# What happened to that plane that vanished in flight?



## Kramodlog (Mar 10, 2014)

This is the one I'm talking about. 

I'm gonna go with a wormhole.


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## Hand of Evil (Mar 10, 2014)

Not a flyer but I find it strange, no cell phone calls.  

Guess it is on LOST island.


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## Kramodlog (Mar 10, 2014)

Hand of Evil said:


> Not a flyer but I find it strange, no cell phone calls.
> 
> Guess it is on LOST island.



Hopefully, this story will have a better end.


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## Tonguez (Mar 10, 2014)

People died


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## Olgar Shiverstone (Mar 10, 2014)

I'm not saying it was aliens, but ...


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## trappedslider (Mar 10, 2014)

I'm blaming this guy


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## Janx (Mar 10, 2014)

Hand of Evil said:


> Not a flyer but I find it strange, no cell phone calls.
> 
> Guess it is on LOST island.




I have no clue of the details of the flight path, but either the altitude or flying over ocean will probably nix cell-phone usage.

Plus, a $50 cellular jammer off e-bay will probably take care of the possibility, and it would probably look like a non-bomb piece of technical equipment.

Thought I too had the humorous thought of Oceanic 815, unfortunately, there's real people who are in real trouble, so I reckon it's not that funny.


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## Hand of Evil (Mar 10, 2014)

Janx said:


> I have no clue of the details of the flight path, but either the altitude or flying over ocean will probably nix cell-phone usage.
> 
> Plus, a $50 cellular jammer off e-bay will probably take care of the possibility, and it would probably look like a non-bomb piece of technical equipment.
> 
> Thought I too had the humorous thought of Oceanic 815, unfortunately, there's real people who are in real trouble, so I reckon it's not that funny.




That is another point; location - always thought of that area a hot spot.


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## Hand of Evil (Mar 11, 2014)

more crazy stuff on this...

Location was know as was air speed and elevation 
No black box signal 
 
Stranger and stranger


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## Kramodlog (Mar 11, 2014)

Wormholes are pretty strange.


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## Zombie_Babies (Mar 11, 2014)

Spice!


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## Scott DeWar (Mar 11, 2014)

A new Bermuda triangle?


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## Kramodlog (Mar 12, 2014)

More like squares.


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## Scott DeWar (Mar 12, 2014)

Quadrangles of some sort any way.


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## Umbran (Mar 12, 2014)

Just go with polygons, and you can't miss.


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## Jet Shield (Mar 12, 2014)

I'm gonna say the Shadow Government took the plane deep into the Congo where they're using the passengers as incubators for a new strain of Ebola.


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## Mustrum_Ridcully (Mar 12, 2014)

If it was terrorism, someone forgot to make the announcement that they were behind it. Maybe things didn't go as planned and it was only the two persons with fake identities.
It could just have been a pilot error or mechanical defect. 


Or maybe it was a hungry sharktopus?


I can't imagine how it must feel to the relatives, no one knowing anything definitive...


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## Hand of Evil (Mar 12, 2014)

We are getting good witch hunts going on it.  First the passports, terrorist and now the co-pilot.


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## Olgar Shiverstone (Mar 12, 2014)

Umbran said:


> Just go with polygons, and you can't miss.




This week, on _In Search Of_ ... Lost in the Malaysian Polygon! Home of the strange, the bizarre, the unexpected.


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## Umbran (Mar 12, 2014)

Olgar Shiverstone said:


> This week, on _In Search Of_ ... Lost in the Malaysian Polygon! Home of the strange, the bizarre, the unexpected.




I find it kind of funny - back in the the late 70s and early 80s, Leonard Nimoy hosted _In Search Of..._

Now, William Shatner hosts _Weird or What_ on SyFy.

Circles and cycles, around and around....


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## Arduin's (Mar 12, 2014)

Based on all available data, the pilots (for unknown reason) took the plane WAY off course.  After that, it was probably flown over land and either blown up or quickly and intentionally crashed.


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## Olgar Shiverstone (Mar 12, 2014)

Arduin's said:


> Based on all available data, the pilots (for unknown reason) took the plane WAY off course.  After that, it was probably flown over land and either blown up or quickly and intentionally crashed.




While that's a possibility, I think the reporting from Malaysia is still too garbled and inconclusive to determine if it is a high probability yet.  There seems to be a great deal of uncertainty still about whether there was a radar track on the aircraft after its transponder ceased transmitting, or not.

