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| Search for missing Malaysian plane expands into Indian Ocean | Search for missing Malaysian plane expands into Indian Ocean |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| A week into the fruitless search for a missing Malaysian airliner, the focus returned to the possibility that a rogue pilot or hijackers took command of the plane as it flew north over the sea toward Beijing. | A week into the fruitless search for a missing Malaysian airliner, the focus returned to the possibility that a rogue pilot or hijackers took command of the plane as it flew north over the sea toward Beijing. |
| That fear hinged on the erratic behavior of the plane after it stopped sending radar signals and an indisputable fact: Despite an exhaustive search of the waters that straddle Malaysia and farther into the Indian Ocean, no trace of the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 has been found. | That fear hinged on the erratic behavior of the plane after it stopped sending radar signals and an indisputable fact: Despite an exhaustive search of the waters that straddle Malaysia and farther into the Indian Ocean, no trace of the Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 has been found. |
| “It’s looking less and less like an accident,” said a U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly. “It’s looking more like a criminal event.” | “It’s looking less and less like an accident,” said a U.S. official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak publicly. “It’s looking more like a criminal event.” |
| Investigators are considering whether the plane was hijacked or sabotaged after receiving information that the plane continued to fly for at least four hours after its transponder stopped sending signals to civilian radar in Malaysia. | Investigators are considering whether the plane was hijacked or sabotaged after receiving information that the plane continued to fly for at least four hours after its transponder stopped sending signals to civilian radar in Malaysia. |
| If the flight continued after the transponder fell silent, officials and experts said, it must have been turned off in the cockpit. | If the flight continued after the transponder fell silent, officials and experts said, it must have been turned off in the cockpit. |
| “You’ve got an airplane that’s continuing to fly; you’ve got systems that are becoming non-operational. It had to be a deliberate action to turn them off,” said Ron Carr, who spent 39 years flying for the U.S. Air Force and American Airlines before becoming a professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida. “Somebody’s clearly operating the aircraft. I have a hunch it was hijacked.” | “You’ve got an airplane that’s continuing to fly; you’ve got systems that are becoming non-operational. It had to be a deliberate action to turn them off,” said Ron Carr, who spent 39 years flying for the U.S. Air Force and American Airlines before becoming a professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida. “Somebody’s clearly operating the aircraft. I have a hunch it was hijacked.” |
| A second U.S. official said the jet’s path was unusual after it disappeared from radar. The senior official said that the plane reached an altitude of about 45,000 feet and “jumped around a lot.” | A second U.S. official said the jet’s path was unusual after it disappeared from radar. The senior official said that the plane reached an altitude of about 45,000 feet and “jumped around a lot.” |
| The official said the United States was starting to get a lot of information about the plane’s movements but added there was no indication of terrorism or evidence to substantiate air piracy. “We won’t know until we have the black box,” the official said, referring to the plane’s flight recorder. | The official said the United States was starting to get a lot of information about the plane’s movements but added there was no indication of terrorism or evidence to substantiate air piracy. “We won’t know until we have the black box,” the official said, referring to the plane’s flight recorder. |
| U.S. officials provided new details Friday about how they knew that the plane continued to fly well after its transponder stopped transmitting. | U.S. officials provided new details Friday about how they knew that the plane continued to fly well after its transponder stopped transmitting. |
| They said that an automatic stream of data from the plane ended at about the same time the transponder stopped. But a satellite that had been receiving the data continued to reach out to the plane on an hourly basis, and for at least four hours it received confirmation that the plane still was flying. | They said that an automatic stream of data from the plane ended at about the same time the transponder stopped. But a satellite that had been receiving the data continued to reach out to the plane on an hourly basis, and for at least four hours it received confirmation that the plane still was flying. |
| “It is telling us the airplane continued to operate” for several hours, said a third U.S. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity so that he could speak candidly about a politically sensitive investigation. | “It is telling us the airplane continued to operate” for several hours, said a third U.S. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity so that he could speak candidly about a politically sensitive investigation. |
| Significantly, the transponder and the data flow did not stop at the same time, as they would if the plane had exploded or crashed into the ocean. | Significantly, the transponder and the data flow did not stop at the same time, as they would if the plane had exploded or crashed into the ocean. |
