Why are the cellphones of missing Malaysian Airlines passengers still ringing? Relatives claim that smartphones are still active as the search zone now switches to entirely new area

[Rapunzel]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2578020/Why-cellphones-missing-Malaysian-Airlines-passengers-ringing-Family-members-claim-loved-ones-smartphones-active.html

Why are the cellphones of missing Malaysian Airlines passengers still ringing? Relatives claim that smartphones are still active as the search zone now switches to entirely new area

    Cellphones and smartphones of the missing aboard Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 are still ringing according to reports

    The unsettling development has increased the frustration of relatives who have received no information on their missing friends and relatives

    According to Chinese media 19 families of missing passengers have claimed to be connected

    This comes as reports from the BBC claim that the two men who used stolen passports were Iranian in origin

    Investigators in Malaysia are voicing skepticism that the airliner that disappeared early Saturday with 239 people on board was the target of an attack

    The fate of the Malaysian airliner that vanished about an hour into a flight to Beijing remained a mystery, as a massive air and sea search, now in its third day, failed to turn up any trace of the Boeing 777

By James Nye

PUBLISHED: 23:20 EST, 10 March 2014 | UPDATED: 01:08 EST, 11 March 2014


The 'unprecedented mystery' behind the disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight MH 370 deepened on Monday when relatives claimed they were able to call the cellphones of their missing loved ones.

According to the Washington Post, family of some of the 239 people on board the vanished Boeing 777 said that they were getting ring tones and could see them active online through a Chinese social networking service called QQ.

One man said that the QQ account of his brother-in-law showed him as online, but frustratingly for those waiting desperately for any news, messages sent have gone unanswered and the calls have not been picked up.

This new eerie development comes as the Malaysian authorities said they were now switching the focus of their search zone for the plane southwards - on the other side of the Malaysian peninsular.

This would mean that if the plane crashed there it would have had to fly over the country, presumably undetected.

Media interest: Relatives of Chinese passengers on Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 were still clutching to faint straws of hope for their loved ones on March 11, four days after the aircraft went missing


Agonizing wait: Chinese relatives of passengers aboard a missing Malaysia Airlines plane wait for the latest news inside a hotel room for relatives or friends of passengers aboard the missing airplane in Beijing, China Tuesday, on March 11, 2014.

Fraught: Relatives wait for news about passengers of a missing Malaysia Airlines plane in a Beijing hotel meeting room on Tuesday

No news: Relatives wait for any news in the Beijing hotel as crash investigators in Malaysia announced they were widening their search for the missing Boeing 777 that disappeared on Saturday

No news: Relatives wait for any news in the Beijing hotel as crash investigators in Malaysia announced they were widening their search for the missing Boeing 777 that disappeared on Saturday

The phantom phone calls and online presence set off a whole new level of hysteria for relatives who have spent the past three-days cooped-up in a Beijing hotel waiting for some concrete information on the missing plane.

Repeatedly telling Malaysian Airlines officials about the QQ accounts and ringing telephone calls, they hoped that modern technology could simply triangulate the GPS signal of the phones and locate their relatives.

However, according to Singapore's Strait Times, a Malaysia Airlines official, Hugh Dunleavy has confirmed to families that his company had tried to call the cellphones of crew members and they too had also rang out.

He is reported to have told relatives that those phone numbers have been turned over to Chinese authorities.

One man who had asked police to come to his house and see the active QQ account on his computer was devastated to see that by Monday afternoon it had switched to inactive.

According to China.org.cn, 19 families of those missing have signed a joint statement confirming that their calls connected to their loved ones but that they rang out.


Hopeful family members from Beijing, China, of a missing Malaysian Airlines flight arrive at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Tuesday morning as they wait for any news

The International Business Times reported that the sister of one of the Chinese passengers also rang his phone on live television.

'This morning, around 11:40, I called my older brother's number twice, and I got the ringing tone,' said Bian Liangwei, sister of one of the passengers according to IBT.

At 2pm, Bian called again and heard it ringing once more.

