The MH 370 mystery (Opinion)
- Sighting of objects that could be debris from Malaysian Airlines Flight 370, about 2,500 km from Perth, brings partial closure to the mystery of missing plane.
- Boeing 777 disappeared on March 8 when it was heading for Beijing from Kuala Lumpur with 239 people on board.
- Recovery of black box may unveil how the plane went missing from radar screen
- Southern Indian Ocean where the plane is supposed to have plunged is about two miles deep in places.
- Southern Indian Ocean is home to ‘roaring forties’ where wind speeds routinely range between 30 and 40 mph & witnesses large waves.
- Plane’s transponders, Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System, radio are said to have failed at the same time resulting is its disappearance.
- Other speculation is that crew changed the course. This theory gains credibility because the plane made 3 course changes and 2 altitude changes.
- Available evidence indicates a deliberate act on the part of the pilot or the co-pilot.
- Multinational team led by Australia, and with experts and resources from 26 countries, is working to get to the bottom of the issue.
- Boeing 777, which entered service in 1995, is the workhorse of many airlines across the world.
- Malaysian disaster will end up focussing more on the people who operate the machines.
- Apart from delivering on technological solutions, experts may now have to factor in the airworthiness of commercial airline crew.
- Search, investigation of MH370 should provide some clues to what needs to be done to safeguard against both technical flaws and human subversion.
Exams Perspective:
- Black Box
- Southern Indian Ocean
- Radar