This article is from the source 'washpo' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/malaysia-aircraft-mystery-may-hinge-on-unidentified-radar-path/2014/03/12/334edf74-a9d2-11e3-8599-ce7295b6851c_story.html?wprss=rss_world
The article has changed 16 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 4 | Version 5 |
|---|---|
| Malaysia aircraft mystery may hinge on ‘unidentified’ radar path | Malaysia aircraft mystery may hinge on ‘unidentified’ radar path |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — The search for a Malaysian passenger jet could hinge on newly divulged radar data that suggest the plane veered hundreds of miles off course before vanishing. | KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — The search for a Malaysian passenger jet could hinge on newly divulged radar data that suggest the plane veered hundreds of miles off course before vanishing. |
| Malaysia’s air force chief, Rodzali Daud, said Wednesday that an “unidentified plot” was seen on military radar intermittently for around 45 minutes after Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 vanished from civilian air traffic control systems at 1:30 a.m on Saturday. He said that radar trail ended at a point over the sea, 200 miles northwest of Penang, on Malaysia’s west coast. | Malaysia’s air force chief, Rodzali Daud, said Wednesday that an “unidentified plot” was seen on military radar intermittently for around 45 minutes after Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 vanished from civilian air traffic control systems at 1:30 a.m on Saturday. He said that radar trail ended at a point over the sea, 200 miles northwest of Penang, on Malaysia’s west coast. |
| “It’s a plot. An unidentified plot,” Rodzali said. “I’m not saying it’s MH370.” | “It’s a plot. An unidentified plot,” Rodzali said. “I’m not saying it’s MH370.” |
| Malaysia’s uncertainty about the data largely explains why the five-day search for crash evidence has been so chaotic. Authorities here still don’t know whether the plane crashed soon after 1:30 a.m., or instead cut off its transponders and went on a ghost flight across the country and perhaps beyond. For now, the 90-some ships and aircraft involved in the search are split between two bodies of water on opposite sides of the Malaysian peninsula. | Malaysia’s uncertainty about the data largely explains why the five-day search for crash evidence has been so chaotic. Authorities here still don’t know whether the plane crashed soon after 1:30 a.m., or instead cut off its transponders and went on a ghost flight across the country and perhaps beyond. For now, the 90-some ships and aircraft involved in the search are split between two bodies of water on opposite sides of the Malaysian peninsula. |
| The final words heard by air traffic controllers from the cockpit before the plane vanished were “All right, good night,” relatives of the passengers were told Wednesday. The routine transmission shed no light on what happened to the Boeing 777. | |
| Malaysian authorities have faced mounting criticism about their transparency and their handling of the case, and they struggled Wednesday to say why they were only now revealing the military data. A day earlier, Malaysian military officials gave a series of conflicting statements about whether the plane had indeed tacked west; this uncertain radar plot likely explains the contradictions. | Malaysian authorities have faced mounting criticism about their transparency and their handling of the case, and they struggled Wednesday to say why they were only now revealing the military data. A day earlier, Malaysian military officials gave a series of conflicting statements about whether the plane had indeed tacked west; this uncertain radar plot likely explains the contradictions. |
| Malaysia is hoping for United States assistance in determining whether the radar plot is that of MH370. On Wednesday Malaysia shared both its civilian and military data with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board. | Malaysia is hoping for United States assistance in determining whether the radar plot is that of MH370. On Wednesday Malaysia shared both its civilian and military data with the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board. |
| If the radar data can be confirmed as stemming from MH370, it means that the aircraft traveled across the country essentially unnoticed. Malaysia’s military says it noticed the recorded data only after the fact, not in real time. | If the radar data can be confirmed as stemming from MH370, it means that the aircraft traveled across the country essentially unnoticed. Malaysia’s military says it noticed the recorded data only after the fact, not in real time. |
| Both military and civilian authorities track aircraft using radar. But all radar has a limited range. In this case, land- or ship-based military radar may have been better positioned to pick up a plane that went off course. | Both military and civilian authorities track aircraft using radar. But all radar has a limited range. In this case, land- or ship-based military radar may have been better positioned to pick up a plane that went off course. |
| One reason the disappearance of the Malaysia Airlines jet is so mysterious is that its transponders stopped communicating when it was east of the Malaysian peninsula. Transponders send signals that identify the plane. Once they are turned off, the plane looks like a blob on the screens of military or civilian aviation personnel. | One reason the disappearance of the Malaysia Airlines jet is so mysterious is that its transponders stopped communicating when it was east of the Malaysian peninsula. Transponders send signals that identify the plane. Once they are turned off, the plane looks like a blob on the screens of military or civilian aviation personnel. |
| The radar “plot” cited by Malaysian authorities is essentially a chart showing the course of the plane. | The radar “plot” cited by Malaysian authorities is essentially a chart showing the course of the plane. |
