Flight Deck Decisions/South China Sea
Flight Deck Decisions - South China Sea
Summary
When MH370 was over the South China Sea, in the vicinity of waypoint IGARI and the Transfer of Control Point between KL ACC and HCM ACC, Air Traffic Control instructed MH370 to contact Ho Chi Minh air traffic control. Instead, MH370 made a sharp left turn and headed back toward Malaysia.
On this page we look at alternative courses which could have been selected.
Directions are general, not specific.
However, it is now well known that the aircraft made a sharp left turn and headed towards Malaysia. The reason for this air turnback, as it was called, has never been clarified. But clearly, the sudden change in direction was the result of a decision, a swift action to take manual control of the aircraft and proceed in a direction that did not significantly change until the aircraft had reached the Straits of Malacca. There is no evidence of a major turn followed by corrections as a new heading was discussed and decided. The turn made was precise.
Continue in accordance with the Filed Flight Plan
If Flight MH370 had continued in accordance with the Flight Plan then the aircraft would have entered Vietnamese air space and continued toward China, landing at Beijing International Airport after an elapsed flight time of approximately 5 hours and 34 minutes.
Straight Down - into the South China Sea
One of the theories about flight MH370 is that the Captain, Zaharie Shah, was suicidal. And although cases of suicide by flight crew on commercial passenger aircraft are few, there is a pattern - each pilot has made a rapid descent towards the earth, impacting the ground, a mountain, river or the sea.
In every known case there was no significant delay between the decision to destroy the aircraft and the action to do so - except MH370.
North - to Cambodia
For a short time on Saturday, 8 March 2014 the air traffic controllers believed that MH370 was flying in Cambodian airspace. This error was based on information provided by Malaysia Airlines. See Cambodia.
East - to the Philippines
Captain Shah trained at the PAL Aviation School in the Philippines.
We now know that flight MH370 ended in the southern Indian Ocean and it has been suggested that such a remote area, and deep ocean, could have been deliberately selected to hide the aircraft. But another suitable 'hiding place' would have been the Philippine Trench near the island of Mindanao.
North West - across Thailand and Myanmar (Burma)
If the intention had been to divert the aircraft to Pakistan, Afghanistan or any other country in the northern corridor it would have been simple to fly a direct route across Thailand and Myanmar.
South to a holding pattern for a landing at KLIA
A return to Kuala Lumpur would have been practical for many reasons, including a loss of communications, or any other electrical or mechanical issue with the aircraft. Aircraft frequently return to the point of departure, often due to unruly passengers, or a medical issue.
Instead of retracing the flight plan an option would have been to fly south (SSE), cross Malaysia south of Kuala Lumpur, and take up a holding pattern in the Strait of Malacca awaiting clearance for an emergency landing at KLIA.
South - to the Southern Indian Ocean
According to a report by the Royal Malaysia Police, data deleted in Captain Shah's personal flight simulator included two points close together in the southern Indian Ocean. As shown in the article Hostile takeover or suicide mission the longitude passes through the south China Sea, so if the intention was to crash or ditch the aircraft at or near a predetermined location in the southern Indian Ocean it would have been simple to just fly south, cross the equator and keep going until the fuel ran out.
The actual Turn Back
As we now know, flight MH370 made an air turnback across peninsula Malaysia and headed towards the
As MH370 approached the boundary between Malaysian and Vietnamese air space, the autopilot executed a slight change of heading to the right. From waypoint IGARI the autopilot was programmed to proceed to waypoint BITOD then towards a navaid called Tan Son Nhat.
However,
- when MH370 was 3.2 nm beyond waypoint IGARI the SSR radar position symbol of MH370 dropped off from ATC radar display, and
- Military radar (Primary Radar) showed the radar return of MH370 turning right but shortly after, making a constant left turn to heading of 273°, flying parallel to Airway M765 to VKB (Kota Bharu).