Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules
Dont rule out mechanical failure yet. The aircraft went from cruising altitude to 12K, something that would be done as emergency SOP.
http://news.yahoo.com/pilots-tried-save-mh370-193000845--politics.html
If the transponders were turned off then unlikely accidental.
As aviation 'experts' we should be wary of making uneducated guesses and sticking to the facts.
".....revealed nothing fishy about the crew"
The Malaysian gov't has demonstrated incompetence from the outset of this tragedy .... and has a history of 'suppressing' the country's legitimate political opposition. FACT. The leader of the opposition was found guilty of buggery the morning of the flight. FACT. The pilot was in attendance at that trial, that morning, before his flight.
That is not fishy, but it's very sad. If the pilot sacrificed his aircraft and trusting passengers for political ends it is very, very troubling. If this is the case, the pilot, by his actions, has exposed the current Malaysian gov't to the scrutiny of the world.
No doubt, his very intention.
Just saw a picture on TV of a guy looking out the window of a P-3 as they were searching for the plane. The engine was visible and the prop was stopped and feathered. I would guess it is normal to shut down an engine (or two?) to increase endurance. Any P-3 experts out there?
We don't know if the transponders were turned off or failed, it's just funny that everything went to hell right after their last RT.
Some of these guesses are far from uneducated. Their flight path and altitude decent is consistant with a crew dealing with an emergency - FACT. There is debris being spotted in an area that has a high probability of their LKP - FACT. The current criminal investigation has revealed nothing fishy about the crew - FACT. No terrorist organization has taken cred for this - FACT. And as I write this....
http://news.yahoo.com/satellite-spots-122-objects-malaysia-jet-search-113841013--finance.html
What facts? The info In the public domain? We only know what they tell us.
SOP on P-3s. They'll cruise to the patrol area on 4 engines and patrol on 2 to save fuel.
Thats right - verifiable by two or three different news sources and the people actually looking for the wreckage (RAAF, USN).
Incorrect. No proof yet other than flotsam.Remember this is a criminal case/ suicide/ political/ judicial/ embarrassing/ plenty of blame so first rule is to be very quiet and give nothing away