'If I could get through, the police could locate the position, and there's a chance he could still be alive.'

However, at a press conference in Beijing, Malaysian Airlines spokesman Ignatius Ong said one of the numbers that had been passed on to the airline's head office in Kuala Lumpur failed to get through.

'I myself have called the number five times while the airline's command center also called the number. We got no answering tone,' said Ong.

This deepening of the already baffling mystery into the disappearance of flight MH370 comes as it was claimed that the two passengers traveling on stolen passports on the plane were Iranian nationals.

A friend of one of the two men told BBC Persia that he played host to the pair in Kuala Lumpur after their arrival from Tehran before they took off on the fateful journey.

The source told the BBC service that the pair had bought the fake passports because they wanted to go and live in Europe.

The two men were using the passports of Christian Kozel - a 30-year-old Austrian and Luigi Maraldi, a 37-year-old Italian.

The friend, who knew one of the men from school said that both purchased the illegal and fake passports in Malaysia and one-way tickets to Amsterdam.

BBC Persia's UN correspondent Bahman Kalbasi told the UK's Daily Telegraph newspaper that the two men were not sinister and were only 'looking for a place to settle.'

The fate of the Malaysian airliner that vanished about an hour into a flight to Beijing remained a mystery, as a massive air and sea search, now in its third day, failed to turn up any trace of the Boeing 777 plane.

Neither Malaysia's Special Branch, the agency leading the investigation locally, nor spy agencies in the United States and Europe have ruled out the possibility that militants may have been involved in downing Malaysia Airlines Flight.

But Malaysian authorities have indicated that the evidence so far does not strongly back an attack as a cause for the aircraft's disappearance, and that mechanical or pilot problems could have led to the apparent crash, the U.S. sources said.

'There is no evidence to suggest an act of terror,' said a European security source, who added that there was also 'no explanation what's happened to it or where it is.'
Chinese and international journalists wait at the check-in area for Malaysian Airlines at Capital Airport in Beijing, China on Monday
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Chinese and international journalists wait at the check-in area for Malaysian Airlines at Capital Airport in Beijing, China on Monday

Meanwhile, dozens of ships and aircraft from 10 countries were still scouring the seas around Malaysia and south of Vietnam as questions mounted over possible security lapses that could have led to a downing of the Boeing 777-200ER after it climbed to an altitude of 35,000 feet.

Interpol confirmed on Sunday at least two passengers used stolen passports and said it was checking whether others aboard had used false identity documents.

Even so, one U.S. source said Malaysian authorities were leaning away from the theory that the plane was attacked.

Their view was mostly based on electronic evidence that indicates the flight may have turned back toward the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur before disappearing.

Even that information has not been clearly confirmed, and investigators and intelligence sources say the fate of the Flight MH370 is still shrouded in mystery.

One reason was that the aircraft had failed to make automatic contact with a flight data-monitoring system after vanishing from radar screens, two people familiar with the matter said on Monday.

Such contact could have helped investigators determine what happened.

Also raising doubts about the possibility of an attack, the United States extensively reviewed imagery taken by spy satellites for evidence of a mid-air explosion, but saw none, a US government source said. The source described U.S. satellite coverage of the region as thorough.

With no success so far, authorities were planning to widen the search from Tuesday, Azharuddin Abdul Rahman, the head of Malaysia's Civil Aviation Authority, told reporters on Monday.

'Unfortunately we have not found anything that appears to be objects from the aircraft, let alone the aircraft,' he said.

'As far as we are concerned, we have to find the aircraft. We have to find a piece of the aircraft if possible.'

Azharuddin said a hijacking attempt could not be ruled out as investigators explore all theories.

[Gazoo]

I just went and read a few stories on this and while it sounds like the families are grieving and grasping for straws. If you study the threads subject the explanations are as odd as the claim itself.

Malaysia Airlines Passengers' Phones Ringing? Maybe Not

BY DEVIN COLDEWEY
SAMSUL SAID / REUTERS

Relatives of a passenger onboard the missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 cry inside a hotel they are staying, in Putrajaya on March 10.

