Malaysia airlines B777 missing
 

http://ning.pinkfroot.com:81/images/...oto:292694.jpg


Let's hope it's a maintenence fault that's caused loss of communication...but it doesn't look promising. :nope:

:(

Hoping for the best!

Here is the flightaware log for this flight: http://flightaware.com/live/flight/MAS370

Looks like the track ends over land, that increases the chance of finding something, even if it's just...well... :nope:

Yeah, and it also ends right at cruise level (where the plane just got) and full speed, so whatever it was, it seems rather sudden.

No bueno. :hmmm:

Also worth pointing that this plane can't simply "disappear" because of a small fault. No ADS-B, no SSR, no ACARS, no radio comms - slim chances all of those would go off from a maintenance fault (even a major one) without alarm immediately being raised, and it should've been also on radar where it was.

Updates from the airline: http://www.malaysiaairlines.com/my/e...dark-site.html

The most recent update effectively confirms that the aircraft went down :(

No bueno. :(

Not good at all.

meanwhile, the BBC has a terrible taste in choosing their front page ads :/\\!!

http://i.imgur.com/drPNcbH.jpg

Prayers for the families. :wah:

Dang, and at cruising altitude it does not bode well for survivors, not that miracles don't happen, but the odds are against it.
It'll be the first 777 to be lost whilst at altitude, the other hull-loss incidents have all been on landing or on the ground. If there was no indication of trouble before loss of contact then it must have been a massive structural failure...deliberate or otherwise.

Unfortunately Flightradar24s coverage has the aircraft contact lost half-way between Malaysia and Vietnam, in the sea:

https://fbcdn-sphotos-g-a.akamaihd.n...34814062_o.jpg

There should be a press conference shortly.

for starters, as great as flight aware is, its not always that accurate. I have reviewed flights of my own that have suddenly zigged out into then ext state when i canceled IFR or flight following. Other times i have seen places where my route just completely stopped tracking (usually with a change from one ARTCC to another ARTCC while en route) giving the appearance that my flight vanished at cruise altitude.

I wouldnt jump to the conclusion that just because the flightaware.com route ends at a specific point that this is an accurate indication as to where the aircraft went down.

We can observe one thing though, it theoretically reached cruise altitude.

In that region of the world i would assume volcanic ash to be a culprit if there was recent volcanic activity (speedbird 9 anybody?)

another culprit, especially in the 200 series would be the un-commanded turbine rollback. however its unlikely as it should have been fixed through service bullitins and Airworthiness Directives requiring installation of fuel pump heaters if i remember correctly.

Super cooled water/ice formation which overwhelmed the aircraft's anti-ice de-ice systems a la Air France a few years ago could be to blame.

or an act of terrorism is always to be considered.

that said, it is rare that a plane crashes in the cruise phase of flight unless some sort of mid-air collision or major mechanical malfunction takes place. As these crashes tend to occur during takeoff or approach/ landing.

Im sure updates will begin to stream in soon as search efforts proceed.

We probably all know where it is. We just don't want to be the one to say it first.

with luck, they encountered volcanic ash which overwhelmed the engines and they ditched intact and we get a "miracle on the hudson" event

Yeah, definitely. Both flightaware and flightradar24 rely on volunteers with receivers to get their data, in this case ADS-B data, and so often they'll only track the aircraft as far as those receivers (which are mostly consumer-level hardware) and publically-available data will allow. They also can only track flights with filed plans and their software assumes that the aircraft is flying as filed.

That rough map location seems reasonable though, because reports say the plane never contacted the Vietnam ARTCC.

And I am concerned because even with engines out or other similar failures, at least one of their communication systems should've given a report. Even Air France 447 was sending automated ACARS reports as it was going down (though there was no engine failure there, to be fair). The fact that nearly 7 hours after losing contact the airline still didn't know where the aircraft was is very troubling to say the least.

I'd think there were so many Eyes on flights in that area of the Globe that someone has a pretty good clue.
:hmmm:

How long can the bird stay in the air fully fueled? If nothing is heard from her when that time is up THAT'S when you should really start worrying.

Well for one, it's unlikely to have been fully fueled - doesn't make sense economically (carrying extra fuel makes you burn more fuel), and usually airlines plan fuel carefully and have very good tools for getting it loaded right. Typically you just have the required fuel, plus 1 hour (or a little more) in reserve.

The last MAS statement was more than 4 hours after the flight was scheduled to arrive in Beijing and more than 8 hours after lost contact. It would be on the ground by now one way or another.

Huh, latest statement from the airline includes...

I wouldn't bet too much on it, but it is a glimmer of hope in a dim situation at least :(