Mick Rooney, aka @Airinvestigate, has released further documents from the secret Royal Malaysian Police investigation into the disappearance of MH370. I asked him if he could tell me anything about how the documents were sourced or why they are being released now, but he says that he is bound by an oath of confidentiality not to discuss further.
Those familiar with recent events surrounding the case might be able to hazard a guess.
Here are the files:
data-from-flight-simulator-computer
This 14-page document includes technical information about the data found on Zaharie’s flight simulator hard drives. It appears that the machine crashed multiple times in the months before MH370’s disappearance. The document also includes a log of when the flight sim was played, the last time being on March 15, 2014, a week after the plane disappeared (presumably this reflects activity by investigators.) Prior to that, the sim had last been played on February 20, two weeks before the disappearance. This suggests that Zaharie was not using his flight simulator to practice vanishing in the weeks before his disappearance.
data-from-prelim-exam-report-translated-from-malay
This 7-page document seems to have been machine-translated from Malay, and appears to describe a preliminary investigation of the computer hard drives by a Malaysian police technician. It lists the various hard drives found with the flight-sim computer. Among the information recovered were passwords and account information for Zaharie’s hobbies and interests, as well as information about an online bookstore, Zaharie’s various social media accounts, and online shopping. Of particular note, investigators found a deleted folder labeled “777TwinTower” which contains pictures of a Malaysia Airlines plane flying toward the Kuala Lumpur city center. Given widely held suspicion that Zaharie took MH370 on a suicide flight, and that fact that terrorists flew two planes into New York’s twin towers in 2001, this will no doubt raise eyebrows. However, this document notes that: “These images have been taken from the computer screen to play a simulated airplane. The assessment believed that the owners of these computers have taken one of those images for the purpose of being used as an icon on the account.” That is to say, an innocent interpretation of this folder and its contents would be that Zaharie, a proud Malaysian 777 pilot, wanted to create an image of his plane flying past an iconic Malaysian landmark.
After a section discussing the seven deleted points from the flight simulator, which have been much discussed in this forum, the report concludes with a brief Summary: “The results of the examination of the goods were found that no any activity outside the common. The overall computer use to host gaming Flight Simulator only. Nor has any information source which directly indicates there any plans to eliminate MH370 found.”
This 31-page document appears to contain all of the saved data in the seven above-mentioned flight simulator points. Hopefully independent flight simulator experts will look it over and render an opinion for the rest of us who lack the expertise to properly grapple with it.
Overview
How does this new information alter our understanding of the MH370 mystery?
For me, it is noteworthy that so little incriminating information was found on any of Zaharie’s computers, even (especially) among the deleted files. The way we use computers these days, they are essentially extensions of our brains. Any passing fancy that drifts through our head is likely to be reflected in our internet search history, in notes we write to ourselves, and so on. When Andreas Lübitz was in the throes of his final mental dissolution, he spent a great deal of time online reading about mental disorders and researching ways to commit suicide. It’s all right there to be seen. Yet on Zaharie’s computer there is nothing. Indeed, he seems to have been spending his time prior to the disappearance doing things like making instructional DIY home-repair videos and pretending to fly an antique DC-3 airplane. Not, it would seem, the behavior of someone contemplating his imminent extinction.
In the light of this newly released information, it is easier to understand why the Malaysian police came to the conclusion that nothing about Zaharie’s behavior points to him being the culprit.
@Qayyum
Two qualifications I would make
Malaysian government reserves the right to hold evidence confidential, so there is no definitive proof of the Captain was involved. The most anyone can say is, based available info, diversion by human intent seems to be the most likely explanation, and many would add the most likely human is the Captain.
It is a useful exercise to consider alternative explanations. The only problem I have with that, is the authors tend to bash others, discard facts, and hype up their alternate theory, which misleads the public on MH370.
There is really not much mystery to me. We should have told the public from Day-1 that (1) MY was not actively monitoring their airspace, and (2) pilots have ability to turn off all communications systems on the airplane, and this can be done secretly without, for example, ACARS reporting the switches were manually turned off.
