Timeline of MH370

By Khairie Hisyam

On March 8, 2014, a Malaysia Airlines System flight bound from Beijing disappeared one hour after departing Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). As the global community came together to search for the plane and the 239 people from 14 countries onboard, days have passed without concrete leads that would reveal what really happened.

As the search goes on, KiniBiz tracks the timeline of notable events since the plane took off from KLIA. The latest updates for the day are at the top.

[Last updated 6.50am, March 17 2014]

Monday, March 17 2014

·     Reports said the final words sent from MH370, “Good night”, was chronologically radioed over to Subang Air Traffic Control after the transponder on-board was manually disabled.

Sunday, March 16 2014

·     Acting transport minister Hishammuddin Hussein said no group has claimed responsibility for the plane’s disappearance, nor has any ransom demand been received. There are now 25 countries involved the search efforts. Hishammuddin also confirmed that the neither pilot asked to fly together.

·     The police has classified MH370’s disappearance as an “act of terrorism”. However investigations still encompass four aspects, namely hijacking, sabotage, personal and psychological problems. IGP said all 227 passengers were cleared by multiple security agencies in terms of background. “There have been no negative records,” said the IGP.

·     As deliberate action was identified in MH370’s disappearance, investigation is zooming in on the political, religious and personal backgrounds of the pilots and crew in search for a possible motive.

·     Reports quoting investigators clarified that the lack of clear information on MH370’s direction after it went dark was because the plane was not set-up to broadcast such information in its electronic signals to satellites.

Saturday, March 15 2014

·     MAS reiterated that MH370’s disappearance is unprecedented for both Malaysia and the entire aviation industry. “There has never been a case in which information gleaned from satellite signals alone could potentially be used to identify the location of a missing commercial airliner.”

·     The last satellite communication with the plane was at 8.11am, March 8 2014. Najib said authorities are still investigating all possibilities as to why the plane deviated from its original flight path despite reports that it was hijacked.

·     Two corridors were identified as the plane’s last known location based on satellite data, said Najib:. Northern corridor stretches from northern Thailand to Kazakhstan borders while the southern corridor stretches from northern Indonesia towards the southern parts of the Indian Ocean.

·     Prime minister Najib Abdul Razak began a press conference at 2.18pm. “Based on new satellite communications, we can say with a high degree of certainty that (the transponder) was disabled before the aircraft reached the east coast of Malaysia,” said Najib, confirming that the plane was deliberately piloted off-course.

·     However DCA chief Azharuddin Abdul Rahman was quoted as saying the evidence towards a hijacking is not conclusive yet, reiterating that it remains one of a number of possibilities.

·      Reports quoting an unnamed Malaysian official said there is conclusive evidence pointing towards the missing plane being hijacked. A 1.30pm press conference scheduled for prime minister Najib Abdul Razak’s address did not materialise, delayed to 5.30pm. However China and Russia’s respective ambassadors to Malaysia were seen present.

·      Reports said investigators are now convinced that the jet tracked by military radar from east of Kota Bharu flying towards west of Penang is indeed MH370. However NYT claimed that the transponder was still on when the plane made a turnback, casting doubt on when it was actually turned off.

·      Reports based on Malaysia’s raw military data said  MH370 flew in erratic fashion after vanishing from radar, climbing to 45,000 ft (above Boeing 777’s approved operating altitude) moments before the transponder went dark and going as low as 23,000 as it flew over Penang. After taking off from KLIA, MH370 was reported to have changed directions three times, according to NYT.

Friday, March 14 2014

·      Hishammuddin Hussein said hijacking cannot be ruled out in MH370’s mysterious disappearance. He said authorities are looking into four to five possible scenarios including explosion, intentional acts and hijacking.

·      Hishammuddin said one of the two oil slicks sighted yesterday contained tiny traces of jet fuel while the other did not. Authorities do not believe that the oil slick with jet fuel traces is linked to MH370.

·      At a 5.30pm press conference, the acting transport minister declined to comment on reports saying US officials based their assumptions of MH370 went down in the Indian Ocean based on data provided by the Malaysian side. On “deliberate action” in turning off the transponder on the plane, Hishammuddin said this is being investigated.

·      DCA chief Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said Malaysia is adhering to international protocols in investigating the plane’s disappearance. Based on international protocols primary responsibility lies with Malaysia as the plane’s state of registration to lead the international effort.

·      Hishammuddin reiterated that though there was information of a turnback, it was not 100% identified to be the missing plane, hence why the search was expanded to the Straits of Malacca. All possibilities are being looked at, said the acting transport minister.

·      Vietnam downgraded its search for MH370 from “emergency” to “regular” as focus shifted away from the South China Sea to the Andamans, saying it will consider assisting efforts in the Straits of Malacca if officially requested to do so. However no such request have been forthcoming, reported AFP.

