Missing airliner may have flown on for 7 hours

The Washington comPost ^ | Saturday, March 15, 2014 | Chico Harlan, Ashley Halsey III and Annie Gowen

[E. Pluribus Unum]

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said Saturday that a missing passenger jet was steered off course after its communications systems were intentionally disabled and could have potentially flown for seven additional hours.

In the most comprehensive account to date of the plane’s fate, Najib drew an ominous picture of what happened aboard Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, saying investigators had determined there was “deliberate action by someone on the plane.”

[WildHighlander57]

I thought Fear the People’s girl friend told him about the TV report about the gold.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3133483/posts?page=154#154

[Blueflag]

Hypoxia (oxygen starvation) will lead first to unconsciousness then without oxygen, cardiac arrest and death is probably 2-3 minutes after the cabin atmosphere equals the 45,000’ pressure.

Essentially it’s a suffocation death. At least ya pass out first. You are trying to breathe, but it’s not doing any good.

Cabin heat is controlled separately from cockpit heat. The flight crew controls it from the flight deck. Same for the cargo hold. Cargo has been ruined and pets killed by crews who forget to maintain pressure and temp in the cargo hold.

Freezing would take a bit longer.

[Fear The People]

Don’t get all bent out of shape.

I'm not bent out of shape. I only revealed my source - I heard it on television. Stay tuned to this story and as it develops this will either turn out to be true or not.

I searched the web a bit and then found a few stories about the gold on a David Icke site. There is no way I would post that as a source - besides, that was not where I heard it. Time will tell.

The more I think about it, the more I think these creeps wanted an aircraft - not gold.

MY OPINION is that they will attempt to use this aircraft in a spectacular terrorist attack somewhere and fear that they may attempt to blow up a nuclear plant - probably in Israel or Europe.

I am certain the maneuver to 45,000 feet was to kill all on board - there is no other reason to take this aircraft above its service ceiling.
I am pretty sure the pilot is the one responsible - the skills involved are masterful. The more I think about it, the more I think that terrorists wanted this plane and now they have it. The murder of 238 innocents was only the opening act in this horror story.

I fear that they have thrown all the bodies into the sea and are refueling this aircraft while packing it with explosives.

Everything that happened thus far was preplanned and part of a program. A program that has a beginning, a middle and a spectacular end. The opening act was hijacking, mass murder and stealing an aircraft. I don't think this is over yet.

[Revolting cat!]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/3133653/posts

“Absurd”. Especially where the phrase “I am certain” appears.

[Uncle Chip]

I heard it on television.

But earlier you wrote this:

"I didn’t hear it, my GF repeated it to me a few minutes after she saw the report somewhere." [Post 154]

So which is it???

Did you hear it???

or did your girlfriend tell you that she heard it???

BTW -- Welcome to Free Republic -- where sources and accuracy matter.

[Fear The People]

But earlier you wrote this:

"I didn’t hear it, my GF repeated it to me a few minutes after she saw the report somewhere." [Post 154]

So which is it???

Did you hear it???

or did your girlfriend tell you that she heard it???

Excuse my inaccuracy - it was actually both.
I do not really watch television, but my GF does.

For me, it is background noise that I mostly ignore. So while I was pecking away on my computer doing something else in English, my GF said, "DID YOU HEAR THAT?"

Me: What?
Her: There was gold on the plane?
Me: WHAT? HOLY COW!
Her: They just said that there was over a ton of gold on the plane.
Me: What station is that?
Her: TVX... (redacted for privacy purposes)

So I hope that clears it up. I was there in the room, but was ignoring the news. She repeated it for me as she saw that I was not paying attention to the TV as usual.

I live overseas in a multi-lingual environment and I was concentrating on English. The TV is in another language that I speak fluently, but tune out if I am concentrating on something in English.

To be honest, I'm looking around the internet and don't see a lot of reliable info on the gold. Lots of it in blog posts and rumors and of course on the David Icke site which makes me LESS inclined to believe it.

