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-Short Attention Span Theater-
Malaysian Airliner on-board fire theory appears to be gaining acceptance.
2014-03-19
o Veteran Canadian pilot Chris Goodfellow says his viral online post debunks claims that the missing Malaysian Airlines Flight was hijacked

o Instead, he hails captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah a hero, insisting the only reasonable scenario is that a fire broke out and the pilot was trying to make an emergency landing at the nearest safe airport

o He says Shah turned the plane to aim for a 13,000 foot strip Palau Langkawi but was likely overcome by smoke before he could land

o The aircraft then continued flying as a 'ghost plane' for several hours before finally running out of fuel and crashing into the Indian Ocean

o He predicts the wreckage will be found somewhere west of the Maldives today
Wired has more from Mr. Goodfellow.
Posted by:Besoeker

#16  TCAS would pick up any active mode S transponder and have bearing and altitude information. Conversely TCAS would not register an aircraft with its mode S transponder turned off.
Posted by: Tzsenator   2014-03-19 21:29  

#15  ..from American Spectator: An Airborne Hunt for Red October?

Excepting time to wet lips, a 5-minute read..
Posted by: Uncle Phester   2014-03-19 13:43  

#14  Former Israeli Air Security Chief sez Iranian Intelligence apparatus may be responsible for disappearing airliner.
Posted by: Omavising Ebbemp9815   2014-03-19 13:10  

#13  I read, with the MH370 transponder off, SIA68 would not detect MH370 via TCAS. MH370 would be able to use "other" means to pickup SIA68's TCAS signal, and listen in on ground control radio transmissions.

Personally, I don't buy the fire, ghost plane and crash scenario. Could have happened that way, but I don't buy it right now.
Posted by: Shereper Clunk9106   2014-03-19 11:55  

#12  Perhaps a pilot here on the Burg could inform us if SIA68's TCAS would pick up on MH370 presence.
Posted by: Besoeker   2014-03-19 11:29  

#11  I saw another theory. The gist is that MH370 maneuvered into position to shadow Singapore flight 86 through Indian airspace and into Pakistan.

Did MH370 Shadow SIA68

I'd be interested in what the Rantburg community thinks of this.
Posted by: Shereper Clunk9106   2014-03-19 11:22  

#10  Anyone note that FLOTUS and kids are not in D.C. but reportedly on vacation in China? Probably just a coincidence.
Posted by: Besoeker   2014-03-19 11:21  

#9  Yes, saw the wide arc soon after 'climb out' from Kuala Lumpur, vs sharp vector to port as previously reported. The wide arc was reported to have been programmed, and not hand flown. Also noted the late arriving Thai radar report.
Posted by: Besoeker   2014-03-19 11:19  

#8  The high jack doesn't fit the current narrative on terrorism by the WH.

The jet will be coming to a major city near you in spectacular fashion. They've figured out how to avoid radar flying low and they have found holes in the civil radar systems.

Our intel guys can't find their butt with both hands, the politicalization of our intel organizations has ruined their ability to think logically.
Posted by: Bill Clinton   2014-03-19 11:13  

#7  Besoeker: you've seen that map with the arcs based on the Last Ping?

There was a ping before that. And a ping before that.

The plane could have refueled at an airfield in the Maldives and gone on to elsewhere. I doubt the people who were there to refuel it were doing so so they could take it to Kerguelen and crash it.
Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain   2014-03-19 10:47  

#6  USG saying surprisingly little about the disappearance. Jay Carney offers grin and denial regarding Diego Garcia question in presser. USN pulls ship(s) out of Indian Ocean search. IDF takes precautions. I think more is known by the intelligence community than is being discussed on the teevee.
Posted by: Besoeker   2014-03-19 10:41  

#5  How many terrorists did the pilot train with the flight simulator mock-up in his home? Were those people on the plane with him?
Posted by: Omavising Ebbemp9815   2014-03-19 10:38  

#4  ..One-Stop Malaysian Airliner pr0n (Caution - Nervousness Alert):
Did Missing Flight MH370 Land In The Maldives Or Diego Garcia: The Full Updated Summary


"Previous reports indicated that the plane flew towards Checkpoint Gival, south of the Thai island of Phuket, and was last plotted heading northwest towards another checkpoint, Igrex, used for route P628 that would take it over the Andaman Islands and which carriers use to fly towards Europe."
Posted by: Uncle Phester   2014-03-19 10:32  

#3  ..as addressed yesterday, I'm skeptical.

I am, however, gob smacked by the serendipitiousness of a 777 disappearing at the same time the Rooskies are bitch-slapping PrezBo. If you can't be good, be "lucky"..
Posted by: Uncle Phester   2014-03-19 09:16  

#2  If it's correct, and if the alleged sighting in the Maldives is correct, then a line projected through the Maldive location from the last previous reasonably known point, combined with the fuel load and the consumption rate at 5000' should lead to a splash point, and I doubt it would be that far past the Maldives.
Yeah, there are problems with this theory, but there are problems with all the theories.
Posted by: Glenmore   2014-03-19 09:14  

#1  a lot of problems with the fire theory

eg

the course change was programmed into the airplane before the 'good night' comment

the transponder was disabled before the 'good night' comment
Posted by: lord garth   2014-03-19 08:59  

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