Reports are emerging that some cellphones of passengers on the missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 are ringing — but no one picks up. However eerie this seems, it may have more to do with how mobile phones and networks operate than any deeper mystery.

According to a China.org.cn report, 19 families signed a statement saying that dialing their loved ones' phones leads to a ring, rather than going straight to voicemail, as one would expect of a phone in airplane mode or otherwise unable to be reached.

But it's not that simple. When you hit the call button on some phones, a ringing tone begins immediately.

"However, that does not mean the phone you are calling is ringing yet," wrote wireless analyst Jeff Kagan in an email to NBC News. "The network is searching for the phone. First based on where it last was, then it expands. Then if the network can't find the phone, the call terminates."

The search for the party on the receiving end may be nearly instantaneous, or take a few seconds — during which time the phone (depending on model, network and other variables) may or may not make a ringing noise to indicate to the caller that it is attempting to make the cell connection. So while it may ring four times for you, the person you're calling may only hear it ring once -- or not at all.

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/missing-jet/malaysia-airlines-passengers-phones-ringing-maybe-not-n49371

[Gazoo]

What is really sad is who knows which propaganda to believe when NBCNews is our only choice right now with U.S. domestic media?

[alicewonders]

It's plausible that the plane could have gone down over land, I suppose.  I hope they can GPS these phones.

[Gazoo]

It's plausible that the plane could have gone down over land, I suppose.  I hope they can GPS these phones.

That is key to all of this.

[ABX]

I just went and read a few stories on this and while it sounds like the families are grieving and grasping for straws. If you study the threads subject the explanations are as odd as the claim itself.

Ringing from the callers's end says nothing. When you call someone and you hear rings, you are hearing it from the network, not the receiver's phone.

[Gazoo]

If you accidentally go swimming with your cell in your pocket and you try to call your phone what do you hear?

[Fishrrman]

[[ According to the Washington Post, family of some of the 239 people on board the vanished Boeing 777 said that they were getting ring tones and could see them active online through a Chinese social networking service called QQ.
One man said that the QQ account of his brother-in-law showed him as online, but frustratingly for those waiting desperately for any news, messages sent have gone unanswered and the calls have not been picked up. ]]

Seems to me the NSA should be able to locate these working cell phones, easy as pie….

[ABX]

If you accidentally go swimming with your cell in your pocket and you try to call your phone what do you hear?

Initially several rings which is the network letting you hear something while it tries to establish a connection. Then, either a message, fast busy, or voice mail depending on carrier, features, or how it had last contact.

This is a dead end but a good example of how conspiracies get started due to lack of knowledge and jumping to conclusions based on that lack of knowledge. (Not directed at people here but the families and various websites making an issue out of this).

[happyg]

Here's another conspiracy going round. They are claiming this picture is photo shopped because the legs are identical in the picture.

[ABX]

Here's another conspiracy going round. They are claiming this picture is photo shopped because the legs are identical in the picture.

That isn't conspiracyesque photoshopped, that is obviously poorly cropped (see the white line between the body and legs on the left). It could be an error, someone just goofed compiling images. They may have purposefully copped the first image in order to remove someone else (such as a child walking across the image- depending on the media laws where this came from) but put the bottom of the other image just in case there is an identifiable object that would help someone who only saw the first recognize it.

[Right_in_Virginia]

I've read that when you hear a cell phone ring ... you're really hearing a system ring telling you they're trying to connect with other phone.

Same with landlines.

[Oceander]

I've read that when you hear a cell phone ring ... you're really hearing a system ring telling you they're trying to connect with other phone.

Same with landlines.

I believe that's true.

[happyg]

Notice Anything Strange About the Photos of the Men Who Used Stolen Passports on the Missing Malaysian Plane?



Some, particularly on social media, have pointed out that the men appear to have the same bottom half, suggesting that the images were Photoshopped.

Look at the position of their feet. Look at the shadows. Look at the shape of the bag, especially in the context that the man on the left doesn’t appear to be holding the same shape of bag in his top half.

