Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370: Co-pilot’s cell phone was on, U.S. official says
Fox News ^ | April 14, 2014 | CNN

Posted on 04/15/2014 8:01:13 AM PDT by Uncle Chip

The phone of the co-pilot of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 was on and made contact with a cell tower in Malaysia about the time the plane disappeared from radar, a U.S. official told CNN on Monday.

However, the U.S. official — who cited information shared by Malaysian investigators — said there was no evidence the co-pilot, Fariq Abdul Hamid, had tried to make a call.

The official told CNN’s Pamela Brown on Monday that a cell-phone tower in Penang, Malaysia — about 250 miles from where the flight’s transponder last sent a signal — detected the co-pilot’s phone searching for service roughly 30 minutes after authorities believe the plane made a sharp turn westward.

The details do appear to reaffirm suggestions based on radar and satellite data that the plane was off course and was probably flying low enough to obtain a signal from a cell tower, the U.S. official said.

The revelation follows reporting over the weekend in a Malaysian newspaper that the co-pilot had tried to make a telephone call while the plane was in flight....

U.S. officials familiar with the investigation told CNN they have been told that no other cell phones were picked up by the Penang tower.

Pilots are supposed to turn off their cell phones before pushing back from the gate.

“It would be very rare in my opinion to have someone with a cell phone on in the cockpit,” safety analyst David Soucie said. “It’s never supposed to be on at all. It’s part of every check list of every airline I am familiar with.”

When the plane first went missing, authorities said millions of cell phone records were searched, looking for evidence that calls had been made from the plane after it took off, but the search turned up nothing.

(Excerpt) Read more at fox2now.com ...


TOPICS: Conspiracy; Travel
KEYWORDS: cnnrepublic; malaysia; mh370; pilot; southchinasea; wildgoosechase
So then what was being denied by Malaysian officials has now been confirmed by U.S. officials:

The co-pilot's cell phone was on and searching for service as the plane was flying over the island of Penang.

It had to be low enough and close enough for that to have happened -- and apparently it was the only cell phone onboard that did so.

1 posted on 04/15/2014 8:01:13 AM PDT by Uncle Chip
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: Uncle Chip

Presumably since the others complied with instructions to turn them off. Jets fly 5-6 miles above the earth, and cellphone signals propagate along line-of-sight paths, so theoretically could be received anywhere within the distance you could see from a window seat. Doesn’t narrow it down much, but it is another data point.


2 posted on 04/15/2014 8:14:41 AM PDT by bigbob (The best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly. Abraham Lincoln)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Uncle Chip
Cover up??

Wouldn't be surprised if Malaysian airlines dumped a couple "old" boxes in the ocean......never to be pinged again.P>That would explain the "search here"....no..."here"....no...."here"....

3 posted on 04/15/2014 8:15:28 AM PDT by Sacajaweau
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Uncle Chip

Just locate the thing. NOW.


4 posted on 04/15/2014 8:16:18 AM PDT by yldstrk ( My heroes have always been cowboys)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Uncle Chip

See. See? See?!?

All these years, we’ve been told to turn our cell phones off after the doors to the airplane have been closed. And we grumble and comply and wonder why.

The Malaysia 370 flight co-pilot left his on.

And now look what happened.


5 posted on 04/15/2014 8:18:28 AM PDT by kidd
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Uncle Chip

“Can you hear me n...”


6 posted on 04/15/2014 8:26:55 AM PDT by Wolfie
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: bigbob

My understanding is that cell phones won’t work above 7000ft and even if they do connect a conversation is not likely to happen.

The co-pilot’s cellphone may have been turned on earlier in desperation while at 45000ft and just stayed on after the co-pilot was incapacitated and then connected when the plane dropped below 7000 and came within range of the tower.


7 posted on 04/15/2014 8:28:09 AM PDT by Uncle Chip
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Sacajaweau
Wouldn't be surprised if Malaysian airlines dumped a couple "old" boxes in the ocean

Yeh right -- and what should those black boxes say: "Hey everybody we're over here in the South China Sea -- oh I mean we're in the Malacan Straits -- I mean the Andaman Sea -- would you believe Pakistan???

The Malaysians can't get anything right. Knowing them they probably think the boxes everyone is looking for are actually black.

8 posted on 04/15/2014 8:37:26 AM PDT by Uncle Chip
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: Uncle Chip

When you devote all your efforts to covering for your co-religionists, you can appear dumb on occasion.


9 posted on 04/15/2014 8:52:44 AM PDT by Praxeologue
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: kidd

Yep...I bet he was texting. You know what happens when people text and drive.


10 posted on 04/15/2014 9:01:32 AM PDT by kevslisababy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: Uncle Chip

rut roh,, Arent they supposed to have their phones turned off during flight?
now we know what happened...


11 posted on 04/15/2014 9:48:20 AM PDT by ßuddaßudd (>> F U B O << "What the hell kind of country is this if I can only hate a man if he's white?")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Uncle Chip

So of all the souls on that plane the co-pilot’s cell was the only one searching for service?


12 posted on 04/15/2014 9:54:15 AM PDT by Mike Darancette (Do The Math)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Mike Darancette

That is hard to believe but that seems to be what the last line in the article above is claiming.

If true then why only his??? I don’t know —


13 posted on 04/15/2014 10:06:26 AM PDT by Uncle Chip
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: Uncle Chip
“It would be very rare in my opinion to have someone with a cell phone on in the cockpit,” safety analyst David Soucie said. “It’s never supposed to be on at all. It’s part of every check list of every airline I am familiar with.”

What an ignoramus. Sterile flight deck is required below 10,000 as well, but it is violated in someway in 9 out of 10 flights. Pilots know that a cell left on is a non-issue, so they often forget. You think we would go by the honor system for passengers if it really made a difference?
14 posted on 04/15/2014 10:16:17 AM PDT by Tzfat
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Revolting cat!

A technical glitch like leaving your cellphone on in flight can down a whole plane? Who knew?


15 posted on 04/15/2014 8:03:21 PM PDT by a fool in paradise (The new witchhunt: "Do you NOW, . . . or have you EVER , . . supported traditional marriage?")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

One last thing that I would check if I were investigators:

Any unidentifiable cell phones connecting with each other or with that Penang tower as the plane was flying overhead @~ 2:15.

The pilot may have deliberately flown as low and slow as possible over Penang so that he could make a cell call to someone.

He would likely have used an untraceable cell phone to call another untraceable one to communicate to them that the mission has been accomplished and confirm the rendezvous.


16 posted on 04/16/2014 7:06:33 AM PDT by Uncle Chip
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: Uncle Chip
The Malaysians can't get anything right. Knowing them they probably think the boxes everyone is looking for are actually black.

you're pretty close to the truth on that LOL

17 posted on 04/16/2014 5:24:45 PM PDT by blueplum
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson