Malaysia Airlines loses contact with jet carrying 239 people

[Novembro 1,763]

They are reporting now that the water in the oil slick area is quite shallow, which should aid the recovery process. I suspect that we won't be hearing much about the content of the flight data and cockpit voice recorder for a while.

How in the hell does someone get by security with two previously stolen passports? Third world eyeball only checkin.

We should outsource some of our fine cbp's to them.

[Eric-Pris 1,607]

*puts amateur aviation enthusiast hat on*

Modern, state-of-the-art airliners like the 777 don't just fall out of the sky. They just don't. So as I see it, there are three plausible possibilities:

1) A bizarre combination of the elements and pilot error akin to AF447

2) Catastrophic decompression at altitude (be it caused by mechanical defect or an explosion, deliberate or otherwise)

3) Pilot suicide, be it of the Egypt Air/Silk Air variety, or the 911 hijacker variety.

Now if a hole is blown in the fuselage of an airliner at that altitude (a la Lockerbie) then a sure as eggs is eggs, that big ol' bird is gonna break up on the way down, and hit the ground/sea in a bazillion pieces. Debris/bodies everywhere. For miles around. Not so much as a nut or bolt found thus far. Which tells me that the plane was in one piece when it impacted.

Another AF447? Possible, but highly unlikely.

Which leaves option 3 - the plane deliberately crashed into the sea by the pilot. And with this breaking news of not one but TWO passengers boarding with fake passports? Well, you have to wonder.

I have a working theory. It's pure James Bond. I will let you know how close I was after the official investigation publishes its findings.

I'm not an expert, but I'm a private pilot and i'm fairly versed in many areas of aviation.

I diagree that an explosive decompression would automatically bring the plane down. As long as the fuselage, flight controls surfaces, and wings/tail are intact, a pilot could recover from a decompression by descending down to below 12k feet before they lose consciousness. A decompression where the plane disintergrates is called an explosion.

In my opinion, this was an explosion, not necessarily a bomb or terroristic act, could have been a catastrophic mechanical explosion (fuel tank, ala TWA 800). This was a sudden and complete destruction since they can't even find any wreckage. There is no radar track to show a descent or freefall of any kind, the target just disappeared from radar; that usually happens when the plane breaks up in flight.

My condolences to the families of the passengers and crew.

[Eric-Pris 1,607]

There's also the unlikely possibility that the plane was shot down by somebody's military.

[LibCampFireClub 635]

A floating yellow object was spotted in the water near the crash site. A naval vessel is en-route and expected to arrive in one-hour, 7:00pm Hanoi time.

Edited March 9, 2014 by ExExpat

[LibCampFireClub 635]

A video showing showing the two passengers that used passports stolen in Thailand is currently being studied.

The Brewing Terror Threat in Thailand

By DIDI KIRSTEN TATLOW

At least six people were killed and 40 wounded in a car bomb attack at a market in Sai Buri town, in Thailand's southern province of Pattani, on September 21, 2012.

BEIJING — Islamic terrorism never went away, though it seemed perhaps to have quieted down after the death of Osama bin Laden in 2011. But is it back now, stronger, as the crisis in Mali shows? And is southern Thailand a next crisis zone?

According to the Global Terrorism Index issued by the Institute for Economics and Peace, the countries suffering the most from the impact of terrorism include familiar places such as Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Somalia. But here’s a surprise, perhaps: Thailand ranked No. 8, even though many people associate it with holiday-making in the sun and not the carnage of war.

According to the index, issued last December by the institute, a nonprofit group that works for world peace, in 2011 Thailand had 173 terrorist incidents that resulted in 142 fatalities (Iraq topped the index with 1,228 incidents and 1,798 fatalities.)

http://rendezvous.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/22/islamist-violence-in-mali-algeria-and-thailand/?_php=true&_type=blogs&_r=0

Edited March 9, 2014 by ExExpat

[Karee 4,191]

Suspect tickets bought together

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (CNN) -- Two people who traveled on the missing Malaysia Airlines flight under the passports of an Italian and an Austrian citizen appear to have bought their tickets together.

The tickets were bought from China Southern Airlines in Thai baht at identical prices, according to China's official e-ticket verification system Travelsky. The ticket numbers are contiguous, which indicates the tickets were issued together.

The new information adds to the mystery that has enveloped the fate of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, the passenger jet that disappeared over Southeast Asia early Saturday on its way to Beijing.

Italy and Austria have said that none of their citizens were on board the plane. And officials say the Italian and Austrian whose names were on the passenger manifest both had their passports stolen in Southeast Asia in recent years.

The two tickets booked with China Southern Airlines both start in Kuala Lumpur, flying to Beijing, and then onward to Amsterdam. The Italian passport's ticket continues to Copenhagen, the Austrian's to Frankfurt.

Authorities say they are investigating the identities of some of those on board who appear to have issues with their passports.