The more I think about it, the more I think that they wanted the plane and the use they have planned is a spectacular terrorist plot.

I think they will refuel this stolen aircraft, toss the dead bodies into the sea, load the aircraft with explosives and attack some western or Israeli city, nuclear plant, stadium full of people or important site.

[no-to-illegals]

Have been running a search on this gold rumor and is possibly coming out of UK from what have found. Very little info and only one direct link and that link is to another forum. Have found nobody taking credit from TV news. Looks like a rumor but uncertain.

[no-to-illegals]

Found another link but is to another forum also. Still looks like an internet rumor. Weight is from 22,000 lb to 30,000 lbs., which is not possible. Has to be a rumor. Checking time dates to see if can find original source.

[no-to-illegals]

Rumor looks to have begun morning of 3/12 in U.S. Rumor repeated in UK 3/13 about same time.

[no-to-illegals]

Strike that ... Rumor in UK originated 3/13 after a supposed morning TV report ... so thus strike Rumor repeated in UK 3/13 about same time. UK rumor next day. Origination point was U.S. of rumor regarding gold on board MH370.

[no-to-illegals]

strike something else ... 22,000 lbs to 33,000 lbs as being the weight of the rumored gold not 22,000 to 30,000 lbs. Another similar rumor has the weight at 22 tons to 33 tons which is double shown weights.

[no-to-illegals]

UK board suspended (temporarily) person that stated the rumor.

[no-to-illegals]

If everyone will excuse me ... Am going to go walking in the Alabama rain.

[Ez2BRepub]

"U.S. officials have said that the plane, shortly after being diverted, reached an altitude of 45,000 feet and “jumped around a lot.”

The passengers are most likely all dead.

I would have to agree the passengers are dead due to hypoxia. If the Captain did go on a jihad, without crashing the plane, and the First Officer was not involved, it would have been difficult but not impossible.

All he had to do is tell the First Officer he wanted something to drink and could he get it for him or tell him he can go for a stretch while he flies the plane. I do not know about this airline but I believe FEDEX requires one of its pilots to put on an oxygen mask, if the other pilot leaves the cockpit, in case depressurization occurs. So he tells the First Officer he is going to put it on, just in case and it does not look out of the ordinary.

Once the First Officer leaves, he lowers the cabin pressure, shoots the plane up to 45,000ft and flies the plane in an erratic way so it creates chaos in the cabin, to the point where the crew and First Officer cannot keep themselves steady enough to get to the oxygen equipment or get to the cockpit. At 45,000ft it takes lees than 30 seconds for people to die from lack of oxygen.

He was able to hold it at 45,000ft, long enough to kill everyone before it stalled, where at that point, it took some time and altitude to get it under control, hence the lower 23,000ft level, then rise back to 35,000ft.

Just my opinion that can be added to all of the others

[jpsb]

Until I hear a better explanation, I am going with yours.

[TexasGator]

“The plane went up to 40,000 - 45,000 feet - higher than anyone can survive without oxygen. The only reason to do this was to kill all of the passengers. There simply is no other reason to climb that high. This pilot was a fox, not an idiot.”

The 777 is certified to FL430 ... higher than anyone can survive without oxygen. The 747 is certified to FL450 .... higher than anyone can survive without oxygen.

On my last commercial flight, we cruised at FL390, higher than anyone can survive without oxygen.

[GOPJ]

Hypoxia (oxygen starvation) will lead first to unconsciousness then without oxygen, cardiac arrest and death in probably 2-3 minutes after the cabin atmosphere equals the 45,000’ pressure. Essentially it’s a suffocation death. At least ya pass out first. You are trying to breathe, but it’s not doing any good. Cabin heat is controlled separately from cockpit heat. The flight crew controls it from the flight deck. Same for the cargo hold. Cargo has been ruined and pets killed by crews who forget to maintain pressure and temp in the cargo hold.

I suspect this is why the pilot took the plane up to 45,000 ft... Thanks for all the great information Blueflag.

