But, here we have a plane that reversed course and made it all the way back across the peninsula. How long would that take?

And it is apparently uncertain that what happened is how you describe it.

Apparently, the plane made a turn. But I have not heard that it crossed the peninsula until your post. I think that is not a sure thing and I have not read anything to indicate that there is any information to indicate that it did.

I've been trying to keep up on this story. I know they are searching on the other side of the peninsula, but I think that is because it is within the radius that plane could reach with its fuel. At least that was how it was explained.

Tracked it on the other side. I didn't think the story THAT STRANGE until this bit of news. Now I have all sorts of questions.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/10024643446

It does invite many questions. I wonder about the credibility of the report, because this would have a significant effect on the search effort.

I guess we'll all just have to wait.

No radio, no nav. It is an all glass cockpit so limited gauges. He got it on the ground by following an air national guard (plus canadian) to tortonto airport and landing visually.

If no one scrambles, the crew is on their own.

So these guys turn around at night looking for home base, at night, overshoot and fly into terraine.

a mechanical wind tubine generator pops out to generate enough electricy for cockpit and communications. Something catastrophic had to have happened, not simply a power failure.

I'm not familiar with this particular plane, but in general commercial jets have at least 2 independent electrical systems and at least 2 independent hydraulic systems. It would take something horribly wrong to bring down this plane, which has an excellent safety record.

It took two crashes and one near crash of Boeing 737's to figure out that there was a pump that could freeze up and stop working under the right circumstances. The NTSB had no idea why the planes were crashing, and ruled the first two undetermined. It was something we hadn't thought of, and it took three tries before they figured it out.

Because the plane is new, and advanced, doesn't mean it's foolproof. One person posted that a plane was bricked, that is to say it was dead as a brick when the pilot spilled coffee. So now the pilots are more careful. But are the mechanics? A mistake by a mechanic led to the disaster of AeroPeru flight 603. That was a Boeing 757 which was the most advanced aircraft of it's day, and a bit of tape left where it shouldn't be caused massive problems for the pilots. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeroper%C3%BA_Flight_603

Another 757 that crashed because a wasp had built a nest in the pitot tube. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Birgenair_Flight_301

Redundant systems are awesome, but there is always one place where the redundant systems come together. For Hydraulics it's the cockpit and the tail of the aircraft. For electrical systems it's the cockpit. Qantas 32 was nearly brought down by an oil tube that was not to specifications. The engine exploded throwing pieces through the wing, and destroying all controls for the other engine on the wing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qantas_Flight_32

The black boxes if they are under water are pinging away with sonar right now. They are singing "Here I am" for all intents and purposes. Any military ship with Sonar should be able to hear them loud and clear. They will ping for thirty days, so finding them is our first priority. That will tell us a lot, even if there was a catastrophic loss of power, which many will tell you is impossible, but a lot of impossible accidents have happened as we learned to move the bar from what was impossible, to beyond that for what was now improbable. Check out this list if you want an idea how often those aluminum clouds fall out of the sky.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_accidents_and_incidents_on_commercial_airliners

Speaking of mechanics making a mistake. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helios_Airways_Flight_522

The mechanic was checking the plane for leaks in the pressure seals. He forgot to reset the switch to auto. The people on the plane passed out from oxygen deprivation and died in the crash. They were alive, if unconscious, until they crashed. One switch in the wrong position was the death of everyone aboard. This by the way, was the same thing that killed Golfer Payne Stewart. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Payne_Stewart#Death

We must have the flight recorders. We must in order to find out what the pilots were doing. We can guess, assume, and try to figure from now till the Sun explodes. But we won't KNOW until we get our hands on those Flight Recorders.

It helps me at least to be able to conceptualize what the possibilities are. I know there are a lot of unknowns right now, but that doesn't stop us from asking the questions until we know more.

Thanks again for your input.

I don't know is where you must begin if you hope to learn the truth. I don't know why the plane crashed. Investigators start with the basics. Was the plane intact when it crashed? Was the nose, tail, and both wingtips attached? If these four corners were still attached, then you have reason to believe, not know, that the plane was intact. Other parts of the plane may have detached causing the crash.

Something as silly as a missing screw, or a handful of missing screws can cause a catastrophic loss of control and accident. Here is a good example of that. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continental_Express_Flight_2574

They were changing the de-icing boots on the tail of the plane. They ran behind in the procedure, and did not finish one side. Poor communication between shifts was the final straw in this disaster. A handful of missing screws caused the leading edge of the Stabilizer to partially detach, and the plane became unflyable. Chuck Yeager, test pilot of fame and legend could not have gotten that plane down safely after the loss of the leading edge of the stabilizer. The plane was doomed.

I read that INTERPOL has ruled out terrorism. I think that is a little early to rule out anything. We have to start with I don't know if we hope to learn the truth. I don't know what caused the crash, and neither does anyone else at this point. Hell, it could have been a collision with one of the stealth drones. It is a big sky, but it can be rather crowded at times.