Aviation News, Headlines & Alerts
 
Category: <span>missing</span>

Three Children aboard plane in Lake Erie Crash



A Maverick Air Cessna setting out for Ohio State University in Columbus took off from Cleveland-Burke Lakefront airport, and disappeared int Lake Erie. Three adults and three children were aboard. The passengers had been to the Cleveland Cavaliers game. Coast guard Search and Rescue is searching the lake.

The plane is registered to Maverick Air and operated by Superior Beverage Group. The plane lived in a hangar at The Ohio State University airfield.

Weather conditions make the search difficult.

http://www.wkyc.com/news/local/cleveland/search-underway-for-missing-plane-that-originated-at-burke-lakefront-airport/380458775

EgyptAir Flight MS804 Missing

EgyptAir Flight MS804 en route from Paris to Cairo disappeared from radar. At least 66 were aboard. The plane left Paris Wednesday evening and was scheduled to arrive in Cairo tomorrow (Thursday.) FlightRadar24 indicated that the plane flew from Asmara, in Eritrea, to Cairo, then on to Tunis, in Tunisia, before heading, via Cairo, to Paris. Currently, the Airbus A320 #SU-GCC is missing. There are ten crew and 56 passengers, including 30 Egyptians, 15 French citizens, one Briton, two Iraqis, as well as people from Canada, Belgium, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Sudan, Chad and Portugal.

If this plane went down in the Mediterranean as Ethiopia409 did departing Beirut, it would be in the Mediterranean in shallow waters.

This Airbus A320 MSN088 registration #SU-GCC was delivered to EgyptAir on 3/11/2003.

info

Egyptian and Greek search and rescue teams are being deployed to look for the missing plane. Although the news said that no distress call was reported, EgyptAir tweeted (in Arabic) that a distress signal was sent from the plane’s emergency devices. Egypt Civil Aviation Ministry says contact was lost with Egyptair Flight #MS804 10 miles inside Egyptian airspace.

The first officer had 2,675 hours, and the captain had 6,275 hours in all, and 2,101 hours on type.

Contact numbers for the families are: 0800 7777 0000 from any landline in Egypt and + 202 2598 9320 outside Egypt or any mobile in Egypt.

At 02:33 local time, the flight was enroute at FL370 over the Mediterranan Sea, 130nm north of Alexandria,Egypt and about 210nm NNW of Cairo when the transponder signals stopped.

Luxair Plane makes Safe Landing in London after Missing Panel

LuxairLuxair flight LG-4605 made a hard safe landing at London City Airport, London, UK, on November 25.

The de Havilland Dash 8-400, flying from Luxembourg, had a panel missing from one of its engines.

The plane landed safely.

No one was injured.

#Missing Mooney M20K found in Maule

flightplan

Personal SANTIAGO the Police Special Operations Group found a plane that went missing in Picazo Alto, Chile. The plane was en route between Santiago and Temuco and disappeared from radar at about 3:00 pm May 21. The pilot of record was Raul Alejandro Barria Concha (65), who died in the crash. There were no others aboard. Teams from the Army, PDI, regional Onemi, Fire and Health Service assisted in the search, using the Panguilemo airfield as a hub.

Investigation On for Air Asia Indonesia Airbus A320-200, PK-AXC, flight QZ-8501

It is good to hear the journalists being corrected here, because this incident does not yet seem to resemble the Air France or Malaysia Airlines events. Perhaps the journalists did not closely follow the excruciating Air France 447 search–YEARS spent scouring the Atlantic for the wreckage–long after initial debris and was found. So early in this investigation, journalists should be warning the world that EVERYTHING is speculation at this point.

What is not speculation?

  • The pilots requested to deviate around bad weather, right before contact ceased.
  • The last radio contact was at 06:16 local time.
  • Transponder contact was lost at 06:18 local time.
  • The captain had a total of 20,537 flying hours, 6100 hours of which were for Indonesia Air Asia.
  • The first officer had 2,275 hours with Indonesia Air Asia.
  • The crew was mostly French, so the BEA will be investigating. (Countries which have nationals aboard normally participate in the investigation.) The passengers’ list of nationalities has changed several times but currently the passengers aboard were allocated as follows: 155 Indonesian, 3 S. Korean, 1 Malaysian, 1 French, 1 British and 1 Singaporean. Some may hold multiple citizenships.
  • A number of countries are contributing to the investigation, including Indonesia, Singapore, and the BEA. The USA and Australia have also offered to assist. 12 Indonesian navy ships, five planes, three helicopters and a number of warships were talking part, along with ships and planes from Singapore and Malaysia.
  • Indonesia’s Ministry of Transport published the load sheet. (See below.)


