The geek with a cynical view: Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 The aircraft (9M-MRO)

This article documents a current event. Information may change rapidly as the event progresses. (March 2014)

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370

The aircraft (9M-MRO) at
Missing aircraft summary
Date 8 March 2014
Summary Missing
Passengers 227
Crew 12
Aircraft type Boeing 777-200ER
Operator Malaysia Airlines
Registration 9M-MRO
Flight origin Kuala Lumpur International Airport
Destination Beijing Capital International Airport

Malaysia Airlines flight 370 (MH370/MAS370), also marketed as China Southern Airlines flight 748 (CZ748) under a codeshare agreement, is a scheduled flight from Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia, to Beijing Capital International Airport, China. On 8 March 2014, the aircraft operating the flight, a Boeing 777-200ER, registration 9M-MRO, disappeared en route with 227 passengers and 12 crew members on board. The cause remains unknown and is under investigation.

The aircraft departed Kuala Lumpur for the six-hour flight at 00:41 MST (UTC+08:00) on 8 March (16:41 UTC on the 7th). Subang Air Traffic Control Centre lost contact with the aircraft at about 01:22 while it was over the Gulf of Thailand, and reported it missing at 02:40.[1][2] A joint search-and-rescue effort, focusing on the Gulf of Thailand, Straits of Malacca, and the South China Sea, is being conducted by co-operating agencies of numerous national governments.[3][4][5]

At least two passengers were using false identities.[6][7][8][9] The head of Malaysia's Civil Aviation Authority says officials had not ruled out hijacking as a cause of the plane's disappearance, adding that all reported sightings of debris from the plane in the seas south of Vietnam were unconfirmed.[10]

Despite an ongoing search and rescue operation, China has urged Malaysia to intensify their efforts.[11]

Contents [hide]
1 Incident
2 Search
2.1 Location
2.2 Response
3 Aircraft
4 Passengers and crew
4.1 Crew
4.2 Passengers
4.2.1 Passengers using false identities
5 Investigation
6 Notes
7 References
8 External links

Incident[edit]

Origin and destination airports for MH370 and last known position over the Gulf of Thailand

The flight departed from Kuala Lumpur International Airport on 8 March at 00:41 local time (7 March, 16:41 UTC) and was scheduled to land at Beijing Capital International Airport at 06:30 (7 March, 22:30 UTC). The aircraft ceased all communications and the transponder signal was lost[12] just before it was to be passed off to the Ho Chi Minh Area Control Center.[1][2][13] The aircraft's last known position before disappearing off ATC radar was 6°55′15″N 103°34′43″E.[14]

Malaysia Airlines issued a media statement at 07:24 confirming that contact had been lost at 02:40[15] and that search and rescue operations had begun.[2] The plane relayed no distress signal, indications of bad weather, or technical problems before vanishing from radar screens.[16] When radar contact with the aircraft was lost, it was carrying enough fuel for about an additional 7 1⁄2 hours of flying time.[17] Relevant authorities in China and Thailand informed their Malaysian counterparts that the aircraft had not entered their airspace.[18]

The Aviation Herald website reported that Subang Air Traffic Control lost radar and radio contact with the aircraft at 01:22 and officially advised Malaysia Airlines at 02:40 that the aircraft was missing.[1] However, a Malaysia Airlines spokesperson said that the last conversation between the flight crew and air traffic control in Malaysia had been around 01:30, and stated that the plane had not disappeared from air traffic control systems in Subang until 02:40, which is long enough for the plane to have been flying across Vietnam.[19] ATC requested another Malaysia Airlines flight, this one en route to Japan and about half an hour ahead of MH370, to try to contact the unresponsive 777. The captain established contact with the crew of MH370 just after 01:30, but could only hear "mumbling".[20]
Search
Location

According to Admiral Ngo Van Phat of the Vietnamese Navy, military radar lost the plane "some 153 nautical miles" (283 km; 176 mi) south of Thổ Chu in the Gulf of Thailand.[5][21] The Vietnamese government initially reported that the aircraft had crashed at sea in the Gulf of Thailand, although the airline denied this claim,[22] and the claim about the known location of the aircraft by the Vietnamese Navy was rejected by the Malaysian Minister of Transport, Hishammuddin Hussein.[23][24] The Vietnamese Navy later clarified that the admiral had actually been referring to the location where contact was last made, rather than indicating a crash site.[1]