| The search has turned into one of the most difficult on record for a downed airliner, sparking rumors and conspiracy theories. In the aftermath of a comparable aviation disaster — the 2009 disappearance of an Air France flight over the Atlantic — the first baggage and bodies were found after five days. | The search has turned into one of the most difficult on record for a downed airliner, sparking rumors and conspiracy theories. In the aftermath of a comparable aviation disaster — the 2009 disappearance of an Air France flight over the Atlantic — the first baggage and bodies were found after five days. |
| Some aviation experts say that even Malaysia’s current search area doesn’t cover enough ground. If the plane indeed tacked west, it would have had enough fuel to make it toward India. | Some aviation experts say that even Malaysia’s current search area doesn’t cover enough ground. If the plane indeed tacked west, it would have had enough fuel to make it toward India. |
| India’s coast guard joined the search Wednesday, dispatching an aircraft based in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on a sortie to look for the missing plane, officials said. Nothing so far has been found, they said. | India’s coast guard joined the search Wednesday, dispatching an aircraft based in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on a sortie to look for the missing plane, officials said. Nothing so far has been found, they said. |
| “Right now it’s like a murder mystery with no body,” said David Gallo, director of special projects at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, who co-led the search for Air France Flight 447. “They should calculate how far the plane could have gone with the fuel it had and that is the radius for the search. Because that is the realm of possibility, absurd as it sounds.” | “Right now it’s like a murder mystery with no body,” said David Gallo, director of special projects at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, who co-led the search for Air France Flight 447. “They should calculate how far the plane could have gone with the fuel it had and that is the radius for the search. Because that is the realm of possibility, absurd as it sounds.” |
| The Malaysia Airlines red-eye flight bound for Beijing disappeared from civilian radar about one hour after takeoff, while over the Gulf of Thailand. Both the gulf and the Malacca Strait to the west are heavily trafficked sea lanes — and they are also relatively shallow. If the plane traveled farther west, though, it could have ended up in the Andaman Sea or Bay of Bengal, where depths can reach nearly three miles. | The Malaysia Airlines red-eye flight bound for Beijing disappeared from civilian radar about one hour after takeoff, while over the Gulf of Thailand. Both the gulf and the Malacca Strait to the west are heavily trafficked sea lanes — and they are also relatively shallow. If the plane traveled farther west, though, it could have ended up in the Andaman Sea or Bay of Bengal, where depths can reach nearly three miles. |
| “Unless we get the aircraft and the black box, it is unlikely we are able to answer a lot of speculative issues,” Hishammuddin Hussein, Malaysia’s defense minister and acting transport minister, said Wednesday. | “Unless we get the aircraft and the black box, it is unlikely we are able to answer a lot of speculative issues,” Hishammuddin Hussein, Malaysia’s defense minister and acting transport minister, said Wednesday. |
| With India, Japan and Brunei now involved, Hishammuddin said 12 countries were searching for the plane, with 42 ships and 39 aircraft scouring more than 27,000 square nautical miles. Hishammuddin rejected criticism of Malaysia’s coordination of the search, which he said was an “overwhelming” and “unwavering” operation. | With India, Japan and Brunei now involved, Hishammuddin said 12 countries were searching for the plane, with 42 ships and 39 aircraft scouring more than 27,000 square nautical miles. Hishammuddin rejected criticism of Malaysia’s coordination of the search, which he said was an “overwhelming” and “unwavering” operation. |
| China, which had 153 passengers on board, has been the most vocal critic of Malaysia’s response, and an editorial Wednesday in the state-run Global Times asked whether the Malaysian military “was hiding anything on purpose.” | China, which had 153 passengers on board, has been the most vocal critic of Malaysia’s response, and an editorial Wednesday in the state-run Global Times asked whether the Malaysian military “was hiding anything on purpose.” |
| “We hope Malaysia can face its own shortcomings, and cooperate with China with a more open and candid attitude,” the editorial said. | “We hope Malaysia can face its own shortcomings, and cooperate with China with a more open and candid attitude,” the editorial said. |
| At a hotel in Beijing, Malaysia’s ambassador to China and several officials from Malaysia’s civil aviation department met with relatives of passengers on the flight. The officials faced a barrage of questions about why they have struggled to pinpoint the last known location of the aircraft. | At a hotel in Beijing, Malaysia’s ambassador to China and several officials from Malaysia’s civil aviation department met with relatives of passengers on the flight. The officials faced a barrage of questions about why they have struggled to pinpoint the last known location of the aircraft. |
| “We are here for five days, you see our situation, and we are here only for one thing,” one of the relatives said. “We wait for the information, and we wait for a miracle.” | “We are here for five days, you see our situation, and we are here only for one thing,” one of the relatives said. “We wait for the information, and we wait for a miracle.” |
| With a void of information, social media users seized on an Australian report that detailed how two female teenagers, during a 2011 international flight, were invited into the cockpit by the same co-pilot who was on the MH370 flight. That co-pilot, Fariq Abdul Hamid, posed for pictures mid-flight and smoked cigarettes. The women — one of whom supplied photos to the Australian program, “A Current Affair” — stayed in the cockpit from takeoff until landing. Fariq also asked the guests to extend their stay in Kuala Lumpur, so he could take them out on the town. | With a void of information, social media users seized on an Australian report that detailed how two female teenagers, during a 2011 international flight, were invited into the cockpit by the same co-pilot who was on the MH370 flight. That co-pilot, Fariq Abdul Hamid, posed for pictures mid-flight and smoked cigarettes. The women — one of whom supplied photos to the Australian program, “A Current Affair” — stayed in the cockpit from takeoff until landing. Fariq also asked the guests to extend their stay in Kuala Lumpur, so he could take them out on the town. |