The search is being hindered by weather, visibility and the fact that it is currently night-time. Unlike Air France 447, the plane was being tracked by a local navy base so it was not completely off radar; unlike MH370, the area it seems to have disappeared seems to be known in real time and not hours after the fact. We have not yet heard if the beacon is audible, but IT IS STILL TOO EARLY To MAKE ASSUMPTIONS. Let’s let the investigation tell the story, rather than rampant theorizing. The Java sea where the plane lost contact is shallower than where Malaysia Airlines flight 370 appears to have gone down. Unlike MH370, nothing by INMARSAT is being tracked aboard the missing Airbus.

Let’s wait and see what the investigation finds, and in the meantime, pray for the families of those aboard.

Read More about Air Asia 8501

#BreakingNews Air Asia Flight Goes Missing


AirAsia flight QZ8501–an Airbus A320-200 with the registration number PK-AXC–en route from Surabaya Indonesia to Singapore went missing. Air traffic control lost contact when the plane was believed to be in an overcast area.

A fully fueled A320 has a range of 1,700 to 6,500 mmi.

Singapore civil aviation is assisting Indonesia in the search that is now underway, utilizing two C-130 planes and at least six ships. The first reports say there are six or seven crew and 155 passengers — 138 adults, 16 children and a baby. An engineer is aboard.

Currently it is believed to have gone missing under cloud cover at 6.17 a.m. local time over the Java Sea between Kalimantan and Java islands.

According to a Transport Ministry official, before ATC lost contact, the plane had requested an unusual route, possibly deviating due to adverse weather conditions.

AirAsia has established an Emergency Call Center for family or friends of those aboard. The number is: +622129850801.

Latest statement from Air Asia

[News Update] AIRASIA INDONESIA FLIGHT QZ8501
December 27, 2014 at 9:41pm
AirAsia Indonesia regrets to confirm that flight QZ8501 from Surabaya to Singapore has lost contact with air traffic control at 07:24hrs this morning.

At the present time we unfortunately have no further information regarding the status of the passengers and crew members on board, but we will keep all parties informed as more information becomes available.

The aircraft was an Airbus A320-200 with the registration number PK-AXC.

At this time, search and rescue operations are in progress and AirAsia is cooperating fully and assisting the rescue service.

AirAsia has established an Emergency Call Centre that is available for family or friends of those who may have been on board the aircraft. The number is: +622129850801.

AirAsia will release further information as soon as it becomes available. Updated information will also be posted on the AirAsia website, www.airasia.com.

Airbus Statement

AIRASIA INDONESIA FLIGHT QZ 8501
Airbus regrets to confirm that an A320-200 operated by AirAsia Indonesia lost contact with air traffic control this morning, 28th December 2014. The aircraft was operating a scheduled service, Flight QZ 8501, from Surabaya to Singapore.
The aircraft involved is MSN (Manufacturer Serial Number) 3648, registered as PK-AXC and was delivered to AirAsia from the production line in October 2008. Powered by CFM 56-5B engines, the aircraft had accumulated approximately 23,000 flight hours in some 13,600 flights. At this time no further factual information is available.
In line with the ICAO Annex 13 international convention, Airbus will provide full assistance to the French safety investigation authority, BEA, and to the authorities in charge of the investigation.
The Airbus A320-200 is a twin-engine single-aisle aircraft seating up to 180 passengers in a single-class configuration. The first A320 entered service in March 1988. By the end of November 2014, over 6000 A320 Family aircraft were in service with over 300 operators. To date, the entire fleet has accumulated some 154 million flight hours in some 85 million flights.
Airbus will make further factual information available as soon as the details have been confirmed and cleared by the authorities.
The thoughts of the Airbus management and staff are with all those affected by Flight QZ 8501.
Contacts for the media:
For further information, please contact:
AIRBUS – MEDIA RELATIONS
Tel.: (33) 05.61.93.10.00

header_logo_et_coord

Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses

Flight QZ8501 on 28 December – Airbus A320-200 – registered PK-AXC

INFORMATION ON 28 DECEMBER 2014 – 14.10

A team of two safety investigators is leaving for Jakarta (Indonesia) this evening. They will be accompanied by two technical advisers from Airbus.

INFORMATION ON 28 DECEMBER 2014
Following this morning’s announcement by the Indonesian authorities of loss of contact with the Airbus A320-200 registered PK-AXC, and the launch of search operations, the BEA is in contact with the Indonesian authorities to provide them with assistance.

The aeroplane, operated by AirAsia Indonesia, was flying the Surabaya (Indonesia) to Singapore route and was scheduled to arrive at Changi Airport Singapore at 08 h 30 local time.

The BEA is the French Civil Aviation Safety Investigation Authority. Its investigations are conducted with the sole objective of improving aviation safety and are not intended to apportion blame or liability. BEA investigations are independent, separate and conducted without prejudice to any judicial or administrative action that may be taken to determine blame or liability.

