Where the heck is that Malaysian 777?

Hijacked? Blowed up? Aliens? Russian military? Langoliers? I know the world is a big spot, but wouldn't you think we could find a jumbo jet?

Bottom of the ocean mostly, with a few scattered pieces floating about that are hard to find.

Any more questions?

Here's my question...apparently this plane didn't just disappear off the radar (which is what would happen if it suddenly disintegrated in midair from explosive decompression), what happened is that its transponder (box that transmits "HERE I AM AND THIS IS MY NAME" message) turned off...it still should have been visible on radar if it went down in one big piece (which might explain why they're having so much trouble finding debris). Are there any records of that or not?

Pilots on over water flights rarely check in except to show a course correction or change. Radar is basically non existent out over the ocean as well except for passing ships and some military.

There have been small planes lost over land with a reasonable location that we do not find. Add in water and it becomes a crap shoot.

Evil genius swiped it and it is tucked away in an undersea secret lair as an opening ploy to larger plot of disappearing technology.

Aliens???

I'm thinking it's more likely some freak natural occurrence hit the plane, like a meteorite or lighting between clouds and the ionosphere:

http://www.pnas.org/content/94/20/10512.full

What else could disable communication and flight systems at the same time?

They say the transponder shut down and then the aircraft made almost a u-turn as it was "detected by military radar". I don't believe this.

Nose dive further on its trail northeast of the loss of transponder signal.

I'm fascinated by the lack of debris field and fuel puddle. Seems like a plane striking the water wouldn't be as graceful as an olympic diver and only leave a little splash behind.

I’ll be flying almost the same route next Thursday…if I get wacked, would you guys please help my wife liquidate my RX-8, tools, and miscellaneous man stuff so she doesn’t get hosed?

Is she going to sell it for what you told her it was worth?

N Sperlo wrote: Is she going to sell it for what you told her it was worth?

Oh E36 M3, that is a problem isn’t it.

Datsun1500 wrote:

RX Reven' wrote: I’ll be flying almost the same route next Thursday…if I get wacked, would you guys please help my wife liquidate my RX-8, tools, and miscellaneous man stuff so she doesn’t get hosed?

We will buy it from her for what you told her you bought it for. That fair?

Joking aside, I’m totally straight with her.

BTW, I’m thinking about treating myself to a Suzuki 250 Dualsport…you guys might as well specify color preference now.

The thing I can't understand is why is it possible for a pilot to turn off the transponder. Isn't this something that should not be allowed or even possible? Like it should always be on as long as the planes in the air. They turned off the transponder on 9/11 with the plane that crashed in PA. You would have thought that the airlines and FAA and foreign versions would have fixed it so that it can't be turned off.

At this point the "Lost" island is more and more plausible by the day.

It was mentioned on the news this morning that it is possible to deactivate the transponder Beacons from the cockpit if you how.

Hot pink.

jimbbski wrote: The thing I can't understand is why is it possible for a pilot to turn off the transponder. Isn't this something that should not be allowed or even possible? Like it should always be on as long as the planes in the air. They turned off the transponder on 9/11 with the plane that crashed in PA. You would have thought that the airlines and FAA and foreign versions would have fixed it so that it can't be turned off.

The transponder isn't that important safety-wise...but then I can't think of a good reason to ever turn it off. For flying near hostile territory maybe? Planes going around certain borders might not want to advertise themselves and cause a fuss.

N Sperlo wrote: Is she going to sell it for what you told her it was worth?

I want to be first on that list!

It would have to be a military vessel to have any RADAR on that kind of target. Occasionally, an aircraft will show up on a merchant ship's navigation radar, but it is unusual and certainly there is no log or record of it. It is a big ocean. The question becomes: When will someone's military leak out where to start looking? There are certainly military systems recording all traffic, and there are numerous examples of that.

OR:

Did this happen? Plane hijacked. Some government's fighters scrambled and blow it out of the sky. SHUSHHH.

Dr. Hess wrote: The question becomes: When will someone's military leak out where to start looking? There are certainly military systems recording all traffic, and there are numerous examples of that. OR: Did this happen? Plane hijacked. Some government's fighters scrambled and blow it out of the sky. SHUSHHH.

Well in the first scenario, if some military saw a plane slowly spiraling into the ocean, why wouldn't they make that information public?

The 2nd could only work if the military (or militaries) that saw fighters headed to the plane is/are either the same one that sent them out or a close ally...otherwise they'd get called out on it. The US probably knows every time a fighter leaves the surface of the planet, would they pull such a coverup for Australia, NZ or Japan?

The Bermuda Triangle is only one of several areas on the globe that swallows aircraft without a trace. These areas are on the exact opposite of the earth from each other.

So, obviously, yes, it is aliens.

Basil Exposition wrote: The Bermuda Triangle is only one of several areas on the globe that swallows aircraft without a trace. These areas are on the exact opposite of the earth from each other. So, obviously, yes, it is aliens.

How can "several areas" be "exactly opposite" of the Bermuda Triangle?

In reply to GameboyRMH:

Unidentified planes get even more scruitiny in those cases.

Hell, the Russians shot down a 747 years ago because an instrument error sent them over Russian territory.....allegedly claimed it was a US electronic surveilence plane running a fake transponder signal. They guessed wrong.

yamaha wrote: In reply to GameboyRMH: Unidentified planes get even more scruitiny in those cases. Hell, the Russians shot down a 747 years ago because an instrument error sent them over Russian territory.....allegedly claimed it was a US electronic surveilence plane running a fake transponder signal. They guessed wrong.

If you don't have a signal it's an spyplane trying to be stealthy, if you do have a signal it's a spyplane with a fake signal...the only difference is that it's a little harder to notice a plane with the transponder off.

Dr. Hess wrote: Did this happen? Plane hijacked. Some government's fighters scrambled and blow it out of the sky. SHUSHHH.

Or, equally plausible: Plane hijacked, pilot or even passengers decide "We're all boned anyway, let's crash this thing into the ocean instead of the Petronas Towers." I'm not sure hijackers are likely to ever get a hijacked plane to wherever they want to take it at this point now that they've sent air travelers a message that their only hope for survival is to take back control of the plane.

MadScientistMatt wrote:

Dr. Hess wrote: Did this happen? Plane hijacked. Some government's fighters scrambled and blow it out of the sky. SHUSHHH.

Or, equally plausible: Plane hijacked, pilot or even passengers decide "We're all boned anyway, let's crash this thing into the ocean instead of the Petronas Towers." I'm not sure hijackers are likely to ever get a hijacked plane to wherever they want to take it at this point now that they've sent air travelers a message that their only hope for survival is to take back control of the plane.

I could believe that if they had ever sent a radio message that they were being hijacked, you'd think they'd do that at the moment someone with a weapon entered the cockpit, or at some point when diving from full cruising altitude...but yeah the age of hijackers taking over planes ended a matter of minutes after the second plane crashed into the WTC.