Posted on 03/17/2014 6:59:33 PM PDT by kristinn
The first turn to the west that diverted the missing Malaysia Airlines plane from its planned flight path from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing was carried out through a computer system that was most likely programmed by someone in the plane’s cockpit who was knowledgeable about airplane systems, according to senior American officials.
Instead of manually operating the plane’s controls, whoever altered Flight 370’s path typed seven or eight keystrokes into a computer on a knee-high pedestal between the captain and the first officer, according to officials. The Flight Management System, as the computer is known, directs the plane from point to point specified in the flight plan submitted before each flight. It is not clear whether the plane’s path was reprogrammed before or after it took off.
The fact that the turn away from Beijing was programmed into the computer has reinforced the belief of investigators — first voiced by Malaysian officials — that the plane was deliberately diverted and that foul play was involved. It has also increased their focus on the plane’s captain and first officer.
SNIP
According to investigators, it appears that a waypoint was added to the planned route. Pilots do that in the ordinary course of flying if air traffic controllers tell them to take a different route, to avoid weather or traffic. But in this case, the waypoint was far off the path to Beijing.
Whoever changed the plane’s course would have had to be familiar with Boeing aircraft, though not necessarily the 777 — the type of plane that disappeared. American officials and aviation experts said it was far-fetched to believe that a passenger could have reprogrammed the Flight Management System.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Why would Malaysia want to distract Americans, or any other non-Malaysians?
I’m a software engineer and a pilot. I also have a masters degree in aviation safety.
Yes, all software has bugs and unplanned for / untested “edge cases”. However this particular aircraft doesn’t need the computer to fly and it can be switched off.
The transponder is an isolated piece of equipment on the 777. It isn’t linked to any other digital system in cockpit. So a flight computer going bad couldn’t impact the transponder in anyway.
This thing has 7500 written all over it.
One thing no one has mentioned: the anti Chinese hatred in South East Asia. Did the pilot chose this flight because it was full of Chinese folks, and he hated or blamed them for his problems?
The Chinese run all the businesses, and the indigenous hate them for being rich. This has resulted in the massacres of “the year of living dangerously”, in Indonesia, and the communists throwing them out of South Vietnam after they took over. More recently, when a the Filipino cop two years ago decided to hold some hostages to make a political statement, he chose a bus full of Chinese tourists.
Hmmmmmmmmmmmm
could that computer have been programmed to be run from a laptop or cell phone by a passenger in the cabin ???
otherwise it sounds like the person would have to be in the cockpit with the pilot at the time..
Yep just have to enter new coordinates into air data computer and air Vehicle will respond to new heading and altitude!!
What makes you think that is possible?
Interesting theory but this 777 (manufactured in 2002) wasn’t equipped with that.
Diego Garcia is a joint US/UK base. If the Lavender Prince won't give an order, the Brits have the manhood to do so. But recall that the Muslim-in-Chief loves him some drones and says "I'm really good at killing people." He might love to give an order resulting in mass death.
By the way, I have heard this Diego Garcia theory being swapped around here in DC. They say that US electronic capabilities are such that we knew where that plane was from very shortly after this fiasco began.
It seems that most Boeing aircraft since 1995 or 1996 were retrofitted with the B.U.A.P. The FAA and NTSB are supposedly aware of this fact.
I don’t have a very good source right now. There was a commercial airline Pilot, (former) U.S. Marine Field McConnell, who obtained this information in discovery documents during the course of a federal lawsuit versus ALPA.
I did find these sources: http://www.abeldanger.net/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=UVV8vwwarv8&list=UURGIwParDeoovmhflq9Agmg
http://voiceofrussia.com/us/2014_03_18/Stealth-Technology-Seizure-Behind-MH370-Disappearance-5715/
Yeah, the third source is McConnell via Voice of Russia. I hate it when that happens. I think the information is worth further verification though.
So...uh...were the pilot and/or co-pilot...gasp! organ music!...Amish?
7500?
I’ve read many items and seen many TV programs that say the diversion was done by the flight director computer program.
I’ve NOT seen anything that presents any proof that a human didn’t just turn the plane.
Tired of the constant speculation without any facts, I am!
This article
http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/465126/Missing-Malaysia-Airlines-plane-may-have-been-cyber-hijacked-using-mobile-phone
Claims it could have been hacked from a usb port in the cabin seating area... considering the 777 is a fly by wire plane. It is talking about using a mobile phone, but if that is true, I would think the right hacker with his custom laptop might even work better and could possibly link up with flight simulator software if that were the case...
The whole idea seemed a little far fetched when I initially read it, but this article seems to possibly legitimize the possibility.
Hmmm. Maybe the pilots programmed a dead end/death path and then locked the door and committed suicide. I can’t imagine they could have parachuted out of there afterwards. That would be some ‘next-level-crazy’ right there.
Hijack...
Why is there a question mark after plane? My best guess is that the author is not a native English speaker. But he appears to be a New Zealander.
i.e. This is Ted Nugent’s fault. He caused this to happen. /s
It's not obvious to me that our government can pour pee out of a boot right now so I sure don't think they know what happened any more than the next guy.
Is it possible to in some way change this number, and thus change the identification of the plane to something innocuous?
Short answer. NO
Modern transponders use what is called Mode S transponders. Since the mid nineties. Mode S transponders are more accurate and do alot other things not worth mentioning. Most importantly Mode S contain the unique aircraft identification.
Long answer. Yes, an aircraft id can be changed but not during flight and while transmitting.
The following from en.wikepedia.com
Upon interrogation, Mode S transponders transmit information about the aircraft to the SSR system, to TCAS receivers on board aircraft and to the ADS-B SSR system. This information includes the call sign of the aircraft and/or the transponder's permanent ICAO 24-bit address in the form of a hex code.
Mode S equipment on aircraft are assigned a unique ICAO 24-bit address or (informally) Mode-S "hex code" upon national registration and this address becomes a part of the aircraft's Certificate of Registration. Normally, the address is never changed, however, the transponders are reprogrammable and, occasionally, are moved from one aircraft to another (presumably for operational or cost purposes), either by maintenance or by changing the appropriate entry in the aircraft's Flight management system.
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