American Business Plane Missing in Dominican Republic

A twin-engine Hawker Siddeley 125-600A, flying from Santo Domingo to Punto Cana in Dominican Republic, went missing shortly after taking off from Las Americas airport on September 10.

According to the Special Airport Security Agency, only pilot and the co-pilot were aboard the plane when it lost communication with the control tower.

Civil Aviation spokesperson Hector Olivo said the search operation for the aircraft, which was registered to a company based out of Dover, Delaware, was launched on Thursday.

Corsica Crash site of Lost Plane, Three Fatalities

cime

A single engine plane en route from Calvi to Terni Italy crashed in the mountains of Cime de Muzzicone fifteen minutes after take-off.

The three people aboard died on impact.

Their bodies were found after a search in the area of Cime Muzella, where the single-engine aircraft disappeared from radar screens on Jule 12.

The wreckage was found around 4000 ft, in the mountains after a search that was hampered by the same bad weather conditions that may have been responsible for the crash. The names of the fatalities have not been released.

Tracking Down #MH370 or Physics of an Air Space Game of Marco Polo


The guessing/math triangulating the path of Inmarsat’s pings was the only thing experts seemed to agree on regarding to pinning down the location of Malaysia Airlines flight 370. Yet at the location, at least, the location according to the data laying out the path according to Inmarsat’s analysis, nothing was found in the recent search of the ocean floor off the coast of Australia. The engineers and mathematicians involved may have done their best but the guess seems to have been faulty or otherwise off somehow. If you will pardon the circular reasoning, if only we knew how it was off, we would know how it was off.

Investigators have come up with two maps that can be drawn based on the ping data, based on the speed. The variation is due to considerations of the pings which do not indicate the speed or direction the plane was moving, but only the probable distance between plane and satellite. See Inmarsat’s global representation …

Inmarsatglobe

However, there is opposition to the Inmarsat calculations which is presented by * Michael Exner (founder of the American Mobile Satellite Corporation) **Duncan Steel(physicist and visiting scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center) and satellite technology consultant ***Tim Farrar which presents other data that should be considered. See the Dopplar shift jpg…

dopplarshift

My pragmatic response to these experts is a major simplification: just that the plane did not disappear into a textbook, under textbook conditions. The pings occurred in a real atmosphere, with atmospheric variations that were not and possibly could not have been taken into account. Not only are the speed, direction and height of the aircraft factors that must be taken into account, but also the quality of the atmosphere, density, weather, etc, plus factors that a non-mathmatical, non-scientist like myself would not even know how to bring into the picture. In this search at least, the untested math used is as vulnerable as statistics is to presenting a defective or imprecise representation, or a representation which would only be true under certain conditions.

For further study on this, * Michael Exner, the Atlantic Official Explanation article, input from physicist **Duncan Steele (who calculates “a uniform ring radius based on the aircraft-satellite range given the elevation angle and the satellite’s altitude, and the latitude of the sub-satellite point, the aircraft being taken to be at the same latitude in this simplified geometry; and satellite consultant***Tim Farrar.

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 Complete Preliminary Information #MH370

Friday, May 02, 09:30 PM MYT +0800 Media Statement 30 – MH370 Incident

Malaysia Airlines wishes to make further clarification on the following matters:

1) Malaysians On Board

Malaysia Airlines confirms that 38 passengers of the 239 persons on board MH370 on 8 March 2014 were Malaysians. The names of the 38 Malaysians on board had been earlier shared in the Passenger Manifest which has been made public previously. Please see attached document for names of all Malaysian passengers onboard MH370.

2) Exchange of Signals and Aircraft in Cambodia

On the exchange of signals between ground and the aircraft soon after Ho Chi Minh Air Traffic Control advised that radio contact had not been established with MH370, as carried in the recently released MH370 Preliminary Report, Malaysia Airlines clarifies that what was referred to as signals was actually the aircraft displayed on the ‘Flight Following System’ screen. This was based on the aircraft projection at that point of time and not the actual aircraft position.

When KL-ATCC (Kuala Lumpur Air Traffic Control Centre) Watch Supervisor queried Malaysia Airlines OPS (Operations) on the status of MH370, Malaysia Airlines OPS informed KL-ATCC Supervisor that MH370 was still sighted over Cambodian airspace in the Flight-Following System, which is based on a flight-projection.

The word “Cambodia” was displayed by the Flight-Following System on the screen when zoomed-in, leading Malaysia Airlines to deduce that the aircraft was flying in Cambodian airspace. The Flight-Following System did not display the name “Vietnam”, even though the aircraft was over Vietnam airspace.