Now we have many folks saying we cannot prove the pilot did anything. Of course we cannot prove it, the airline industry gave pilots complete control and complete freedom to hide the evidence, and a Fort Knox cockpit door.
The crime here, if any, is not that a human being under difficult emotional stresses might be tempted to use the airplane as a weapon, rather that the design of the overall system provides this opportunity and temptation.
@TBill:
Well, well, well. Are we perhaps just a wee bit prejudiced?
@Dennis W
This might be what your looking for http://031c074.netsolhost.com/WordPress/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/TN-ABFO-Rev1.0.docx
@buyerninety, Sorry, what is “ELMS”?
Regarding the Maine security company, I just had a nice phone chat with the principle and he says that they did not work on the hard drive, I sent him the link and he’s going to look into it. He was very friendly and volunteered his technical assistance on the case. I did a quick Google serach and found that “catalinapby” was Zaharie’s YouTube handle, so it could have come from that. Will let you know more.
I had to look it up in the FCOM:
Electrical Load Management System (ELMS)
@Joseph Coleman
Thx.
Yes, I think that is the document that Buyer90 was alluding to. I must have passed it over because it is a MSFT Word document which I don’t like to use. Just a personal hang up of mine.
@DennisW: If you dislike Mocrosoft products that much, how come you have almost religious faith in two coördinates produced by a Microsoft video game?
@Gysbreght
cut-paste from Wiki below//
In 1979 subLOGIC released FS1 Flight Simulator for the Apple II. In 1980, subLOGIC released a version for the TRS-80, and in 1982 they licensed an IBM PC version with CGA graphics to Microsoft, which was released as Microsoft Flight Simulator 1.00. It was unusual in that it was not an application program requiring an operating system, but contained its own operating system, which displaced the installed one as long as the program was running.
end cut-paste//
Microsoft disbanded the “Aces”, group responsible for maintaining the FS games, in 2009.
Bottom line is that MSFT had not much to do with the FS games which is why I trust the data points. I am a strong supporter of the “open source” community, and regard MSFT as evil.
@DennisW: Apple products are “open source”?
@Gysbreght
OSX is simply a shell sitting on top of Linux. I did buy a Chromebook recently just to glimpse the future of computing. I am very fond of it, actually. Working in the cloud with a thin client takes a little getting used to, but it is the inevitable future of computing.
Still, for heavy lifting it is nice to have the tools resident. Perhaps I am too “old school” to make the break completely.
I did port Linux to my chromebook, but decided that defeated the purpose of the experiment, and the memory resident on a Chromebook is too small to be useful for resident crunching. So I went back to the Chrome OS.
BTW, Google Sheets and Docs are terrific. Way better than the Office Suite, and Open Office is incomparable for making presentation material.
@Gysbretch
“Well, well, well. Are we perhaps just a wee bit prejudiced?”
No. Impartial here. I am not writing a book or anything, or defending anyone. Most with pilot suicide as likely cause are only too happy to accept alternate explanation if something concrete is disclosed or discovered.
The first “mystery” plane accident for me was TWA Flt 800 as I was intrigued by Pierre Salinger’s missile theory. A quick internet search (no Google then) taught that fuel tank explosion was what the experts were quietly thinking, which I immediately realized was probable cause (Yikes- who knew they mixed air and fuel vapor in the tanks?).
I do have an interest in press accuracy and spin of the public information, which is hopeless at the moment. During CNN coverage of MH370, when the pilot suicide idea eventually started emerging, CNN basically said they were NOT believing that and would not cover it much. So that is when CNN coverage went “off the rails” in my opinion, but I watched CNN anyways, but with my own point of view.
@TBill
“So that is when CNN coverage went “off the rails” in my opinion, but I watched CNN anyways, but with my own point of view.”
Ami won’t allow broadcast TV signals into our residences in any form. I am convinced that has contributed as much as retiring to the lowering of my blood pressure without drugs.
@TBill
Simply put, the biggest non-mystery ‘mystery’ I’ve ever witnessed. Feel awful for any NOK that, for whatever reason, were not clearly and quickly able to process Zaharie’s guilt and Malaysia’s subsequent campaign of disinformation, stonewalling and apathy.
