Missing Airplane Flew On for Hours • Hacker News Board

Re: Missing Airplane Flew On for Hours

#41

Post by Crito » Thu, Mar 13, 2014, 7:33 AM UTC

ekianjo wrote: post #29

United857 wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's possible in some cases for phones to "ring" even if they're off/disconnected, as the tone is generated by the network, not the device itself.

I don't know how networks work in your country or where this accident occured, but in Japan when your phone is off, and you try to call it, it does not ring and indeed goes to voicemail directly.

Instead of turning your phone off, so that it can inform the network that it is going off line, try pulling the battery without warning.

If I turn off my phone gracefully, the network will send incoming calls pretty much straight to voicemail. If my phones battery has died, or the phone dropped off the network for another reason (went camping?), then the network will have your phone ring as it searches for the phone.

Re: Missing Airplane Flew On for Hours

#42

Post by Blahah » Thu, Mar 13, 2014, 7:33 AM UTC

mbreese wrote: post #38

banachtarski wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Damn that is an interesting theory. I think there should be a way of getting into the cockpit if it can be determined that the pilot and copilot are incapacitated. That would be a miserable way to go. :P

Basically, a dead mans switch for the cockpit door lock? Where the pilot/co-pilot has to hit a button every N minutes? That might not be a bad idea...

There is an emergency access code to get through the security door, at least on a 737: http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2014/03/a-hypoth....

Re: Missing Airplane Flew On for Hours

#43

Post by alexeisadeski3 » Thu, Mar 13, 2014, 7:35 AM UTC

nostrademons wrote: post #39

ekianjo wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> * On February 22nd, aircraft 9M-MRO underwent maintenance. During this, or during a previous maintenance cycle, an empty oxygen bottle was installed by mistake for a full one, or a valve was jammed, or some other undetected fault rendered the flight deck crew's emergency oxygen supply inoperable. That sounds extremely unlikely. Standard procedures for equipment checks in plane are usually done at 9 sigma standards,…

The other thing to consider is that there are roughly 90,000 flights/day and 365 days in a year, so even if such an event has a probability of 1 in a billion (that's roughly 9 9s reliability), you'd expect it to happen once every 30 years on average. Extremely unlikely events become plausible when large numbers are involved.

You're showing one botched flight deck O2 tank per 30 years? That's how I read it but I may be wrong.

What are the odds that that one botched O2 tank happens to be on a flight with high altitude decompression?

Re: Missing Airplane Flew On for Hours

#44

Post by mbreese » Thu, Mar 13, 2014, 7:36 AM UTC

nostrademons wrote: post #7

Interesting hypothesis that would square with this: http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2014/03/a-hypoth...

Here's one potential problem with that theory... that plan was equipped with an onboard GSM microcell, right? So people could still use their phones? These should run over a different set of antenna, so if the other set was ripped away, this satellite link should have still worked.

So, if something like this theory happened, why didn't someone in the main cabin use their phone to call home?

Unless everyone suddenly lost oxygen at the same time...

Re: Missing Airplane Flew On for Hours

#45

Post by m_darkTemplar » Thu, Mar 13, 2014, 7:36 AM UTC

alexeisadeski3 wrote: post #12

m_darkTemplar wrote: post #10

I wonder why this data wasn't available earlier. It seems like it would have been very useful in the searches.

Probably was available to investigators and searchers just not the general public.

The areas that have been searched are very close to where they lost contact though. I would have thought they'd be looking farther away with this information.

Re: Missing Airplane Flew On for Hours

#46

Post by alexeisadeski3 » Thu, Mar 13, 2014, 7:37 AM UTC

devindotcom wrote: post #26

Still tallies with my hijacking theory. A 777ER would have had enough fuel to get to just about anywhere east of Africa, and maybe even to the horn. Honestly I think it's the simplest explanation.

It'll be a walk in the park to track down the debris in that case.

Amilia Earhart levels of mystery.

Re: Missing Airplane Flew On for Hours

#47

Post by mbreese » Thu, Mar 13, 2014, 7:38 AM UTC

Blahah wrote: post #42

mbreese wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Basically, a dead mans switch for the cockpit door lock? Where the pilot/co-pilot has to hit a button every N minutes? That might not be a bad idea...

There is an emergency access code to get through the security door, at least on a 737: http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2014/03/a-hypoth... .

But who has the code? That'd be important information to have.

Re: Missing Airplane Flew On for Hours

#48

Post by chrismcb » Thu, Mar 13, 2014, 7:39 AM UTC

Here is what I don't get. A plane, a HUGE plane, supposedly just disappeared. Near China. So this whole "fly under the radar" is just BS? You just need to turn off your transponder, and you can fly wherever you want?

Re: Missing Airplane Flew On for Hours

#49

Post by jw2013 » Thu, Mar 13, 2014, 7:39 AM UTC

justinzollars wrote: post #32

Reminds me of Lost, I never thought that was a plausible plot even in 2004. I thought our technology has made losing aircraft, impossible. Very strange that the transponders were turned off. Very strange that the Rolls-Royce data wasn't released days ago. Was this an oversight?

I thought Oceanic 815 was found on the ocean floor?

Re: Missing Airplane Flew On for Hours

#50

Post by ekianjo » Thu, Mar 13, 2014, 7:39 AM UTC

mbreese wrote: post #44

nostrademons wrote: post #7

Interesting hypothesis that would square with this: http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2014/03/a-hypoth...

Here's one potential problem with that theory... that plan was equipped with an onboard GSM microcell, right? So people could still use their phones? These should run over a different set of antenna, so if the other set was ripped away, this satellite link should have still worked. So, if something like this theory happened, why didn't someone in the main cabin use their phone to call home? Unless everyone suddenly l…

> So, if something like this theory happened, why didn't someone in the main cabin use their phone to call home?

If rapid decompression occurred, there could have been panic in the plane, making it difficult to establish any kind of communication. Who knows...