Malaysian Jet Search: 'We Never Give Up'

Missing Plane: 13 Things You Need To Know

Updated: 7:33am UK, Thursday 13 March 2014

As the search for Flight MH370 continues, we answer 13 questions about the disappearance and what could have happened.

When did the plane disappear?

Flight MH370 vanished from radars early on Saturday local time, an hour into a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. When it last made contact, the jet was cruising at 35,000 feet over the South China Sea.

There are reports that the plane tried to turn around, but this would give rise to the question why didn't the pilot communicate this decision to air traffic control? Meanwhile, at an undisclosed time a relative reportedly managed to call one of the passengers. Investigators have repeatedly tried to call the same number without success.

Who was on board?

The plane's manifest contained 12 crew members from Malaysia and 227 passengers from 14 different countries.

There were 153 Chinese, 38 Malaysians, seven Indonesians, six Australians, five Indians, four French, three Americans, two each from Iran (both travelling on fake passports), New Zealand, Ukraine and Canada, and one each from Russia, Taiwan and The Netherlands.

Among the passengers was a 19-strong group of prominent artists returning from an exhibition in Malaysia. Five children - aged two to four - were on board. The oldest person on the plane was 79.

What are the main theories?

Mechanical error remains the most likely explanation. Poor conditions and strong turbulence always have to be considered, but weather conditions were good in this instance. Four areas of investigation are focused on the possibility of human involvement: hijacking, sabotage, psychological problems or personal problems with passengers or crew.

Could there have been a mechanical error?

Inquiries into Air France Flight 447 that dived into the Atlantic Ocean in 2009 en route from Brazil to Paris, killing 228 people, blamed both technical and human error.

However, in the event of engine failure, a plane such as the Boeing 777-200 could glide for 80-90 miles (128-145km), giving the pilot time to issue a distress signal. The descent would also have been traced by radars. The lack of any Mayday call makes an explosion a possibility.

Could the plane have broken up in the air?

The apparent lack of wreckage from MH370 does point to a high-altitude disaster. In such an event the debris would be spread far and wide, making it difficult to find.

A smaller debris field would indicate the plane probably fell intact, breaking up on impact with the water. In the event of a sudden loss of pressure due to a window blowing out the crew would dive the plane in order to lose altitude - but this would not cause the plane to disintegrate.

How about the plane's safety record?

Sudden, accidental, structural failures are considered extremely unlikely in today's passenger aircraft. This is especially so with the Boeing 777-200, which has one of the best safety records of any jet.

One of the missing plane's wingtips was clipped in an incident while taxiing in 2012, but it was repaired and certified as safe.

Could it have been a terrorist attack or hijacking?

In the event of a hijacker trying to enter the cockpit, a pilot can send a secret distress code - something that wasn't done on Flight MH370.

The profiles of all 239 passengers are being checked against databases worldwide, but the terrorism theory was weakened on Tuesday when Malaysian police confirmed it had identified the two passengers who were travelling on fake passports. Both were said to be seeking asylum in Europe.

In the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, claims of responsibility came soon after the disaster - but no one has come forward to claim the Malaysia incident as their attack.

Human error?

The 53-year-old pilot was experienced, having amassed more than 18,000 flying hours since being employed by the airline in 1981.

However, in Indonesia in 2007, Adam Air Flight 574 disappeared with 102 passengers during a domestic flight, where the authorities found the pilots lost control after becoming preoccupied with malfunctioning navigational equipment.

Former naval pilot Dr Simon Mitchell told Sky News: "We've expended billions of dollars on developing very sophisticated aids to make the life of the pilot safer and more straightforward, but there are still opportunities whereby mistakes can be made."

Why was there no distress signal?

One explanation is that the plane fell into a communications black spot. Former Boeing 777 instructor and United Airlines captain Ross Aimer explained: "These are very sophisticated (items of) equipment that should have been working under any conditions - in the water, in the jungle, after a fire, after an explosion - and none of them have talked to the outside world yet.

"There are spots in the world, however, that are called blind spots, where you cannot communicate for some reason. Unfortunately, that area near Vietnam, over the Gulf of Thailand, those are some of the black spots."

Where is the search taking place?

A number of aircraft and ships have been taking part in the search in the seas off Vietnam and Malaysia. Search teams from Australia, China, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines, New Zealand and the US are assisting.

Officials said on Tuesday that the search was being conducted on both sides of Vietnam's Ca Mau peninsula. The search area has been expanded from 50 nautical miles from where the plane disappeared - over waters between Malaysia and Vietnam - to 100 nautical miles (115 miles; 185km).

This expansion was a result of a new report from the Malaysian military, which said it tracked the plane in the Strait of Malacca - a long distance from where it last made contact - in the hours following its disappearance.

Why has no wreckage been found?

Whatever caused the apparent crash, there would be some debris - but it could take a while to find. It took two years to find the main wreckage of Air France Flight 447 in 2009.

In 2007, in the case of the Adam Air flight, it was a week before an Indonesian naval vessel detected metal on the ocean floor. It was a further two weeks before the US Navy picked up signals from the flight data and cockpit recorders and seven months for the recorder to be recovered.