The search for the missing jetliner located oil slicks in the Gulf of Thailand on 8 March, about 50 nautical miles (93 km) south of Vietnam's Thổ Chu Island.[25] During the search, the Vietnamese Navy reported spotting at least one oil slick, between 10 and 20 km (6–12 mi) long, which was believed to be that of the missing aircraft.[26][27] The Vietnamese Civil Aviation Department aircraft also reported they spotted two large oil slicks that authorities suspect are from the MAS jetliner. The slicks, each between 10 and 15 km (6–9 mi) long, and 500 metres (550 yd) apart, were spotted 140 nautical miles (260 km; 160 mi) south of Thổ Chu Island off southern Vietnam, and were consistent with the kind that would be caused by fuel from a crashed jetliner.[28] Another report that an oil leak about 80 kilometres (50 mi) long was clearly seen from a Vietnamese search and rescue AN-26 aircraft at 08:35 on 9 March, approximately 150 kilometres (93 mi) away from Cape Cà Mau.[29] Officials investigated the possibility of mid-air disintegration.[30] However, after tests on 10 March, it was found that oil samples from the slicks were not from an aircraft.[31][32]

Debris was also reportedly found on 9 March about 80 kilometres (50 mi) south of Thổ Chu Island. The debris, which was claimed to include a composite inner door and a piece of the aircraft's tail, was located at a point along the planned flight path of MH370.[33][34][35] The following day, however, DCA Malaysia reported these claims were untrue.[36]

The Royal Thai Navy shifted its focus in the search away from the Gulf of Thailand and the South China Sea due to the request of its Malaysian counterpart, which is investigating the possibility the aircraft turned around and could have gone down in the Andaman Sea, near Thailand's border.[37] The chief of the Royal Malaysian Air Force, Rodzali Daud, claimed that military recordings of radar signals did not exclude the possibility of the aircraft turning back on its flight path.[38][39] The search area has been widened to the Straits of Malacca along the west coast of theMalay Peninsula; so that both waters to the east of Malaysia in the South China Sea, and in the Straits of Malacca along Malaysia's west coast, are being searched.[40] The Indonesian Navy also focused the search on the Straits of Malacca after a request by the Malaysian Armed Forces.[41]

The Malaysian and Vietnamese search and rescue teams were criticized in the Beijing Times of March 10, with the countries being called "relatively backwards." A spokesperson for the US Navy's Seventh Fleet, however, told the New York Times that the Malaysians were "very efficient, very professional."[42]
Response

In response to the incident, the Malaysian government mobilised the Civil Aviation department, air force, navy, Maritime Enforcement Agency, and requested international assistance from Integrated Area Defence System (IADS) and neighbouring states. Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, China, and the United States set aside territorial disputes to mount a search and rescue mission in the region's waters.[43][44] The French Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la Sécurité de l'Aviation Civile (BEA) and India offered their services to help with rescue and investigation.[45][46]

Lekiu class frigate of the Royal Malaysian Navy also participate in SARMalaysiaThe Royal Malaysian Air Force dispatched a CASA/IPTN CN-235 transport aircraft, a Beechcraft Super King Air B200T aircraft, four Lockheed C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft, two Bombardier Global Express aircraft, two Agusta A109helicopters, and four Eurocopter EC725 long-range tactical transport helicopters.[24] Six Royal Malaysian Navy vessels have also been dispatched, in addition to three Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency vessels to search the waters off its east coast in the South China Sea.[24][47][48] Malaysia Airlines has also sent a team of caregivers and volunteers dubbed GoTeam to provide assistance towards family members of the passengers.[49] Malaysia has also established a coordination centre at the National Disaster Control Centre (NDCC) in Pulau Meranti, Cyberjaya, to monitor the development of the situation.[50]On 9 March, the Malaysian transport minister said in a media statement that rescue teams have widened their search area.[51] He also stated that the Malaysian intelligence agencies have been activated, while counter terrorism units in all relevant countries have been informed, adding that he has met with officers from the FBI, who have arrived in Malaysia. He has also noted that no Malaysian submarines will be deployed as they are "not equipped for search and rescue".[52]