[Fear The People]

“The plane went up to 40,000 - 45,000 feet - higher than anyone can survive without oxygen. The only reason to do this was to kill all of the passengers. There simply is no other reason to climb that high. This pilot was a fox, not an idiot.”

The 777 is certified to FL430 ... higher than anyone can survive without oxygen. The 747 is certified to FL450 .... higher than anyone can survive without oxygen.

On my last commercial flight, we cruised at FL390, higher than anyone can survive without oxygen.

Forgive me, in the post you quoted, I must have forgot to mention that he would have depressurized the cabin. All inside would have lost consciousness. Then as he climbed to 45,000 feet, whatever oxygen was in the cabin would rapidly deplete, killing all on board within minutes.

There would be no passenger uprising, no resistance.

That's why cellphones continued to ring in pockets and purses for days afterwards.

Some years ago a Lear Jet had a problem with its cabin pressure and oxygen system. On takeoff, all on board including the cabin crew lost consciousness and within minutes were all dead. The plane flew on for hours until the fuel ran out.

[dfwgator]

Some years ago a Lear Jet had a problem with its cabin pressure and oxygen system. On takeoff, all on board including the cabin crew lost consciousness and within minutes were all dead. The plane flew on for hours until the fuel ran out.

That was the flight with golfer Payne Stewart, I believe.

[Fear The People]

Some years ago a Lear Jet had a problem with its cabin pressure and oxygen system. On takeoff, all on board including the cabin crew lost consciousness and within minutes were all dead. The plane flew on for hours until the fuel ran out.

That was the flight with golfer Payne Stewart, I believe.

You are correct.

On October 25, 1999, a month after the American team rallied to win the 1999 Ryder Cup in Brookline, Massachusetts, and four months after his U.S. Open victory at Pinehurst No. 2, Stewart was killed in the depressurization of a Learjet flying from Orlando, Florida, to Dallas, Texas, for the year-ending tournament, The Tour Championship, held at Champions Golf Club in Houston that year. Traveling on a Monday morning, Stewart was planning to stop off in Dallas to discuss building a new home-course for the SMU golf program.[24] The last communication received from the pilots was at 9:27 AM EDT, and the plane made a right turn at 9:30 AM EDT that was probably the result of human input. At 9:33 AM EDT the pilots did not respond to a call to change radio frequencies, and there was no further contact from the plane. The plane was, apparently, still on autopilot and angled off-course, as observed by several U.S. Air Force (and Air National Guard) F-16 fighter aircraft[25] as it continued its flight over the southern and midwestern United States. The military pilots observed frost or condensation on the windshield (consistent with loss of cabin pressure) which obscured the cockpit, and no motion was visible through the small patch of windshield that was clear.

National Transportation Safety Board investigators later concluded that the plane suffered a loss of cabin pressure and that all on board died of hypoxia. A delay of only a few seconds in donning oxygen masks, coupled with cognitive and motor skill impairment, could have been enough to result in the pilots' incapacitation. The NTSB report showed that the plane had several instances of maintenance work related to cabin pressure in the months leading up to the accident. The NTSB was unable to determine whether they stemmed from a common problem – replacements and repairs were documented, but not the pilot discrepancy reports that prompted them or the frequency of such reports. The report gently chides Sunjet Aviation for the possibility that this would have made the problem harder to identify, track and resolve; as well as the fact that in at least one instance the plane was flown with an unauthorized maintenance deferral for cabin pressure problems.

According to a USAF timeline, a series of military planes provided an emergency escort to the stricken Lear, beginning with an F-16 from Eglin Air Force Base, about an hour and twenty minutes (9:33 EDT to 9:52 CDT – see NTSB report on the crash) after ground controllers lost contact. The plane continued flying until it ran out of fuel and crashed into a field near Mina, South Dakota, a town ten miles (16 km) west of Aberdeen, after an uncontrolled descent. The five other people aboard the plane included Stewart's agents Robert Fraley and Van Ardan, and pilots Michael Kling and Stephanie Bellegarrigue, along with Bruce Borland, a highly regarded golf course architect with the Jack Nicklaus design company.