As a military guy it makes me wonder a bit about the air defense proficiency in the region.  An airborne track that ceases to squawk, especially if it changes course shortly thereafter, is highly suspicious even if it appears to be a civilian flight on a normal air route.  Once it deviates, it should at a minimum set off alarm bells that cause increased vigilance and closer tracking even if no intercept action is taken -- those could be indications of a disguised smuggling flight, a hijacking, or other cause for security concern.

The almost complete lack of evidence at this point doesn't leave much except speculation.


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## Kramodlog (Mar 12, 2014)

Olgar Shiverstone said:


> The almost complete lack of evidence at this point doesn't leave much except speculation.



That is just speculation.


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## Arduin's (Mar 12, 2014)

Olgar Shiverstone said:


> As a military guy it makes me wonder a bit about the air defense proficiency in the region.  An airborne track that ceases to squawk, especially if it changes course shortly thereafter, is highly suspicious even if it appears to be a civilian flight on a normal air route.




Almost no military tracks commercial flights in that way when the flight is leaving territory and heading out to sea.  Just not a concern.  Even today NORAD doesn't say anything about a flight heading to say the UK if it alters course on a more Southerly track out of D.C. rather than a Great Circle route.


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## trappedslider (Mar 12, 2014)

Arduin's said:


> Based on all available data, the pilots (for unknown reason) took the plane WAY off course.  After that, it was probably flown over land and either blown up or quickly and intentionally crashed.




Insurance scam?  In other theories a Malaysian Shaman says Elves did it and are holding the plane in a stasis field in the air


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## Kramodlog (Mar 12, 2014)




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## Arduin's (Mar 12, 2014)

trappedslider said:


> Insurance scam?




I just can't see pilots going along with that.  Given that they have to die.


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## trappedslider (Mar 12, 2014)

Arduin's said:


> I just can't see pilots going along with that.  Given that they have to die.




That's jsut what they want you to think...mwhahaha


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## Janx (Mar 12, 2014)

Arduin's said:


> Almost no military tracks commercial flights in that way when the flight is leaving territory and heading out to sea.  Just not a concern.  Even today NORAD doesn't say anything about a flight heading to say the UK if it alters course on a more Southerly track out of D.C. rather than a Great Circle route.




The USAF tracks every object in space they can find.

You're telling me they don't put a little effort into tracking airplanes?

I get that they might not pay as much attention to anything not flying over or headed to/from the US.

but I would bet their area of concern is broader than what you suggest it isn't.


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## Arduin's (Mar 12, 2014)

Janx said:


> The USAF tracks every object in space they can find.




Wrong



Janx said:


> You're telling me they don't put a little effort into tracking airplanes?




Correct.  FAA does that.



Janx said:


> I get that they might not pay as much attention to anything not flying over or headed to/from the US.
> 
> but I would bet their area of concern is broader than what you suggest it isn't.




Nope.  My brother is USAF O6 Intel.  NORAD & USAF don't track flights in that detail.  Only if coming towards secure airspace.

Just the way it is.


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## Olgar Shiverstone (Mar 12, 2014)

Arduin's said:


> Almost no military tracks commercial flights in that way when the flight is leaving territory and heading out to sea.  Just not a concern.  Even today NORAD doesn't say anything about a flight heading to say the UK if it alters course on a more Southerly track out of D.C. rather than a Great Circle route.




Well, then what's the Vietnamese military's excuse?   The flight was headed into their airspace and dropped off the transponder right before crossing into their airspace.  Or Thailand? (I'll neglect the Cambodians -- they don't have a lot of capability). There's a number of countries whose interests overlap in the area where the aircraft disappeared.

I admit I don't know the specific early warning ranges in that part of SE Asia. Ironically we recently completed an exercise focused on the South China Sea and I was looking at radar coverage, but it was in a different part of SCS.


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## Scott DeWar (Mar 12, 2014)

Olgar Shiverstone said:


> As a military guy it makes me wonder a bit about the air defense proficiency in the region.  An airborne track that ceases to squawk, especially if it changes course shortly thereafter, is highly suspicious even if it appears to be a civilian flight on a normal air route.  Once it deviates, it should at a minimum set off alarm bells that cause increased vigilance and closer tracking even if no intercept action is taken -- those could be indications of a disguised smuggling flight, a hijacking, or other cause for security concern.




Former US Air Force here. There are navigational transponders that constantly bark out an identifying code. One way for that code could disappear is if it were suddenly destroyed/malfunctioned. another way is if the particular code were changed by the pilots of someone else through the avionics bay.

