Malaysia Airlines flight missing between KL and Beijing

This tragic turn of events is being reported on several media outlets

I do feel for the families of the missing and hope they get some answers soon.

Saturday, March 08, 10:30 AM MYT +0800 Malaysia Airlines MH370 Flight Incident - 3rd Media Statement

Ladies and Gentlemen, we are deeply saddened this morning with the news on MH370.

Malaysia Airlines confirms that flight MH370 had lost contact with Subang Air Traffic Control at 2.40am, today. There has been speculation that the aircraft has landed at Nanming. We are working to verify the authenticity of the report and others.

Flight MH370 was operated on a Boeing 777-200 aircraft. It departed Kuala Lumpur at 12.41 am earlier this morning bound for Beijing. The aircraft was scheduled to land at Beijing International Airport at 6.30am local Beijing time.

The flight was carrying a total number of 239 passengers and crew – comprising 227 passengers (including 2 infants), 12 crew members. The passengers were of 14 different nationalities - citizens from:-



1. China – 152 plus 1 infant

2. Malaysia - 38

3. Indonesia - 12

4. Australia - 7

5. France - 3

6. United States of America – 3 pax plus 1 infant

7. New Zealand - 2

8. Ukraine - 2

9. Canada - 2

10. Russia - 1

11. Italy - 1

12. Taiwan - 1

13. Netherlands - 1

14. Austria - 1

This flight was a code share with China Southern Airlines.

We are working with authorities who have activated their Search and Rescue team to locate the aircraft.

Our team is currently calling the next-of-kin of passengers and crew.

The flight was piloted by Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, a Malaysian aged 53. He has a total flying hours of 18,365hours. He joined Malaysia Airlines in 1981. First officer, Fariq Ab.Hamid, a Malaysian, is aged 27. He has a total flying hours of 2,763 hours. He joined Malaysia Airlines in 2007.

Our focus now is to work with the emergency responders and authorities and mobilize its full support. Our thoughts and prayers are with all affected passengers and crew and their family members.

The airline will provide regular updates on the situation. The public may contact +603 7884 1234. For media queries, kindly contact +603 8777 5698/ +603 8787 1276.

Next-of-kin may head to the Support Facility Building at KLIA’s South Support Zone. For directions, call 03 8787 1269.

Source: Malaysia Airlines website

That is tragic. My heart goes out to all affected. The wait for news is always a terrible time. Let's all pray for the best.

Unfortunately it's a certainty that it's gone down somewhere now, fuel supply would have been exhausted many hours ago now, it was due in Beijing 10:30pm uk time.

Heart goes out to those affected

Sky news reporting that a naval
Officer saw it crashing into the sea

Malaysian admiral quoted as saying " it could have crashed in Vietnamese maritime waters" not a particularly helpful quote as it could have done many things!

Malaysian airlines at pains to state that no wreckage has been found and no confirmation that plane has crashed, that it is just "Missing"

It's 10 hrs 30mins overdue from an original flight time of 6hrs, it certainly still isn't flying, just have to hope that it has some how landed at an extremely remote unused airbase out of radio/mobile coverage or something, but I fear the writing is on the wall.

Tragic.


AV herald reporting "...sources in China report that radar data suggest a steep and sudden descent of the aircraft, during which the track of the aircraft changed from 024 degrees to 333 degrees...."

Also noted:

The tip of the wing of the same Malaysian Airlines Boeing 777-200 broke off Aug. 9, 2012, as it was taxiing at Pudong International Airport outside Shanghai. The wingtip collided with the tail of a China Eastern Airlines A340 plane. No one was injured.

Source: New Zealand Herald
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Great sadness for all those affected - time is needed to say what went wrong, but by now it is clear that an as yet unknown catastrophe occurred.

Given the amount of shipping / fishing / gas wells and other flights in the area of focus, I am surprised no specifics have emerged yet ... but as with AF447 it can take a few days when you don't know exactly where to look.

[preiffer]

Can't/won't comment on the specific incident, but for the first time ever I wrote to an airline complaining about the crew's blatant disregard for basic safety instructions (which are included in their own video) during take-off and landing across the whole cabin last week.

