Originally published on March 13, 2014
The mystery surrounding the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 has thickened as new evidence suggests that the aircraft may have flown for four more hours after it dropped off radar.
American investigators believe the Boeing 777 stayed in the air for a total of five hours based on engine data automatically downloaded and sent to the ground, which means that the jet was airborne for four more hours after it disappeared on radar, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The missing aircraft was equipped with an onboard monitoring system provided by Rolls Royce, the manufacturer of the engines. Sensors in the engine collect data such as altitude, speed, air temperature, fuel flow and fuel pressure as part of a routine maintenance and monitoring programme. The system was sending bursts of data about engine health, operations and aircraft movements, which could help determine the flight path of the plane.
Based on an air speed of 480 knots, the plane could have flown for an additional 2,200 nautical miles. The aircraft might have reached as far as the Arabian Sea.
Malaysia's Transport Minister Hishammudin Hussein said that there was no evidence showing the missing jet had flown for hours after losing contact during a press conference. "Since today's media reports, MAS has asked Rolls Royce and Boeing specifically about the data, as far as Rolls Royce and Boeing are concerned, those reports are inaccurate," said Hussein.
"The last transmission from the aircraft was at 01:07 [a.m.]," said Hussein.
Rolls Royce is refusing to comment on whether signals were sent by the onboard monitoring system after 1:07 a.m.
The Beijing-bound aircraft departed Kuala Lumpur at 12:41 a.m. on Friday (March 8) with 239 passengers and crew on board. It reportedly disappeared from radar 40 minutes after take off.
