Malaysia Airlines Loses Contact With 777 en Route to Beijing

[EconomyClass]

...or (and yes I know this is way in left field) - if it was a rogue pilot/FO who had this entire event planned out to the T, and he had as an objective to make the wreckage / FDRs harder to find - he could conceivably have flown to a desolate part of the ocean (which appears to be the case) and then done [or attempted] a "Sullenberger" as fuel was running out, thereby hoping to have the aircraft/wreckage sink in all of or most of a whole piece, thereby significantly diminishing the floating debris that would occur if it crashed into the ocean at higher speeds (e.g., SF447, debris and bodies were spotted pretty quickly, and it pancaked in to the water). The pax might already be dead as noted above.

Imagine how hard it is to find floating debris ... if there is little at all to find in the first place. Surely the flight crews know about how long the BB pingers last, and if one really wanted a stealth crash job - they might be inclined for a soft ditch/sink vs. a spectacular water crash with the inevitable debris.

I warned you, this notion was from left field!

If there are no living passengers to fight against it, the doors could be open to accelerate the sinking. Potentially, the perpetrators might even have liferafts to survive it all. No way to actually confirm any of this factually, but it seems a plausible scenario. By the way,who came up with the 30 day figure for the beeper? Is that really the maximum life for existing battery technology? Just curious. At what point in history did aircraft makers start designing for a 30 day limit? Given how long some of the hunts have been, a couple of YEARS would seem more helpful. But I don't know the technology.

[obmot]

I did have similar ponderings and posed some questions in those directions a few pages back, but someone (BB?) subsequently made the valid comment that the high pressures when sinking to those depths would rupture the hull and release anything that would float.
Plus it would require someone still being at the controls - and if the aim was suicide you've kind of scuppered that with a gentle landing.
And finally, ditching safely in a sheltered river is one thing, a soft landing in the middle of a choppy ocean is going to be very slim, and certainly not something you could plan.

I completely agree on all counts. The notion is both far afield and far-fetched on many different levels as you point out.

I also havent been yet able to get through all the pages here but I'm making progress bit by bit if you all would just not be so prolific lol

[TheRealAncientMarine]

Might be a little praying in Arabic!

For a Malay? Yeah, right.
Per

[brianw999]

For a Malay? Yeah, right.
Per

Yes actually. 61% of Malays are Muslims, most of whom speak Arabic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Malaysia

[TheRealAncientMarine]

Yes actually. 61% of Malays are Muslims, most of whom speak Arabic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Malaysia

Really? And since Wiki is our bible:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Languages_of_Malaysia

Per

[brianw999]

You misunderstand......most Muslims speak Arabic. Your link refers to the indigenous languages of Malaysia. Many people there speak more than one language and I know from personal experience that Muslims from all over the world are schooled in Arabic by their Imam. Muslims are required to learn Arabic in order to be able to read the Koran.

http://journals.cluteonline.com/index.php/CIER/article/download/222/213

[BoeingBobby]

You misunderstand......most Muslims speak Arabic. Your link refers to the indigenous languages of Malaysia. Many people there speak more than one language and I know from personal experience that Muslims from all over the world are schooled in Arabic by their Imam. Muslims are required to learn Arabic in order to be able to read the Koran.

http://journals.cluteonline.com/inde...wnload/222/213

Insha'Allah

[EconomyClass]

You misunderstand......most Muslims speak Arabic. Your link refers to the indigenous languages of Malaysia. Many people there speak more than one language and I know from personal experience that Muslims from all over the world are schooled in Arabic by their Imam. Muslims are required to learn Arabic in order to be able to read the Koran.

http://journals.cluteonline.com/inde...wnload/222/213

What do people think Allahu Akbar is,Malay? Muslim kids memorize the Koran. It may be CLASSICAL Arabic, but it is not their native language. And, yes, the standard prayers are undoubtedly in Arabic. It isn't like they kneel beside their bed and make up prayers. By the way, I think Jews do exactly the same thing which is why they go to Hebrew school. Trouble with discussing Islamic terrorism is that most people in the world have only superficial knowledge if Islam.

[TheRealAncientMarine]

You misunderstand......most Muslims speak Arabic. Your link refers to the indigenous languages of Malaysia. Many people there speak more than one language and I know from personal experience that Muslims from all over the world are schooled in Arabic by their Imam. Muslims are required to learn Arabic in order to be able to read the Koran.

http://journals.cluteonline.com/inde...wnload/222/213

One would do well reading ones posted links.

In Malaysia, studies have shown that most Malay learners learning Arabic Language exhibit weak
Arabic speaking skill despite spending years of learning the language.

So amongst those bothering to learn Arabic, most exhibit weak Arabic language skills? You may Google and find a lot on this topic, but since we are way of the topic of this thread I will leave it at that.
Per

[Gabriel]

By the way,who came up with the 30 day figure for the beeper? Is that really the maximum life for existing battery technology? Just curious..

It's the regulatory requirement: at least 30 days.
This translates into to manufacturers making it to withstand barely above 30 days.

[pacoperez]

One would do well reading ones posted links.


So amongst those bothering to learn Arabic, most exhibit weak Arabic language skills? You may Google and find a lot on this topic, but since we are way of the topic of this thread I will leave it at that.
Per

Exactly, I thought that we was talking about aviation safety, not religious beliefs...

[TeeVee]

One would do well reading ones posted links.


So amongst those bothering to learn Arabic, most exhibit weak Arabic language skills? You may Google and find a lot on this topic, but since we are way of the topic of this thread I will leave it at that.
Per

and i think the real point is that a comment was made regarding PRAYING in arabic, not having a conversation. i can read hebrew, spanish, and english perfectly. however, my conversational skills in spanish are just enough to get by and my hebrew conversational skills are non-existent.
i can however, recite prayers in hebrew perfectly.

a malaysian muslim would likely be able to read and pray in arabic but not have strong arabic language skills

[andyb99]

If there are no living passengers to fight against it, the doors could be open to accelerate the sinking. .

i think the pressure of the water would break up the airframe much faster...and i also think we'd have a lot more floating debris by now.....personally....i pilot was gone before it ran out of fuel...or...they are looking in the wrong place

[brianw999]

......................
So amongst those bothering to learn Arabic, most exhibit weak Arabic language skills? You may Google and find a lot on this topic, but since we are way of the topic of this thread I will leave it at that.
Per

Oh yes Per, I read that bit. I was going to select just the sections that I was interested in but I figured that you would check the quote and cry foul if I left a bit out.
The fact remains that 61% of Malays are Muslims. Those Muslims may well have weak Arabic language skills because they only learn enough to enable them to take part in their prayers. Now, what brought about this discussion ? .....

Oh yes, I think it was this...

Quote:
Originally Posted by BoeingBobby
Might be a little praying in Arabic!

To which you sarcastically replied...

Quote:
Originally Posted by TheRealAncientMarine
For a Malay? Yeah, right.
Per

Did I just hear the echoes of a gunshot going through a foot.

[Dispatch Dog]

i think the pressure of the water would break up the airframe much faster...and i also think we'd have a lot more floating debris by now.....personally....i pilot was gone before it ran out of fuel...or...they are looking in the wrong place

While I agree that sealed containers will implode or crush, anything that is effectively an open vessel will not be affected by an equalised pressure.
For aluminium, it is most likely to crush before it reaches an implosive force.

Of course, opening the doors while the aircraft is sinking is easier said than done, and would of course allow a lot of floating debris to exit.

This is all a minor tangent to the more realistic probability that there is no way to put down a 777 in even moderate seas without significant break up.

The lack of any debris after so long is intriguing.