After the issue started to gain traction, Malaysian officials confirmed the photo was altered, though said it was not done intentionally.

Asmawati Ahmad, spokeswoman for the Malaysian assistant police commissioner, told Agence France-Presse that the issue occurred when someone photocopied the images. She said it “was not done with malice or to mislead” and said this was explained when the images were handed out to members of the media.


Rest of article at link: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/03/12/notice-anything-strange-about-the-photos-of-the-men-who-used-stolen-passports-on-the-missing-malaysian-plane/

[Oceander]

It's looking more likely that the aircraft suffered a catastrophic failure from a defect the FAA has just issued an airworthiness directive for (kinda like a recall), involving corrosion and cracks near an antenna mount on the top of the aircraft; interestingly, an article posted to the main thread says that if this was what failed it would have made the aircraft "invisible" to all radar other than so-called "primary radar" which only has a very short range.  That would explain why the aircraft disappeared from radar so quickly.

[Atomic Cow]

It's looking more likely that the aircraft suffered a catastrophic failure from a defect the FAA has just issued an airworthiness directive for (kinda like a recall), involving corrosion and cracks near an antenna mount on the top of the aircraft; interestingly, an article posted to the main thread says that if this was what failed it would have made the aircraft "invisible" to all radar other than so-called "primary radar" which only has a very short range.  That would explain why the aircraft disappeared from radar so quickly.

I was waiting for someone here to automatically assume this was the cause.

An Airworthiness Directive will always spell out the worst case scenario if whatever it is designed to fix, happens.  The 777 structure is extremely well built (it has survived two crash landings almost completely intact) and to lose a piece that small would have a very low probability of destroying the aircraft.  Could it happen?  Yes, however the odd are extremely low.  Aircraft have suffered far, far worse and survived such as United 811, American 96, and Aloha 243.

If the FAA believed there was a serious danger, they would have issued an emergency AD for immediate inspection of a 777s.  They did not as so far the only problems found had been minor.

This is the kind of assumption that drives me bat guano crazy when it comes to plane crashes.

[Oceander]

I was waiting for someone here to automatically assume this was the cause.

An Airworthiness Directive will always spell out the worst case scenario if whatever it is designed to fix, happens.  The 777 structure is extremely well built (it has survived two crash landings almost completely intact) and to lose a piece that small would have a very low probability of destroying the aircraft.  Could it happen?  Yes, however the odd are extremely low.  Aircraft have suffered far, far worse and survived such as United 811, American 96, and Aloha 243.

If the FAA believed there was a serious danger, they would have issued an emergency AD for immediate inspection of a 777s.  They did not as so far the only problems found had been minor.

This is the kind of assumption that drives me bat guano crazy when it comes to plane crashes.

I'm not saying that it is the cause, all I'm saying is that it presents a plausible possibility.  Go bat guano all you want, but I'll take a plausible scenario based on a known vulnerability over the xenophobic terrorist conspiracy theories and the tinfoil UFO conspiracy theories any day of the week.

[ABX]

I'm going to take a wild, uneducated, non conspiratorial guess that the answer will eventually be something few expect. Lightening, meteor, or Daleks.

[Rapunzel]

I'm going to take a wild, uneducated, non conspiratorial guess that the answer will eventually be something few expect. Lightening, meteor, or Daleks.

Well it would have to be clear air lightning then - the area is in a drought...... what is Daleks?

[Oceander]

I'm going to take a wild, uneducated, non conspiratorial guess that the answer will eventually be something few expect. Lightening, meteor, or Daleks.

I vote for the Daleks.

[ABX]

what is Daleks?

I see the Silence have gotten to you.

[Oceander]

I see the Silence have gotten to you.

Shhh ...

[Rapunzel]

~LOL~ creepy - looks like the critter on Independence Day (which I watched again last night)

[ABX]

Thread hijack. Don't blink.

[Oceander]

Thread hijack. Don't blink.

where'd you get that pic of Pelosi?