MYSTERY IN THE SKY - WTF? - MH370 & MH17 & QZ8501 & More

[cladking]

Narrator: [Closing Narration] A Global jet airliner, en route from London to New York on an uneventful afternoon in the year 1961, but now reported overdue and missing, and by now, searched for on land, sea, and air by anguished human beings, fearful of what they'll find. But you and I know where she is. You and I know what's happened. So if some moment, any moment, you hear the sound of jet engines flying atop the overcast - engines that sound searching and lost - engines that sound desperate - shoot up a flare or do something. That would be Global 33 trying to get home - from The Twilight Zone.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0734668/triv...=tt_trv_qu

[HairOfTheDog]

I vaguely remember that episode now Clad; had forgotten all about it before your post.

Truth is often stranger than fiction, this I know. Sometimes the two are virtually indistinguishable, this I'm learning. Man, I would love to believe that the vanished plane, MH370, and its passengers are hovering somewhere in the Twilight Zone, rather than rusting in pieces on the dark floor of the Indian Ocean.

Kinda cool that Mr. Serling created something all those decades ago that evokes relevant discussion in the course of current events. The Twilight Zone was my dad's favorite show and we sometimes debated which was better, The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits (I always argued in favor of The Outer Limits; naivety on display).

Anyway, I'm really glad to see you here, Clad. I hope you don't disappear on us for too long again.

[cladking]

I've been lurking a lot.

Most trips into the Twilight Zone ended badly. It seems they were an only escape or a disaster.

Even flight 33 has to run out of fuel eventually.

[cladking]

I know that's not really you hanging around chimneys.

[HairOfTheDog]

Most trips into the Twilight Zone ended badly. It seems they were an only escape or a disaster.

Even flight 33 has to run out of fuel eventually.

Very true.

And yet, the unknown affords hope for something better than the dreaded known or the pessimistically (realistically) assumed.

There's still room for hope in this world.

You never know Clad, the Twilight Zone may well be populated with air petrol stations here, there and everywhere. Perpetual, petrol-pumped, possibilities...

[HairOfTheDog]

I know that's not really you hanging around chimneys.

Astute you are, sir.

That's (unsubstantiated, allegedly) my girl username.

I'm way less passionate, fun, and daring than she; no nude chimney shimmy for my ass.

So, why the eff are you lurking and not posting? Bring it on...

[Midwest Spy]

I see a British pilot named Simon Hardy (a 777 senior captain for a major airline) has revealed his theory that Flight MH370 was indeed flown intentionally into the ocean by the chief pilot.

Almost a year since this happened.

Unreal.

[Duchess]

All this time has passed and we don't really know anything more now than we did in the very beginning. No wreckage, no bodies, nothing. It simply disappeared. How does this happen in this day & age?

[HairOfTheDog]

OP UPDATE

Da plane. Da plane. Where da hell is da plane, boss?

This is a very odd international mystery.

A Boeing 777 took off from the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur, bound for Beijing, China on Saturday morning.

The weather was good. There were 239 people on board the Malaysian Airline flight.

120 nautical miles off and the plane has not been seen since - it's like it disappeared into thin air, despite vast searches of key areas along the intended route. Global media is all over the story.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

It been almost a year and a half since MH370 seemingly vanished from the sky and could not be located despite massive international search efforts.

It's looking likely that part of the plane has finally been recovered. A barnacle-crusted fragment of a plane was discovered on the French island of Reunion yesterday. Boeing investigators believe that it belongs to a Boeing 777, and the only such aircraft missing in the world is Flight 370.

[HairOfTheDog]

Here's the fragment of the plane that washed up on Reunion Island and is currently under inspection.



Interestingly, an oceanography professor predicted a year ago that debris from Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 could reach Reunion Island off the southern tip of Africa.

Charitha Pattiaratchi of the University of Western Australia drew up maps showing how Indian Ocean currents could carry debris from the lost plane west toward Madagascar within a year and a half of the crash.



Related stories:
http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/missing...on-n401191
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...MH370.html

[HairOfTheDog]

^ It's unclear to me if the debris found on Reunion Island definitely included parts of MH370 -- conflicting reports.
----------------------------------

Today, a Russian passenger plane crashed in Egypt.