The responsibility of aircraft tracking monitoring resides with Air Traffic Control Centres. For airlines, it is normal to engage flight following systems to assist its pilots to manage in weather conditions or route diversions. Such airline flight following systems are non-primary and non-positive controlling.

Flight following systems also do not trigger airlines of any abnormality. Such situations have to be pilot initiated. Unless otherwise, airlines’ operations control centres would continue to see the aircraft as flying on its normal route, based on projected or predicted positions and locations.

To make the flight-following systems work successfully and effectively, it is important to have visual depiction of the aircraft’s position, coupled with confirmation by air-to-ground communications, such as through ACARS or Satcomm or VHF or HF.

In the case of tracking MH370, Malaysia Airlines’ flight-following system indicated that the aircraft was flying, however, there was no communication from or with the pilot. Malaysia Airlines OPS attempted to communicate with MH370 after we were flag by KL-ATCC, but was never able to make contact.

3) On the Cargo Carried

About 2 tons, equivalent to 2,453kg, of cargo was declared as consolidated under one (1) Master Airway Bill (AWB). This Master AWB actually comprised 5 house AWB. Out of these 5 AWB, two (2) house AWB contained lithium ion batteries amounting to a total tonnage volume of 221kg. The balance 3 house AWB, amounting to 2,232kg, were declared as radio accessories and chargers.

Ends.

Thursday, May 01, 07:00 PM MYT +0800 Media Statement 29 by Ahmad Jauhari Yahya, Group Chief Executive Officer, Malaysia Airlines

Kuala Lumpur – 55 days since Malaysia Airlines’ flight MH370’s disappearance on 8 March 2014, a multi-nation search is still ongoing for the missing aircraft, its passengers and crew.

This enormous search mission was carried out with the support from more than 20 states, firstly in the South China Sea, in the Malacca Straits, and on land along the Northern Corridor, and since mid-March when specialised assets were deployed in the air, on the sea and underwater in the southern Indian Ocean, where top experts concluded the aircraft’s last known position was.

Despite such an intensified search operations, probably the largest one in human history, we have to face the hard reality that there is still no trace of the aircraft, and the fate of the missing passengers and crew remains unknown till this day.

Malaysia Airlines is acutely conscious of, and deeply sympathetic to the continuing unimaginable anguish, distress and hardship suffered by those with loved ones on board the flight.

We share the same very feelings and have been doing whatever we can to ease the pain of the families and to provide comfort for them.

The Joint Agency Coordination Centre (JACC) in Australia has announced early this week that the search operation in the southern Indian Ocean will be moving to a new phase in the coming weeks, and it is certainly not ending.

In this new phase, the Malaysian Government, working together with Australia and Chinese governments, other international partners and specialised companies, plans to intensify the undersea search by deploying more technologically advanced assets in the search zone.

The Malaysian Government recently announced its decision to establish an international investigation team led by Malaysia. The members will include accredited representatives from the US, UK, Australia, China, France and Singapore. Also included are representatives from relevant international organisations and the civil aviation industry.

This investigation is an independent process in accordance with ICAO standards and recommended practices. Malaysia Airlines commits itself to fully support this independent investigation and provide full information and assistance as required.

From past experience, we understand the continuing search and investigation would be a prolonged process. While Malaysia Airlines is committed to continuing its support to the families during the whole process, we are adjusting the mode of services and support. Instead of staying in hotels, the families of MH370 are advised to receive information updates on the progress of the search and investigation and other support by Malaysia Airlines within the comfort of their own homes, with the support and care of their families and friends.

In line with this adjustment, Malaysia Airlines will be closing all of its Family Assistance Centres around the world by 7 May 2014.

Malaysia Airlines will keep in close touch with the families on news updates through telephone calls, messages, the Internet, and face-to-face meetings. With the support of the Malaysian Government, the airline’s Family Support Centres will be established in Kuala Lumpur and in Beijing. The detailed plan of follow-up support and services will be informed in person to the families.

Malaysia Airlines will make advanced compensation payments soonest possible to the nominated next-of-kin who are entitled to claim compensation, in order to meet their immediate economic needs.

Such advanced payments will not affect the rights of the next-of-kin to claim compensation according to the law at a later stage, and will be calculated as part of the final compensation.

Immediately after the next-of-kin have returned home, our representatives will be in touch with them at the earliest opportunity to initiate the advanced compensation payment process.

At this very difficult time, we wish to once again thank everyone for their understanding and support, especially from the families of the passengers and crew on board.

Malaysia Airlines’ thoughts and prayers remain with the families of all those onboard MH370.

-Ends-

Below statement and attached documents were made public and shared with NOKs at 8:27pm (Malaysia local time), 1 May 2014:

 

Audio Below

  1. 1. ATC Delivery
  2. 2. KL Ground
  3. 3. KL Tower
  4. 4. KL Approach
  5. 5. KL Radar

IF ANY OF THE DOCUMENTS BELOW DO NOT SHOW IMMEDIATELY, CLICK WHERE THE MESSAGE SAYS “HERE” AND THE DOCUMENT WILL LOAD TO VIEW.

