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| Malaysian authorities examine pilot’s flight simulator | Malaysian authorities examine pilot’s flight simulator |
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| KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Malaysia called for satellite and radar data from 22 countries as the search for a missing airliner evolved to include a massive criminal investigation running alongside the physical hunt for the plane. | |
| U.S. officials confirmed they had scoured the names of passengers and crew of the Malaysian Airlines plane for possible connections to terrorist groups — none have been disclosed — but also expressed frustration that Malaysia had not asked for more extensive help from the FBI in investigating what is now thought to be a “deliberate act.” | |
| India on Sunday said it had suspended its involvement in the search for the plane until it becomes clearer where its ships and planes should be looking — or how its officials might support the criminal side of the probe. Privately, Indian officials were also upset over Malaysia’s handling of the case and the massive area they were expected to scour — an example of how regional tensions and backbiting have plagued the investigation. | |
| Attention focused Sunday on the plane’s pilot and co-pilot, as authorities searched the homes of both men and removed a flight simulator from the captain’s. | |
| Analysts also tried to divine the significance of the fact that a satellite-based flight data system on the plane had been shut down before a crew member — or whoever was in the cockpit — signed off to Malaysian air traffic control with a seemingly innocuous “all right, good night,” before the plane left Malaysian airspace. | |
| That detail, confirmed by Malaysian authorities, suggests that the person at the controls of the plane continued to indicate all was okay even though the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System, known as ACARS, had gone off line. The plane’s transponder — a separate device that provides a precise location to radar systems -- was shut down later. The sequence of events, analysts say, appeared consistent with an effort to conceal the aircraft’s position and direction as it veered from its intended northeast path towards Beijing. | |
| 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 Arizona, said it is “very rare” for ACARS units to malfunction, but that the system could be deliberately switched off through its circuit breaker. | |
| From a regional search that began a week ago in shallow waters in the vicinity of a presumed crash, the disappearance of Flight 370 has now forced authorities to think along two equally complex tracks: how to find a plane that may have wrecked anywhere over tens of thousands of square miles of ocean and land; or how to home in on a theory about who steered it astray and why. | |
| The physical search now spans much of Asia and extends deep into the Indian Ocean, toward areas where debris could remain unnoticed for years. At the same time, no evidence has surfaced indicating a perpetrator or motive for a criminal act. Even if passengers initially survived whatever happened, the plane carried only limited emergency supplies. | |
| House Intelligence Committee chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) on Sunday told CBS’s Face the Nation that so far none of the theories about the fate of the plane had risen “from plausible to the probable.” Despite the speculation about flight directions and timelines the aircraft may well be “at the bottom of the Indian Ocean,” he said. | |
| Still, Malaysian officials are now trying to collect radar and other data from nearly two dozen countries in hopes of picking up the airplane’s vanished trail. They said Sunday they were examining the flight simulator that they’d removed from the home of Zaharie Ahmad Shah, 53, the plane’s captain. Investigators also interviewed his family, removed other items from his house and searched the nearby home of the co-pilot, Fariq Abdul Hamid, 27. | |
| Malaysian Defense Minister Hishammuddin Hussein cautioned against jumping to conclusions. Zaharie and Fariq had not requested to be on the flight together. They also did not request extra fuel. | |
| Malaysia’s investigation was given a new degree of focus this weekend after experts determined that the plane had been deliberately flown off course, its various communications systems severed. After dropping off civilian radar, the plane tacked to the west, then remained in the air for as many as seven additional hours. Experts have suggested that the plane could have only been guided by a skilled aviator — either willingly or under duress. | Malaysia’s investigation was given a new degree of focus this weekend after experts determined that the plane had been deliberately flown off course, its various communications systems severed. After dropping off civilian radar, the plane tacked to the west, then remained in the air for as many as seven additional hours. Experts have suggested that the plane could have only been guided by a skilled aviator — either willingly or under duress. |
| Khalid Abu Bakar, inspector general of Malaysia’s police, said Sunday that investigators hadn’t yet found any passengers with aviation expertise, although some governments with passengers on board had yet to submit detailed profile information to Kuala Lumpur. He added that “a few foreign intelligence agencies” working with the Malaysians had “cleared all the passengers” — meaning, they’d determined no citizen of theirs could have operated the plane. | Khalid Abu Bakar, inspector general of Malaysia’s police, said Sunday that investigators hadn’t yet found any passengers with aviation expertise, although some governments with passengers on board had yet to submit detailed profile information to Kuala Lumpur. He added that “a few foreign intelligence agencies” working with the Malaysians had “cleared all the passengers” — meaning, they’d determined no citizen of theirs could have operated the plane. |
| Focus on pilots | Focus on pilots |
| Zaharie had flown for the airline for more than 30 years and showed no recent signs of trouble, said Peter Chong, a friend who says he saw the plane’s captain the week before the flight’s disappearance. | Zaharie had flown for the airline for more than 30 years and showed no recent signs of trouble, said Peter Chong, a friend who says he saw the plane’s captain the week before the flight’s disappearance. |
