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Malaysia Releases Transcript From Missing Jet’s Cockpit Malaysia Releases Transcript From Missing Jet’s Cockpit
(about 2 hours later)
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — The Malaysian government on Tuesday released a transcript of the communications between the cockpit of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 and air traffic controllers before the plane disappeared on March 8. KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — Radio communications between the cockpit of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 and air traffic controllers before the plane disappeared early on March 8 provide no apparent indication why the plane suddenly veered from its intended flight path to Beijing and vanished over the Indian Ocean, according to a transcript released Tuesday by the Malaysian authorities.
The transcript covers 54 minutes, from just before the Boeing 777-200 pushed back from the gate at Kuala Lumpur International Airport to its last contact with air traffic personnel before it veered off its intended flight path to Beijing and disappeared over the Indian Ocean. The transcript covers about 54 minutes, from just before the Boeing 777-200 pushed back from the gate at Kuala Lumpur International Airport to the last words from the cockpit with air traffic personnel in Malaysia before they lost contact with the plane around 1:19 a.m. as it was approaching Vietnamese airspace.
The dialogue appears routine, reinforcing the impression that the flight had been unfolding normally until just after the cockpit’s last contact with radar controllers in Malaysia at 1:19 a.m., when the plane was approaching the border between Malaysian and Vietnamese airspace. Malaysian officials have said that the actions of the plane — including its change of course and the disabling of its communication systems — suggested that someone onboard had deliberately diverted it. As a result, the plane’s pilot, Zaharie Ahmad Shah, and his co-pilot, Fariq Abdul Hamid, have come under intense scrutiny.
Malaysian officials have said that the behavior of the plane, including its route across the Malaysian peninsula and the disabling of its communications systems, suggested “deliberate action” by someone onboard. That assessment shifted the focus of the inquiry to the plane’s pilot, Zaharie Ahmad Shah, and his co-pilot, Fariq Abdul Hamid. In a statement with the transcript, Hishammuddin Hussein, Malaysia’s defense minister and acting transportation minister, said there was “no indication of anything abnormal in the transcript.”
In a statement accompanying the transcript’s release, Hishammuddin Hussein, Malaysia’s defense minister and acting transportation minister, said there was “no indication of anything abnormal in the transcript.” But the banality of the communications, he said, did not change the opinion of investigators that up until the plane dropped off military radar, more than an hour after the cockpit’s last contact with air traffic controllers, Flight 370’s “movements were consistent with deliberate action by someone on the plane.”
But the transcript, he said, did not change the opinion of investigators that up until the plane dropped off military radar, about an hour after the cockpit’s last contact with air traffic controllers, Flight 370’s “movements were consistent with deliberate action by someone on the plane.” The transcript’s release came as the international search for the missing plane continued in a vast area of the Indian Ocean. At least 11 aircraft and nine ships explored the latest search zone on Tuesday, officials said, and for the first time Australia deployed an airborne traffic controller to help coordinate the many planes involved in the hunt and help avert midair collisions.
The transcript’s release on Tuesday came as the international search for the missing plane continued in a vast area of the Indian Ocean. Australia deployed an airborne traffic controller to help coordinate the many aircraft involved in the hunt. The searchers had to contend with rough conditions all day, including “heavy seas and strong winds,” the Australian Maritime Safety Authority said in a Twitter message.
At least 11 aircraft and nine ships were scheduled to explore the search zone, about 1,100 miles off the coast of Perth in Western Australia. After more than three weeks, no trace of the missing airliner has been found. On Friday, the focus of the search shifted to an area about 1,100 miles west of Perth, Australia, and a flotilla of ships started to converge on the zone as surveillance aircraft conducted daily flights. Since then, crews aboard the planes and ships have spotted scores of floating items every day, but so far all the objects have turned out to be fishing equipment and other detritus not related Flight 370.
Despite an all-out effort by the international force, the searches over the past three weeks have produced little but frustration. Although planes and ships have spotted scores of floating items in the search area over the past few days, none of the objects has turned out to be from the missing plane. The government agreed to release the cockpit transcript after coming under mounting pressure from journalists as well as relatives of people aboard Flight 370, who have demanded more details about the investigation and its progress. In his statement, Mr. Hishammuddin said the document had been kept confidential “as part of the police investigation.”
The government agreed to release the transcript after coming under mounting pressure from reporters and families of people aboard Flight 370, who have demanded more details about the investigation and its progress. In his statement, Mr. Hishammuddin said the document had been kept confidential “as part of the police investigation.” Three weeks ago, government officials provided what they said were the last words from Flight 370’s cockpit -- “All right, good night"-- and said they had been spoken by Mr. Fariq, the co-pilot. Some analysts said the phrasing seemed unusually casual.
Early in the investigation, government officials provided what they said were the last words from the cockpit, which they said were spoken by the co-pilot, Mr. Fariq. “All right, good night.” Some analysts said the phrasing seemed unusually casual. But late Monday, Malaysia’s Transport Ministry revealed that the final voice transmission had actually been more routine: “Good night Malaysian three seven zero.”
But late on Monday, Malaysia’s Transport Ministry revealed that the final voice transmission was actually more routine: “Good night Malaysian three seven zero.” Government officials offered no explanation for the discrepancy in accounts and now say they are unsure whether Mr. Fariq was the person speaking. But the sudden change reignited criticism of the government’s handling of the investigation, which has been marked by opacity and contradictory public statements, and might add to doubts about management of the case.
Government officials offered no explanation for the differing accounts and now say they are unsure whether Mr. Fariq was the person speaking. “The police are working to confirm this belief, and forensic examination of the actual recording is ongoing,” Mr. Hishammuddin said in his statement. The transcript includes more than 40 exchanges from 12:25 a.m. to 1:19 a.m., beginning with someone in the cockpit wishing air traffic control in Kuala Lumpur “good morning,” and continuing with the plane’s request for takeoff.
But the sudden change reignited criticism of the government’s handling of the investigation, which has been marked by opacity and contradictory statements, and might add to observers’ doubts about the management of the case. Once in the air, Flight 370 was transferred to another air traffic controller at a Malaysian radar station. At about 1:19 a.m., as the plane approached Vietnamese airspace, the controller instructed the cockpit to shift over to Vietnamese radar control, a standard procedure.
Government officials, however, have defended their performance and justified their tight control of information as a necessity to protect the integrity of the probe. “Malaysian Three Seven Zero contact Ho Chi Minh 120 decimal 9 Good Night,” the air traffic controller said, according to the transcript.
“We are not hiding anything,” Mr. Hishammuddin said on Monday. Four seconds later came the final words from the cockpit.