For over a week, the world has come together to search for missing Malaysian Airlines plane MH370, which disappeared en route from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia to Beijing on March 8. Here’s a brief timeline to get you up to date on what’s known so far:
12:41am— Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 takes off from Kuala Lumpur
1:19am— Final voice check in with air traffic control that relays the message, “All right. Good night.” (believed to be the voice of the co-pilot)
1:21am— The transponder is disabled (contact was noticeably lost at this point)
1:30am— Complete contact with the plane is lost
2:40am— Although there was no signal, Malaysian military is able to track it over the Strait of Malacca, a direction which was off course
8:11am— A satellite detects the plane; however, no location is pinpointed.
http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/17/world/asia/malaysia-plane-up-to-speed/
Sunday March 9th:
-Authorities learn that there was no indication in which direction the plane had turned, making it difficult to find the aircraft
-It is revealed two passengers boarded with stolen passports, but these appear to be unrelated to the missing plane.
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/disappearance-malaysia-airlines-flight-370-22841311
Monday March 10th:
-Families are told to expect the worst
-It is learned that the two passengers with stolen passports had been passed on to national intelligence agencies. They were Italian and Austrian passports that had been stolen years ago in Thailand. They booked the flight together and had plans to go to Europe after Beijing
-Five passengers booked on the flight failed to get on board and their luggage was removed; a search is underway for these people
-Radio beacons are placed in the water; normally if anything is afloat, a signal will be picked up. However, there was silence.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-2651002
Tuesday March 11th:
-It is confirmed that there is no link between the passengers with the stolen passport and the disappearance of the plane
-Current theories for the disappearance include: -Terrorism -Sudden engine failure -Structural failure (however the lack of debris raises questions) -Weather related incident (but no reports of bad weather)
-Focus is on four main possibilities: 1. Hijacking 2. Sabotage 3. Personal problems with the passengers and/or crew 4. Psychological problems with the passengers and/or crew
-There is no clear evidence that the plane ever reached the Strait of Malacca.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2014/03/11/malaysia-airlines-investigation/6282557/
Wednesday March 12th:
-New information is released that had been kept secret for days which disclosed that military radar had picked up signals that could have been the missing aircraft
-Now it is considered false that five passenger did not board; no baggage was ever removed.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/13/world/asia/online-and-onscreen-disappeared-malaysian-flight-draws-intense-speculation.html?_r=0
Thursday March 13th:
-No changes made to current reports.
Friday March 14th:
-Malaysian military confirms that the flight went 45,000 feet above the approved altitude
-The plane then descended unevenly at 23,000 feet below normal cruising levels toward the island of Penang
-There is speculation that the plane continued to fly for four more hours after it diverted its course, this is based upon on onboard pings sent to satellites
-Ideas are dismissed that hijackers landed the plane for use in later terrorist attacks.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/15/world/asia/malaysia-military-radar.html
Saturday March 15th:
-The flight’s disappearance is turned into a criminal investigation
-The pilot’s home was searched
-It is speculated that one of the crew members whether it was by choice or coercion, was involved in seizing control of the plane.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/16/world/asia/malaysia-airlines-flight.html
Sunday March 16th:
-The theory that the plane landed somewhere and is hidden is improbable, but has not been ruled out
-There is speculation that some or all of the passengers on the flight could still be alive.
http://www.usnews.com/news/world/articles/2014/03/16/indian-search-for-missing-malaysian-plane-on-hold
Monday March 17th:
-The flight simulator found in the pilot’s home is under scrutiny
-It is revealed that the simulator could have allowed the pilot to virtually create the event before it took place in the air –
Many interviews are conducted with families of passengers, staff members and engineers
-It was confirmed that no dangerous materials were on board
US intelligence officers believe the disappearance has to do with the staff in the cockpit
http://www.cnn.com/2014/03/16/world/asia/malaysia-airlines-plane/
Tuesday March 18th:
-Research shows the plane was deliberately flown off course
-Over two million square nautical miles are currently being searched
-Both the pilot and co-pilot are under are under strict scrutiny
http://www.nbc-2.com/story/25002516/china-finds-no-terrorism-link-among-its-passengers-on-malaysia-airlines-plane#.Uyoe9WSVmUQ
Wednesday March 19th:
-Data logged in the pilots flight simulator was cleared on Feb. 3 –
Theorists voiced that it could have been deadlock based on the lack of military evidence in a terrorist area
-If truth is found to Indian Ocean speculations, the plane may never be found -Possibility has been reported that the plane was diverted to the island of Langkawi, which has a 13,000 foot runway and easy approach
http://my.chicagotribune.com/#section/-1/article/p2p-79663969
Thursday March 20th:
-Speculations have been made about debris in the Indian Ocean, but there is not confirmation as to whether it is related to missing flight MH370
-The search is being put on hold until Friday due to weather related low visibility
-The FBI has provided knowledge to help analyze the deleted data in the flight simulator.
http://www.cbsnews.com/news/malaysia-airlines-flight-370-possible-debris-from-missing-plane-spotted/