earlier.

    And, just for good measure, they should look at Courtney Love’s scrawl on Facebook.

    Authorities do say that Shah’s family is cooperating with their investigation. They also say that they have checked out almost every passenger listed as flying on Flight 370.

    Malaysia’s defense minister said, “So far, no information of significance on any passengers has been found.”

    One thing that could be impeding the investigation is the willingness of surrounding countries to contribute what their own defense systems may have picked up for fear of revealing their own capabilities. This is theorized to be why Thailand withheld information for ten days, only revealing it after it was already discovered through other means.

    Image via YouTube

  • Malaysia Airlines: A Much Simpler Theory Emerges

    In the ongoing saga that is the mystery of the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, there has been no shortage of theories. Recently we even reported on Courtney Love’s amateur sleuthing efforts involving an open source satellite image of the area marked up with MS Paint.

    Other theories include that the pilot may be a terrorist who trained for this operation with an in-home flight simulator, meteor activity, and other Bermuda Triangle-type conspiracy theories.

    But one man, a pilot with decades of experience, has put forth another theory, startling in it simplicity, that some say bears looking at. His idea of what may have happened takes an Occam’s Razor to the entire proceedings, and will hopefully be reviewed by the bumbling powers-that-be that are on the case. At the very least, Courtney Love could check it out.

    Pilot Chris Goodfellow, recently posted the following publicly from his Google+ account:

    “When I heard this I immediately brought up Google Earth and I searched for airports in proximity to the track towards southwest [of Flight 370’s last known location].”

    Goodfellow’s notion was that there was some sort of emergency on board the flight, perhaps a fire. He theorized that the pilot was looking for a good place to land.

    “We old pilots were always drilled to always know the closest airport of safe harbor while in cruise. Airports behind us, airports abeam us and airports ahead of us. Always in our head. Always. Because if something happens you don’t want to be thinking what are you going to do – you already know what you are going to do. Instinctively when I saw that left turn with a direct heading I knew he was heading for an airport. Actually he was taking a direct route to Palau Langkawi a 13,000 foot strip with an approach over water at night with no obstacles. He did not turn back to Kuala Lampur because he knew he had 8,000 foot ridges to cross. He knew the terrain was friendlier towards Langkawi and also a shorter distance.”

    But what about the loss of communication?

    “For me the loss of transponders and communications makes perfect sense if a fire. There was most likely a fire or electrical fire. In the case of fire the first response if to pull all the main busses and restore circuits one by one until you have isolated the bad one.

    If they pulled the busses the plane indeed would go silent. It was probably a serious event and they simply were occupied with controlling the plane and trying to fight the fire. Aviate, Navigate and lastly communicate.”

    What might have ended up happening to the plane?

    “What I think happened is that they were overcome by smoke and the plane just continued on the heading probably on George (autopilot) until either fuel exhaustion or fire destroyed the control surfaces and it crashed. I said four days ago you will find it along that route – looking elsewhere was pointless.”

    While many people still hope against hope that the passengers and crew of Flight 370 will be found alive somewhere, Goodfellow’s suggestion is one of the most sensible to emerge in the entire hunt.

    Image via YouTube

  • Malaysia Airlines Flight: Did Fishermen See Plane?

    An increasing number of eyewitness sightings are being shared with the public as the search for Flight MH370 approaches the end of a second unsuccessful week.

    Fishermen claim to have seen the Boeing 777 flying abnormally low and then crash into the waters of the Strait of Malacca.

    A fisherman named Hendra told this to state news agency Antara while adding, “We could not go to the location where the aircraft was lost due to large waves, and the boat did not have enough fuel.”

    He and other fisherman say they were out in the waters between the Malay Peninsula and Sumatra on March 8th in the early morning hours.

    Their statements are still being investigated by Indonesian authorities.

    Meanwhile, residents of the remote Kuda Huvadhoo, located in the Maldive Islands, say that they saw a jumbo jet flying overhead at about 6:15 am local time on the same day. They described the plane as low and very loud.


    One alleged eyewitness described the sighting in the following way:

    I’ve never seen a jet flying so low over our island before. We’ve seen seaplanes, but I’m sure that this was not one of those. I could even make out the doors on the plane clearly.

    ‘It’s not just me either, several other residents have reported seeing the exact same thing. Some people got out of their houses to see what was causing the tremendous noise too.

    In addition to describing the aircraft as a “jumbo jet”, residents described it as white with red stripes across it. It is a description that matches that of the missing Boeing jetliner.

    Despite there being some evidence to validate a possible sighting in the Maldives, authorities are saying otherwise:

    Image via Wikimedia Commons