How do you lose a 777?

[Dexman PE PMP]

I have yet to get any cell reception on a commercial plane.

 

[Flyer_PE]

I'm not sure at what altitude mine stops working. Usually, if I'm lower than 4000 ft, I'm too friggin busy to experiment with the phone. I have had it start ringing on short final (<1500ft) a couple of times though.

 

[Capt Worley PE]

Flyer, what are chances of a massive electrical failure killing all electronics, and leaving them flying at night, over water, with only a compass?

It almost looks like they tried to 180 back to land and got lost.

 

[Flyer_PE]

A massive electrical failure would leave them exactly like that. Depending on cloud cover etc, that's a perfect recipe for spacial disorientation.

Having said that, the reports I'm hearing this morning are that the communications systems on that jet were shut down sequentially. The conclusion being that it was an intentional act by somebody that had a clue about operating a 777. The speculation seems to be turning to pilot suicide or some other nefarious act.

 

[Road Guy]

Did no one fly over and look at that possible wreckage that the Chinese aerial photo picked up?

 

[NJmike PE]

The object from the Chinese aerial photo was discredited so I'm guessing that somehow it was confirmed.

 

[YMZ PE]

I feel for the passengers' families. It's been nigh a week and they're still grasping at straws.

 

[Capt Worley PE]

Did no one fly over and look at that possible wreckage that the Chinese aerial photo picked up?

The triangle thing was three boats tethered together and the others were miscellaneous junk, I believe.

 

[Dleg]

Lots more detail today, although it is not sounding good for the plane - it sounds to me that the available evidence now points to the plane having crashed into the Indian Ocean somewhere, after a series of strange direction and altitude changes.

 

[cement]

Looks like terrorists making a run for Pakistan, I heard a theory to repurpose the plane as a weapon

 

[Road Guy]

So now they think pilots were behind it? This is getting weird....

 

[Flyer_PE]

The last I read is that it was in the air another six or so hours after the transponder was shut off. Since there was no hijack code, if it wasn't one of the pilots, it was somebody that knew their way around a 777 cockpit. I think the only realistic place that plane can be right now is at the bottom of the ocean. It takes a pretty decent runway to operate that plane and I can't imagine anybody landing that thing somewhere without somebody seeing it.

 

[Dleg]

Even weirder today - now they are saying that they (Malaysia and other countries analysts) are almost certain that the change in direction was deliberate and performed by the pilots, or someone else on board who knew exactly what they were doing. The communications systems were shut off one by one, over a period of many minutes, which eliminates a catastrophic loss of power. And I read on CNN this morning, that the sharp turn to the west had been pre-programmed into the plane's autopilot - I have no idea how they know this.

The fact that it hasn't turned up anywhere yet seems to indicate that it crashed.... but still, it seems like there is some hope that the passengers are sitting in a hangar somewhere, being held hostage. Bloomberg reported that a new search area has opened up in the waters west of Perth, Australia, now.

 

[Road Guy]

Pakistan said it didn't enter their airspace... Yeah we believe you!

Hopefully someone is getting chuck Norris' crew ready to roll...

 

[engineergurl]

Pakistan said it didn't enter their airspace... Yeah we believe you!

Hopefully someone is getting chuck Norris' crew ready to roll...

Pakistan does have a habit of changing their mind and their story though...

 

[NJmike PE]

Delta force!

 

[Dleg]

"No, we don't know where Bin Laden is!"

 

[Capt Worley PE]

It takes a pretty decent runway to operate that plane and I can't imagine anybody landing that thing somewhere without somebody seeing it.

I think running on fumes, the thing would be pretty light and probably not take as much runway as you think, for landing. I could see Pakistan using it to do nefarious things to the Indians.

I just can't see someone going to all that effort to evade civvie radar just to crash it into the sea.

 

[Flyer_PE]

I think running on fumes, the thing would be pretty light and probably not take as much runway as you think, for landing. I could see Pakistan using it to do nefarious things to the Indians.

Even empty, it would take at least 4000 ft of pavement to get it down and stopped. If the intent is to then fly it back out, they'll need upwards of 6000 ft.

I just can't see someone going to all that effort to evade civvie radar just to crash it into the sea.

You may be trying to apply a little logic where none exists. If the pilot was cracked, who knows what the little voices inside his head were telling him to do.

 

[Road Guy]

I don't know why this is so intriguing.. Maybe we don't have any mysteries these days.but watching the news stretch all day coverage over Tiny bits of hopeful facts is sad... But still hard to turn off...

And what is the significance of "all right, good night"??