Missing Flight

Yes, it takes a lot of mechanical failures in order for tracking to be lost on a commercial airliner. The Mode 3/A and 3/C have to be turned off. Sensors need to stop picking up the primary radar return, which, when reported off a 777 flying at 30-40k feet and around 500 knots, is the most ideal tracking conditions for long range radars. Then, if the plane crashes, the Emergency Locator Transmitter has to somehow not go off. The pilots, meanwhile have to stop talking to ATC on their radios or have radio failure (this one is actually very common and happens every day over the US, but comms are generally restored quickly).

This is why people are suspecting foul play.
 
Threedee said:
Yes, it takes a lot of mechanical failures in order for tracking to be lost on a commercial airliner. The Mode 3/A and 3/C have to be turned off. Sensors need to stop picking up the primary radar return, which, when reported off a 777 flying at 30-40k feet and around 500 knots, is the most ideal tracking conditions for long range radars. Then, if the plane crashes, the Emergency Locator Transmitter has to somehow not go off. The pilots, meanwhile have to stop talking to ATC on their radios or have radio failure (this one is actually very common and happens every day over the US, but comms are generally restored quickly).

This is why people are suspecting foul play.
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Thanks...

Just weird that they can't seem to find any sign of wreckage...
 
Threedee said:
Yes, it takes a lot of mechanical failures in order for tracking to be lost on a commercial airliner. The Mode 3/A and 3/C have to be turned off. Sensors need to stop picking up the primary radar return, which, when reported off a 777 flying at 30-40k feet and around 500 knots, is the most ideal tracking conditions for long range radars. Then, if the plane crashes, the Emergency Locator Transmitter has to somehow not go off. The pilots, meanwhile have to stop talking to ATC on their radios or have radio failure (this one is actually very common and happens every day over the US, but comms are generally restored quickly).

This is why people are suspecting foul play.
Click to expand...

You clearly know more about this than I do... if a very large bomb went off in the plane, and basically disintegrated it in the air... causing only very small pieces to rain into the ocean... would tracking then be difficult?
 
Yes, I expect the plane would appear to vanish. I'm not sure how debris would register on radar, because whenever chaff is dropped, it's supposed to register a ton of false targets, but each strip of chaff is a special metal, easily detected, and it floats in the air for some time.

Obviously, since I've never witnessed an airliner explode on scope, the only track fades I see are at low altitudes or when an aircraft flies into an area were radar coverage is bad. ELTs are supposed to go off when a pilot ejects or a plane crashes. It would probably respond to an explosion by suspecting these criteria were met, but that depends upon the device not being destroyed in the explosion.
 
Threedee said:
Yes, I expect the plane would appear to vanish. I'm not sure how debris would register on radar, because whenever chaff is dropped, it's supposed to register a ton of false targets, but each strip of chaff is a special metal, easily detected, and it floats in the air for some time.

Obviously, since I've never witnessed an airliner explode on scope, the only track fades I see are at low altitudes or when an aircraft flies into an area were radar coverage is bad. ELTs are supposed to go off when a pilot ejects or a plane crashes. It would probably respond to an explosion by suspecting these criteria were met, but that depends upon the device not being destroyed in the explosion.
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If it happened over water, I'm more surprised that they haven't found floating debris; ie: suitcases, seat cushions, papers, clothing, and I hate to say, bodies.
 
AS far as bodies are concerned, I once spoke with a guy who helped investigate, clean up after an airliner crash in the everglades. He said that the largest body part found was a kneecap.
 
Jarod said:
AS far as bodies are concerned, I once spoke with a guy who helped investigate, clean up after an airliner crash in the everglades. He said that the largest body part found was a kneecap.
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That was an impact crash, as opposed to an inflight explosion.
 
Jarod said:
You don't think an explosion can have the same effect?
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Impact momentum throws everything towards the point of impact.
An explosion pushes everything away from the center of the explosion.

Plus impact results in the acceleration coming to a stop.
 
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