TechTheDay

The mysterious disappearance of one Malaysia Airlines plane has been in the news for quite some time now. Many are perplexed by what happened. Even experts couldn’t properly explain or guess what could have gone wrong. Aircraft tech is supposed to include a lot of features that make air travel safe and secure. What happened with the inexplicable disappearance is rather rare and should be carefully scrutinized.

Malaysian authorities are saying that there is no enough evidence to support the terror attack angle. Similarly, a European security source is saying that “there is no evidence to suggest an act of terror.” However, there is also no explanation on what could have happened.

So far, a sweeping search for the aircraft is still being undertaken. No part of the aircraft has been found yet. There are many questions on what possibly happened. Presented below are answers to some of the most commonly asked questions as provided by those in the know or those who have some credible expertise when it comes to aircraft disasters.

1. Why can’t the plane be easily tracked? Aren’t airplanes supposed to have a comprehensive array of radios and other communications equipment?

According to authorities, the pane last made contact when it was 35,000 ft or 11 km above sea level, cruising. However, it appears to be very difficult to find the craft now. The plane in question is a Boeing 777-200ER. It is equipped with a host of communication facilities and is expected to always stay in contact with airport authorities. It supposedly includes equipment that automatically emit signals to make the plane traceable. But why can’t it be found?

Unfortunately, not every part of the world is covered by even the most advanced satellite and tracking systems in place. The emergency transmitters of the plane can quickly send distress signals through air but not through water. The black box of the plane, on the other hand, is expected to emit sound signals but the reach is limited.

2. Was mid-air disintegration likely?

Mid-air disintegration due to an explosion or a mechanical failure is very likely considering that the pilots did not have enough time to send a distress call. Moreover, the difficulty in finding trace of the plane suggests that it likely exploded while on a high altitude, causing many parts to be thrown out to great distances and for many supposedly floatable parts to immediately sink.

According to Chris de Lavigne, an aerospace and defence issues expert at business consultancy Frost & Sullivan, a sea crash would have led to many findable debris.

It’s rather rare for a Boeing 777-200 to have mechanical problems given the aircraft model’s exemplary safety record. However, the lack of recoverable wreckage strongly suggests mid-air disintegration.

3. Were there mysterious aircraft disappearances similar to this in the past?

A number of similarly perplexing passenger plane disappearances happened in the past. In 2009, Air France flight 447 with 216 passengers and 12 crew vanished. Debris were not found after some days and the entire wreckage was found only after a few years. In 2007, Adam Air flight 574, carrying 102 people, went missing during a domestic flight in Indonesia. Debris were found over a week later and it took several months to finally recover the black box.

In these cases, it was concluded the the problem was both mechanical and human error.

4. Could have it been possible to prevent the disappearance?

The answer is yes. Modern technology has more than enough means to prevent problems like the mysterious Malaysia Airlines jet disappearance. If the plane was attacked by terrorists, people on the ground should have done enough meticulous inspections and not to belatedly realize that two passengers boarded the plane using stolen passports.

Additionally, even if the explosion (if there was any) was so sudden, it should at least not be difficult to locate the wreckage. It’s just disappointing why airplanes nowadays don’t send their location details in real-time or every few milliseconds when the modern world has more than enough bandwidth for such an important function. As Sebastian Anthony from ExtremeTech opines, the lower radio frequency bandwidth is enough for an airplane to transmit data to the nearest land-based receiving station. Why isn’t the air travel industry not maximizing its use?

With all the advancement in air travel technologies, it’s only natural for many to wonder how is it possible to lose track of a giant aircraft with all the safety and communications equipment integrated with it. It’s rather disappointing that smartphone or mobile technology has become so advanced but we have not properly updated the technologies used by aircrafts to guarantee better safety or at least to guarantee trackability.

This is not to point fingers but to simply highlight that we have enough technology to avoid a catastrophe like this from happening. It’s just a matter of people being less than prudent.