Australian RAAF AP-3C Orions are participating in the searchAustraliaThe Australian government provided two Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Lockheed AP-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft to join the search and rescue operation.[53] The first RAAF P-3C long-range maritime surveillance aircraft departed for the search from Darwin on 9 March.[54]ChinaTwo Chinese warships, Jinggang Shan and Mianyang, were dispatched to assist in the search. Jinggang Shan has two helicopters, 30 medical personnel, ten divers, and 52 marines, as well as life-saving and underwater detection equipment.[55]On the afternoon of 9 March, another two Chinese warships, Kunlun Shan and Haikou, were dispatched to the suspected site of the missing plane.[56] On 10 March, China adjusted the operations of orbiting satellites to help in the search of the missing flight. [57]IndonesiaThe Embassy of Indonesia in Kuala Lumpur announced the country would send five ships to help Malaysian authorities in the search and rescue mission.[4] The country has deployed its first two PC-40 fast patrol vessels, the KRI Matocra andKRI Krait, as well a CASA C-212 maritime patrol aircraft.[58] Currently, Indonesia has deployed one corvette, and four rapid patrol vessels, which was on patrol around the island of Penang in the Straits of Malacca.[41]PhilippinesThe Philippine AFP Western Command has sent BRP Gregorio del Pilar, BRP Emilio Jacinto, BRP Apolinario Mabini and a search-and-rescue aircraft to the South China Sea or West Philippine Sea to help in the search efforts.[21][59]

RSS Steadfast is participating in the search.SingaporeWithin a day of the 777 going missing the Republic of Singapore Air Force assisted with a Lockheed C-130 Hercules.[60][61] Subsequently, two other C-130 Hercules were dispatched, with the Republic of Singapore Navy sending its Formidable-class frigate RSS Steadfast, with a Sikorsky S-70B Naval helicopter on board; and a submarine rescue ship (MV Swift Rescue) with divers on board; as well as the Victory-class corvette RSS Vigour.[62]ThailandThe Royal Thai Navy has also prepared to send three vessels and one aircraft to join the search and rescue mission.[63][64] The Royal Thai Navy has dispatched a Super Lynx helicopter and a patrol ship to the Andaman Sea, west of Thailand, to help in the search. It has also put two other ships on standby in the Gulf of Thailand, awaiting a request for assistance from Malaysia.[65]

USS Pinckney was deployed to the southern coast of Vietnam to assist in the search.United StatesThe United States sent a P-3C Orion aircraft from Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan, and diverted a guided missile destroyer USS Pinckney carrying two Sikorsky MH-60R Seahawk helicopters which can be equipped for search and rescue.[66][67] USNS John Ericsson is en route to the scene to provide fuel and logistics replenishment.[66] The US also dispatched a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) team in advance, ready to start work immediately should the aircraft wreckage be discovered.[68] The U.S. Navy also ordered a second destroyer, the USS Kidd, to the scene.[69]

The Vietnam Coast Guard CASA C-212-400VietnamThe Vietnamese participated with three Antonov An-26s, two CASA C-212, one DHC-6 Twin Otter, two Mil Mi-171 and seven ships from the Navy (HQ-954, HQ-627), Coast Guard (CSB-2001, CSB-2003), Fisheries Control (KN-774) and Maritime Search & Rescue Coordination Centre (SAR 413).New ZealandThe New Zealand Government has deployed a RNZAF P3 Orion to help with the search, based at Butterworth Air Base in Penang along with two Australian P3 aircraft.
Aircraft[
The Boeing 777 is generally regarded by aviation experts as having an "almost flawless" safety record,[70] one of the best of any commercial aircraft.[71] Since its first commercial flight in June 1995, there have only been two previous serious incidents. In January 2008, 47 passengers were injured when ice crystals in the fuel system of British Airways Flight 38 caused it to lose power and crash-land just short of the runway at London Heathrow Airport. In July 2013, Asiana Airlines Flight 214 crash-landed on final approach to San Francisco International Airport. Three passengers died and 181 were injured as a result of the incident.[72] Both aircraft were damaged beyond repair.[73]

The aircraft was a Boeing 777-2H6ER,[a] serial number 28420, registration 9M-MRO. The 404th Boeing 777 produced, it first flew on 14 May 2002, and was delivered new to Malaysia Airlines on 31 May 2002. The aircraft was powered by two Rolls-Royce Trent 892 engines.[75] According to the airline, it had accumulated at least 20,243 hours and 3,023 cycles in service.[76][77] 9M-MRO had not previously been involved in any major incidents,[78]however, a minor incident while taxiing at Shanghai Pudong International Airport in August 2012 resulted in significant damage to one of its wingtips, which broke off after striking the tail of another plane.[79]Its last maintenance check was in February 2014.[80]

Passengers and crew
Nationalities of people aboard Flight 370NationalityPassengersCrewTotal