Tuesday, March 11, 2014

MAS Flight MH370 - What has become of it?

The Missing MAS Flight MH-370 is till a mystery in the annals of the unexplainable. How a modern top of the line sophisticated Boeing 777 can simply vanish from the skies over the South China Sea is beyond the experts and has got everyone here in a quandary. Aside from the grieve that is faced by those who have their loved ones missing the circumstances of the event itself is up for grabs as far as the Air Safety Agencies are concern. I has been three days now and yet no trace of what has become of the plane that carries some 232 passengers on board and the search for the aircraft has become a priority as much as a challenge to every nation that has its nationals on board especially China as the flight was headed for Beijing and carries the majority of Chinese nationals.
Expert opinion:
"The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 has left investigators, aviation experts and the authorities in several countries at a loss to explain what happened. As the search and inquiry continue, "
I am writing not to impose my two cents worth over what have happened or could have happened but simply to keep it written as a record of an unprecedented event in the history of aviation in Malaysia. If i am to make any stipulation or any kind of guessing game over what might have happened i would say it is an act of God! Well not really even though it may true in some way. I think what might have happened is that the flight may have been forced to land some where whether by individuals or through mechanical failure. if it is than it most probably has landed in the deep waters beyond the reach of sonar or radar or any form of tracking devices, like being sunk into the Mariana Trench. The chances of it being snatched by aliens abduction in mid air is not far fetched but still within the realm of Science fiction and wild imaginations although not totally out of the question.
"Planes like the 777 also have automatic systems that send out data on engine performance and other technical functions. Those signals go to a maintenance base, not to air traffic control. Air France used those signals to help determine what happened when its Flight 447 disappeared over the equatorial Atlantic. Investigators may be doing something similar in Kuala Lumpur.
While we know where the last radio contact was, we do not know how long after that the airplane crashed, so it is hard to say. A jetliner cruising at 35,000 feet could glide as far as 80 or 90 miles after losing engine power if the pilots still had control.
Pilots have a mantra for setting priorities in an emergency: aviate, navigate, communicate. The first priority is to fly the airplane. Telling air traffic controllers on the ground what is going on comes third, since doing so is unlikely to instantly yield any help with the crisis in the cockpit, whatever it may be. If the pilots are fighting to keep the plane aloft, they may not have time to use the radio."



The aircraft would have to experience a total blackout to not be able to send any form of distress signal in the event of its encountering any form of hazardous situation; it simply has to run out of any form of energy source to send out or receive communications. I have flown in the 777 several tines to and from Dubai and it is one of the most comfortable plane to fly in especially if you are flying business or first class. Most of my son's fellow pilots flying for Emirates Air thinks that the 777 is a beauty to fly in. The captain who flew the MH370 is formally from Penang and is married to the daughter someone I grew up with in Sungai Pinang. We call him Cikgu Ce'Pa, or Mustafa as he was a school teacher and quite well respected here.
It is my prayer that this mystery is solved eventually and not be hung forever as one of those mysteries of the 'Twilight Zone" or the "One Step beyond", an event that will haunt the aviation industry of this country forever. MAS will stand to loose financially in untold amount of compensation and not to mention the loss of a very expensive piece of equipment but the loss of human lives without any form or explanation will be very hard to endure especially by the loved ones.If it is an act of God or otherwise, the missing Flight 307 will leave a permanent scar in our hearts and minds for those of us who have any form of connections to the event; my son flies as a captain for the Emirate Air and if happens to him I will have a tough time accepting it no doubt of how crass and thick my emotions are and so my heart goes out to the Pilot and crew of the Flight MH370, may they be in the safe hands of their Creator.
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