| This week, Zaharie had planned to attend a community event to chaperone needy children on a mall shopping trip, Chong said. | This week, Zaharie had planned to attend a community event to chaperone needy children on a mall shopping trip, Chong said. |
| Zaharie’s flight simulator is a three-panel console that he built and proudly showed off on social media networks. Friends have described him to local media as a tech geek who spent his free time fiddling with devices. On his YouTube page, he demonstrated a series of handy do-it-yourself home maintenance tips. He also was a social activist, a skilled cook, a husband and a father of three adult children. | Zaharie’s flight simulator is a three-panel console that he built and proudly showed off on social media networks. Friends have described him to local media as a tech geek who spent his free time fiddling with devices. On his YouTube page, he demonstrated a series of handy do-it-yourself home maintenance tips. He also was a social activist, a skilled cook, a husband and a father of three adult children. |
| “If you look at him, suicide — it just doesn’t add up,” said Chong, an aide to a Malaysian parliament member who has known Zaharie for two years. “As far as I know he had no financial problems. It just doesn’t add up. There are so many unanswered questions.” | “If you look at him, suicide — it just doesn’t add up,” said Chong, an aide to a Malaysian parliament member who has known Zaharie for two years. “As far as I know he had no financial problems. It just doesn’t add up. There are so many unanswered questions.” |
| On Saturday, a white unmarked police minivan visited Zaharie’s home in a gated community, then traveled on to Fariq’s, a two-story house that he shared with his parents. Police left Fariq’s house soon after carrying several brown bags, according to reporters who observed the scene. | On Saturday, a white unmarked police minivan visited Zaharie’s home in a gated community, then traveled on to Fariq’s, a two-story house that he shared with his parents. Police left Fariq’s house soon after carrying several brown bags, according to reporters who observed the scene. |
| Khalid said Sunday that investigators also were looking at airport staff on the ground that might have serviced the plane before it departed on its red-eye flight, bound for Beijing. Although investigators have not detailed what they are looking for, experts familiar with airplane accidents say they are likely to look for recent changes in personality, financial problems, signs of depression or any unusual contacts. | Khalid said Sunday that investigators also were looking at airport staff on the ground that might have serviced the plane before it departed on its red-eye flight, bound for Beijing. Although investigators have not detailed what they are looking for, experts familiar with airplane accidents say they are likely to look for recent changes in personality, financial problems, signs of depression or any unusual contacts. |
| “The first thing I’d be looking for is to see whether the captain flew a flight profile like the one we’ve been talking about for the last eight days,” said Greg Feith, a former National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator involved in the 1996 ValuJet Flight 592 crash and the 1997 SilkAir Flight 185 disaster — a suspected case of pilot suicide. “Did he normally simulate flights to places he wouldn’t normally go?” | “The first thing I’d be looking for is to see whether the captain flew a flight profile like the one we’ve been talking about for the last eight days,” said Greg Feith, a former National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator involved in the 1996 ValuJet Flight 592 crash and the 1997 SilkAir Flight 185 disaster — a suspected case of pilot suicide. “Did he normally simulate flights to places he wouldn’t normally go?” |
| In the case of SilkAir, the pilot placed the Boeing 737 into a high-speed dive, according to the NTSB. The plane broke the sound barrier on the way down, then disintegrated into an Indonesian river. Before the incident the pilot, Tsu Way Ming, had reportedly suffered heavy stock losses and arranged an insurance policy to protect his family in the event of his death. | In the case of SilkAir, the pilot placed the Boeing 737 into a high-speed dive, according to the NTSB. The plane broke the sound barrier on the way down, then disintegrated into an Indonesian river. Before the incident the pilot, Tsu Way Ming, had reportedly suffered heavy stock losses and arranged an insurance policy to protect his family in the event of his death. |
| Flight recorders | Flight recorders |
| Even if search teams do find the missing Malaysia Airlines plane, they may never be able to figure out what happened in the cockpit as the jet veered off course. A cockpit voice recorder, which would have recorded any activity or commotion, captures only two hours of sound, constantly overwriting the oldest material. Because the plane flew on for many more hours, the key events have already been wiped away. If searchers do find the “black box,” they’ll instead have to rely on a flight-data recorder, which provides technical information about the plane’s behavior. | Even if search teams do find the missing Malaysia Airlines plane, they may never be able to figure out what happened in the cockpit as the jet veered off course. A cockpit voice recorder, which would have recorded any activity or commotion, captures only two hours of sound, constantly overwriting the oldest material. Because the plane flew on for many more hours, the key events have already been wiped away. If searchers do find the “black box,” they’ll instead have to rely on a flight-data recorder, which provides technical information about the plane’s behavior. |
| Based on an analysis of satellite contact the plane made in its final hours, investigators believe it could have ended up anywhere along a massive arc extending north into Asia and south into the Indian Ocean. | Based on an analysis of satellite contact the plane made in its final hours, investigators believe it could have ended up anywhere along a massive arc extending north into Asia and south into the Indian Ocean. |
| The northern and southern corridors are being treated with “equal importance,” Hishammuddin said. | The northern and southern corridors are being treated with “equal importance,” Hishammuddin said. |