Actions Taken Between 0138 and 0614

Cargo Manifest and Airway Bill

Maps

MH370 Preliminary Report

Seating Chart

Sara Bajc on MH370, plus some thoughts on conspiracy theories

Sara Bajc, partner of Philip Wood, a passenger who is presumed lost on Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, does not believe believe that #MH370 crashed and is at the bottom of the Indian Ocean. She believes the plane is intact because there have been no bodies, no wreckage, no black boxes found and published in the media.

This isn’t news. It is one woman’s opinion. Probably the opinion of many family members of those aboard the plane. And why not? If I had someone lost aboard a missing plane, I too would probably support any kind of theory that kept hope of their survival alive. Can’t put a price on hope.

But.

What if there were a cockpit fire that emitted toxic smoke and destroyed electronics?

What if someone shot down the plane?

What if someone used some new Sci-Fi-like weapon?

What if Malaysia did track the plane on March 8 as this tabloid says?

What if the UK firm Inmarsat tracking is wrong? What if it is right?

I’ve written enough fiction (and lived in spitting distance of Hollywood’s crazy cereal of fruits, nuts and flakes) to know that the marriage of “what if” and a couple of rational-sounding factoids can birth everything from a practically real-life scenario to wildly impossible science-fiction-fantasy voodoo whacko-crazy delights. So there you have it.

You know what I believe? No one has the answers. Until someone is standing in front of me with proof, in my not-so-secret heart of hearts published in full naked glory out here on the internet, I will believe that anyone who says they think they know…is paranoid.

Now…how can I fit all of this into a tweet?

Malaysia Search Update

Examination of salvage floating off the coast of Australia revealed riveted sheet-metal that is not believed to be part of the missing plane, the Australian Transport Safety Bureau has said.

The matter was found 6 miles east of Augusta. The search has been ongoing since Malaysia Airlines Flight 370’s disappearance on March 8, guided by data, hampered by bad weather.

The search is continuing based on analysis of the location of the pings that were detected before the black boxes’ pinger battery ran out. It had been expected to last 30 days. The Malaysia Airlines Boeing had been en route from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to Beijing and veered far off course for unknown reasons, leaving a puzzle perplexing international authorities.

Read more:

New Malaysian MH370 Investigation Team Appointed by Government

#MH370 Statement by Orion Captain regarding #Search Status

MH370: One Ping Does Not A Discovery Make. Or Does it?

Prime Minister Endorses Australian-based search

Malaysia Airlines MH370 Where Are You? Can Satellites Tell Us

Stolen Passports aboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH 370

No Mayday, then Gone

Malaysia Airlines Flight Update

Malaysia Airlines Flight Missing

New Malaysian MH370 Investigation Team Appointed by Government

In order “…to evaluate, investigate and determine the actual cause of the accident so similar accidents could be avoided in the future” an international team has been appointed by the government of Malaysia to investigate MH370.

Australia reports debris washing ashore that may be connected to the crash. If the debris proves to be from the plane, ocean patterns may be studied to help establish positioning. If the debris is related, it will be the first hard evidence found.

The current search focuses in a 10-kilometer radius of the area of pings sourced, it is believed, from MH370’s black boxes before the ping batteries ran out.

Poor weather conditions have curtailed air searches, although ships have continued.

The position of Malaysian authorities is that the plane was deliberately diverted, but mechanical failure has not been ruled out.

Police Service Eurocopter Missing in Botswana

Botswana Police ServiceA Botswana Police Service Eurocopter AS350 was en route on a routine patrol between Gumare and Maun Botswana, and went missing in the Okavango. The flight left at 19:10 and was expected at 20:10.

The captain, copilot and an Airborne Law Enforcement Officer were aboard at the time it disappeared. A search is underway, but it has not yet been located. The families of those who are missing have been notified.

The police enlisted the public and local pilots in the search as well as the Botswana Defence Force, (BDF) and Directorate of Intelligence Services (DIS). Search and rescue teams have been deployed, and there is also a meeting at Maun Airport concerning the disappearance.

#MH370 Statement by Orion Captain regarding #Search Status

In a public statement, after the April 8 day’s search for #MH370, RAAF P3 Orion captain Flt Lt glasssaid that he was optimistic about the wreckage being found.

Unlike the AF447 search at a parallel point in the search timeline one month in, there has been no visual confirmation of any wreckage or debris, possibly due to tropical storms in the Indian Ocean. The official statement is that the pings have been narrowed down to a twelve mile radius, but searchers are still trying to narrow this area.

