Malaysian 777 missing in action

[John H Watson]

The comparison 777 "flaperon" diagrams on PPRuNe.org are pretty conclusive with identical cutout patterns, rubber seals, etc. Some of the buoys released after the accident also show a drift pattern running by Reunion Island.

[Will]

Roland Garros Airport has a 10,500 foot runway, long enough for someone to fly a plane in and collect the piece. While it's looking likely to be from a 777, it would somehow be par for the course of the serial numbers didn't match MH370... because this is already aviation's greatest modern mystery, and adding more mysteriousness wouldn't be surprising at this point.

[farrokh747]

http://www.pprune.org/rumours-news/565335-flaperon-washes-up-reunion-island.html

[frumpy]

Some news on MH370:

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/12/08/exclusive-mh370-was-crippled-by-sudden-electrical-failure.html

[Will]

Thanks for posting. I think the Daily Beast was a little too enthusiastic in their interpretation of the report, though... It's nowhere near as dramatic as they make it sound.

[United744]

The Daily Beast, and maybe the report, seems completely rediculous. How on earth can they give a possible cause such as electrical failure?

To even suggest that the aircraft went so wildly off course with no electrical power, and remain so for the rest of the flight is silly. Emergency power is only good for about 30 minutes, and there wouldn't be an autopilot available. Given the aircraft is FBW, it would affect flight controls, too.

[George Pattison]

I read Australian Transportation Safety Bureau Report from cover to cover. The report only talks briefly about how the SDU was reset just after the final voice transmission. According to the report, a reset of the SDU may be caused by:

1. loss of AC power requiring an APU auto-start or

2. the cycling of the left generator and backup generator switches with the bus tie isolated (all switches are located on the overhead panel in the cockpit), or

3. the circuit breakers in the electronic and equipment bay being pulled and then later reset or

4. intermittent technical failures

It doesn't rule out anything at all. The Daily Beast is jumping to unsupported conclusions.

It is an interesting report though. It goes through the process of how they narrowed down the final location from INMARSAT and vehicle performance data.

I'm betting that if they ever find the wreck and figure out the cause of the accident, it's going to be stranger than anything they ever imagined.

[Will]

I'm the go-to guy for aviation questions amongst my non-pilot friends, and when they were asking me about MH370, all I could say was I have no idea.

I also read the ATSB report, and even though they list the timing of the final signals, they don't suggest any plausible, unifying failure scenario leading to the accident. So despite the Daily Beast's somewhat breathless reporting, we are still left with a genuine mystery.

[farrokh747]

an update..

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/missing-jet/missing-mh370-possible-boeing-777-part-found-mozambique-sources-say-n530066

[United744]

Looks like to was torn apart along the rivet line.

[John H Watson]

More debris found...

http://www.pprune.org/rumours-news/576482-possible-aircraft-debris-found-south-africa.html

[farrokh747]

http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/07/mh370-pilot-flew-suicide-route-on-home-simulator.html?mid=fb-share-di

more fs stuff

fc

[Will]

Fascinating stuff. Although, if true, I wonder why he would have felt a need to simulate the final flight. Maybe just toying around with the idea at first. Grim.

[farrokh747]

More:

http://edition.cnn.com/2016/07/22/asia/mh370-pilot-simulation/

[Will]

Just for what it's worth, the CNN report quotes the New York Magazine article as it's source, and says they haven't independently verified the facts. Not that that means it isn't true.

[Blake H]

Something that caught my eye is the FADEC has a little generator on each engine. Does the 747-400 that have FADEC have the same configuration?

Cheers Blake

[John H Watson]

The configuration is a little different on the 744. Both aircraft have gearbox-driven dedicated alternators for each EEC, but on the 744, the dedicated generator feeds directly to the EEC, not via a Power Control Unit.

Actually, there are two alternators in each dedicated alternator assembly, one for each channel of the EEC. Ship power is also supplied to the EECs when the start switch is pulled, the fuel levers are set to RUN or the test switch on the overhead panel is turned on.