Missing 777

[Sean88gt]

Diego Garcia...maaaaannnnn!

[CJ]

This story has had so much speculation and BS reported around it....and compound that with the fact we're dealing with an Asian govt. The real story may never come out.

I'm actually basing my guess off of what my Dad has said for a long time (Retired from AA as a lead maintenance Director on 767 & 777)....he's always said it's only a matter of time before a fire brings a 777 down. He has some horror stories about burned wiring and over-heated battery banks that managed to stay quiet and out of the media for a while now.

We all know that fire is a pilot's worst fear, and one thing that can/will cripple an aircraft in a hurry....avionics, radios, transponder, etc. You lose all that crap suddenly and it could look like something intentional.

hmm, never thought about fire. But you would think that much damage (enough to take out transponders and location beacons) would also damage avionics and the plane would not fly until it was empty.

[46Tbird]

We all know that fire is a pilot's worst fear, and one thing that can/will cripple an aircraft in a hurry....avionics, radios, transponder, etc.

The picture being painted now is an airplane that flew for seven hours, yet could not communicate with the outside world, made inexplicable course and elevation changes along the way, and never attempted to make an emergency landing. That is just plain bullshit.

[Rreemo]

Oh I agree...and I'm not saying the story isn't bullshit. The only thing I question is if it really did continue flying for 7-hours. The other things could be explained by a burning aircraft....that certainly cannot.

[71chevellejohn]

Well, the ocean would put the fire out.

[Ruffdaddy]

I posted an article claiming it was a fire and detailing it out in a sensible way. I'm not going to waste time looking through this thread for a link.

[Big Dad]

reminds me of this

[46Tbird]

I posted an article claiming it was a fire and detailing it out in a sensible way. I'm not going to waste time looking through this thread for a link.

Yeah you did.

Has this already been posted?

http://www.wired.com/autopia/2014/03...ectrical-fire/

But we know the aircraft took off from Kuala Lumpur (1), flew to a point outside Malaysian airspace (2), and somehow ended up in the ocean south and west of Australia (4). That article says an onboard fire caused them to divert from their course toward Beijing to make an emergency landing at the airstrip on Palau Langkawi (3).






I'm just having a hard time believing that an event that incapacitated the pilots and communications systems would have left the autopilot and all control systems intact for seven hours until the plane ran out of fuel.

Personally I think that's stretching 'sensible' but you may disagree.

[SMKR]

Oh I agree...and I'm not saying the story isn't bullshit. The only thing I question is if it really did continue flying for 7-hours. The other things could be explained by a burning aircraft....that certainly cannot.

How do the engines report data back to the manufacturer?

[2011GT]

How do the engines report data back to the manufacturer?

Morse code!

Jk. Probably through acars

[68RR]

The 777, is easy terms, uses a satcom system to send data picked up from different engine monitoring sensors to either the engine manufacturer, the Airline, or both.
Rreemo, I work for AA.. Systems mechanic on the 767 and have inspected the 767 and the 777 here in Tulsa. I'm not Upper mgmt, so I'm not privy to the info that they get... however, honestly, I don't recall any bulletins, "word of mouth" or any other hints on serious electrical problems with batteries or wiring on the 767 or 777. It's not uncommon to run across burnt wires in any of the commercial birds, but again, I dont recall any hints from MOC, MTC Training or Tech Services about being on the look out for a recurring problem. Will do some research tomorrow at work to see what has been sent down to the troops..

Bill

[Rreemo]

The 777, is easy terms, uses a satcom system to send data picked up from different engine monitoring sensors to either the engine manufacturer, the Airline, or both.
Rreemo, I work for AA.. Systems mechanic on the 767 and have inspected the 767 and the 777 here in Tulsa. I'm not Upper mgmt, so I'm not privy to the info that they get... however, honestly, I don't recall any bulletins, "word of mouth" or any other hints on serious electrical problems with batteries or wiring on the 767 or 777. It's not uncommon to run across burnt wires in any of the commercial birds, but again, I dont recall any hints from MOC, MTC Training or Tech Services about being on the look out for a recurring problem. Will do some research tomorrow at work to see what has been sent down to the troops..

