Malaysia Airlines loses contact with passenger jet

Discussion in 'Crossfire Discussion' started by 86WARD, Mar 7, 2014.

  1. 86WARD

    86WARD -

    A passenger flight carrying 239 people from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing is missing and would likely have run out of fuel, Malaysia Airlines said Saturday.

    "At the moment we have no idea where this aircraft is right now," Malaysia Airlines Vice President of Operations Control Fuad Sharuji said on CNN's "AC360."

    Subang Air Traffic Control lost contact with Flight MH370 at about 2:40 a.m. local time (1:40 p.m. ET Friday), Sharuji said.

    "We tried to call this aircraft through various means," he said.

    The Boeing 777-200 departed Kuala Lumpur International Airport at 12:41 a.m. and was expected to land in Beijing at 6:30 a.m., a 2,300-mile (3,700 kilometer) trip. It was carrying 227 passengers, two of them infants, and 12 crew members, the airline said.

    At the time of its disappearance, the plane was carrying about 7.5 hours of fuel, Sharuji said.

    "Malaysia Airlines is currently working with the authorities who have activated their Search and Rescue team to locate the aircraft," the statement said. The public can call +603 7884 1234 for further information.

    Efforts to contact the plane were fruitless.

    Source: http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/07/world/asia/malaysia-airlines-plane-missing/index.html
     
    Last edited: Mar 7, 2014
  2. DawkinsINT

    DawkinsINT Tebow free since 9/5/2015.

    Damn. This is sad as hell.
     
  3. markaz

    markaz Resident Cards Fan Staff Member

    Never thought in this day and age we'd read about a missing commercial aircraft. Unbelievable and unbelievably sad.
     
  4. Walnuts

    Walnuts All-Pro

    I saw a link to an (unconfirmed) twitter acct. that said "a plane" landed unnanounced in _______ Province, China. T-something Province, I forget.
     
  5. 86WARD

    86WARD -

    Vietnamese and Chinese state media, both citing Vietnam's military, reported the plane crashed off the southern coast of Vietnam.

    But the reports are incorrect, said Malaysia's acting transport minister, Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein. "The CA (Civil Aviation Authority) says that is not true, and our foreign office says it is not true," he said.

    Later, China's state-run CCTV reported that Vietnam's National Search and Rescue Center said the missing plane might have crashed at the overlapping waters between Malaysia and Vietnam.

    A Vietnamese aircraft flying over those waters spotted "rubbish" and a liquid floating on the ocean's surface, a search and rescue official told CNN. It is too early to know whether the finding is related to the missing airliner.

    China, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia are conducting search and rescue operations south of Tho Chu island in the South China Sea, reported Xinhua, China's official news agency. Ships, helicopters and airplanes are being utilized.

    Officials appeared resigned to the accepting the worst outcome.

    "I'd just like to say our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families," Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said during a news conference.

    Source: http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/08/world/asia/malaysia-airlines-plane-missing/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
     
  6. 86WARD

    86WARD -

    Oil slick spotted likely from missing Beijing-bound Malaysia Airlines jet

    Search and rescue crews from several countries were scrambling Saturday to locate a Malaysia Airlines plane with 239 people aboard, including three Americans, that disappeared after losing contact with air traffic control on its way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

    The airline said the Boeing 777-200 "lost contact" with Subang Air Traffic Control at 2:40 a.m., two hours into the flight. The plane had been expected to land in Beijing at 6:30 a.m. Saturday.

    China's state-run news agency Xinhua reported the plane was lost in airspace controlled by Vietnam, and never made contact with Chinese air traffic controllers. There have been no reports of a plane crashing into Chinese waters, and China is assisting the airline in its search for the plane.

    Vietnamese air force planes on Saturday spotted two large oil slicks in the area where the plane vanished in the first sign that the aircraft carrying 239 people on board, including two infants and 12 crew members, had crashed.

    The slicks were each between 6 miles and 9 miles long. There was no confirmation that the slicks were related to the missing plane, but the statement said they were consistent with the kinds that would be produced by the two fuel tanks of a crashed jetliner.

    http://www.foxnews.com/world/2014/0...-loses-contact-with-plane-carrying-23-people/
     
  7. Aussie61

    Aussie61 Nutcase

    This looks bleak...reports in Australian media are saying a signal from the planes transponder has been received.
    The Malaysian officials seem to be very confused,the FBI is now involved so hopefully we will have some answers soon.
     
