Missing boeing 777

They are reporting this morning that one of the users of one of the dud passports is a nineteen year old Iranian asylum seeker, trying to get to Germany to start a new life with his mum, who is already there. No links at all to terrorism.

One poignant story amongst many no doubt.

This whole thing is getting more and more chaotic and mysterious

It seems to me, as a lay person, quite weird that the transponder in ALL aircraft can be turned off by the pilot/co pilot at any time during a flight! I would have thought that there would be a system whereby this simply couldn't happen. After all, no pilot would want to turn this off unless they're up to no good. Maybe after this awful event there will be some security changes including this.

Allegedly the plane fell to 5000 feet to escape being detected by radar, this is one of the most riveting pieces of news for a long time. I do so hope there is chance that the passengers will come out of this alive. Unbelievably mysterious.

Anything run by electricity has to be able to be turned off in the cockpit in case that part is on fire according to my retired pilot husband.

Oh I see Brenda, well of course the transponder would have to be able to be disengaged, Perhaps something in the future can be devised that can't be tampered with, so that a plane can be tracked at all times - The whole thing is just such a frightening mystery. Those poor people, what they've gone through just doesn't bear thinking about. None of it makes a grain of sense.

A US radio station apparently located hundreds of landing strips it could have landed.....

Unlikely though.

Of course it disappeared early in the flight with plenty of fuel and could have gone quite a long way in any direction before having to land. It is seeming more likely that this was an attempt to steal the plane rather than an accident.

It is now being thought that the co pilot was trying to send some sort of distress signal in his last message, as it was an 'odd' message to send. Maybe, maybe not! It does all seem to point to the Captain, but of course none of us knows that, and as for the the reason? that is quite baffling.

i flew to new York just days after the twin towers collapsed;
having sat in front of tv paralyzed by the tragedy !!
my flight to Kennedy airport had been booked months before; it was overwhelming -with military carrying riffles (for want of right word) everywhere, queues miles long, oh and sniffer dogs too!
my cousin I was visiting, wanted to see the remains--but I didn't want a up close memory; so they left me in a café --its windows black with soot and dust, every nearby building was covered in this same thick dust !
even when I returned to Kennedy airport, to fly home a month later, it was still full of military with riffles; though frightening - it was also comforting too: god be with those poor souls and families.