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In reply to the discussion: Malaysia Airliner Communications Shut Down Separately: US Officials Say [View all]PSPS
(15,312 posts)33. That's my suspicion
A 747, which is bigger than a 777, safely landed at the wrong airport in Kansas a few months ago and then took off OK. That runway was about 3,200 feet. If you look at a map of the 4-mile radius from the last radar location (I think it's in this thread somewhere,) you'll see it is mostly ocean but covers as far as India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives to the west. Even Diego Garcia. There are thousands of small islands as well. All that would be needed is a fairly flat strip to land, and an area that vast would have many such places outside of populated areas.
The US keeps surveillance satellites over India but I don't know if they do more than detect missile launches.
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Malaysia Airliner Communications Shut Down Separately: US Officials Say [View all]
uppityperson
Mar 2014
OP
As the debris, and the oil slick, and other information, it may prove untrue, but I thought it worth
uppityperson
Mar 2014
#2
A commercial airliner would be an excellent delivery device for a weapon's system.
kristopher
Mar 2014
#39
I love creative use of straw men, misdirection and ability to deftly twist away from the obvious
kristopher
Mar 2014
#49
Wouldn't a fire that took all of those things out, also destroy the auto pilot mechanisms?
freshwest
Mar 2014
#29
Yeah but at that point they'd be desperate to contact ATC somewhere for a divert..
EX500rider
Mar 2014
#64
What's the wing width of a 777? Interstate highways were designed to act as emergency runways.
freshwest
Mar 2014
#32
Maybe we haven't heard their demands because they couldn't land where they planned to land. OTOH,
freshwest
Mar 2014
#44
Those were my words, my editorializing, not the article. It is all very interesting, am thinking
uppityperson
Mar 2014
#28
I see it more as we don't know, but are trying to pull together whatever we can and now have to
uppityperson
Mar 2014
#20
"missing jet transmitted its location repeatedly to satellites over the course of five hours..."
Princess Turandot
Mar 2014
#34
If it transmitted its location for 5 hours, then what were the bleeping locations???
muriel_volestrangler
Mar 2014
#40