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Malaysian military says missing jetliner inexplicably turned around Malaysia Airlines plane may have veered wildly off course during flight, military says
(about 1 hour later)
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — As the search ground on Tuesday for a Malaysian airliner that mysteriously disappeared, Malaysian military officials said radar data showed it inexplicably turned and headed toward the Malacca Strait, hundreds of miles off its scheduled flight path, news agencies and Malaysian media reported. KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — As the search pressed on Tuesday for a vanished Malaysian airliner, military officials said radar data showed it inexplicably turned and headed toward the Malacca Strait, hundreds of miles off its scheduled flight path, news agencies and Malaysian media reported.
Malaysia’s air force chief, Gen. Rodzali Daud, was quoted by Malaysian newspaper Berita Harian as saying the Boeing 777 jet was detected by military radar at 2:40 a.m. Saturday near Pulau Perak at the northern end of the strait, which separates the western side of the Malaysian peninsula from the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Malaysia’s air force chief, Gen. Rodzali Daud, was quoted by Malaysian newspaper Berita Harian as saying that the Boeing 777 jet was detected by military radar at 2:40 a.m. Saturday near Pulau Perak at the northern end of the strait, which separates the western side of the Malaysian peninsula from the Indonesian island of Sumatra.
“After that, the signal from the plane was lost,” he told the newspaper.“After that, the signal from the plane was lost,” he told the newspaper.
Search teams from 10 nations had initially focused their efforts east of the peninsula along the path that the red-eye flight was on when it disappeared after taking off from Kuala Lumpur at 12:41 a.m. local time en route to Beijing, where it was supposed to land at 6:30 a.m.Search teams from 10 nations had initially focused their efforts east of the peninsula along the path that the red-eye flight was on when it disappeared after taking off from Kuala Lumpur at 12:41 a.m. local time en route to Beijing, where it was supposed to land at 6:30 a.m.
The reports that the plane veered so far off course added a bizarre and confusing new element to an investigation that has baffled investigators. The reports that the plane veered so far off course added a bizarre and confusing new element to a case that has baffled investigators.
Three days after the plane carrying 227 passengers vanished, investigators admitted they still were mystified by what happened. Malaysian authorities said they continued to look for signs of foul play, including sabotage or hijacking. Three days after the plane carrying 227 passengers vanished, investigators admitted they still were mystified by what happened on board. Malaysian authorities said they continued to look for signs of sabotage or hijacking but were also considering the possibility of psychological or personal problems among the passengers or crew.
They seemed to downplay any connection between the plane’s fate and two Iranian passengers who boarded the aircraft with fake Austrian and Italian documents. They played down any connection between the plane’s fate and two Iranian passengers who had boarded the aircraft with fake Austrian and Italian passports.
“The more information we get, the more we are inclined to conclude it is not a terrorist incident,” Ronald Noble, secretary general of the international police agency Interpol, told reporters.“The more information we get, the more we are inclined to conclude it is not a terrorist incident,” Ronald Noble, secretary general of the international police agency Interpol, told reporters.
But in Washington, CIA Director John O. Brennan said terrorism could not yet be ruled out, while stressing that authorities have reached no conclusions about what caused the plane’s disappearance. But in Washington, CIA Director John Brennan said terrorism could not yet be ruled out, while stressing that authorities have reached no conclusions about what caused the plane’s disappearance.
Reuters news agency, citing an unidentified Malaysian military source, said military radar picked up the plane as it flew across the Malaysian peninsula in its final minutes. Malaysian media reported that some residents spotted a plane flying at about 3,000 feet near the eastern city of Kota Bharu. Reuters news agency, citing an unidentified Malaysian military source, said military radar picked up the plane as it crossed the Malaysian peninsula in what were apparently its final minutes of flight. Malaysian media reported that some residents spotted a plane flying low, near the city of Kota Bharu.
If the reports were correct, it was unclear why authorities didn’t become aware earlier in the investigation about the military radar information. If the reports were correct, it was unclear why many authorities didn’t appear aware of the information earlier in the investigation. Authorities have consistently said that Flight MH370’s transponder signal — which communicates with civil aviation radar — abruptly stopped at the time the plane was supposed to be entering Vietnamese air space. But military radar could have continued to track the aircraft.
If the plane dropped from a low altitude into the Malacca Strait, it might explain the lack of a major debris field. Malaysia Airlines said in a statement early Tuesday that the western coast of Malaysia was “now the focus” of the search. But a spokeswoman for the airline later said the wording was a mistake and that there was no particular emphasis on any location. If the plane dropped from a low altitude into the Malacca Strait, it might explain the lack of a major debris field. Malaysia Airlines said in a statement early Tuesday that the western coast of Malaysia was “now the focus” of the search. But a spokeswoman for the airline later said the wording was a mistake and that there was no emphasis on any location.
Malaysian civil aviation chief Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said searches were continuing “on both sides” of the peninsula.Malaysian civil aviation chief Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said searches were continuing “on both sides” of the peninsula.
Authorities expressed surprise that the plane would have attempted to head back to the Malaysian capital without informing ground control. No evidence of terrorism
Search teams, meanwhile, battled wind and whitecaps while looking for any sign of debris from the vanished Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370, especially wreckage containing the plane’s crucial cockpit recorders. The instruments usually emit tracking signals for about 30 days. The discovery of two passengers with fake documents had raised alarm that a terrorist attack might have brought down the plane. But authorities said Tuesday that the two Iranians carrying phony passports — Pouria Nour Mohammad Mehrdad, 19, and Delavar Seyed Mohammad Reza, 29 — did not appear to be linked to any violent group. Both arrived in Malaysia the same day, Feb. 28, officials said.