·      Chinese researchers claim they spotted signals of a “seismic event” on seafloor between Malaysia and Vietnam on March 8, 2014 that is consistent with a plane crash. “It was a non-seismic zone, therefore judging from the time and location of the event, it might be related to the missing MH370 flight,” the researchers were quoted as saying.

·      The Igari area between Malaysian and Vietnamese airspace, where MH370 was flying before vanishing, affords a three-minute window during which air traffic controllers relies solely on radio communication to keep track of airplanes, said a report quoting an unnamed pilot. Turning off the transponder within this three-minute timeframe would render the plane invisible to civilian radar, said the report.

·      Reports quoting unnamed sources said data suggested MH370 deliberately flew towards Andaman Islands.

·      Reports quote US officials as saying that MH370’s last electronic pulse transmission (‘ping’) was sent over water at cruising altitude.

·      India’s navy set-up a search zone in the Andaman sea.

·       Reports quoted US officials as saying MH370’s transponder and data reporting system were “systematically shut down”,  pointing towards “manual intervention” in their shutdown.

·        US said they have an indication that the plane went down in the Indian Ocean based on data provided by Malaysian authorities. However the US maintained that there is no terror link in MH370’s disappearance.

·        Reports said that satellites picked up five or six faint hourly electronic pulses from MH370, reopening the possibility that the plane flew on for hours after disappearing from civilian radar on March 8.

Thursday, March 13 2014

·        Home Minister Zahid Hamidi insisted that cops did visit the homes of MH370 crew members despite earlier denial by the federal police. It is unclear however whether Hadi Ho Abdullah’s denial was specifically to the allegation that cops have searched the crew members’ homes or was about any sort of police visit to the homes.

·        Two oil slicks sighted in the South China Sea, 60 nautical miles south of the last point of contact with MH370.

·        Acting Transport Minister Hishamuddin Hussein said the satellite images from China were released by mistake and did not show any debris from MH370, quoting the Chinese embassy.

·        Both Boeing and Rolls Royce have denied receiving engine data transmission after the plane went missing. MAS CEO Ahmad Jauhari said the last transmission of the engine data came at 1.07am, March 8 2014.

·        A MAS spokesman reportedly disputed the reports that Rolls Royce had received bursts of engine information updates, saying the data link was severed at the same time the plane vanished from radar. It is unclear if Rolls Royce was able to receive the data independently of MAS.

·         Federal police Criminal Investigation Department director Hadi Ho Abdullah denies a Malay daily report that the police have searched the homes of MH370 crew members, stating he had not made any statement nor spoken to the media on the matter.

·         Reports said that US investigators suspect MH370 flew on for at least four hours after going dark on Saturday based on bursts of engine information updates received by Rolls Royce (the engine-maker) after MH370 went dark. US counter-terrorism officials are reportedly pursuing the possibility of a hijack.

·         Vietnamese search party responding to China’s satellite information failed to find the objects caught on satellite imagery.

·         Malaysian police and Interpol, combing through personal background of passengers and crew, confirmed that they are zooming in on one particular passenger of Uighur descent.

·         Respective civil aviation departments of Malaysia and China agreed to share first-hand information on MH370 and have set-up a hotline to resolve any arising issues.

·         MAS announced that flight codes MH370 and MH371 for the KL-Beijing-KL route will be retired as a mark of respect for MH370’s passengers and crew.

·         Malaysia dispatched a plane to the site of the three objects to verify their nature. Vietnamese authorities said they have checked the area previously but will send a plane to re-check.

·         China revealed that its satellite has detected three large objects floating in a suspected crash site near where MH370 was last detected.

·         Washington said its satellites did not detect any mid-air explosion around the time MH370 went dark.

Wednesday, March 12 2014

·         An oilrig worker claimed to have seen MH370 go down while working off Vietnam’s southern coast and said he had been trying to reach Malaysian and Vietnamese authorities for several days. Vietnam has acknowledged that they have received his email.

·         Royal Malaysian Air Force chief Rodzali Daud said their radar detected an unidentified aircraft northwest of Penang shortly after MH370 went missing. The mysterious object appeared intermittently on radar and was last spotted 322km northwest of Penang island 45 minutes after MH370’s disappearance. It could not be confirmed whether the object was indeed the missing plane.

·         Hishammuddin Hussein refused to reclassify search and rescue efforts for MH370 as search and recovery, insisting that there is still hope for survival of the passengers and crew.

·         Reports revealed that a life raft with the word “Boarding” on it was found off the coast of Port Dickson, Negeri Sembilan on Tuesday, March 11, but was subsequently determined as not belonging to MH370.

·         MAS insisted that all its aircrafts met international worthiness standards after reports surfaced highlighting that MH370’s Boeing model was flagged for safety risk last year.

·         Vietnamese authorities halted search and rescue operations given conflicting information on

MH370’s last known location and demanded clarification. Vietnam deputy transport minister Pham Quy Tieu was also quoted as saying a Malaysian liaison was not providing sufficient information.