Now I don't normally like to feed the conspiracy theorists, but if the two passport thieves were on board to do just that, that is steal the aircraft by changing the transponder code, here is my theory:

With pilot/ crew in on it, they have the passports stolen as a red herring. Then one of the crew goes down to change the code and the whole aircraft the veers off on another course.

why do that? 
To kidnapp for ransom - air piracy
something/someone on board worth a lot of money/has information
seems like I saw something like my scenario in a Tom Clancy novel.
something else that is too ugly for me to imagine

I realize this post is a bit disjointed, I just can't wrap my mind around this.


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## Janx (Mar 12, 2014)

Arduin's said:


> Wrong




double wrong back at ya.  So I named the wrong agency.  The DOD and Norad are tracking every object in space they can find.

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/news/orbital_debris.html#.UyDKmPldX6U

Don't be such a quibbler.  The US tracks a lot of stuff.  I don't expect them to track asian stuff headed for asian places, and I implied as much in the logic of my statement.

I do posit, as Olgar stated, that the countries in that area have their own interests in tracking stuff around their countries.  Just as the US does for its own.


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## Olgar Shiverstone (Mar 12, 2014)

Scott DeWar said:


> why do that?
> To kidnapp for ransom - air piracy
> something/someone on board worth a lot of money/has information
> seems like I saw something like my scenario in a Tom Clancy novel.
> something else that is too ugly for me to imagine




Certainly feasible, but the thing that argues against the conspiracy theories to me at this point is the lack of communication.  If this was a terrorist act, or hostage-taking, or something, you'd expect demands/threats/taunts by now.

That suggests to me that the in-flight disaster, significant crew error, or bizarre action on part of the pilots is more likely. If I had to bet at this point, I'd bet "exploded or crashed into the sea, just not quite where we think."

But still ... really insufficient evidence to form more than a broad set of hypotheses and try to gather information to try and narrow them down.


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## Scott DeWar (Mar 12, 2014)

On the hostage theory, how often do we here of the piracy/kidnapping in places like the Gulf of Aden?


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## Kramodlog (Mar 12, 2014)

Some guy working on a oil rig saw a plane in fire crash near the original search zone. 

The Chinese guberment just released some sat pics of what could be reckage in the same zone. 

Seems the wormhole damaged the damaged the plane and didn't swallow it.


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## Scott DeWar (Mar 12, 2014)

goldomark said:


> Some guy working on a oil rig saw a plane in fire crash near the original search zone.
> 
> The Chinese government just released some sat pics of what could be wreckage in the same zone.
> 
> Seems the wormhole damaged the plane and didn't swallow it.




But what set it on fire? 

 And China is just now creating via photo shop disclosing the sat fotos? GAH! 

Ah ha! so there WAS  a wormhole!!!


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## Arduin's (Mar 13, 2014)

Olgar Shiverstone said:


> Well, then what's the Vietnamese military's excuse?




Excuse for what?  A visible commercial flight not yet over their legal territory but is over the ocean stops squawking and drops off of ATC radar.  What do they need an excuse for?


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## Olgar Shiverstone (Mar 13, 2014)

Scott DeWar said:


> On the hostage theory, how often do we here of the piracy/kidnapping in places like the Gulf of Aden?




Lots, and usually pretty quickly after a ship is captured (though the capture rate has been falling due to the EU-led naval policing effort).


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## Scott DeWar (Mar 13, 2014)

Olgar Shiverstone said:


> Lots, and usually pretty quickly after a ship is captured (though the capture rate has been falling due to the EU-led naval policing effort).




Our ships are there too, such as the USS Boxer. I don't watch much TV so I guess I don't hear much about the piracy.


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## Tun Kai Poh (Mar 13, 2014)

Our long-ruling and incredibly corrupt Malaysian government is used to suppressing information and enforcing media silence on a broad range of topics. They're used to trampling over (or owning) the local news media (147th place in international press freedom rankings, worse than Myanmar), but they're not prepared for the amount of international attention. Hence the wildly conflicting responses from a wide range of government officials who don't know what the other hand is doing.


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## Arduin's (Mar 13, 2014)

Scott DeWar said:


> Our ships are there too, such as the USS Boxer. I don't watch much TV so I guess I don't hear much about the piracy.




The piracy of any significant ship types is pretty much non-existent in that area now.  Has been for a few years now.


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## Scott DeWar (Mar 13, 2014)

Arduin's said:


> The piracy of any significant ship types is pretty much non-existent in that area now.  Has been for a few years now.




good news, this.