| “They both did stop, and they did not stop simultaneously,” the official said. “A simultaneous stopping is something that we have seen before in in-flight breakups, airplanes that have exploded or come apart in the air.” | “They both did stop, and they did not stop simultaneously,” the official said. “A simultaneous stopping is something that we have seen before in in-flight breakups, airplanes that have exploded or come apart in the air.” |
| The data stream that was interrupted shortly after 1 a.m. on March 8 flows through a two-way onboard computer system known as ACARS, the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System. | The data stream that was interrupted shortly after 1 a.m. on March 8 flows through a two-way onboard computer system known as ACARS, the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System. |
| “It is very possible for you as a pilot in the cockpit to turn off the ACARS system,” the official said. “If you knew what you were doing in the cockpit, you could shut off ACARS transmission.” | “It is very possible for you as a pilot in the cockpit to turn off the ACARS system,” the official said. “If you knew what you were doing in the cockpit, you could shut off ACARS transmission.” |
| But the ability of the satellite to locate the plane — which he referred to as a “handshake” in which no information is exchanged — cannot be terminated from the cockpit. | But the ability of the satellite to locate the plane — which he referred to as a “handshake” in which no information is exchanged — cannot be terminated from the cockpit. |
| “There’s no push button,” he said. “There’s no circuit breaker that would allow you to shut off the handshake.” | “There’s no push button,” he said. “There’s no circuit breaker that would allow you to shut off the handshake.” |
| That satellite handshake took place on a system operated by Inmarsat, a British satellite company that provides global mobile telecommunications services. | That satellite handshake took place on a system operated by Inmarsat, a British satellite company that provides global mobile telecommunications services. |
| U.S. officials declined to say how closely that handshake allowed them to track the path of the missing plane. | U.S. officials declined to say how closely that handshake allowed them to track the path of the missing plane. |
| The search spread late this week from the relatively shallow waters around Malaysia to the much deeper Indian Ocean after Malaysia’s military reported that its radar showed that the plane veered sharply off course after its transponder stopped working and its radio went silent. | The search spread late this week from the relatively shallow waters around Malaysia to the much deeper Indian Ocean after Malaysia’s military reported that its radar showed that the plane veered sharply off course after its transponder stopped working and its radio went silent. |
| The plane continued to maneuver as if under control from the cockpit and changed altitude serval times, the New York Times reported Friday. | The plane continued to maneuver as if under control from the cockpit and changed altitude serval times, the New York Times reported Friday. |
| The newspaper said that Malaysian military radar showed it climbing to 45,000 feet and then dropping to 23,000 feet as it approached the Malaysian island of Penang. | The newspaper said that Malaysian military radar showed it climbing to 45,000 feet and then dropping to 23,000 feet as it approached the Malaysian island of Penang. |
| The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 now involves 13 countries and more than 100 ships and aircraft. Malaysia’s acting transport minister, Hishammuddin Hussein, emphasized Friday that the search was expanding not because of any particular leads but because the initial search had turned up no evidence or debris. | The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 now involves 13 countries and more than 100 ships and aircraft. Malaysia’s acting transport minister, Hishammuddin Hussein, emphasized Friday that the search was expanding not because of any particular leads but because the initial search had turned up no evidence or debris. |
| “A normal investigation becomes narrower with time,” Hishammuddin said. “But this is not a normal investigation. We are looking further and further afield.” | “A normal investigation becomes narrower with time,” Hishammuddin said. “But this is not a normal investigation. We are looking further and further afield.” |
| The FBI is working with the Malaysian government and has sent more personnel to Malaysia to complement agents posted there. So far, the Malaysian government has not officially accepted any operational assistance, officials said. | The FBI is working with the Malaysian government and has sent more personnel to Malaysia to complement agents posted there. So far, the Malaysian government has not officially accepted any operational assistance, officials said. |
| Captain D.K. Sharma, an Indian navy spokesman, said Malaysia has given India a massive search grid of about 13,500 square miles, an area about the size of Maryland. | Captain D.K. Sharma, an Indian navy spokesman, said Malaysia has given India a massive search grid of about 13,500 square miles, an area about the size of Maryland. |
| In India, Adm. Arun Prakash, a retired naval chief of staff who was posted in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, said that 1,000 Indian seamen, five vessels and four aircraft were involved in the search. | In India, Adm. Arun Prakash, a retired naval chief of staff who was posted in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, said that 1,000 Indian seamen, five vessels and four aircraft were involved in the search. |
