They can have planes there in no time to at least get pictures.
If it was not a terrorism incident, what possibly could have happened to the aircraft, crew and passengers? Sudden decompression? Poisonous gas in the cabin? It looks like the incident a few years back when that pro-golfer’s jet flew for hours before crashing in the Dakotas(?) because the crew and passengers were all unconscious or dead from sudden decompression..........
Sounds like the aircraft did a Payne Stewart.
I know next to nothing about aviation, but am wondering if it is possible that an electrical or computer malfunction (or a computer system virus?) could result in shutting down the transponder and the navigation systems and leave the crew confused as to where they were? If this were the case, why wouldn’t communications work? I would think that if they flew for several additional hours (as per the automatic updates communicated from the Rolls Royce engines) they would have tried to contact someone regarding their actual position.
This is dragging out so long, they must be having trouble thinking up a cover story.
I can’t figure out a scenario that makes sense. If it flew 4 hours with everyone unconscious, it still doesn’t explain how the transponder was shut off manually in the cockpit.
The plane was hijacked with the intent of flying west to Pakistan, Sri Lanka, wherever.
The plane couldn't have been on autopilot because it changed altitude and direction.
Because it dropped from 35k+ feet to below civilian radar it used much more fuel.
The hijackers, clever as they were, didn't figure that into what they were doing so the plane ran out of fuel and crashed before it reached the hijacker;s destination.
My guess: I'm assuming the news reports that this plane flew for 4-5 hours are true. So I think it was simply hijacked and was heading for a landing field that was beyond the range of the aircraft. As a result they simply ran out of fuel and crashed into the Indian Ocean. The hijackers were too stupid to know that their target landing place was out of range.
Probably terrorist but not necessarily. Could be simply an aircraft kidnapping for ransom.
Draw a straight from where it was last seen to where it is found and project that line to the target landing field and you will know who the bad guys are.
And no, I don't get paid for this sort of excellent analysis. I just give it away for free. ;)
Too weird.
Too many unanswered questions.
This sound like a Tom Clancy Novel =)
Now we are back to the possible Malacca Strait contact that happened then didn’t happen. Makes you wonder about the Chinese satellite picture which drew them back the other direction. What is going on?
Waypoint Sri Lanka ... then to ... where?
Somalia? Yemen?
There are so many things that have been said to have happened, I won’t believe one theory or another until there is something reasonable to back it up.
I know nothing about aviation, so help me out here. Let’s assume there is no foul play involved. That being the case, is there any legitimate reason for the crew to turn off the transponder?
It is becoming increasingly obvious that we know exactly what happened to this plane. For some reason, we cannot tip our hand about HOW we know. The Chinese, Malaysians, and the Vietnamese are all running around like Keystone Kops--and they all have their own reasons for doing so. The clock is being run out, but we don't know why. Lots of behind the scenes stuff going on, no doubt.
Our satellites probably tracked this plane to its demise, and listened in on all radio transmissions. Now, that we are six days out and no one can find Waldo, the US is stepping in and pointing the way.
There is much more to this story than we are being told.
And I have no doubt the USS Kidd is being directed to a specific area of the Indian Ocean to begin their search grid.
The news about the engine telemetry being received by Rolls Royce for four hours after the transponders were turned off, and now the US Navy being directed by the Pentagon to look in a direction totally opposite from where the plane SHOULD be, is a game changer. The Indian Ocean is vast. To even be looking there means we know something that the others either don't know or will not admit to knowing.
Our NSA knows what happened, where it happened and maybe even why it happened. The steady drip, drip of actionable information confirms that.
What has become apparent is that the 239 souls aboard, minus the hijackers,were mere expendable pawns in a very high stakes game.
An object crashes into the cockpit, taking out most instruments, the crew and the transponder (its in the dash).
Plane flies on autopilot until fuel runs out.