The spectacle of all the agenda-driven ‘journalists’ plying their trade (er, uhm, cashing in) certainly hasn’t helped.
Our host should be a big man, pull up his britches, and admit that the inevitable conclusion is that the PIC commandeered his own aircraft. Hope springs eternal.
How bloody obvious does it need to be?
@Dennis
I’ll take a cheap shot. You should stick to analytics. You’re understanding of the human psyche is woefully inadequate, at least in this case.
Hint: There was no loiter, and never even the thought of negotiation. Really, it’s a laughable scenario when one carefully examines it. And yet you cling.
@TBill: Impartial?
I’ve read your post several times before commenting on it, and can’t read it any other way than that “the authors” are those which are not satisfied with what Jeff calls “the simplest explanation”, and which in your view “tend to bash others, discard facts, and hype up their alternate theory, which misleads the public on MH370.”
@TBill: “Discarding facts” is ignoring the incredible manoeuvre and erratic flying evident in the radar data, and ignoring the points that bothered DennisW yesterday:
@Gysbreght
I feel it is OK to pursue any MH370 theory people think is valid as a hypothesis. Any new ideas could reveal truths that benefit either side of the argument.
But I simply feel it is probably not good to downplay and discount what is potentially a serious issue for the airline industry, namely the fact rouge pilots can take advantage of aircraft design for nefarious reasons.
@Matt
“I’ll take a cheap shot. You should stick to analytics. You’re understanding of the human psyche is woefully inadequate…”
You won’t be surprised to learn I’ve heard that more than once before. Along with accusations of standing in the long grass far off the beaten path. In this case, I can feel a strong wind at my back.
@Ge Rijn
you quoted:
“I saw an internal memo from Abdul Farim Fakir Ali, CTO of Maxis, saying that they picked up a call attempt from a “crew member” originating on a cell tower covering Perhentian Besar. He also implied that Digi may have something from a different crew member near or over Jambatan Pulau Pinang.”
Did this information come from a Reddit post? It would seem all the people referring to the above can be traced back to a Reddit post by a person who only posted there one time. I can find no confirmation of the above information.
@TBill, Whether or not Zaharie did it, the possibility had crossed the mind of Andreas Lubitz, who took the idea and ran with it. By crashing Germanwings 9525 he erased all doubt that this was a real problem. Unfortunately I haven’t heard any good ideas for eliminating it.
@DennisW
The Chrome Web Store has the NaCl Development Environment app which provides a bash terminal, vi, grep, Python (only 2.7). You can download Perl if you want to (which I have done). You don’t have access to the native Chrome OS filesystem of course. More for playing around – or in my case learning Python.
@JW
“Whether or not Zaharie did it, the possibility had crossed the mind of Andreas Lubitz, who took the idea and ran with it.”
And I blame all the media that advertised suicide flight to SIO as “what certainly happened” since they made Z famous because of that and that’s quite possibly where Lubitz got his inspiration from.
For me, the brainless media is also responsible for GW disaster and they should be ashamed.
@SteveB
Thanks, I will check that out.
I’ve been using PythonAnywhere on line and Codenvy. The latter is a bit formal – check out code, change code, check it back in,… Reminds me too much of what work used to be like. Neither tool supports graphics which is a big drawback, IMO. Matlab online does support graphics, but they seem a bit crude to me.
I still use Python 2.7. The changes made to get to 3.xx seem like a step backwards to me. I am sure the geeks had their reasons based on some esoterica that only my daughter would care about.
@JeffW
“Unfortunately I haven’t heard any good ideas for eliminating it.”
Many possible ideas. First the things we know are already planned: expanding voice recording time, cockpit camera. 3 pilots so 2 always in the cockpit is one idea. Pilot testing of some type. Seems like ACARS not reporting many things like cabin pressure, temperature, state of ELTs, data recorders…don’t let anybody electronically turn off communications, ACARS, transponders so freely without first sending emergency signal and transmit signal that manual turn-off or circuit breaker pull was selected.
@Tbill,
I am always skeptical of changes because of unanticipated consequences. ABS leading to a rash of roll-over incidents not completely cured by ESC is a good example. Then again, I am old, and change averse by nature. However, if I could buy a vehicle in the US without ABS, I would be all over it.