...and that was to Malaysian Airlines.


My only hope would be that, if is HAS gone down, as many people as would ever have been possible to evacuate managed to get out.

BBC news has just reported that an aircraft has spotted two surface oil (fuel) slicks.

Given the Chinese radar report; this doesn't look terribly hopeful.

I watched the documentary on Air France flight Af447,it was very thought provoking and very scary. As with all human instinct the trained crew kept trying to go upwards when in fact they had to do the opposite.

It doesn't look too hopeful and because they didn't have time to get off a mayday, it must have happened very quickly. My thoughts are with everyone onboard and all the families affected, absolutely horrible turn of events. Linda

It appears the Italian and Austrian passengers on the manifest never boarded the flights and their passports were reported stolen months ago. Indicates 2 unknown passengers used the stolen passports to board.

Firstly my thoughts to all of those who have lost loved ones in this accident. If there was no mayday call from the aircraft was made, then something catastrophic must have happened, that didn't allow the pilots to do so.
Until they find any wreckage, this search will be hard and painful like it was with Air France 447

Can't/won't comment on the specific incident, but for the first time ever I wrote to an airline complaining about the crew's blatant disregard for basic safety instructions (which are included in their own video) during take-off and landing across the whole cabin last week.

...and that was to Malaysian Airlines.


My only hope would be that, if is HAS gone down, as many people as would ever have been possible to evacuate managed to get out.

I also share that hope that people may have managed to evacuate if they escaped the impact, but then would have to survive in the open ocean, very sad

It appears the Italian and Austrian passengers on the manifest never boarded the flights and their passports were reported stolen months ago. Indicates 2 unknown passengers used the stolen passports to board.

If this is confirmed, then regardless of the cause of the accident, Malaysia Airlines should face serious repercussions for failing to conduct their passenger IDs etc correctly.

I really can't understand how no one knows where this aircraft is? Do you think we're not getting the whole story?

I really thought in this day and age we would be able to locate an aircraft in a more timely manner. This must be agony for the families.

It apppears now that more debris has been spotted in the ocean, really any hope of finding anyone alive now is nil.

I really can't understand how no one knows where this aircraft is? Do you think we're not getting the whole story?

I really thought in this day and age we would be able to locate an aircraft in a more timely manner. This must be agony for the families.

I agree, planes just dont suddenly disappear like that. Unless someone turns off the plane's transponder it should be on radar at all times

We are flying home on Wednesday 12th March with Malaysian - BBK - KL - LHR. I'm feeling a little nervous. I just hope by some miracle the plane will have ditched some where safe and there are surviving passengers.

We are flying home on Wednesday 12th March with Malaysian - BBK - KL - LHR. I'm feeling a little nervous. I just hope by some miracle the plane will have ditched some where safe and there are surviving passengers.

I can understand what you are feeling, but flying on a plane is still the safest form of travel.

Safe flight back.

We are flying home on Wednesday 12th March with Malaysian - BBK - KL - LHR. I'm feeling a little nervous. I just hope by some miracle the plane will have ditched some where safe and there are surviving passengers.

Marie the nightmare continues , hope everything goes well

To take nothing away from the awfulness of the unknown situation, we all hope that there are survivors. I, for one, keep listening & watching the news in the hope of good news.

For those who are concerned about flying, statistics are available that state that one has more chance of being Prime Minister than being involved in an aircraft accident.

R-P

statistics are available that state that one has more chance of being Prime Minister than being involved in an aircraft accident.

joeyc in Number 10!!!! Ha ha ha ha. If only

It is still truly puzzling how the aircraft can disappear as it did... That being said, if the checks that the airline did were unable to flag two declared stolen passports then I wonder what else made it through the screening process. I can think of thing or two off the top of my head that could cause this kind of event - really hoping I am wrong

Watching the news this morning and it appears that frustration has finally boiled over from the families towards Malaysian Airlines, with a lot of them accusing Malaysia of dragging their feet.
I can understand their anger but if you cannot find the plane what are they meant to do ?