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Malaysia military tracked missing plane to west coast: source
Reuters ^ | March 11, 2014 | BY NILUKSI KOSWANAGE AND EVELINE DANUBRATA

Posted on 03/11/2014 6:25:38 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer

Malaysia's military believes a jetliner missing for almost four days turned and flew hundreds of kilometers to the west after it last made contact with civilian air traffic control off the country's east coast, a senior officer told Reuters on Tuesday. --SNIP--

Malaysian authorities have previously said flight MH370 disappeared about an hour after it took off from Kuala Lumpur for the Chinese capital Beijing.

"It changed course after Kota Bharu and took a lower altitude. It made it into the Malacca Strait," the senior military officer, who has been briefed on investigations, told Reuters.

(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Front Page News; News/Current Events; War on Terror
KEYWORDS: 2014airlinercrash; autopilot; iran; malacca; malaysia; maldives; mh370; planecrash; radar; waronterror
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To: fiftymegaton
Basically at this point, any of dozen different scenarios can be viable.

When I heard that military radar had tracked the airplane headed west for hundreds of miles after losing the transponder, the first thing that popped into my mind was, they decided to turn off the transponder and dash across the Indian Ocean to Mogadishu and ransom the airplane / passengers.

Of course, then, the question would be, who is "they"?

Several weeks ago, an Ethiopian co-pilot locked the captain out of the cockpit and flew the airplane to Switzerland (it was bound for Rome). No obvious reason for his act: if he wanted to defect to Switzerland, why not just fly the plane to Rome as planned and take a taxi to the Swiss embassy?

So, one candidate for "they" might be the co-pilot. Or the pilot. But the pilot doesn't seem the right type. Nor the womanizing, happy-go-lucky co-pilot.

Another possible "they" would be some other critters with muscle and aeronautical experience who hijacked the airplane. Probably not those Iranians with the stolen passports (they probably just hoped to sneak into the EU and collect welfare). But who knows?

However, it has since emerged that the reports of the plane heading west are bogus. Actually, not surprising, since the breathless accounts were bolstered by supposed eyewitness reports of the plane flying low over fishing boats. Not what you'd want to do if you expected to make it across the Indian Ocean without running out of fuel (which raises another question: did they take on extra fuel at KUL? Or just enough for Beijing?).

So, never mind.

201 posted on 03/12/2014 12:52:06 AM PDT by cynwoody
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To: cynwoody

I never really bought into the Somalia/selling passengers for ransom angle. It seems to me whatever group that would want to do that would have ample chances/opportunity to hijack a plane that originated in Africa proper. A flight originating in Africa would allow their ‘people’ more control of the situation.

Even though the Malaysian Air Force General is now backing away from the reports of the radar contact in the west, I’m not so sure he’s telling the truth. They(the Malaysian authorities) let that story run for an entire day! And now he wants to backtrack?

I can’t help but think these guys(the Malaysian and Vietnamese Authorities) are having their strings pulled in reaction to something.

Maybe the plane did crash/explode right where the transponder stopped signaling and where the first contact was lost.

Then again, maybe this is an ongoing situation that the Malaysian(and every other country involved) authorities are refraining from elaborating on.

Hopefully we find out this decade. I take with a grain of salt whatever official and unofficial statements come out of the local governments involved.

Show me the plane.


202 posted on 03/12/2014 1:13:24 AM PDT by fiftymegaton (God Bless and Protect America)
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To: Oldeconomybuyer

The most logical solution is Malaysia is embarrassed, they lost it on radar, or weren’t doing their jobs, and they haven’t a clue where it crashed.


203 posted on 03/12/2014 2:48:06 AM PDT by PghBaldy (12/14 - 930am -rampage begins... 12/15 - 1030am - Obama's advance team scouts photo-op locations.)
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To: Smokin' Joe

Could launch out of there, but there would be no covert quality to the op. Indonesia would be complicit.


204 posted on 03/12/2014 7:17:18 AM PDT by xone
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To: xone

True. However, that is only one field, I would not doubt there are others in range of their onboard fuel.


205 posted on 03/12/2014 7:58:28 AM PDT by Smokin' Joe (How often God must weep at humans' folly. Stand fast. God knows what He is doing.)
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To: Smokin' Joe

I don’t think there is one long enough that isn’t monitored or controlled by some gov’t.


206 posted on 03/12/2014 8:17:48 AM PDT by xone
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To: xone
So, who out there has the airfield, not monitored from outside, who likes neither us nor the Chinese? A hijacking/theft could be quietly sanctioned, provided it looked to the world like the aircraft had gone down.

I know it seems farfetched, but we don't have the strongest leadership at the moment, and I'm just exploring possibilities.

207 posted on 03/12/2014 8:39:30 AM PDT by Smokin' Joe (How often God must weep at humans' folly. Stand fast. God knows what He is doing.)
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To: Smokin' Joe

The question I think is the right one. But the gov’t in question would have to be able to get the plane there without detection by others. The main reason I think it is in the ocean. Too much snoopery available nowadays.


208 posted on 03/12/2014 8:46:55 AM PDT by xone
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To: xone
Even snoopery has its limits. The dogs are off the trail--even searching for debris.

By the time the plane's trail is located (looking in the wrong places), it could be in different paint and have been moved, even painted to look like a lesser aircraft from above (optical illusion). Then it could be hidden in plain sight, well, from above, anyway.

209 posted on 03/12/2014 8:52:14 AM PDT by Smokin' Joe (How often God must weep at humans' folly. Stand fast. God knows what He is doing.)
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To: Smokin' Joe
The dogs are off the trail

Joe, I so much agree with that statement. Hope the Dogs and Cats are at Full Alert. Not a time to be letting ones guard down.

210 posted on 03/12/2014 9:38:50 AM PDT by no-to-illegals (Scrutinize our government and Secure the Blessing of Freedom and Justice)
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To: no-to-illegals

While some days are a little more relaxed than others, I have found there is no time to let one’s guard down.


211 posted on 03/12/2014 9:40:31 AM PDT by Smokin' Joe (How often God must weep at humans' folly. Stand fast. God knows what He is doing.)
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To: Smokin' Joe

+5 Joe and a hearty 10-4


212 posted on 03/12/2014 9:43:02 AM PDT by no-to-illegals (Scrutinize our government and Secure the Blessing of Freedom and Justice)
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