Once the area has been narrowed down, an autonomous underwater vehicle will be deployed in a grid (so-called Mowing Lawn pattern) until wreckage has been located.

If the wreckage is found soon, it will have taken twenty-three months less than the search for Air France 447. So one should be perhaps less optimistic about the search, and more determined.

Most recently, Australia announced the search area down to 75,000 sq km. Searchers plan to keep using the Ocean Shield, because it searches more area faster. Once the area is pinned down, they plan to deploy the AUV.

Aripuanã Plane Crash kills Pilot and 3 passengers, including 2 Civil Servants

mattog.

On April 6, 2013, an Embraer EMB-720D Minuano #PT-ROS en route from Aripuanã to Colniza, Mato Grosso went missing. A pilot saw the wreckage and called it in to Civil police before the official search began, which was set to begin on Monday. The wreckage was reported on Monday April 7, along with the remains of the pilot and three passengers. Two of the victims, Elias Borges Nogueira and Alexsandro Pereira da Silva were going to be in service in the region. The pilot and a local farmer were the other two victims. One of those aboard was found feet away from the plane, and had no burns.

The wreckage was discovered in an area of difficult access.

Aripuanã has no fire department, and the recovery work is being done by Aripuanã police. The remains were held at the local mortuary until being shipped to the Forensic Institute by Integrated Air Operations Center (Ciopaer).

The government statement said that they will be giving full support to the families.

The statement of the Secretary of Environment of Mato Grosso, José Lacerda, confirmed that the plane#PT-ROS crashed shortly after takeoff on Sunday. “They are Cuiaba and were on a survey of regional programming in the areas of Aripuanã, Colniza and New World.”

The police are speculating that the plane may have lost parts in the air, although we do not know if this is supported by the photographic evidence we have seen. (i.e. if the plane is intact now in pictures, it was likely intact in the air.) Also, the weather was rainy and windy at the time the plane went missing.

MH370: One Ping Does Not A Discovery Make. Or Does it?

An underwater locator beacon (ULB) such as the one on the black boxes (CVR) Cockpit Voice Recorder and FDR (Flight Data Recorder) of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 on 37.5 kHz for about 30 days at 4°C temperature. They run on lithium-ion batteries, and “mileage” may vary; 30 days is the minimum expectation. This is all relevant to today’s news because the Chinese patrol ship Haixun 01 which is one of the ships equipped with a pinger locator, has heard a ping in the South Indian Ocean.

The particular frequency was selected because it is not one that occurs in nature.

Although Malaysia Airlines told the public that “This battery is not replaceable,” the ULB batteries had been scheduled for battery replacement in 2012, but were not replaced by Dukane Seacom, the original equipment manufacturer of the beacons. (Dukane Seacom either replaces the entire pinger or installed new batteries.) If replacement was not performed by toe OEM or other parties, the actual ping time may be less than 30 days.

One ping in an ocean does not a discovery make. The wreckage has not been located, nor the ping confirmed. But we can still hope this is a step in the right direction.

Prime Minister Endorses Australian-based search

On March 24, Najib Razak, Malaysia’s Prime Minister, announced that new computations by Inmarsat and the AAIB, flight MH-370 ended in the South Indian Ocean west of Perth (Australia). At this point, Malaysia endorsed the new search search parameters.

The full statement:

“This evening I was briefed by representatives from the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch — or AAIB. They informed me that Inmarsat, the UK company that provided the satellite data which indicated the northern and southern corridors, has been performing further calculations on the data. Using a type of analysis never before used in an investigation of this sort, they have been able to shed more light on MH370’s flight path.

Based on their new analysis, Inmarsat and the AAIB have concluded that MH370 flew along the southern corridor, and that its last position was in the middle of the Indian Ocean, west of Perth. This is a remote location, far from any possible landing sites.

It is therefore with deep sadness and regret that I must inform you that, according to this new data, flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean.

We will be holding a press conference tomorrow with further details. In the meantime, we wanted to inform you of this new development at the earliest opportunity. We share this information out of a commitment to openness and respect for the families, two principles which have guided this investigation.

Malaysia Airlines have already spoken to the families of the passengers and crew to inform them of this development. For them, the past few weeks have been heartbreaking. I know this news must be harder still. I urge the media to respect their privacy, and to allow them the space they need at this difficult time.”

Malaysia Airlines MH370 Where Are You? Can Satellites Tell Us

After being in flight for forty minutes, the Malaysia Airlines MH370 vanished, but not without a trace. The disappearance occurred ten days ago on March 8, 2013. Techies world-wide are convinced that a trail is discoverable via satellite signal, as engines continued to transmit data after other communications were shut down. So is China, who has engaged the assistance of ten ships and twenty-one satellites in the search. The Boeing 777 was waylaid, misplaced or otherwise disappeared between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing.

