Since MAL was not a subscriber, this is probably a reporting system that even the pilots were not aware of. Whether the hijackers were the two MAL pilots or were passengers, when the hijackers turned off the transponders they probably had no idea about this other system pinging satellites periodically. So this satellited pinging mechanism was probably not turned off by the hijackers. Indeed, if they were aware of it and how to turn it off (if that is even possible), then they would have done so hours earlier when they turned the transponder off.
If that is the case, the plane crashed or landed somewhere in the flight radius between where the last ping occurred and when the next ping would have occurred.
You got it. That is what actually happened. The remaining mystery is why the crew allowed it to happened.
I believe all such power-related items on the a/c have an individual breaker that may be pulled manually.
That there wasn't a "gear down" data packet bodes seriously ill, I think. If that's correct, it would've had to belly-in somewhere, on the ocean or land. That the Mal-Asians probably aren't capable of mounting a dredging operation is a pretty strong indicator why the USN dispatched such a ship toward the Indian Ocean.
Would that be roughly where Muzzies surmise OBL's carcass to have been sent to Davey Jones' locker?
HF