Missing Malaysian Airlines B777

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Member for

20 years 7 months

Posts: 2,623

I completely agree with Bmused55. I've always been convinced this is another case of EgyptAir 990. Nothing else adds up.

Member for

15 years 4 months

Posts: 412

Given the latest news that the plane turned west, following the way points for flights travelling to europe and middle east. Could it be that due to a massive avionics/electrical failure the autopilot automatically started flying towards one of the last few destinations that had been entered into the computer?

In the days before the disappearence this plane flew to Dhaka and Mumbai.

If this was a highjacking or an accident, why would you fly from one waypoint to the other in the wrong direction? The pings to satellite indicate the following

"It supposedly headed towards a waypoint called "Vampi," which is used by planes following route N571 to the Middle East, and then onto the "Gival" waypoint, south of the Thai island of Phuket, before heading northwest towards waypoint "Igrex," which would take it over the Andaman Islands on route P628, used by airlines to fly towards Europe"

Member for

11 years 11 months

Posts: 498

Some of the earlier reports when this incident took place reported that a flight ahead of 370 received a garbled radio message from the Malaysian airliner, and what could be made out was the pilot reporting that the "cockpit is disintegrating", which would support the idea of a catastrophic event taking place in the cockpit area first, such as a possible fire or explosion.

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11 years 8 months

Posts: 569

Egyptair 667 anyone?

Member for

13 years 3 months

Posts: 87

I doubt it made it to the Andaman Islands, there's a big Indian military base there presumably with a lot of radar coverage that would have detected a 777 approaching and the Indians have no reason to be complicit in this. If it was hijacked "for later use" then what do you do with the passengers and crew? There were nearly 250 of them and it would take a sizeable force to control them, that would seem to rule out a small terrorist group. If it was state sponsored then whoever did it risks feeling a lot of international displeasure if they're found out. If you wanted to steal an airplane for a 9/11 style attack someone on PPRUNE argued it would be easier to hijack a freighter as there'd be less complications.

For those reasons I'm pretty certain that either by accident or by design it crashed somewhere in the Indian Ocean.

Member for

20 years 5 months

Posts: 10,625

Egyptair 667 anyone?

Nope. Again, this doesn't account for there being no wreckage anywhere near the point of last contact. And why there was no distress call.

The pilots of Egyptair 667 had time to get everyone out and notify who needed to be notified. The even had time to grab an extinguisher and attempt to tackle the fire.
The pilots of Swissair 111 had time to get a call for help out.

For the 777 to just go dark and disappear it would need to be an instant fireball that killed or otherwise made the crew incapable of calling for help. Egyptair 667 did not do that, despite the fire being oxygen fed, right beside the co pilot.

Egyptair 667 is being bandied about on so many forums as proof the 777 could just erupt in flames and cause this disappearance! It's starting to get on my nerves!

Member for

12 years 3 months

Posts: 5,905

Given the latest news that the plane turned west, following the way points for flights travelling to europe and middle east. Could it be that due to a massive avionics/electrical failure the autopilot automatically started flying towards one of the last few destinations that had been entered into the computer?

In the days before the disappearence this plane flew to Dhaka and Mumbai.

Most probably a pilot manipulation trying to stir the AP to the last known waypoint.

If there was a catastrophic mechanical failure in the cockpit, conditions might have been harsh to do it properly.

If you are right regarding the Dhaka and Mumbai, that seems the most probable explanation


If this was a highjacking [...]

5 passengers didn't show up. Baggage were removed. Something to check here.

The plane also had to wait for the latte passengers (that didn't show-up) and the removal of the baggages.We have here a similar situation with Egyptian flight 667.

When Boeing fixed the Ox house clamp, they might have not solve the root of the problem (surge in elec power from the battery -> heating -> gazes -> condensation -> corrosion -> integrity of fuel tank (or else)).

Regarding the scenario of catastrophic cockpit damages + pilots killed:
- Plane flew for hours with back crew and passenger fighting smoke and flames
- Flame propagated trough over head structure (Egypt Air 667) or bellow passenger deck (fuel line)
- Propagation of flames was delayed by the blowing up of front entry door (Egypt Air 667 + jet-way found at sea)
- Crew were unable to locate transponder 2 (inexperienced or unaware) or were unable to do it due to fire&smoke
- Flame could not be repelled anymore
- Panic ensued -> aft emergency door opened
- Some passenger jumping out to escape an horrific death (hence cell-phones)
- Fire intensity exacerbated
- Catastrophic explosion (or destruction ordered)

I hope nobody linked to families will read the above. If so, this is only conjectural and have nearly no basis of truth.

Member for

14 years

Posts: 4,996

Not sure if it has on here, but it's certainly been discussed in the media.

I assume searches have also been done on land ?

Member for

19 years 4 months

Posts: 9,819

- Some passenger jumping out to escape an horrific death (hence cell-phones)
- Fire intensity exacerbated
- Catastrophic explosion (or destruction ordered)

I'm not aware that doors can be opened in flight.

Member for

12 years 3 months

Posts: 5,905

I'm not aware that doors can be opened in flight.

Low alt and point 3 or lower deck cargo door (ppl might hve had a tremendous time to think about)

Member for

19 years 4 months

Posts: 9,819

Anyone remember the Greek airliner that someone forgot to reset the cabin pressurisation valves after a ground test the day before? The crew and passengers fell unconscious and the plane flew on until it ran out of fuel. it doesn't explain the transponder stopping though.

Four posts before yours (129)....and previous to that.

From CNN:
"The Malaysian airliner made several significant altitude changes and altered its course more than once after losing contact with flight control, a senior U.S. official says."
If accurate, I'm not sure how unconscious pilots could change altitude & course a couple of times.

Member for

11 years 5 months

Posts: 11,141

Live press conference with Malaysian PM shortly.

Member for

14 years 1 month

Posts: 149

So MH 370 might have been flown to as far as Kazakhstan...

This certainly sends a terrifying chill down my spine. One can hope, may I say, that the crew and passengers are kept alive to this date.

Member for

16 years 2 months

Posts: 403

I can hardly imagine how a group of people can control 230+ souls in such a confined space as an aircraft. It seems uncanny to me that apparently no-one on board was able to send out a text-message or anything of the sort for five hours. I thought it might have been possible to pin-point the location of a mobile-phone via satelite. There must be hundreds on board that plane.

Member for

14 years 1 month

Posts: 149

Wouldn't a well-organised hijacker have collected and incapacitated all personal communication devices from the passengers, before all else? Surely you can't track a phone with its battery taken out can you?

Member for

11 years 5 months

Posts: 11,141

The big question now is did it run out of fuel and crash into the sea or remote land or was it flown tons remote airfield somewhere? The latter seems less likely as it would surely have been tracked by the countries it flew over.

Member for

17 years 1 month

Posts: 180

Very low altitude,keeping out to sea and away from busy airfields and other restricted/controlled
airspace ?

If the statement about a member of the flight crew having a computer based flightsim 777 'pit
in his home is correct, then surely he could practice his actions and route right down to his
secret landing destination with reasonable accuracy?

I'll bet there's some flightsim "pilots" out there doing just that right now.
TOW,fuel burn,landing weights and LDA for various set-ups are hardly secret information surely?

Member for

16 years 2 months

Posts: 403

Wouldn't a well-organised hijacker have collected and incapacitated all personal communication devices from the passengers, before all else? Surely you can't track a phone with its battery taken out can you?

How long would it take to confiscate maybe 150 - 200 mobile phones from their owners inside an airliner? 2 Minutes; 2 hours? And no-one had the chance to send a message to their loved-ones in the meantime explaining them what's happening?