| The northern corridor crosses 11 countries from Thailand to Kazakhstan. The southern is far more remote and stretches through areas that are uncovered by radar. To help with the northern area, Malaysia’s government has requested help from nearly a dozen Asian countries — including Burma, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan — and Australia. The Malaysian Foreign Ministry on Sunday held a briefing for 22 countries and asked them to share satellite and radar data that may give clues into the plane’s whereabouts. | The northern corridor crosses 11 countries from Thailand to Kazakhstan. The southern is far more remote and stretches through areas that are uncovered by radar. To help with the northern area, Malaysia’s government has requested help from nearly a dozen Asian countries — including Burma, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan — and Australia. The Malaysian Foreign Ministry on Sunday held a briefing for 22 countries and asked them to share satellite and radar data that may give clues into the plane’s whereabouts. |
| Malaysia has already burned the resources of more than a dozen countries by focusing the first week of the search on nearby waters — areas that now appear far from the flight’s endpoint. | |
| With the latest information from satellite data, the search has expanded to include 25 countries, up from 14. | With the latest information from satellite data, the search has expanded to include 25 countries, up from 14. |
| “This is a significant re-calibration of the search,” Hishammuddin said. | “This is a significant re-calibration of the search,” Hishammuddin said. |
| In India, military officials issued a statement Sunday that the country’s wide-ranging search and rescue effort in the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal had been suspended as “search operations have entered a new phase and strategy for further searches is being formulated.” | In India, military officials issued a statement Sunday that the country’s wide-ranging search and rescue effort in the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal had been suspended as “search operations have entered a new phase and strategy for further searches is being formulated.” |
| Six aircraft and six ships equipped with helicopters from the country’s navy, air force and coast guard had combed an enormous area that included isolated jungle islands in the Andaman and Nicobar chain, many of which are completely uninhabited. | Six aircraft and six ships equipped with helicopters from the country’s navy, air force and coast guard had combed an enormous area that included isolated jungle islands in the Andaman and Nicobar chain, many of which are completely uninhabited. |
| The massive effort began Thursday and ramped up in the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago after investigation revealed that the plane had tracked that way after veering off its original course. As the hours passed on Friday, India expanded its search at the request of the Malaysian government from the small island chain to the waters off Chennai in the Bay of Bengal , a search area eventually encompassing more than 97,000 square miles. | The massive effort began Thursday and ramped up in the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago after investigation revealed that the plane had tracked that way after veering off its original course. As the hours passed on Friday, India expanded its search at the request of the Malaysian government from the small island chain to the waters off Chennai in the Bay of Bengal , a search area eventually encompassing more than 97,000 square miles. |
| Sunday, Syed Akbaruddin, a spokesman for the country’s Ministry of External Affairs, said Indian officials met with their Malaysian counterparts Sunday and were told that in view of new information Malaysia would be revising their requests for support and India would adjust their aid accordingly. As of Sunday evening in India, the search teams remained on stand-by and it was unclear what direction, if any, the new search would take. | Sunday, Syed Akbaruddin, a spokesman for the country’s Ministry of External Affairs, said Indian officials met with their Malaysian counterparts Sunday and were told that in view of new information Malaysia would be revising their requests for support and India would adjust their aid accordingly. As of Sunday evening in India, the search teams remained on stand-by and it was unclear what direction, if any, the new search would take. |
| Malaysia’s prime minister also called Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to ask for “technical assistance in corroborating the possible paths of MH-370,” Akbaruddin said. Singh assured all help would be provided, Akbaruddin said. | Malaysia’s prime minister also called Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to ask for “technical assistance in corroborating the possible paths of MH-370,” Akbaruddin said. Singh assured all help would be provided, Akbaruddin said. |
| Privately, though, some in India’s government and military were becoming frustrated by the confusing path the investigation has taken, given the enormous resources and manpower expended. | Privately, though, some in India’s government and military were becoming frustrated by the confusing path the investigation has taken, given the enormous resources and manpower expended. |
| “Even at this stage while they’re expanding the scope of the search, my observation as an analyst is that we should go back to square one and get more accurate information about the sequence of events and where and how the aircraft made its last movements,” said Uday Bhaskar, a retired Naval commodore and international security analyst. “There are so many ‘over-the-top’ theories. Let’s go back to the basics.” | “Even at this stage while they’re expanding the scope of the search, my observation as an analyst is that we should go back to square one and get more accurate information about the sequence of events and where and how the aircraft made its last movements,” said Uday Bhaskar, a retired Naval commodore and international security analyst. “There are so many ‘over-the-top’ theories. Let’s go back to the basics.” |
| Halsey reported from Washington, and Gowen reported from New Delhi. Liu Liu in Beijing; Tim Craig in Islamabad, Pakistan; Rama Lakshmi in New Delhi; and Joel Achenbach, Adam Goldman and Sari Horwitz in Washington contributed to this report. | Halsey reported from Washington, and Gowen reported from New Delhi. Liu Liu in Beijing; Tim Craig in Islamabad, Pakistan; Rama Lakshmi in New Delhi; and Joel Achenbach, Adam Goldman and Sari Horwitz in Washington contributed to this report. |