China and Malaysia are not alone in the search. In response to Malaysia’s plea for world-wide assistance in scouring earth, wave and sky, twenty-six countries are pitching in:

Malaysia, Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, China, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Myanmar, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, Turkmenistan, the United Arab Emirates, UK, the United States, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

Australia is searching in the Indian Ocean.

Three BEA investigators with Air France Flight 447 experience are lending their expertise.

Two individuals boarded with stolen passports. Hundreds of theories about the disappearance are developing. From treachery to catastrophic failure to a dry run for a “9/11” style attack, every possible scenario has been postulated.

Malaysia Airlines is providing accommodations for relatives at the Lido Hotel where family briefings are being held at six o’clock every evening.

Stolen Passports aboard Malaysia Airlines flight MH 370

An Austrian and an Italian passport used by passengers aboard missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH 370 were recorded in Interpol’s Stolen and Lost Travel Documents (SLTD) database.

INTERPOL is conducting checks on all other passports used aboard flight MH 370. They are trying with National Central Bureaus to discover the identities of the people using the stolen passports. Interpol also bemoans the countries who didn’t bother with security checks—those who waited for the worst to happen before putting in safety measures.

The question remains who were using the tickets? Were they Uighur, a faction well known to the Chinese, but not so well known outside of China?

Chinese investigators reported that one-way tickets bound for Europe that were used by the persons who used the stolen passports were provided by an Iranian purchaser over the phone, who said he was Kazem Ali. It was a cash purchase. The tickets issued Thursday from a Pattaya, Grand Horizon, travel agency. A number of countries are involved in the investigation, including the US due to the origin of the plane, and each country who had citizens aboard, but the investigation is led by the country where the plane is registered, Malaysia, is to lead the investigation.

At the time the passports were used for this flight, no one in Malaysia checked the database for the tickets, or else they would have been detected.

No Mayday, then Gone

I could speculate here about what caused the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, but that is all it would be: speculation. One can look at the type of plane, the weather, and various circumstances, but the truth is that the devil is in the details, and we just don’t know the details. The investigation will turn them up; the investigation can be a long road down a circular path.

It makes it more difficult when there was no distress call. No mayday. Think of this: if something happens and you’re on a plane rapidly losing altitude—or with catastrophic issues which could be anything on a plane from a drunk grandpa to a bomb on board to a bad repair failing, to a sudden system failure due to frozen pitot tubes, what is the first thing that you are going to do if you’re part of the flight crew? That’s right—the first thing will be to fix the issue, and stay in the air. The last thing to do after the crisis is handled is to call ATC and let them know what’s going on.

But because there was no distress call, we can assume that whatever happened happened fast. And now the wildest speculation of all is that the two people with fake passports were terrorists carrying a bomb. Do we need to go down that thought path? There are plenty of things that could have gone wrong although the 777 has a a stellar safety record.

Now too, there is even speculation where the plane went down, apparently. There’s an oil slick approximately where the teams are searching. Maybe they’re right. Maybe under that slick, there’s a beacon to hear.

Still, I keep hoping there’s a raft somewhere full of survivors.

Malaysia Airlines Flight Update

Although the Malaysia Airlines has denied reports of a beacon, the Malaysian navy has said publicly they have tracked the wreckage of the missing Malaysia Flight MH370, and has dispatched a plane, two helicopters and four vessels i addition to the Philippines three navy patrol boats and one surveillance plane. Chinese ships and aircraft are on standby with eight ships belonging to the Nanhai Rescue Bureau and the Hainan Maritime Safety Administration, and a supporting air fleet. Boeing expressed their concern and are sending a team to assist the investigation.

Meanwhile, in spite of the airline telling the public the whereabouts are unknown, families are being told to take their valid passports to KLIA airport before 6 pm for MAS travel arrangements to the crash site.

If the plane is down (and even if it is magic thinking, we are still hoping it landed safely somewhere), search and rescue is still within the “24-hour golden window” in which it is more likely to find survivors. Eighty% of the family members have been contacted by Malaysia Airlines, according to Malaysia Airlines at the conference at Sama Sama Hotel, Kuala Lumpur, March 8, 2014.

The plane that is missing is registration number 9M-MRO. In September 2012, the plane was on the ground and suffered an airfield incursion when it collided with a China Eastern Airlines’ Airbus.

Malaysia Airlines Flight Missing

Saturday at 12:40 a.m. a Malaysia Airlines B777-200 (registration #9M-MRO) took off from Kuala Lumpur and disappeared.

Subang Air Traffic said radio and radar contact was lost from flight MH370 at 01:22, forty minutes into the flight, contact was never made with Ho Chi Minh Control Center in Vietnam at the expected time. Chinese reports deny the plane ever entered their airspace. Subang ATC did not inform the airline until 02:40, which may have caused a catastrophic delay in the information stream, preventing the possibility of rescue.