The aircraft vanished from radar screens 23 minutes after taking off from the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh and was en-route to St Petersburg. Russian president Vladimir Putin has ordered his own team of investigators to the crash scene to determine what happened to the Irish-registered jet which was leased to a small Russian airline.

Wreckage was found in the Hasana area and bodies removed, along with the plane's "black box". An official described a "tragic scene" with bodies of victims still strapped to seats.

ISIS has claimed responsibility for downing the Russian jet killing 224 passengers and crew over the Egyptian Sinai desert. In an attempt to score a propaganda victory from the disaster, a jihadi news service claimed: 'The soldiers of the caliphate succeeded in bringing down a Russian plane in Sinai.'

The Egyptian Air Agency says there is no evidence of a terrorist attack and investigation is underway.

The pilot of the doomed passenger jet was trying to bring the stricken aircraft into el-Arish airport in northern Sinai after radioing that the Airbus A321 was suffering technical difficulties.

Egyptian security forces reported that the jet split into two sections after it struck the ground some 60 miles from the airport. Witnesses claimed that bodies have been spread over a three-mile radius, as pictures of the victims begin to emerge.

Sources:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-34687139
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/ushome/index.html

[HairOfTheDog]

Russian Plane Crash -- Inconsistencies, Questions, Mystery

Based on initial reports/statements, I thought the Russian plane over the Sinai might have gone down under less mysterious circumstances than the other recent plane wrecks. I was wrong.



-It turns out that the pilot didn't radio about being in distress and readying for an emergency landing, as was originally reported (according to the airline).

-The Russian co-pilot's wife says her husband complained about the plane being in bad condition a couple of months ago; the airline says it has no record of any complaints and the plane was in good condition.

-The airline Kogalymavia (Metrojet) was reportedly having financial problems and hadn't paid the staff in two months.

-ISIS claimed responsibility right after the plane went down, asserting it was retaliation for Russia's troops intervening in Syria. Authorities in Russia and Egypt initially downplayed the claim as false/propaganda -- now authorities in all countries are saying it can't be ruled out, though there is no evidence of terrorist attack at this time.

-Russia has long been concerned about Islamic militant attacks against it. The Russians have fought a long-running Islamic insurgency in Chechnya, where two women armed with hand grenades destroyed two separate domestic flights in 2004.

-The plane broke apart in the air, based on the debris scattering -- that seems to be agreed upon by all.

-Egyptian authorities say ISIS in the Sinai doesn't have the weapons to hit a plane at such high altitude, but they can't yet rule out someone bringing a bomb on-board.

-The 18-year-old Airbus A321-200 had flown just 57,000 hours of its 120,000-hour life span, according Metrojet Deputy Director Averianov, adding that this was not an “extraordinary” age compared with other European and Russian fleets. He also dismissed the tail strike as an issue.

-Egyptian authorities claim they've almost completed collection of the remains of the 224 passengers and crew.

So basically, nothing has been ruled in or ruled out (though the airline's statements make it appear that the problem could not have been technical in nature or due to pilot error).

Refs:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/03/world/....html?_r=0
http://www.wsj.com/articles/russian-plan...1446460784

[Blindgreed1]

Russian Plane Crash -- Inconsistencies, Questions, Mystery

Based on initial reports/statements, I thought the Russian plane over the Sinai might have gone down under less mysterious circumstances than the other recent plane wrecks. I was wrong.



-It turns out that the pilot didn't radio about being in distress and readying for an emergency landing, as was originally reported (according to the airline).

-The Russian co-pilot's wife says her husband complained about the plane being in bad condition a couple of months ago; the airline says it has no record of any complaints and the plane was in good condition.

-The airline Kogalymavia (Metrojet) was reportedly having financial problems and hadn't paid the staff in two months.

-ISIS claimed responsibility right after the plane went down, asserting it was retaliation for Russia's troops intervening in Syria. Authorities in Russia and Egypt initially downplayed the claim as false/propaganda -- now authorities in all countries are saying it can't be ruled out, though there is no evidence of terrorist attack at this time.

-Russia has long been concerned about Islamic militant attacks against it. The Russians have fought a long-running Islamic insurgency in Chechnya, where two women armed with hand grenades destroyed two separate domestic flights in 2004.

-The plane broke apart in the air, based on the debris scattering -- that seems to be agreed upon by all.

-Egyptian authorities say ISIS in the Sinai doesn't have the weapons to hit a plane at such high altitude, but they can't yet rule out someone bringing a bomb on-board.

