Singlemalt
Well-Known Member
Following Malaysian Prime Minister Najiv Razak's announcement this morning that techniques "never before used in an investigation of this sort" had proven beyond doubt that the Boeing 777 had crashed, new information has been revealed about the complex investigation that managed to prove the fate of the flight.
Those techniques were used by mobile communications company Inmarsat, which provides satellite data for the airline.
Even though the plane's transponder and ACARS system had been turned off, the company's box on the plane - equivalent to a mobile phone handset - had remained on and was polled every hour by Inmarsat's satellite.
Hourly "pings" still being sent after the plane's tracking systems had been switched off contained no data about the plane’s location but were just a simple "hello" to alert that the aircraft was still travelling.
Although they didn't provide technical data, their timing and frequency contained hidden mathematical clues that allowed investigators to track the likely path and final location of the plane.
So, the Prime Minister is saying that after 2 weeks they realize they had a phone turned on?