| “We are looking for little pieces that can float, pieces of human body, life jackets, seat cushions in that vast stretch. It is very difficult,” Prakash said. | “We are looking for little pieces that can float, pieces of human body, life jackets, seat cushions in that vast stretch. It is very difficult,” Prakash said. |
| “So far, the information that has been made available to us is quite vague, even though the direction in which they say it flew falls within our jurisdiction,” Prakash said. “It is inadequate. We can keep searching till next year. It is like looking for a needle in the haystack.” | “So far, the information that has been made available to us is quite vague, even though the direction in which they say it flew falls within our jurisdiction,” Prakash said. “It is inadequate. We can keep searching till next year. It is like looking for a needle in the haystack.” |
| When communications ceased, the airliner was flying at 35,000 feet on a course for Beijing. | When communications ceased, the airliner was flying at 35,000 feet on a course for Beijing. |
| “At 1:21 a.m. we lost the signal from the transponder off the Malaysian coast,” said Mikael Robertsson of FlightRadar24, a Stockholm-based flight service that sells its tracking data to airports and airlines. | “At 1:21 a.m. we lost the signal from the transponder off the Malaysian coast,” said Mikael Robertsson of FlightRadar24, a Stockholm-based flight service that sells its tracking data to airports and airlines. |
| The company uses a system that captures GPS signals with land-based receivers located around the world. The signals are received once each second, but the Malaysia Airlines flight dropped its signal when the transponder went dead. | The company uses a system that captures GPS signals with land-based receivers located around the world. The signals are received once each second, but the Malaysia Airlines flight dropped its signal when the transponder went dead. |
| “Up until then the flight looked completely normal. There was nothing strange, nothing suspicious,” Robertsson said, adding that his company normally tracks that flight until it gets north of Vietnam. “We have never lost a signal because there has been an accident or a hijacking. This is the first time we see such a thing.” | “Up until then the flight looked completely normal. There was nothing strange, nothing suspicious,” Robertsson said, adding that his company normally tracks that flight until it gets north of Vietnam. “We have never lost a signal because there has been an accident or a hijacking. This is the first time we see such a thing.” |
| Robertsson said the aircraft was not carrying a full load of fuel. | Robertsson said the aircraft was not carrying a full load of fuel. |
| “The B777-200ER can fly up to about 16 to 18 hours,” he said. “This flight was six hours, so it was probably fueled for about 7 to 8 hours of flying time.” | “The B777-200ER can fly up to about 16 to 18 hours,” he said. “This flight was six hours, so it was probably fueled for about 7 to 8 hours of flying time.” |
| That gave it the capacity to have landed or crashed anywhere between Mongolia in the north to Australia to the south, or from the west coast of India to hundreds of miles east of the Philippines. | That gave it the capacity to have landed or crashed anywhere between Mongolia in the north to Australia to the south, or from the west coast of India to hundreds of miles east of the Philippines. |
| Carr, the Florida professor, held out the slender hope that hijackers had landed the aircraft on a remote island. | Carr, the Florida professor, held out the slender hope that hijackers had landed the aircraft on a remote island. |
| “There’s a lot of World War II airfields left over,” he said. “They might want to hold the plane for ransom or hold the passengers for ransom, or they might want load the airplane up with high explosives and fly the airplane into a target someplace.” | “There’s a lot of World War II airfields left over,” he said. “They might want to hold the plane for ransom or hold the passengers for ransom, or they might want load the airplane up with high explosives and fly the airplane into a target someplace.” |
| It’s also possible that the passengers revolted against a hijacking like those aboard United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed into a farm field in Shanksville, Pa., on Sept. 11, 2001. | It’s also possible that the passengers revolted against a hijacking like those aboard United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed into a farm field in Shanksville, Pa., on Sept. 11, 2001. |
| If the plane crashed into the Indian Ocean or other waters which were not searched immediately after the plane disappeared, he said, it could take a longer time to locate it. | If the plane crashed into the Indian Ocean or other waters which were not searched immediately after the plane disappeared, he said, it could take a longer time to locate it. |
| “They shouldn’t be missing for a week,” Carr said. “But then again, Amelia Earhart has been missing for many, many years. That ocean’s big, and it can swallow things up rather quickly and rather completely and hardly leave a trace at times.” | “They shouldn’t be missing for a week,” Carr said. “But then again, Amelia Earhart has been missing for many, many years. That ocean’s big, and it can swallow things up rather quickly and rather completely and hardly leave a trace at times.” |
| Harlan reported from Kuala Lumpur, and Gowen reported from New Delhi. Adam Goldman and Sari Horwitz contributed to this report from Washington and Rama Lakshmi contributed from New Delhi. |