[Peetwo]

Captain's Log 21.10.16: Latest from the MH370 'he said, she said'; my theory trumps your theory bollocks -   

First from PT yesterday:

Researcher suggests another brief but fiery cause for MH370's disappearance
Ben SandilandsOct 20, 2016
We know MH370 was suddenly taken off course. This theory doesn't involve rogue pilots, but bad luck and several design flaws

...There are of course major problems with MH370 hypotheticals, in that if the key assumptions are wrong, they couldn’t explain the flight’s disappearance. Mr Gilbert’s paper however plausible, wouldn’t correctly identify the cause if the pilots weren’t in fact overpowered by the unforeseen events he describes.

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But this paper is thoroughly researched. It can be [url=https://www.dropbox.com/s/n5k3s43xu4qzfyx/MH370%20Research%20V3.2.pdf?dl=0]downloaded here, at a new link. It should be read by those who have not made up their minds as to the cause of the loss, and only seek the company of those supporting a rogue pilot, or an elaborate conspiracy involving a decoy ‘double’, or other nonsensical constructs. Mr Gilbert also credits two high profile MH370 researchers, John Cox, and a former 777 check captain and current A330 pilot who just calls himself ‘Andrew’ but is well known for his contributions elsewhere...

Next from that man in the Oz today:

Little credence for MH370 latest
12:00amEAN HIGGINS
Christine Negroni’s new book, The Crash Detectives, has come up against some pointed questioning from experts.

It is an early publishing success and has piqued interest by adding new elements to the greatest aviation mystery of the 21st century: what happened on board Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

But US writer Christine Negroni’s new book, The Crash Detectives, has come up against some pointed questioning from aviation experts.

Observers have expressed doubts about her theory that the co-pilot, made light-headed by inadequate oxygen after a rapid decompression event, flew the aircraft for at least another hour but in a silly way.

MH370 disappeared on a scheduled flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, 2014, with 12 crew and 227 passengers on board.

About 40 minutes into the flight, the radar transponder was turned off, radio communications ceased and the Boeing 777 turned around to fly back over the Malaysia-Thailand border, then headed northwest over the Andaman Sea.

It then turned south and automatic electronic satellite “handshakes” show it flew a long track to finish up in the southern Indian Ocean.

The most popular theory is that Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah hijacked his own aircraft and flew it in a fashion aimed at causing it to disappear in a remote area of deep ocean.
In the MH370 section of her book, Negroni comes up with a new theory: that when Zaharie left the cockpit for a “biological break”, the young first officer Fariq Abdul Hamid was at the controls when the aircraft suffered rapid decompression.

Decompression at high altitudes subjects passengers and crew to lack of oxygen — a condition known as hypoxia — which leads to a rapid loss in mental capacity.

Pilots are trained to deploy full-face oxygen masks and have an ample supply to fly the aircraft to lower altitudes where passengers and crew can breathe.

But in her theory, Negroni writes, “any number of problems may have prevented Fariq from getting enough oxygen”.

“Something wrong with the mask, the oxygen supply, or the connection between the two could explain why he might still be unable to think clearly.”

In his befuddled state, Negroni speculates, Fariq did not descend or send out a distress call but headed back towards Penang, then northwest past Langkawi, which has a longer runway, before making the final turn south, having realised he had gone too far north.
Negroni told The Australian “early sales are fantastic”, with The Crash Detectives selling in the top 100 to 1000 on Amazon.com.

But aviation experts find Negroni’s scenario of a pilot only partially affected by hypoxia flying for a considerable period improbable because rapid decompression at cruising altitude would lead him to pass out within minutes and die not long after that.

Alternatively, had Fariq got his oxygen mask on, he quickly would have regained full awareness and capacity to follow standard procedure.

“Malaysia Airlines’ flight crew are well-trained professional pilots,” Australian Federation of Air Pilots president David Booth told The Australian.

“The actions in the event of a decompression are to don oxygen, quickly troubleshoot the pressurisation system and then immediately commence an emergency descent.”

Former US airline captain turned air crash investigator John Cox said the idea that Fariq or any pilot affected by hypoxia could have flown the aircraft long enough to make a series of course corrections, albeit irrational ones, was unlikely.

“If there were a decompression, it is unlikely anyone would remain conscious for over an hour,” he said.

Another veteran international air crash investigator who asked not to be named said of Negroni’s theory: “It sounds to me like another guess that has just marginally enough of a theoretical possibility that non-investigation people can buy into it.”

MTF...P2