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2006/08/killer-abs-abs-braking-increases-rollover-risk-by-51/
@buyerninety @all
Another one for the “Z-done-it gang”:
Jeff said: I did a quick Google serach and found that “catalinapby” was Zaharie’s YouTube handle
Typing in Catalinapby in Google also brings up:
“The Consolidated PBY Catalina… was an American flying boat, and later an amphibious aircraft of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft…”
Now what on earth would make him choose a handle like that (!)
☺
@all
Oops! Apologies, Jeff’s words were: “I did a quick Google search and found that “catalinapby” was Zaharie’s YouTube handle.”
And I meant when I typed in Catalinapby it also brings up the second Google description as well – flying boat… and later an amphibious aircraft of the 1930s and 1940s…
☺
@Sajid
Shah was very fond of that aircraft for some reason. He even built a scale model, and posted pictures of it on Facebook.
@DennisW
on my BMW you can easily turn off ABS by removing a sensor on any wheel, works for most cars I think
you’ll get the light on your dash but there is a solution for that too if it bothers you that much 🙂
@DennisW
Yes it comes from Reddit.
I referred to it in an earlier post of mine which I copied.
I checked it and the name mentioned is actualy a bit wrong there.
It is: Abdul Karim Fakir Ali :
https://nl.linkedin.com/in/abdul-karim-fakir-ali-6a86b11b
Recently on Reddit fyi-
Shah YouTube post PBY Catalina:
https://youtu.be/e8hLjlvTMkY
@DennisW
@Gysbreght
The 23:14 range ring.
Re-Posts
November 23, 2016 at 10:14 AM
November 23, 2016 at 10:56 AM
and
Posted November 23, 2016 at 11:01 AM
Funny you should mention that !
I am currently in Barry Martin’s spreadsheet, which you can download from aqqa.org from here:-
http://www.aqqa.org/category/models/
This one, http://www.aqqa.org/MH370/models/BSMv7-9-4.xlsx
In the “Main” sheet, there is a graphic for the flightpath, with a little “triangle” for the 23:14 position.
I have not been able to figure out what it’s “significance” is, and why he plotted it.
Perhaps you guys can “nut it out” ?
@Ventus45
My guess is that the triangle signifies that the value has been derived by estimation rather than measurement. There is also a triangle at 18:40 in your linked spreadsheet at which time no measured BTO value is available either.
@DennisW
I now think it is probable that both the 18:40 and 23:14 triangles are interpolated positions for the satphone calls, which only had BFO’s, without BTO’s.
@Sajid UK:
The ditching theory…. You are onto something. Let’s start over.
The Catalina PBY is probably one of the world’s most characteristic aircraft, serving from 1935 and still at it, with a 18-24 hour endurance at its peak.
According to Wiki, a Catalina patrol aircraft spotted the Japanese landing forces heading towards Kota Bahru (with airfield) on 7 december 1941 (half an hour before Pearl Harbor), but was shot down before being able to radio the sighting — the crew becoming the first casualties in the larger war between the allies/U.S. and Japan. The Malay invasion thus came to start off the war in South East Asia.
@TBill
Is this certainly a Zaharie youtube-channel?
Then there’s actualy a short ‘Ghost flight’ video uploaded in his playlist too.
A bit spooky in the MH370 context..:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cbCcxDsH0wU
@Ventus45
The spreadsheet has the aircraft more than 10 degrees too far South at 19:40 in my opinion. The only place to go from there (at that time) is where the aircraft has not been found.
@StevanG
“…you’ll get the light on your dash but there is a solution for that too if it bothers you that much”
It is the principle that bothers me Stevan – another example of nanny state behavior gone wrong, and an excuse for the OEMS to add $1000+ to the sticker price for a feature that does not work.
@DennisW
You said:- “Ten degrees too far south at 19:40 in my opinion.” ?
At 18:40, Barry has the aircraft at 95.420944E 4.746860N (Sheet = Main Column Cells AG and AH on Row 92)
At 19:41, Barry has the aircraft at 93.3417E -3.6407(south) (Sheet = Main Column Cells AG and AH on Row 336)
I am confused as to what you mean.