A search is underway for the missing plane somewhere along the route between the Gulf of Thailand and the China Sea, northeast of Kota Bharu (Malaysia).

Radar suggests a descent of the aircraft.

The plane’s first flight was May 14, 2002. It is 11 years old and flew on Rolls Royce Trent 892 engines.

The flight’s intended destination was Beijing.

Our prayers are with the twelve crew and 227 passengers. Reports are that two infants were aboard.

Malaysia Airlines has released two statements so far:

“Saturday, March 08, 07:30 AM MYT +0800 Media Statement – MH370 Incident released at 7.24am

Sepang, 8 March 2014: Malaysia Airlines confirms that flight MH370 has lost contact with Subang Air Traffic Control at 2.40am, today (8 March 2014).

Flight MH370, operated on the B777-200 aircraft, departed Kuala Lumpur at 12.41am on 8 March 2014. MH370 was expected to land in Beijing at 6.30am the same day. The flight was carrying a total number of 227 passengers (including 2 infants), 12 crew members.

Malaysia Airlines is currently working with the authorities who have activated their Search and Rescue team to locate the aircraft.

The airline will provide regular updates on the situation. Meanwhile, the public may contact +603 7884 1234 for further info.

==
2nd statement
Saturday, March 08, 09:05 AM MYT +0800 Malaysia Airlines MH370 Flight Incident – 2nd Media Statement

We deeply regret that we have lost all contacts with flight MH370 which departed Kuala Lumpur at 12.41 am earlier this morning bound for Beijing. The aircraft was scheduled to land at Beijing International Airport at 6.30am local Beijing time. Subang Air Traffic Control reported that it lost contact at 2.40am (local Malaysia time) today.

Flight MH370 was operated on a Boeing B777-200 aircraft. The flight was carrying a total number of 239 passengers and crew – comprising 227 passengers (including 2 infants), 12 crew members. The passengers were of 13 different nationalities. Malaysia Airlines is currently working with the authorities who have activated their Search and Rescue team to locate the aircraft. Our team is currently calling the next-of-kin of passengers and crew.

Focus of the airline is to work with the emergency responders and authorities and mobilize its full support. Our thoughts and prayers are with all affected passengers and crew and their family members. The airline will provide regular updates on the situation.

The public may contact +603 7884 1234. For media queries, kindly contact +603 8777 5698/ +603 8787 1276.

For the next-of-kin, please inform them to to Anjung Tinjau, Level 5, KLIA. Our staff will be there to assist. Transport will be provided to go to the South Support Zone Facility building for the next-of-kin.

Or next-of-kin may head straight to the Support Facility Building at KLIA’s South Support Zone.

—-

Flight Path



Flight path

Guatemala: Chopper Crash

Ex army officer Ramón Rodríguez Toledo, and his passengers Luis Paiz and Andrés Berger were aboard a Robinson R44 Raven II helicopter that crashed in a coffee plantation in Guatemala between Villa Canales and Fraijanes.

Andrés Berger was the copilot.

The flight took off at 17:48 on Monday but lost communication with ATC shortly afterward. Residents near the impact zone heard an explosion at 18:00 hours.

A friend of the pilot said he had 15,000 hours in the cockpit.

The accident is under investigation.

Nepal Airlines Flight Missing


Contact photographer Michael Fritz

Eighteen people are missing over the Himalayan mountains of central Nepal on a Nepal Airlines Twin Otter en route from Pokhara to Jumla. The plane had stopped in Pokhara to refuel. The crew lost contact with Bhairawa ATC a quarter hour after taking off. The plane never arrived in Jumla.

The plane’s first flight was in 1971.

The route from Pokhara to Jumla flies over Dhorpatan and Rukum, and zig zags over tall mountains.

The last radio contact was at 13:13.

A fire was spotted in a forested area near Khidim but the search was called off due to weather conditions. Locals also reported hearing a loud noise. The Fishtail Air search helicopter was unable to land due to poor visibility and the air search was called off. On foot, the search continues with the Nepal Army, a team from Palpa and Mujhum Police.

The wreckage has not been located but the crash site is presumed to be on the border of Argakhanchi, Gulmi and Palpa districts, one and half hour walking uphill from Khidim village in Argakhanchi district.

There were three crew and fifteen passengers, all but one of whom were from Nepal. The foreigner is Dutch.

The crew was made up of Captain Shankar Shrestha, co-pilot Rabinda Banjara and Air hostess Muna Maharjan. The names of the passengers have not been released.

One child was also aboard.

Content not attributed to or linked to original, is the property of AirFlightDisaster.com; all rights reserved.

Site Credits