Being an ATC, times like these give you a really, really awful crook-in-the-guts feeling. Particularly whilst at work when you hear about it (like today). Horrid stuff.
In a press conference the airline stated, the last contact with the aircraft had been about 160nm northeast of Kota Bharu (Malaysia), over the Gulf of Thailand. The aircraft was piloted by an experienced captain (53, 18,365 hours total) and a first officer (27, 2,763 hours total). The aircraft carried 153 Chinese citizens, 38 Malaysians, 12 Indonesians, 7 Australians, 3 French, 4 citizens of USA, 2 New Zealanders, 2 Ukrainians, 2 Canadians, 1 Russian, 1 Italian, 1 Taiwanese, 1 Dutch and 1 Austrian.
Search missions have been launched along the estimated flight track of the aircraft from Gulf of Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos to China (South China Sea).
At about noon local time Vietnamese search personnel reported they have detected an ELT signal about 20nm south of the coast of Ca Mau.
Vietnam officials subsequently stated that they have not yet detected flight MH-370.
Indeed, although it's worse if you have talked to a crew that subsequently went missing.
'disappears' about 2hrs into flight..flight track would place it near a landmass ...even if over water...no 'ground'/traffic control/airspace tracking???.. 'arguing' whose 'airspace' it was in!!!! it's been daylight for at least 6hrs in that area...and 'search/rescue' cant locate ANYTHING!! WTF a 777 is NOT a small plane!!
The Aviation Herald reports Crash: Malaysia B772 over Gulf of Thailand on Mar 8th 2014, aircraft missing, ELT signal detectedThis reports the aircraft went down in the Gulf of Thailand.At about noon local time Vietnamese search personnel reported they have detected an ELT signal about 20nm south of the coast of Ca Mau
Not small but still a speck in the ocean, particularly if it has broken up into many small pieces
The Malaysia Airlines flight carrying 239 people from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing Saturday crashed off Vietnam’s Tho Chu Island, northwest off the country’s southernmost Cape Ca Mau, the Vietnamese High Command of Navy announced
According to a High Command of Navy statement, the plane went down at the waters between Vietnam and Malaysia, some 153 nautical miles (300km) off Tho Chu Island in Kien Giang Province.
The Naval Zone 5 is ready for the search and rescue mission.
There were no immediate reports of casualty.
The flight MH370 disappeared at 2:40 am local time (1840 GMT Friday), about two hours after leaving Kuala Lumpur International Airport, according to AFP. It had been due to arrive in Beijing at 6:30 am local time (2230 GMT Friday).
It was carrying 227 passengers, including two infants, from 13 different nationalities, and 12 crew members. China's state television said 158 of the passengers were Chinese.
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Vietnamese media is now reporting the location the plane went down.
This seems to be a similar area to where the data off sites like flightradar24 disappears, so it's not really clear if it is presumed the plane went down here or the Vietnamese authorities have detected a signal or witnessed the plane go down on radar.
7 Aussies on board.
This is just awful.