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Investigators Suspect Missing Airlines Plane Flew On for Hours (Update!)
The Wall Street Journal ^ | March 13, 2014 | Andy Pasztor And Jon Ostrower

Posted on 03/13/2014 1:56:01 PM PDT by CedarDave

Investigators Believe Plane Flew On for Total of Up to Five Hours

U.S. investigators suspect that Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 stayed in the air for up to four hours past the time it reached its last confirmed location, according to two people familiar with the details, raising the possibility that the plane could have flown on for hundreds of additional miles under conditions that remain murky.

The investigators believe the plane flew for a total of up to five hours, according to these people, based on analysis of signals sent by the Boeing 777's satellite-communication link designed to automatically transmit the status of certain onboard systems to the ground.

Throughout the roughly four hours after the jet dropped from civilian radar screens, these people said, the link operated in a kind of standby mode and sought to establish contact with a satellite or satellites. These transmissions did not include data, they said, but the periodic contacts indicate to investigators that the plane was still intact and believed to be flying.

Corrections & Amplifications U.S. investigators suspect Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 flew for hours past the time it reached its last confirmed location, based on an analysis of signals sent through the plane's satellite-communication link designed to automatically transmit the status of onboard systems, according to people familiar with the matter. An earlier version of this article incorrectly said investigators based their suspicions on signals from monitoring systems embedded in the plane's Rolls-Royce PLC engines and described that process.

(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...


TOPICS: Extended News; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: iran; malaysia; mh370; waronterror
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To: Red Badger

Too far.


21 posted on 03/13/2014 2:29:57 PM PDT by xone
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To: CedarDave

i am beginning to believe someone stole it. explains no crash, no transponder. pity the folks on that plane.


22 posted on 03/13/2014 2:31:19 PM PDT by Donnafrflorida (Thru HdredscottIM all things are possible.)
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To: Izzy Dunne
If not, then there's no way to fly for 4+ more hours without that data being transmitted, and no reason (that I can see) for RR or Boeing or Malaysian Airways to cover it up.
That means nosedive or massive explosion.

That's pretty much my take on it; something catastrophic along those lines; obviously the most logical conclusion. They should be able to estimate where the wreckage is and do a thorough search and eventually find what's left. I have a feeling that there's some incompetence going on here; that people have looked in the right area, missed or overlooked things, and then concluded that they wouldn't have to search that area again.

23 posted on 03/13/2014 2:34:02 PM PDT by Mr Ramsbotham (Laws against sodomy are honored in the breech.)
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To: CedarDave

If the airplane’s satellite link was working, why wasn’t the Rolls-Royce engine health monitor also working?


24 posted on 03/13/2014 2:34:19 PM PDT by cynwoody
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To: CedarDave
This was just posted on twitter: PzFeed Top News ‏@PzFeed 1m BREAKING NEWS: #MH370 sent signals to satellite for hours, Malaysia Airlines wasn't subscribed to the service
25 posted on 03/13/2014 2:34:45 PM PDT by Sarah Barracuda
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To: xone

Not enough fuel?...........


26 posted on 03/13/2014 2:35:31 PM PDT by Red Badger (LIberal is an oxymoron......................)
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To: GreenHornet

Where is Tom Clancy I say? =)


27 posted on 03/13/2014 2:35:46 PM PDT by Patriot Babe
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To: GreenHornet

Exactly..dead people can’t turn off transponders..and you have to be extremely knowledgeable about planes to do so, so the pilots(Or someone else, like a hijacker) had to have turned them off..remember, all of the 9/11 hijackers, the second they took control of those planes what is the first thing they did, turn OFF the transponders


28 posted on 03/13/2014 2:36:22 PM PDT by Sarah Barracuda
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To: Red Badger

Iran would be out of range and they already have access to large aircraft. It would have to be a smaller terrorist group with control over a remote airstrip large enough for a 777. Then they would need to be able to refuel it if they are going to use it as a weapon.


29 posted on 03/13/2014 2:39:10 PM PDT by Moonman62 (The US has become a government with a country, rather than a country with a government.)
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To: GreenHornet

>> decompression ... happened, immediately killing everyone on board...