Are you suggesting it should be 6.36 degrees North at 19:41 ?
Please explain.
@ventus45
At -3N at 19:40 you are limited to flight paths (if you want to satisfy the ISAT data) that terminate at 38S-39S which has been searched and for which drift data give only very weak support.
The latest thinking, me, Victor, and others has the aircraft at 8N or so at 19:40 (a much later FMT). That location allows reasonable flight paths that terminate much further North on the last range ring.
@DennisW
Ok, understood.
@Ventus
Sorry. I intended -3 or 3S latitude at 19:40.
@Ge Rijn
“@DennisW
Yes it comes from Reddit. I referred to it in an earlier post of mine which I copied.”
I was afraid of that. I don’t think that info can be relied upon based on the source.
@Jeff
I guess strangelove’s post went bye-bye. A good call on your part.
Zaharie Shah’s passions included building model airplanes, the latest of which was a Catalina PBY
In my estimation the Zaharie Shah appears to be the model of a stable, mature, professional pilot.
Move along folks, nothing to see here.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/03/17/don-t-turn-this-malaysian-airlines-pilot-into-flight-370-s-richard-jewell.html
@Gysbreght,
@Matt Moriarty,
Here is the fuel model table for the True Track at Long-Range Cruise, which ends up in the center of the Current Search Area. The locations and times for the route legs are shown at the bottom of the table. You can email me with any detailed questions.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BzOIIFNlx2aUQWc3RG1neGJyUTg/view?usp=sharing
I have reviewed (again) all the calculations, and they appear OK to me. The 64-dollar question is why the higher fuel consumption on this night was not properly accounted for by the ATSB or Boeing in setting the original search area. That location appears to be unreachable by 9M-MRO.
@CliffG
I am posting a lot today. Just in the mood for it I guess.
So tell us, Mr. CliffG, what do you think happened to MH370. Sorry to assault you with a question like that, but rejecting a hypothesis should be accompanied by an alternative.
@DrB
I can think of four or five Malay officials that could shed a great deal of light on this issue after a short waterboarding session. There is a reason why guys with thick necks and Glocks solve crimes, and why in my entire time in corporate America no LEO from any jurisdiction asked to borrow a couple of my engineers to help solve a crime.
You have no idea how lost you are.
@TBill, Aviation safety is something that should be under continuous scrutiny and improvements, where needed, implemented. What bothers me about MH370, is the lies weaved by the MY government, withholding of information or worse manipulating the data that was there. The ATC tapes is a good example of doctoring the data, cutting and pasting and recording of likely old tapes. And this was just a tape of the first part of the flight before the IGARI turn. What data can really be trusted as truthful and correct? How can airlines/countries not be held accountable for that? What is the role of those weak ICAO? Where are their balls to demand answers? Why are there no international sanctions until they do disclose? I puke all over that. There should be strict investigation laws imposed on any airlines. IMO boudaries are out the door the moment airlines want to service international passengers. The MY government are data manipulators from the highest order.
@DennisW, I like Ami already :). I never have any news channels on at home, ever! Newspapers, books and the internet are much kinder on my ears and eyes! When I am in the US it always amazes me how people scream at each other in loud voices, or worse, all scream at the top of their voices simultaneously. Unfortunately, its impossible to turn TV’s off at the airports. People are glued to them.
@ DennisW
The Obama administration’s foreign policy can be summed up by the words ‘Don’t do stupid shit’.
Russia and China took advantage of that to further their own goals.
The invasion of Crimea was front page headline news. But Russia gambled that Obama wouldn’t risk a ‘hot’ war. But he would be in serious trouble if the US and Western leaders and public don’t see a robust response.
So to help Obama, and help themselves the Russians needed a distraction that would divert attention of public away from the Crimea invasion.
Enter MH370, & CNN, specifically the ‘CNN effect'(Google it).
By disrupting the CNN effect, the White House is given breathing room.
BTW, in Florence de Changy’s book Le Vol MH370 n’a pas disparu, she mentions that in the first days of MH370, the White House was calling the Malaysians every day for an update.