Bill

My Pop retired about 10-years ago, so his knowledge is a bit dated. He worked up in Tulsa for a long time as well....then transferred to Alliance for his last ~10 or so years with the company.

He said the same as you...it's not uncommon to have wiring issues in all aircraft, but he claims to have witnessed it more often in 777's....he also said that it was actually Boeing that raised the concern with potential for overheated batteries, in the earlier years of service.

Apparently they have a more heavy reliance on batteries than other Boeing aircraft? I don't proclaim to know any of this....just what I've heard his old drunk ass gab about.

[Strychnine]

http://www.straitstimes.com/the-big-story/missing-mas-plane/story/malaysia-says-theres-sealed-evidence-mh370-cannot-be-made-publ

Malaysia says there's sealed evidence on MH370 that cannot be made public



BEIJING - A Malaysian team have told relatives of Chinese passengers on board the missing Malaysia Airlines (MAS) flight MH370 that there was sealed evidence that cannot be made public, as they came under fire from the angry relatives at a briefing on Wednesday.

The sealed evidence included air traffic control radio transcript, radar data and airport security recordings.

The briefing at the Metropark Lido Hotel in Beijing focused on UK satellite analysis which led Malaysia to conclude that flight MH370 ended in south Indian Ocean, off Perth.

The Chinese relatives were told that a five-member high-level team from Malaysia plans to brief them once every five days. The team include MAS pilot Lim Jit Koon and senior civil aviation official Ahmad Nizar Zolfakar.

During the question-and-answer session, a relative said: "Thanks for demonstrating your ability to read every word out of the powerpoint slides."

Another asked: "If the info is from UK satellite firm Inmarsat, does it mean the Malaysia team cannot answer our questions on the MH370 analysis?"

Faced with the barrage of questions from the angry relatives, the MAS team replied: "We can answer but we might not be correct as we're not the investigators":

They said Malaysia had requested for the British experts to join them for the briefing in Beijing but the latter declined.

They assured the relatives that the search and rescue operations for the plane have been stepped up but the hunt has been challenging as the search area is huge.

The Malaysian government and MAS have been criticised for their handling of the disappearance of MH370 on March 8. They have been accused of being slow in disseminating information and not revealing everything about the incident.

Prime Minister Najib Razak said on Monday night that based on latest UK data analysis, the plane had gone down in a remote part of the southern Indian Ocean.

"We demand you retract announcement that MH370 ended in south Indian Ocean and continue search-and-rescue operations,'' one relative said at the briefing.

Some family representatives targeted Malaysian envoy Iskandar Sarudin, asking him: "You expect us to accept a report you cannot defend?"

"No comment,'' said Mr Iskandar.

He again declined to comment when asked "how do you expect us to feel friendly towards Malaysia?"

Upset by the response from the Malaysia team, a relative said: "You have once again left us speechless!"

Wednesday's briefing was the first time the media were allowed to attend.

The relatives also accused MAS of not providing enough assistance to them.

"Two-thirds of MH370 passengers are Chinese but only 50 caregivers?" asked a relative.

An airline official explained that they have had problem finding volunteers to help out.

When asked why the MAS office at the hotel was closed on Tuesday, the MAS officials said they were advised by the Chinese government not to be there given the tense mood among the relatives.

[TeeShock]

Why would they mention sealed evidence when their objective is to provide closure to the people.

[beefed88]

My Pop retired about 10-years ago, so his knowledge is a bit dated. He worked up in Tulsa for a long time as well....then transferred to Alliance for his last ~10 or so years with the company.

He said the same as you...it's not uncommon to have wiring issues in all aircraft, but he claims to have witnessed it more often in 777's....he also said that it was actually Boeing that raised the concern with potential for overheated batteries, in the earlier years of service.

Apparently they have a more heavy reliance on batteries than other Boeing aircraft? I don't proclaim to know any of this....just what I've heard his old drunk ass gab about.

He might have been thinking about the ELMS (elec load mgmt sys) system overheating, it is known that with one power source on the ground some components can overheat on the 777. So it is important to be running two power sources to supply the entire a/c which is usually is only at the gate.