  8. 86WARD

    86WARD -

    Stolen passports

    Two people who traveled on the missing passenger jet, using the stolen passports of an Italian and an Austrian citizen, appear to have bought their tickets together.

    The tickets were bought from China Southern Airlines in Thailand's baht currency at identical prices, according to China's official e-ticket verification system Travelsky. The ticket numbers are contiguous, which indicates the tickets were issued together.

    Here's where the mystery deepens:Italy and Austria have said that none of their citizens were on board the plane. And officials say the Italian and Austrian whose names were on the passenger manifest both had their passports stolen in Southeast Asia in recent years.

    The two tickets booked with China Southern Airlines both start in Kuala Lumpur, flying to Beijing, and then onward to Amsterdam. The Italian passport's ticket continues to Copenhagen, the Austrian's to Frankfurt.

    Authorities say they are investigating the identities of some of those on board who appear to have issues with their passports.

    http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/09/world.../malaysia-airlines-plane/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
     
  9. 86WARD

    86WARD -

    Sounds like some Oceanic Flight 815 crap going on here...:shocked:
     
  10. markaz

    markaz Resident Cards Fan Staff Member

    Because there was no communication (or even a mayday) between the aircraft and Center just prior to its disappearance and no wreckage found to date, foul play is looking more and more possible.
     
    Aussie61 likes this.
  11. Tarkus

    Tarkus The Thread Stalker

    My wife's from Poland & she's turned into the ultimate conspiracy theorist.

    She's trying to tie this with the Russia/Ukraine fiasco that's got Poland so nervous. Makes for interestingly off-the-wall convos...
     
    Aussie61 likes this.
  12. Walnuts

    Walnuts All-Pro

    Knock knock.
     
  13. DawkinsINT

    DawkinsINT Tebow free since 9/5/2015.

    Things I've learned about Tarkus today:

    1. His name is Mark.
    2. His wife is Polish.
     
    Tarkus likes this.
  14. reinaB

    reinaB Rookie

    I feel bad for what had happened. It was said that there are 239 passengers in the plane and two of them used stolen passports. Airlines charge a great deal in fees and generally don't lower airfare prices very often, which many air travelers are not happy about. Airfare rising is a fact of life and several big carriers have indeed been raising airfares again lately.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Mar 10, 2014
  15. Tarkus

    Tarkus The Thread Stalker

    Yep... 'Guess who's coming to dinner' scenario.
     
  16. Tarkus

    Tarkus The Thread Stalker

    LOL. Saw that too, eh? Didn't want to call him out on that seein' people were already callin' him a chump.
     
    markaz and DawkinsINT like this.
  17. Aussie61

    Aussie61 Nutcase

    The stolen passports aren't probably such a big deal for 2 reasons.Firstly Malaysia is very lax in checking Passports/Visas so Asian smugglers often will fly people out through KL airport via China or Phillipines then on to Europe.Secondly these two people did board the plane and had tickets to destinations in Europe.
    What is more disturbing is that the Malaysian authorities have now revealed that 3 passengers who checked in actually did not board the flight,but their baggage did.
    Having spent a fair bit of time in Malaysia during my Air Force days,the quicker the FBI gets involved the better!
    The Malays have been running around like headless chooks,the Military saw something on their radar but didn't tell the civilian authorities until 36 hrs after the plane was reported missing (no surprise to me,this happens a lot in Malaysia) They are saying that they don't have a clue where to look for the plane,even though they should know where last contact was made.
    There are a number of countries who have committed aircraft and ships to the Malay authorities,but they appear to not be making best use of available resources.
    The golden rule in S&R is: Start from point of last contact and fan out in a circular pattern from there.The Malays instead have scattered ships and aircraft all over the place.
    I feel heartfelt sorrow for the victims families,it appears that flight MH 370 has met a horrific and catastrophic end.The lack of any credible information on where the plane is must be very difficult for the families.
     
  18. ragman

    ragman Pro Bowler Fantasy Guru

    What's the NSA saying about this? Aren't they the ones who supposedly know everything?
     
  19. Walnuts

    Walnuts All-Pro

    No no no no.

    Knock Knock.
     
  20. smeags

    smeags militant geek

    from CNN

    Tickets linked to stolen passports for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 were purchased by an Iranian man, authorities say.

    At least two people on board the plane were traveling on passports stolen from an Austrian and an Italian.

    According to Thai police officials, an Iranian man by the name of Kazem Ali purchased the tickets for two friends who he said wanted to return home to Europe. While Ali made the initial booking by telephone, either Ali or someone acting on his behalf paid for the tickets in cash, according to police.