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## Olgar Shiverstone (Mar 13, 2014)

Sounds like there is now evidence the A/C continued flying for another four hours, direction unknown.  The plot thickens ...

  [MENTION=49929]Scott DeWar[/MENTION]:

NATO Piracy Stats for Horn of Africa.  Significantly down in 2013 from a peak in 2010-2011.

Edit: If you want the news, here's the force site for Operation Atalanta.


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## Scott DeWar (Mar 14, 2014)

if I recall the location of the Gulf of Aden being north og the horn and being the inlet to the red sea, then that natural chocke point there is logically the worst point of piracy. However it of great note tha 2013 is indeed a benchmark year for nearly no activeity.  wowo!

i noticed mention in sept of 2011, spanish warship Santa Maria, do they also have the NiÑa and the Pinta too? I know, I am bad.

I did notice the EU list is put out by the E U, so USS Ships would not get a mention at all.


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## Arduin's (Mar 14, 2014)

Scott DeWar said:


> I did notice the EU list is put out by the E U, so USS Ships would not get a mention at all.





None to list.  The pirates know that hitting a US flagged ship = death.


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## Scott DeWar (Mar 14, 2014)

hitting an EU warship should be seen deadly too.


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## Arduin's (Mar 14, 2014)

Scott DeWar said:


> hitting an EU warship should be seen deadly too.





Ya think?    Warships never get hit.  Just civvies.


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## Olgar Shiverstone (Mar 14, 2014)

Scott DeWar said:


> I did notice the EU list is put out by the E U, so USS Ships would not get a mention at all.




There's also the NATO Operation Ocean Shield going on in the same area.  It doesn't list any US ships on the current rotation but there were US Navy vessels in prior rotations -- which doesn't preclude US ships operating there independently or in support of CJTF-HOA, either. If USS Boxer was there, it was probably supporting the CJTF; I know a SP-MAGTF just left the region.


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## Scott DeWar (Mar 14, 2014)

I only know of the Boxer. It was the ship my nephew was on when he was lost at sea - placed on eternal watch.


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## Slickam (Mar 14, 2014)

Arduin's said:


> Ya think?    Warships never get hit.  Just civvies.




Never? The French ship Somme proves otherwise.


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## Arduin's (Mar 14, 2014)

Slickam said:


> Never? The French ship Somme proves otherwise.





That was mistaken for a civilian ship and took no damage.  You need to read the after action report before you jump to, incorrect, conclusions.


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## Slickam (Mar 14, 2014)

Arduin's said:


> That was mistaken for a civilian ship and took no damage.  You need to read the after action report before you jump to, incorrect, conclusions.




Yes, I knew that, but that doesn't change the fact that you said:


> Warships never get hit.



 and not "Warships identified as warships never get hit." You need to read what you write before you jump to incorrect conclusions about what people know.


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## Scott DeWar (Mar 14, 2014)

I think you might be splitting hairs, there, slick.


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## Arduin's (Mar 14, 2014)

Slickam said:


> Yes, I knew that, but that doesn't change the fact that you said:
> and not "Warships identified as warships never get hit."




I meant targeted by pirates.  ANYONE can get hit by accident.  That is axiomatic and thus outside of the argument.  Obviously.


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## GameOgre (Mar 14, 2014)

Making light of a real life situation where people might have died or might end up losing their lives makes me feel like a $%$%. It doesn't stop me from doing it however, I guess I accept what I am.Still though I hope the below is worse than anything those people really have to deal with...


 Breaking News!- A reporter just discovered facts that just might place this out of the realm of terrorists and into criminals! The cargo of this plan has listed in its manifest to have the only finalized copy of the upcoming edition of  Dungeon and Dragons(D&D NEXT). 

Theories abound that disgruntled players lead by a X-WOTC/TSR employee took over the plan and have secreted it away in a top secret private convention center where they are even now making changes and play testing those changes.

The reporter said her first clue was when she accidentally grabbed the wrong list of people but found the same names on that list,the list was from attendees at last Gen-con!

Also both pilots won third place at the 2000 Gen-con "What lengths are you willing to go to to win D&D" competition.


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## Scott DeWar (Mar 22, 2014)

A large floating object in the south Indian ocean at coordinate 90º 13' 43" E 44º 57' 29" S. The approximate opposite point is Michigan in the US.

it is about half way from the horn of western Australia in the east and a small island, literally in the middle of nowhere. it was about 74 feet by 43 feet


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