Plane missing with 236 people on board

[freakiness]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-03-08/malaysia-airlines-lost-contact-with-plane/5307888

Malaysia Airlines says one of its planes has gone missing on the way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board.

A statement from the airline says flight MH370 lost contact with air traffic controllers at 2:40am local time, just over two hours into the flight.

The plane, a Boeing 777-200, left Kuala Lumpur at 12:41am on Saturday, and had been due to arrive in Beijing at 6:30am local time.

The company says the plane was carrying 227 passengers, including two infants, and 12 crew members.

The airline says it is contacting the next-of-kin of all passengers and crew, which includes people of 13 different nationalities.

In a statement on the airline's website, group chief executive officer Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said the airline was working with authorities to locate the aircraft.

"Focus of the airline is to work with the emergency responders and authorities and mobilise its full support," the statement said.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with all affected passengers and crew and their family members."

The airline says it will provide regular updates on its website.

The ABC understand Malaysia Airlines will hold a press conference on the incident shortly.

[colic2bullsgirlore]

5,679 mi Distance from Indian Ocean to Kazakhstan

The "terror" of the unknown maybe what the 'hijackers' seek/sought.

Money, noteriety nor demands might not be the priority. They certainly had have//will have most of the worlds attention by

now whatever the reasoning

...like the boogeyman for those that were/are scared of the dark

[cherry*135]

Most aircraft hijackers intend to use the passengers as hostages, either for monetary ransom or for some political or administrative concession by authorities. Motives vary from demanding the release of certain inmates (notably IC-814) to highlighting the grievances of a particular community (notably AF 8969). Hijackers also have used aircraft as a weapon to target particular locations (notably during the September 11, 2001 attacks).

[nevynreally]

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@am*3 wrote:

Most aircraft hijackers intend to use the passengers as hostages, either for monetary ransom or for some political or administrative concession by authorities. Motives vary from demanding the release of certain inmates (notably IC-814) to highlighting the grievances of a particular community (notably AF 8969). Hijackers also have used aircraft as a weapon to target particular locations (notably during the September 11, 2001 attacks).

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Yes, but usually they want the press to know about it, in order to make it happen. Which is why this particular case is unusual.

[cherry*135]

I am presuming that there were hijackers but the plane crashed before it made it  to the intended hijacked location. Wouldn't plane  highjackers only declare themselves as hijackers, after they had landed at their intended destination and not before?

[colic2bullsgirlore]

If I was a hijacker and I sought money or leverage then I would land at the closest Countries airport where I thought I had

the best chance of achieving my goals .....probably a smaller country.

http://www.turtlepress.com/articles/surviving_airplane_terrorist_hijacking.aspx

[cherry*135]

The PM said the plane could have flown for up to 7 hours after it went off course. That makes an enormous area for them to search for it now.

[two_fisted_pixie]

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@freakiness wrote:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-03-08/malaysia-airlines-lost-contact-with-plane/5307888

Malaysia Airlines says one of its planes has gone missing on the way from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board.

A statement from the airline says flight MH370 lost contact with air traffic controllers at 2:40am local time, just over two hours into the flight.

The plane, a Boeing 777-200, left Kuala Lumpur at 12:41am on Saturday, and had been due to arrive in Beijing at 6:30am local time.

The company says the plane was carrying 227 passengers, including two infants, and 12 crew members.

The airline says it is contacting the next-of-kin of all passengers and crew, which includes people of 13 different nationalities.

In a statement on the airline's website, group chief executive officer Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said the airline was working with authorities to locate the aircraft.

"Focus of the airline is to work with the emergency responders and authorities and mobilise its full support," the statement said.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with all affected passengers and crew and their family members."

The airline says it will provide regular updates on its website.

The ABC understand Malaysia Airlines will hold a press conference on the incident shortly.

---

A friend from my childhood was on this plane. It is very sad.

We lost touch after I moved to Australia. We had not spoken in twenty years.

I never met her husband who was travelling with her. I do not even know if she has any children.

A few years ago, I looked for her on Facebook, but I could not find her. Maybe if I had, things would have been different.

I will never forgive myself for not trying harder. 😞

[azureline**]

I am so sorry for your sadness, it looks like we can be hopeful though.

[two_fisted_pixie]

Thankyou. Yes, I have read the latest updates.

I have also read other hijacking cases.

It does not seem other hijacked planes have gone this long without demands of some kind.

I appreciate your positive concern, and I hope you are right.

[monman12]

I finally dug up some information that I remembered which might be of interest to those who  would  wish to know the difficulty in locating a crashed aircraft, This incident  was in the USA with a known search radius of around 10 miles.

A modern Learjet attempting an instrument approach (after one missed approach) near Dorchester New Hampshire crashed in 1996. The aircraft's position was known within 10 miles from radar and ATC contact.

Associated Press Nov 13, 1999
After a search of almost three years, a broken Learjet airplane was found last month in the forests of Dorchester, N.H., the remains of its two pilots strapped in their seats nearby.

Crash: Three years after planes, helicopters and hikers had conducted what would become  the most extensive search in New Hampshire history,  the story ended with an accidental discovery by a forester ranger of the Learjet wreckage.

nɥºɾ