<snip>

Source:

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/03/09/world/asia/malaysia-airlines-plane/index.html?hpt=hp_t1

[LibCampFireClub 635]

The two tickets booked with China Southern Airlines both start in Kuala Lumpur, flying to Beijing, and then onward to Amsterdam. The Italian passport's ticket continues to Copenhagen, the Austrian's to Frankfurt. Authorities say they are investigating the identities of some of those on board who appear to have issues with their passports.

This may be another dot to connect to Chinese islamic murderous militants.

[Operator 1,927]

Also the stolen passport passengers were ticketed through PEK on to the EU so they wouldn't have needed Chinese visas.

[LibCampFireClub 635]

Vietnam releases photo of possible debris from plane:

http://infonet.vn/can-canh-manh-vo-nghi-op-cua-so-may-bay-malaysia-tren-bien-post121635.info

[Karee 4,191]

Missing plane highlights Phuket's stolen passport trade

Investigations into the stolen passports of two passengers listed on missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370 have swung to the Thai resort island of Phuket, where there is a thriving stolen passport racket.

Police in Malaysia have also viewed CCTV footage of the passengers on the flight, specifically looking for images of two men listed as Italian Luigi Maraldi and Austrian Christian Kozel.

Mr Maraldi, 37, was surprised to see his name on the passenger manifest because he was in fact holidaying in Thailand.

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He rang his father, Walter in Cesena, Italy, according to Italian press reports.

“Ciao, dad,” the younger Maraldi said.

“Have you heard the news about the missing plane? Don’t worry, it wasn’t me who was listed as a passenger on board. I don’t know why my name is on the list, or what happened but I’m ok. I’m in Thailand.”

On an earlier trip to Phuket in August last year Mr Maraldi had his passport stolen from a car rental agency.

According to media reports quoting Austrian authorities Mr Kozel had his passport stolen in the same part of Phuket 18 months earlier.

Both Mr Maraldi are Mr Kozel are reportedly men with average builds and both wear eye glasses.

The Italian honorary consul in Phuket Francesco Pensato confirmed Mr Maraldi is in Phuket and Italian authorities are checking whether the man on the plane may have been a different man with the same name and date of birth. Malaysia Airlines’ code-share partner China Southern Airlines had sold seven tickets for flight 370, including those in the names of Maraldi and Kozel.

Malaysian authorities are cautiously saying talk about the possibility of a terrorist attack bringing down the plane is pre-mature.

“We are looking at all possibilities – it’s too early to reach any conclusions,” said Malaysia’s prime minister Najib Razak.

But the curious thefts of the passports will be a focus of a team of FBI investigators who are flying from the United States to assist Malaysian and other international investigators.

Malaysian authorities have not commented on the CCTV video of the passengers who boarded the early morning Saturday flight at Kuala Lumpur's international airport for the almost six hour flight to Beijing.

CCTV footage of their luggage has also been scrutinised.

“We cannot reveal any more for security reasons,” said Department of Civil Aviation official Azharuddin Abdul Rahman.

Hundreds of passports are lost or stolen on Phuket each year, raising fears they could fall into the hands of criminal or terrorist networks.

Honorary consuls representing countries there often deal with tourists who report their passports missing.

Former Australian honorary consult Larry Cunningham, who retired from his Phuket posting last September, said during his time as consul passport thefts occurred regularly.

“Some passports were certainly lost, falling out of pockets or being genuinely misplaced. But there were also substantial incidents of passports being stolen,” he said.

Six Syrian men have been held at Phuket airport for months after travelling on fake Greek passports.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/missing-plane-highlights-phukets-stolen-passport-trade-20140309-hvgrt.html#ixzz2vTUlsjZs

[LibCampFireClub 635]

[Darnell 8,479]

Cool - an FBI team is enroute, or already landed.

[Pooky 3,840]

Cool - an FBI team is enroute, or already landed.

What? The F###ing Bureau of Idiots is on it's way?

This will all be solved in ... 2027!

Surely, the AAIB should be there until they know something nefarious happened? Or do the FBI need to send a few people for a foreign vacation?

[Darnell 8,479]

nah - actually there are some good folk on the FBI teams, with actual skills in researching stuff after the fact. You remember, forensics and what nots...

And lets get real for only a moment - any hint of Muslim Terrorism, we (the USA) gets involved. It's not often that a high-profile event is show-cased in the international news, fwiw.

Edited March 9, 2014 by Darnell

[LibCampFireClub 635]

Malaysia Seeks to Send Ships Into Vietnamese Waters

Vietnamese state-run newspaper Tienphong (www.tienphong.vn) just reported that Malaysia has requested the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAA) to allow its five ships to enter the Vietnamese waters to search for the suspected floating fragments during the night.

Newley Purnell@newley

Vietnam searchers say they've spotted plane debris; could be piece of door, part of an airplane tail. http://t.co/DGsMhnZxC6 #MH370