| “Possibly a little sleazy,” one of the women, Jonti Roos, said. | “Possibly a little sleazy,” one of the women, Jonti Roos, said. |
| In a statement, Malaysia Airlines said it was “shocked by these allegations.” | In a statement, Malaysia Airlines said it was “shocked by these allegations.” |
| “We have not been able to confirm the validity of the pictures and videos of the alleged incident,” the airline said. “As you are aware, we are in the midst of a crisis, and we do not want our attention to be diverted.” | “We have not been able to confirm the validity of the pictures and videos of the alleged incident,” the airline said. “As you are aware, we are in the midst of a crisis, and we do not want our attention to be diverted.” |
| The reports that Flight MH370 veered so far off course added a bizarre and confusing new element to a case that has baffled investigators. | The reports that Flight MH370 veered so far off course added a bizarre and confusing new element to a case that has baffled investigators. |
| In a signal of impatience from Beijing, the Chinese military sent two additional aircraft to help with the search Tuesday, and it deployed three more vessels, which are expected to arrive in the area by Wednesday morning, according to state-controlled Xinhua News Agency. Japan also said it would dispatch a disaster relief team. | In a signal of impatience from Beijing, the Chinese military sent two additional aircraft to help with the search Tuesday, and it deployed three more vessels, which are expected to arrive in the area by Wednesday morning, according to state-controlled Xinhua News Agency. Japan also said it would dispatch a disaster relief team. |
| Amid the confusion, Vietnam briefly said it was scaling back operations until it received more concrete information from Malaysia. Later, however, it said its search had resumed in full force and would also sweep land areas, news agencies reported. | Amid the confusion, Vietnam briefly said it was scaling back operations until it received more concrete information from Malaysia. Later, however, it said its search had resumed in full force and would also sweep land areas, news agencies reported. |
| Four days after the plane carrying 227 passengers disappeared, investigators acknowledged that they still were mystified by what happened on board. Malaysian authorities said they continued to look for signs of sabotage or hijacking but also were considering the possibility of psychological or personal problems among the passengers or crew. | Four days after the plane carrying 227 passengers disappeared, investigators acknowledged that they still were mystified by what happened on board. Malaysian authorities said they continued to look for signs of sabotage or hijacking but also were considering the possibility of psychological or personal problems among the passengers or crew. |
| They played down any connection between the plane’s fate and two Iranian passengers who had boarded the aircraft with stolen Austrian and Italian passports. | They played down any connection between the plane’s fate and two Iranian passengers who had boarded the aircraft with stolen 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 Brennan said terrorism could not 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 be ruled out, while stressing that authorities have reached no conclusions about what caused the plane’s disappearance. |
| “It’s still a mystery at this point,” Brennan said after delivering a speech in Washington. | “It’s still a mystery at this point,” Brennan said after delivering a speech in Washington. |
| The discovery of two passengers with stolen documents had raised alarm that a terrorist attack might have brought down the plane. But authorities said Tuesday that the two Iranians carrying stolen 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. | The discovery of two passengers with stolen documents had raised alarm that a terrorist attack might have brought down the plane. But authorities said Tuesday that the two Iranians carrying stolen 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. |
| 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, although his reasons for traveling were not immediately clear. While Malaysia might seem an odd stop for Middle Eastern men heading to Europe, it is relatively easy for Iranians to enter the country, and airline tickets to reach the Southeast Asian country are fairly cheap. | 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, although his reasons for traveling were not immediately clear. While Malaysia might seem an odd stop for Middle Eastern men heading to Europe, it is relatively easy for Iranians to enter the country, and airline tickets to reach the Southeast Asian country are fairly cheap. |
| 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. | 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. |
| Search teams, meanwhile, battled wind and whitecaps while looking for any sign of debris from the plane, especially wreckage containing the crucial cockpit recorders. The instruments usually emit tracking signals for about 30 days. | Search teams, meanwhile, battled wind and whitecaps while looking for any sign of debris from the plane, especially wreckage containing the crucial cockpit recorders. The instruments usually emit tracking signals for about 30 days. |
| The United States is using P-3 Orion surveillance aircraft and helicopters that fly just 500 feet above the water and depend on crews to spot potential debris. | The United States is using 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.” |
| Denyer reported from Beijing. Jason Rezaian in Tehran; William Branigin, Ashley Halsey III and Greg Miller in Washington; and William Wan, Liu Liu, Gu Jinglu and Xu Jing in Beijing contributed to this report. | Denyer reported from Beijing. Jason Rezaian in Tehran; William Branigin, Ashley Halsey III and Greg Miller in Washington; and William Wan, Liu Liu, Gu Jinglu and Xu Jing in Beijing contributed to this report. |