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| Search for missing Malaysian plane expands; China says satellite finds ‘floating objects’ | |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Ships and planes from a dozen nations expanded the search for a missing Malaysian airliner Wednesday after newly divulged radar data suggested that the aircraft veered hundreds of miles off course before vanishing. | KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Ships and planes from a dozen nations expanded the search for a missing Malaysian airliner Wednesday after newly divulged radar data suggested that the aircraft veered hundreds of miles off course before vanishing. |
| The information prompted the Malaysian government to ask India to join the search, on the theory that Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 might have flown toward the Andaman Sea after it vanished from civilian air traffic control systems at 1:30 a.m Saturday en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. | The information prompted the Malaysian government to ask India to join the search, on the theory that Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 might have flown toward the Andaman Sea after it vanished from civilian air traffic control systems at 1:30 a.m Saturday en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. |
| A Chinese government agency said Wednesday that one of its satellites spotted “floating objects” in the “suspected crash area” of the Malaysian airliner, but there was no immediate confirmation that the unidentified pieces were part of the plane’s wreckage. | |
| China’s State Administration for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense said a satellite called Gaofen-1 found “three suspected floating objects” at coordinates that would put them in waters northeast of Kuala Lumpur and south of Vietnam. It said images of the objects, which ranged in size from 13 by 18 meters to 22 by 24 meters, were captured Sunday, a day after the plane disappeared. The agency did not explain why the images were not released until Wednesday. | |
| Hishammuddin Hussein, Malaysia’s defense minister and acting transport minister, said 42 ships and 39 aircraft were scouring more than 27,000 square nautical miles (35,756 square miles) to the east and west of the Malay Peninsula in what he described as an unprecedented search effort. | Hishammuddin Hussein, Malaysia’s defense minister and acting transport minister, said 42 ships and 39 aircraft were scouring more than 27,000 square nautical miles (35,756 square miles) to the east and west of the Malay Peninsula in what he described as an unprecedented search effort. |
| Malaysia’s air force chief, Rodzali Daud, said Wednesday that an “unidentified plot” was seen on military radar intermittently for around 45 minutes after the plane disappeared. 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 the plane disappeared. 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.” |
| However, aviation experts are questioning the quality of the radar data indicating that the plane made a sharp left turn and flew hundreds of miles in the wrong direction. | However, aviation experts are questioning the quality of the radar data indicating that the plane made a sharp left turn and flew hundreds of miles in the wrong direction. |
| “There are issues about the quality of this information,” Steven B. Wallace, former director of the Office of Accident Investigation at the Federal Aviation Administration, said Wednesday when asked whether the turn-around scenario was plausible. If the information is accurate, he added, it could suggest an unauthorized takeover of the plane’s controls. | “There are issues about the quality of this information,” Steven B. Wallace, former director of the Office of Accident Investigation at the Federal Aviation Administration, said Wednesday when asked whether the turn-around scenario was plausible. If the information is accurate, he added, it could suggest an unauthorized takeover of the plane’s controls. |
| “What happened here, if you believe this information [from the Malaysian military], was that the changing of course appeared to happen pretty much concurrently with the loss of the transponder,” Wallace said. “That has to suggest that control of the airplane was taken over by someone unauthorized.” | “What happened here, if you believe this information [from the Malaysian military], was that the changing of course appeared to happen pretty much concurrently with the loss of the transponder,” Wallace said. “That has to suggest that control of the airplane was taken over by someone unauthorized.” |
| 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 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 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. | 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, the defense minister, said Wednesday, referring to the crucial cockpit recorders. | “Unless we get the aircraft and the black box, it is unlikely we are able to answer a lot of speculative issues,” Hishammuddin, the defense minister, said Wednesday, referring to the crucial cockpit recorders. |
| With India, Japan and Brunei now involved, Hishammuddin said 12 countries were searching for the plane. | With India, Japan and Brunei now involved, Hishammuddin said 12 countries were searching for the plane. |
| Hishammuddin rejected criticism of Malaysia’s coordination of the search, which he said was an “overwhelming” and “unwavering” operation. | 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.” |
| 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. |