Kuala Lumpur: Two communications systems on board the missing Malaysian Airlines plane were shut down separately, CBS News confirmed Thursday, a development that suggests the systems were deliberately turned off.
CBS News correspondent Bob Orr reported the two systems used to track Flight 370 were shut down sequentially, just before the Boeing 777 apparently changed course and turned west.
While that could suggest a deliberate act, CBS News aviation and safety expert Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger cautioned that it is "conceivable" that the communications systems could shut down sequentially on their own in the event of a catastrophic electrical failure. He said the systems in a plane are so compartmentalized that things could shut down in a cascading, domino fashion instead of all at once.
Still, Sullenberger -- who gained fame for landing US Airways Flight 1549 safely on the Hudson River in New York City in 2009 -- acknowledged that is a remote possibility.
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 was en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board when it disappeared early on Saturday. After days of hunting for the missing plane, authorities expanded the search west toward India on Thursday, saying the plane may have flown for several hours after its last contract with air traffic control.
13/03/14 AP/CBS News
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CBS News correspondent Bob Orr reported the two systems used to track Flight 370 were shut down sequentially, just before the Boeing 777 apparently changed course and turned west.
While that could suggest a deliberate act, CBS News aviation and safety expert Capt. Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger cautioned that it is "conceivable" that the communications systems could shut down sequentially on their own in the event of a catastrophic electrical failure. He said the systems in a plane are so compartmentalized that things could shut down in a cascading, domino fashion instead of all at once.
Still, Sullenberger -- who gained fame for landing US Airways Flight 1549 safely on the Hudson River in New York City in 2009 -- acknowledged that is a remote possibility.
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 was en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing with 239 people on board when it disappeared early on Saturday. After days of hunting for the missing plane, authorities expanded the search west toward India on Thursday, saying the plane may have flown for several hours after its last contract with air traffic control.
13/03/14 AP/CBS News
