MH370 - Debris confirmed to be from aircraft

[Peas n carrots]

So a piece is found but it doesn't really solve the mystery - only thing we can glean out of this is the plane went down in the search area.

 

It's such a weird mystery - who could have possibly re-routed the plane and what point are you trying to prove letting it fly until it is out of fuel into one of the remotest areas in the world?

[Peas n carrots]

Sorry link below

http://news.yahoo.com/aircraft-seat-cus ... NlYwNzcg--

[VelociRapture]

Saw a story on the news this morning regarding this. The Prime Minister of Malaysia confirmed that it was from the flight, but there are groups analyzing it that say they can't tell for sure yet.

I feel so badly for those families. I just wish they could get some solid answers.

[Snarkylark]

I just hope these families get closure:(

[church_of_dog]

So a piece is found but it doesn't really solve the mystery - only thing we can glean out of this is the plane went down in the search area.

It's such a weird mystery - who could have possibly re-routed the plane and what point are you trying to prove letting it fly until it is out of fuel into one of the remotest areas in the world?

Actually I'm not sure it even tells us that the plane went down in the search area, because with so much time between when it went down and when the debris was found, the currents can move things long distances.

I agree about the mystery -- why make such a dramatic statement if it's not going to be clear what that statement is?

[FundieFarmer]

I too would like to know what was gained from a seemingly arbitrary crash.

I do hope they get some information, at least to give the families some closure. I believe I read somewhere that even though there was overwhelming evidence that it wasn't an accident, Malaysia Airlines classified it an accident so they could pay out to the families.

[MatthewDuggar]

For me, if it is one of the pieces of that plane, it shows just how huge the world's oceans are when it seems like the world is getting smaller everyday in terms of technology.

I can't imagine what the victim's families are going through with this.

[Snarkylark]

FF, what is the evidence that it may not have been an accident? I really haven't heard much in a long time about the crash.

[ShepherdontheRock]

I know there was speculation about the captain deliberately bringing down the plane; apparently the Malaysian police have named him the prime suspect, but it's still unknown whether it was deliberately brought down, and there are very little suspect behaviors on his part.

The whole thing just sounds really fishy.

I'm just really sad for everyone on the plane and their friends and family.

[Snarkylark]

I know there was speculation about the captain deliberately bringing down the plane; apparently the Malaysian police have named him the prime suspect, but it's still unknown whether it was deliberately brought down, and there are very little suspect behaviors on his part.

The whole thing just sounds really fishy.

I'm just really sad for everyone on the plane and their friends and family.

That's awful. Do they think they know what a motive might have been?

[ShepherdontheRock]

That's awful. Do they think they know what a motive might have been?

They've ruled out financial motives. And I think, terrorism has been mostly ruled out, but under question. So who knows?

[Snarkylark]

So strange

[FundieFarmer]

Hey SL, sorry I just now checked this thread & saw your question. As always, SOTR did a great job explaining. My additional understanding is that investigators are waiting to find the black box before making any declarations, but they indicated that the near-immediate loss of communication coupled with the extreme deviation from the registered flight plan indicates foul play. Otherwise unsubstantiated speculation suggests it may have been a mass murder/suicide by the pilot, though no concrete evidence has been uncovered. The shape and form of the located debris does suggest that the plane's contact with the water was low-impact, and that the aircraft may have glided (rather than crashed) into the sea. This is consistent with one assertion of suicide by an intentional ditch.

[Snarkylark]

Wow. Thank you.

[ShepherdontheRock]

Hey SL, sorry I just now checked this thread & saw your question. As always, SOTR did a great job explaining. My additional understanding is that investigators are waiting to find the black box before making any declarations, but they indicated that the near-immediate loss of communication coupled with the extreme deviation from the registered flight plan indicates foul play. Otherwise unsubstantiated speculation suggests it may have been a mass murder/suicide by the pilot, though no concrete evidence has been uncovered. The shape and form of the located debris does suggest that the plane's contact with the water was low-impact, and that the aircraft may have glided (rather than crashed) into the sea. This is consistent with one assertion of suicide by an intentional ditch.

Basically.

It's weird because there was speculation that someone manipulated the autopilot. But couldn't the pilot get out of autopilot?

It'll be interesting if the black box is found, but I think there's reason to believe it might be lost in the Indian Ocean. Even if they find it, it may have been manipulated/or it could have stopped when the plane stopped communicating with ATC.

I wonder if we'll ever REALLY know what happened/if it'll be agreed upon.

[DaffyDill]

There are quite a few conspiracy theories being bandied about. Here's a few:

1. The debris (found recently on Reunion Island) was planted by those responsible for the plane's disappearance

2. Plane shot down in a botched military operation

3. The CIA is involved

4. The plane was taken to a remote US military base

5. The plane was hijacked by terrorists

6. The insurance scam theory

7. Alien abduction

There's more information about each "theory" here. Link not broken as it's a news site.