·         Vietnam revealed that it had noticed MH370 turning back west on Saturday and had informed Malaysian authorities on the same day but received no response.

Tuesday, March 11 2014

·         American satellite imaging company DigitalGlobe began a crowdsourcing initiative to rope in the public in helping locate MH370 via satellite imagery from five satellites.

·         Investigators think MH370’s disappearance was unlikely caused by an attack.

·         Villagers in Marang, Terengganu reported hearing loud noises on Saturday from the direction of Pulau Kapas.

·         Reports revealed that MH370 co-pilot Fariq Abdul Hamid has entertained two South African women in the flight cabin during a 2011 flight. MAS said it had not been able to verify the photos and videos of the alleged incident.

·         Police began exploring the possibilities of terrorism, sabotage, psychological problems and personal problems of passengers and crew in relation to the plane’s disappearance.

·         MAS clarified that there were four passengers who had valid booking for the flight but did not show up for check-in, contrary to speculation that there were five passengers who checked-in but did not appear for boarding.

·         MAS informed the public that the missing aircraft has clocked in 53,465.21 flying hours with a total of 7,525 cycles since it was delivered to MAS in 2002.

·         MAS revealed that MH370 last underwent maintenance on Feb 23, 2014, 10 days before its ill-fated flight. Maintenance conducted at KLIA hangar did not reveal any issues regarding the aircraft’s health and the next check was scheduled for June 19, 2014.

·         The scope of search and rescue efforts expanded beyond the flight path, focusing now on West Peninsula Malaysia at the Straits of Malacca. Authorities examine the possibility of MH370 turning back towards Subang.

Monday, March 10 2014

·         DCA director-general Azharuddin Abdul Rahman said all reports of object sightings near MH370’s last known location were either false or unverified at this point.

·         Hishammuddin said the reported claim of responsibility for MH370’s disappearance by Chinese Martyr’s Brigade is “not likely true”, although he had not been made aware of the claim.

·         The two oil slicks off Vietnamese shores were determined to be marine fuel and not from MH370.

·         Vietnamese search party recovered a floating yellow object 130 km southwest of Tho Chu island and confirmed that it is not a life raft from MH370. The object was a moss-covered cap of a cable reel.

·         Vietnamese search party confirmed that objects previously suspected to be parts of the door and tail of the plane do not belong to the aircraft.

·         The Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) confirms that Australia, China, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines and the USA have joined the search and rescue effort.

Sunday, March 9 2014

·          The Interpol criticised KLIA for not checking Interpol’s database regarding the stolen passports as they were listed in the database as stolen.

·         The US Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) despatched agents to Malaysia to probe the plane’s disappearance.

·         MAS said it fears the worst and will set-up a command centre at Kota Bharu or Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam as soon as the location of the plane is established. The airline also said a disaster recovery management specialist from Atlanta, USA will be providing assistance to MAS.

·         MAS advised immediate family members of MH370 passengers to gather in Kuala Lumpur and said it will bear all travel arrangements and expenses for this purpose.

·         Another passenger, an Austrian, was discovered not on the flight. His passport was also stolen in Thailand two years ago. Both impersonators bought their tickets together evidenced by contiguous ticket numbers and identical prices.

Saturday, March 8 2014

2246 hrs — One Italian passenger was discovered not on the flight as his passport was stolen in Thailand last year.

2111 hrs — Two oil slicks spotted in the sea off southern Vietnam.

1630 hrs — A team of caregivers and volunteers (called Go Team) departs KLIA for Beijing to assist the families of the passengers.

1620 hrs — MAS discloses that MH370’s last known location was at 6°55′15″N 103°34′43″E.

1430 hrs — Acting transport minister Hishammuddin Hussein denies the crash report.

1346 hrs — Vietnamese media claims MH370 crashed near Tho Chu Island.

1114 hrs — At a news conference about the disappearance, MAS CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya said MH370’s last point of contact was 120 nautical miles east of Kota Bharu, Kelantan in the South China Sea. The location is in airspace near Vietnam.

1044 hrs — MAS denies rumours that MH370 has made an emergency landing at Nanming, a district in China’s Guzhou province.

0900 hrs — MAS begins informing the passengers’ families of the plane’s disappearance.

0830 hrs — MH370 would have run out by fuel by this time.

0724 hrs — MAS confirms that MH370 has gone missing.

0630 hrs — MH370 did not land in Beijing International Airport as scheduled.

0241 hrs — Subang air traffic control loses contact with the plane.

0122 hrs — MH370 was supposed to get in touch with Ho Chi Minh air traffic control in Vietnam but did not.

0041 hrs — Flight MH370 departs KLIA, carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew members bound for Beijing. The Boeing 777-200 was scheduled to land in Beijing at 6.30am.