Well, it doesn’t “immediately kill”. TUC - time of useful consciousness is altitude dependent. At 35,000 feet, you can go from 30 to 60 seconds before you enter la-la land. A rapid decompression (i.e. a BIG hole in the fuselage) can cut that time in half. But still plenty of time to get over the “WTF was that?” and put on the mask.

FAA regulations require one pilot to wear the O2 mask above FL350 (35,000’). This is routinely ignored by aircrews.


30 posted on 03/13/2014 2:39:22 PM PDT by QBFimi (/...o.o/.o...ooo/...o.o...o/ooo/...o.o/.o/ooo.//o..o./.o.)
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To: CedarDave

So here is a what if scenario question.

If you wanted to bring down the entire airline industry and terrorize the global flying population for islamic terrorist purposes, why not hijack a redeye airliner, fly it westward under the cover of darkness, land it somewhere in an islamic country, and start beheading the passengers, one by one after several days? And start posting the videos on Youtube?

I know it sounds crazy but i just went through nineteen threads on the airliners.net forum and the fact that this was a redeye does not seem to get a lot of attention. The passengers would never know they were over a huge body of water of water in the dead of night. During the day people would start asking questions and raise hell.

The whole scenario of the 777 crashing somewhere does not jive with the transponder being turned off. I can’t help but think that we have an entire new terror scenario here.


31 posted on 03/13/2014 2:40:50 PM PDT by bergmeid
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To: hamboy
The FAA’s worldwide will probably have the ATC/ADS-B transponders and CPDLC locked down can’t be turned off by the crew, it will be almost impossible to steal a big airplane in the future.

My question is, why wasn't this done after 9-11? I don't see a reason to ever shut off the transponder while the plane is moving...why is there a manual switch?
32 posted on 03/13/2014 2:41:24 PM PDT by rottndog ('Live Free Or Die' Ain't just words on a bumber sticker...or a tagline.)
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To: hamboy

Doubtful, from my view. If that system is causing a fire or electrical overload, you have to have the capability to shut it off. That’s why all these systems have off switches anyway... safety. Doesn’t matter if its the O2 system, if it is a risk to the safety of the aircraft, there has to be a know to disable it.


33 posted on 03/13/2014 2:41:51 PM PDT by Aqua225 (Realist)
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To: Moonman62

It’s a big world out there............................


34 posted on 03/13/2014 2:42:40 PM PDT by Red Badger (LIberal is an oxymoron......................)
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To: bergmeid

B I N G O ..................................


35 posted on 03/13/2014 2:43:34 PM PDT by Red Badger (LIberal is an oxymoron......................)
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To: cynwoody
If the airplane’s satellite link was working, why wasn’t the Rolls-Royce engine health monitor also working?

Exactly UNLESS they were separate services. See post 25.

36 posted on 03/13/2014 2:45:32 PM PDT by CedarDave (Obama - "That's the good thing as a President, I can do whatever I want" (02/10/14 declaration))
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To: Aqua225; hamboy; rottndog

know->knob


37 posted on 03/13/2014 2:45:37 PM PDT by Aqua225 (Realist)
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To: Red Badger

Added about 700 miles to the trip to Beijing. It’s about an 1.5 hours over the planned trip at cruise airspeed. But the plane took off, wasted an hour at least before heading west. If it dropped much below 30K, the planning data really cuts the range. Its 3200 miles to Iran.


38 posted on 03/13/2014 2:47:12 PM PDT by xone
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To: GreenHornet
Thanks for the info.I'm just speculating here, and will be the frst to admit I know very little about aviation. This whole situation is just very bizarre.

You're welcome.

I don't know much either, but have learned some from fellow Freepers in-the-know. You're absolutely correct, it is out there.

39 posted on 03/13/2014 2:48:17 PM PDT by IYAS9YAS (Has anyone seen my tagline? It was here yesterday. I seem to have misplaced it.)
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To: Sarah Barracuda
you have to be extremely knowledgeable about planes to do so

Just someone who was trained to do it. Don't even have to tell them why, just do it.

40 posted on 03/13/2014 2:48:52 PM PDT by xone
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