I really, really feel for the families of everyone on board whenever news reports start appearing. How do you even begin to deal with this again and again whenever there is a new development, or theory? It must be hellish.

[Peas n carrots]

Pilot suicide makes sense, but why draw it out over hours? I'm assuming whoever did it wanted to avoid radar. And somehow keep the crew from catching on.

I really hope the passengers were totally unaware. The horror...

[FundieFarmer]

One source said they would've entered comas as their 20-minute oxygen supply ran out. Evidently the crew and pilot only have a few minutes longer worth of oxygen.

[CallmeChaCha]

One source said they would've entered comas as their 20-minute oxygen supply ran out. Evidently the crew and pilot only have a few minutes longer worth of oxygen.

But they flew for 7-8 hours, right? So, before the oxygen ran out they would've known something was going on. Horrifying.

[ShepherdontheRock]

But they flew for 7-8 hours, right? So, before the oxygen ran out they would've known something was going on. Horrifying.

Yeah, it doesn't make sense. The plane was meant to be flying for that long. Maybe they meant 20 minutes on the backup oxygen masks if there was a loss in cabin pressure.

I hope if that happened that the people basically fell asleep and hopefully didn't wake up and died immediately on impact so they didn't realize what was going on.

Maybe this type of thing happened. I hope.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helios_Airways_Flight_522

[Flossie]

I've followed this story since it was first reported that a plane was missing. At one point in the investigation I heard a report that using pings off satellites not only helped figure out the direction the plane was flying, but something about the length of time the pings were sent and how soon they reached the satellite offered an idea of the altituded the plane was flying. Maybe that story has been debunked because I never hear of it anymore, but at the time the expert being interviewed said that if the plane was flying too high to breathe properly, the passengers could have died without ever realizing something was wrong. Maybe it was something that someone said just to make people feel better about what happened.

I've never experienced this type of thing, being so high in the air that there's not enough oxygen to breathe, but my FIL had it happen one time. In WWII, he was being trained to crew bombers. To illustrate the dangers of flying too high, his class was taken up and given clipboards and pens. They were instructed to write their names over and over until told to stop and put on their oxygen masks. FIL was busily writing his name and said he felt fine, even better than fine. He was actually feeling pretty happy, and that didn't bother him at all. When the guy next to him passed out and was having an oxygen mask placed on him, FIL's only thought was the guy fell asleep. Didn't bother him at all, or cause him to question the situation.

Then someone removed his clipboard and started putting an oxygen mask on him. It was only when he was breathing the correct amount of oxygen that he started to realize what was happening, and it shook him up pretty bad. As the plane descended and everyone was back to normal, the commander told them to look at their clipboards. FIL saw that his signature got more and more sloppy and finally he was just making random marks on the page. The whole time he was convinced he was fine and he was dutifully writing his name over and over. He even remembers thinking he'd be praised for having such good handwriting (and he was well aware that his writing was chicken-scratches that most people couldn't read).

If the people in the cabin ran out of oxygen and took off their masks, they might have had a few seconds of thinking crises averted and be feeling pretty relieved before they passed out.

[LucySnowe]

Flossie, that story freaks me the hell out.

ISTR that the plane dropped off the radar at the exact point when it was transferring from one, I'm not even sure what the technical terms are - basically, being 'seen' by one air traffic area to the next. So it wasn't like "it's here and now it's gone" but the transition point when it's supposed to leave one area (which it did, so no red flags) and arrive at another (which it didn't, so they didn't see it). Someone else might be able to clarify this.

[Maggie Mae]

There are a bunch of videos of pilots taking GForce tests and passing out. I like to think that either the loss of oxygen, or the g-forces involved in a plane crash would mean that most people were unaware. I guess. I don't actually know if that is better or worse.

I wonder if we will ever know what really happened.

[memabelle]

I remember my high school physics teacher explaining to us that because of the altitude at which most planes fly, most everyone would pass out from lack of oxygen before a crash occurred, so you wouldn't even be aware it was happening. Of course, if the plane gradually and deliberately descended into the ocean, that's a whole other sad ballgame.

I also happen to be an Everest nut, and many people report that when people are suffering from lack of oxygen near the summit, they oftentimes are not aware of it, think they're perfectly fine, and even hallucinate they are in much more pleasant surroundings...one can only hope.

As I suffer from a fear of flying, this incident freaks me out immensely...now might be a good time for me to wander on over to other threads!

[ShepherdontheRock]

http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/23/world/mh370-mozambique-debris-confirmed/index.html

More debris found. In Mozambique and (unconfirmed) in South Africa.

Hopefully this helps shed light on what may have happened.