They were identified as Pouria Nour Mohammad Mehrdad, 19, and Delavar Seyed Mohammad Reza, 29. Both arrived in Malaysia the same day, Feb. 28, officials said.
At a news conference in Kuala Lumpur, Khalid Abu Bakar, inspector general of Malaysia’s police, said that the 19-year-old was trying to migrate to Germany: His mother had been waiting for him in Frankfurt, then called Malaysian authorities when he did not show up. Interpol identified the other Iranian at a separate news conference, though his reasons for traveling were not immediately clear.At a news conference in Kuala Lumpur, Khalid Abu Bakar, inspector general of Malaysia’s police, said that the 19-year-old was trying to migrate to Germany: His mother had been waiting for him in Frankfurt, then called Malaysian authorities when he did not show up. Interpol identified the other Iranian at a separate news conference, though his reasons for traveling were not immediately clear.
Khalid said that Malaysia has been examining images of baggage, studying closed-circuit monitors for suspicious behavior at the airport terminal and trying to obtain photos and profiles of all 227 passengers on board. Chinese public security officials visited Malaysian police Tuesday morning and provided the information on all 153 Chinese on board. While Malaysia might seem an odd stop for Middle Eastern men heading for Europe, it is relatively easy for Iranians to enter the country, and air tickets to reach the Southeast Asian country are fairly cheap.
But Khalid admitted there was no leading theory about what happened to the plane. Khalid said that Malaysia has been examining images of baggage, studying closed-circuit monitors for suspicious behavior at the airport terminal and trying to obtain photos and profiles of the passengers.
“What confirmed information do we have? Nothing,” he said. Search teams, meanwhile, battled wind and whitecaps while looking for any sign of debris from the vanished Malaysia Airlines flight, especially wreckage containing the plane’s crucial cockpit recorders. The instruments usually emit tracking signals for about 30 days.
Since the plane disappeared Saturday morning from civilian radar without issuing a distress call, search teams from 10 nations have been scouring two vast areas of sea, one east of Malaysia, one to the west. If the plane followed its flight path to Beijing, its remains would be in the eastern area — the Gulf of Thailand. Since the plane disappeared Saturday morning from civilian radar without issuing a distress call, 42 vessels and 35 aircraft have joined the search. If the plane followed its flight path to Beijing, its remains would be in the eastern area — the Gulf of Thailand.
Crews are not yet using underground technology to search the sea floor. Crews are not using underwater technology to search the sea floor.
Ten countries, 42 vessels and 35 aircraft are involved in the operation, but pilots and planes need rest and maintenance, and Malaysia might need to scale back its search effort in the coming days. Whitecaps made it difficult Tuesday for search teams to spot wreckage — at least for the many crews working without radar technology. The United States is using both P-3 Orion surveillance aircraft and helicopters that fly just 500 feet above the water and depend on crews to spot potential debris.
Wind and waves have expanded the search area, and whitecaps made it difficult Tuesday for search teams to spot wreckage — at least for the many crews working without radar technology. The United States is using both P-3 Orion surveillance aircraft and helicopters that fly just 500 feet above the water and depend on crews to spot potential debris.
With the surveillance aircraft, “the software that goes with the radar is smart enough to cancel out those waves,” Cmdr. William Marks, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet, said in a phone interview from the Gulf of Thailand. “However, if you’re just using your eyeballs, it is a significant challenge, because the water is not flat any more.”With the surveillance aircraft, “the software that goes with the radar is smart enough to cancel out those waves,” Cmdr. William Marks, a spokesman for the U.S. Navy’s 7th Fleet, said in a phone interview from the Gulf of Thailand. “However, if you’re just using your eyeballs, it is a significant challenge, because the water is not flat any more.”
With a void of information about what went wrong, investigators have focused on trying to find evidence of sabotage, hijacking or some psychological or personal problem among the passengers or crew. Denyer reported from Beijing. Jason Rezaian in Tehran; William Branigin, Ashley Halsey and Greg Miller in Washington; and William Wan, Liu Liu, Gu Jinglu and Xu Jing in Beijing contributed to this report.
Asked for more details on how personal problems might be relevant, Khalid threw out a hypothetical situation that perhaps someone could have taken out substantial life insurance and used the crash as a payoff for his family.
Another particularly sensitive possibility, mentioned by aviation experts but not by Malaysian authorities, is pilot suicide, in which the pilot could have turned off the transponder and deviated from the flight path.
There have been two cases in recent years in which a pilot or crew member is believed to have intentionally caused a plane to crash: the disaster involving SilkAir Flight 185, which spiraled into the ground in Indonesia in 1997, killing 97 passengers and seven crew members; and the crash of EgyptAir Flight 990, which plunged into the Atlantic south of Nantucket in 1999, killing 217 people.
But Steve Marks, a Miami aviation lawyer who represented families in two instances in which an airliner plummeted from cruising altitude, pointed to a mechanical failure as the most likely cause of the Malaysia Airlines tragedy.
“There can be a mechanical problem that can occur at altitude, where the pilots are unable to report the failure and the aircraft is lost on radar,” he said.
Nonetheless, he said, the failure of all communications from Flight MH370 made it “the most mysterious” crash in his recollection.
Qin Gang, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman, pushed Malaysia on Tuesday to “step up efforts” in its search and to perform “other follow-up work including comforting the relatives.” Malaysia Airlines said it would provide $5,000 to families for out-of-pocket necessities as they mourn and decide whether to travel to a command center in Kuala Lumpur. The money is separate from compensation that victims stand to receive eventually.
Wan and Denyer reported from Beijing. William Branigin, Ashley Halsey, Ernesto Londoño and Adam Taylor in Washington, and Liu Liu, Gu Jinglu and Xu Jing in Beijing contributed to this report.