-The 18-year-old Airbus A321-200 had flown just 57,000 hours of its 120,000-hour life span, according Metrojet Deputy Director Averianov, adding that this was not an “extraordinary” age compared with other European and Russian fleets. He also dismissed the tail strike as an issue.

-Egyptian authorities claim they've almost completed collection of the remains of the 224 passengers and crew.

So basically, nothing has been ruled in or ruled out (though the airline's statements make it appear that the problem could not have been technical in nature or due to pilot error).

Refs:
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/03/world/....html?_r=0
http://www.wsj.com/articles/russian-plan...1446460784

There was talk today of heat signatures that were picked up by a satellite which is believed to be a smoking gun indicating a terrorist attack if the right number of signatures are confirmed.

[Midwest Spy]

Either ISIL was showing off a shiny new weapon that they just got their hands on (otherwise international intelligence would know) or someone snuck a bomb on board.

Reportedly, many passengers were still strapped in their seats, so obviously much of the fuselage fell intact.

Horrible way to go, and plenty of time to ponder their fate (I don't think everyone would be instantly incapacitated at 31,000 feet). Although I hope I'm wrong.

Clearly, everyone's biggest fear when flying is that 6-7 mile free fall.

[HairOfTheDog]

I'm glad that the black boxes / data recorders were recovered and appear to be in good shape, MS. Egyptian authorities began analyzing them today.

The plane went down just 20 minutes into flight and it's agreed across the board that an explosion took place on board. A bomb is one possibility, a technical issue is another possibility. It's been ruled out that a ground to air missile could have hit the plane externally.

I hope the data recorder provides information about what was going down on the plane before it broke apart in the air.

Authorities are also reviewing the passenger roster, the crew, and the service providers who had access to the plane prior to take off.

Story: http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/russian...es-n457051

[HairOfTheDog]

Either ISIL was showing off a shiny new weapon that they just got their hands on (otherwise international intelligence would know) or someone snuck a bomb on board.

I'm reading that U.S. Intelligence sources are leaning towards ISIL or an ISIL-affiliate managing to get an explosive smuggled on board.

[Blindgreed1]

Either ISIL was showing off a shiny new weapon that they just got their hands on (otherwise international intelligence would know) or someone snuck a bomb on board.

I'm reading that U.S. Intelligence sources are leaning towards ISIL or an ISIL-affiliate managing to get an explosive smuggled on board.

Smuggling bombs onto planes should be illegal... Wait?!!!

[HairOfTheDog]

You're of diminished capacity Gunnar. I'm convinced of it.

I'm just gonna pity you, fool, and quit responding to your feeble "I'm am the anti-gun control champion of the world!" shit in every thread.

Wear the crown proudly, knucklehead.

[Maggot]

I heard ISIS or what I like to call them "Daesh" has taken responsibility for a bomb on the Russian plane. If so Putin may step up his efforts a bit.

[HairOfTheDog]

Investigators Conclude Bomb Planted on Russian Plane


^ That image was published in the Islamic State magazine.

All of the countries involved in the investigation of the Russian airliner have reportedly concluded that a bomb on board was responsible for downing the plane.

The sound of the explosion could actually be heard on the black box flight data recordings, which led investigators to rule out any possibility of anything other than a bomb bringing the flight down.

Senior officials in the US and UK analysed the recordings and said they were 99.9 per cent that the sound heard on the Metrojet flight from Sharm el Sheikh to St Petersburg was a bomb.

Spies also analysed terrorist chatter, and Russia finally acknowledged on November 17 that a bomb was responsible for the crash after Britain shared intelligence with Moscow.

'The experts who tested the parts and bodies noted that the people who occupied the seats near the bomb, almost certainly died at once.'

The seats - and those around 30A and 31A - were occupied by Russian tourists who had been to Sharm El Sheikh.

The bomb which was equal to one kilo of TNT exploded and its forces went forwards and hit the rows up to 27. The wave went slightly backwards too and hit the row 32.

The blast zone for the bomb would have spanned across six rows of seats and left a huge hole in the tail of the plane which sent it tumbling out of the sky at a rate of 6,000 ft per minute.

There is no suggestion they were suicide bombers, instead they were seen as innocent victims among the 224 who perished in Russia's worst-ever air disaster.

Ref: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...z3sL8scTd2