Missing Malaysia Airlines Flight - Hijacking...but...

[sp1814]

According to the latest reports, investigators are theorising that the airline was hijacked, and flew for another seven hours after communications were disabled.*

Okay, if that's the case, surely someone out of all the plane's passengers could have called or texted someone at home?

(*I assume by 'communications' they mean the plane's communications lines).

Thoughts?

[bookbinder]

If someone was standing over them with a gun/bomb in his hand, that might have discouraged such an act.

[pusskin]

Also, I read some where or other y/day that no one on board had a mobile on the plane? How strange is that? Must have got that wrong.

[albaqwerty]

Depending on the number of hi-jackers, they could have immobilised the passengers (plastic tie wraps used as hand-cuffs)

I read on here that the US said they knew where the plane had gone down.

Too many theories and no evidence yet.

[Gromit]

Doesn't really stack up yet.

Why hijack a plane, Make no demands, not tell anyone who you are or what your cause is, and then fly the plane until it runs out of fuel. It does not make sense as an hijack.

They now seem to be suggesting that the plane's communications were turned off and that the plane deliberately made turns.

I don't think mobile phones work if the plane's communications are off. The nearest ground based mobile masts would be out of range.

1. It could be that the Chinese or Malaysia authorities did have contact with hijackers, but if so, why did they not scramble any military aircraft to shadow the airliner?

2. Or a pilot who did this for some reason.

3. Or a malfunction or mistake that escalated.

[jomifl]

How on earth would it be possible to use a mobile phone from inside a plane hundreds of miles from the nearest cell antenna? There are many places in the UK where mobile phone sare out of range, let alone 6 miles above the 250 mile wide Gulf of Thailand.

[sp1814]

Okay...it would make sense if by disabling the aircraft's communications systems meant that mobile phones wouldn't work...but still, once it flew over land, I would've thought that offboard signals would kick in again.

This is all getting a bit 'X Files-ish'

[sp1814]

jomifl

Only saw your post after posting my last comment.

The plane, if it was hijacked, would have to have landed somewhere...and at that point one of the passengers would have had the opportunity to make a call or send a text.

Because a plane that size has to land somewhere where there would be a communications infrastructure in place...?

[jomifl]

35-45 miles seems to be the maximum practicable.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_site

[albaqwerty]

It's only getting 'x-file-ish' because we are hooman and nosey and curious and love conspiracy theories :-)

Plane blew up after losing cabin pressure, all over inside 10 seconds and not much left to find on land or sea :-(

[LazyGun]

Anything offered at the moment does not even qualify as a theory- In the absence of evidence, all anyone can offer is speculation, mostly borne out of the logicalfallacy of an argument from personal incredulity ;)

[jomifl]

If the plane has been hijacked and landed at a remote airstrip either in a tropical forest, desert or remote island, I doubt there will be a convenient cellphone network. When cellphones first appeared in the UK they only worked near large towns and motorways. The plane could have landed anywhere between Pakistan and Australia. There are probly quite a few deserted WW2 landing strips all over SE Asia.

[jomifl]

If the plane blew up in the air there would be an enormous debris field. The apparent fact that the comms. were turned off at the handover point as the plane changed direction and remained intact for another 6 or 7 hours points to a hijacking.

[sp1814]

divebuddy

Actually, if there was a massive decompression, the plane would disintegrate fairly quickly...but that depends how high it is.

[albaqwerty]

IF the US know where it is, I bet that's the last we'll hear on the matter until files are unfrozen or whatever happens to them after a certain length of time.

Would love to have my late brothers input on this, he was an ATC.

[jomifl]

sp, a massive decompression such as a door failing would not cause the plane to disintegrate.

[Gromit]

sp1814

// The plane, if it was hijacked, would have to have landed somewhere...and at that point one of the passengers would have had the opportunity to make a call or send a text.

Because a plane that size has to land somewhere where there would be a communications infrastructure in place...? //


There is no suggestion that the plane has landed anywhere. It has been reported that it actually climbed to 45,000ft which is higher than permitted for civil aircraft. Going to a higher level would put the plane even further out of reach of ground level antenna. There is a reported fault of cracking on the fuselage of 777s. By going to a higher height, whether deliberate or for some other reason may have caused a slow decompression.

[Gromit]

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/missing-jet/faa-warned-cracking-corrosion-problem-boeing-777s-n50591

[Graham-W]

This link should take you to Kuala Lumpur airspace about 10 mins before takeoff. See if you can spot MH307 (hover your mouse above each plane). I can't spot it at all but find it fascinating trying.
http://www.flightradar24.com/2014-03-08/12:31/12x/3.32,103.93/6