If the plane had crashed on land, chances are the wreckage would have been found by now. At sea, much of the plane would have sunk, but some debris should remain on the surface. But the longer the search takes the harder it becomes as the wind and tide spread any debris further from the initial crash zone.

Could the flight data recorder provide answers?

As well as wreckage, search teams are looking for the aircraft's emergency locator transmitter (ELT) - though these do not always work if a plane hits water. However, attached to the plane's "black box" is a device known as a pinger. This can emit radio signals deep underwater for up to 30 days - or 40 days in warm water.

Has a plane ever simply vanished?

Since the start of the jet age in the 1950s, nearly every major aircraft that disappeared was found - eventually - and the rare exceptions did not involve passengers.

In September 1990, a Boeing 727 plunged into the North Atlantic after running out of fuel. The accident was attributed to poor pilot planning and the wreck was never recovered.

Another Boeing 727 transporting diesel to diamond mines in Africa took off without clearance and with its transponder turned off. It is believed to have crashed in the Atlantic Ocean.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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Ukraine Crisis Talks Fail To Reach Deal

Tensions between Russia and the West over Ukraine continue after lengthy talks aimed at defusing the stand-off ended without agreement.

After discussions lasting more than five hours, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow would respect the outcome of a controversial breakaway vote in Crimea, which Western powers have branded "illegitimate".

And US Secretary of State John Kerry said Russia's approval of the referendum result would amount to "a backdoor annexation of Crimea".

The Russian Foreign Ministry issued this picture of Mr Kerry and Mr Lavrov

America and the European Union have warned Russia of sanctions including asset freezes and travel bans unless a planned vote on the southern region joining Russia is called off.

But Mr Lavrov said such measures would be a "counter-productive instrument".

Russian forces moved to seize Crimea within days of Ukraine's pro-Kremlin president Viktor Yanukovych being forced from office, after three months of demonstrations against a decision to ditch closer ties with the European Union in favour of Russia.

Crimea is home to Russia's Black Sea fleet and the majority of the population are ethnic Russians.

But it has fuelled claims the referendum is being "conducted under the barrel of a gun".

Mr Lavrov compared the situation in Crimea to Britain's action in the Falklands.

He said: "Are there precedents in international law? There are precedents of course.

A soldier, believed to be Russian, on guard at a Ukrainian military base

"Everybody understands that Crimea for Russia is something really important, what it means for Russia.

"It means immeasurably more for Russia than the Falklands means for the United Kingdom or Comoros for France."

Speaking through an interpreter, Mr Lavrov told a news conference: "We have to respect the results of this referendum."

He also rejected Western calls for the creation of an international contact group on the Ukraine to resolve the crisis.

Mr Lavrov insisted Moscow had "no plans of military intrusion into eastern Ukraine" following clashes which left at least one person dead.

A billboard urging people to vote in the referendum on the future of Crimea

But Mr Kerry told journalists the referendum was "illegitimate" and flew in the face of international law.

He said: "Neither we nor the international community will recognise the results of this referendum."

Mr Kerry said no "threats" were being made to Russia about sanctions but there were "consequences for the choices" it makes.

He also stressed the US recognised Moscow had "legitimate interests" in Crimea, which needed to be addressed.

But he said: "We believe that a decision to move forward by Russia to ratify the vote officially within the Duma would in fact be a back-door annexation of Crimea.

"It would be against international law and, frankly, fly in the face of every legitimate effort to try to reach out to Russia and others to say there is a different way to protect the interests of Crimeans, to protect Russia's interests and to respect the integrity of Ukraine and the sovereignty of Ukraine."

John Kerry met William Hague and David Cameron at Downing Street

Foreign Secretary William Hague, who had earlier acknowledged it would be "formidably difficult" for Mr Kerry and Mr Lavrov to make progress, called for a "firm and united" response from the European Union.

He described the failure of the talks as "deeply disappointing" and condemned Russia's decision to support Sunday's "illegal, unconstitutional and illegitimate" referendum - which is widely expected to deliver an overwhelming vote to break away from Ukraine.

"The United Kingdom is strongly of the view that there must be a firm and united response from the European Union at the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council on Monday, and that the time has come for tougher restrictive measures to be adopted as previously agreed by EU nations," he said.

"The door remains open for diplomacy and dialogue and we urge the Russian government to take action to lower tensions and enter into direct talks with the Ukrainian government.

"But we are clear that the flagrant violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine cannot go unchallenged, and we stand with the Ukrainian people in their right to choose their future free of intimidation and interference."

EU foreign ministers will meet in Brussels on Monday to discuss sanctions, and it is understood ambassadors are meeting in secret session where a list is being drawn up of individuals who could be targeted by measures.

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'Deliberate Action' Diverted Missing Plane

Was Flight MH370's Transponder Turned Off?

Updated: 12:57am UK, Friday 14 March 2014

The transponder on the missing Malaysia Airlines jet is likely to have been deliberately turned off by one of the crew, aircraft experts have told Sky News.

A massive search effort, using military warships and planes to scour a massive expanse of water, has failed to find any sign of the plane since it vanished on Saturday.

Theories about its mysterious disappearance include a structural fault causing explosive decompression, a terrorist attack or pilot suicide.

The transponder - a crucial device that identifies the plane, its position and altitude - stopped working just 40 minutes into Saturday's flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

Radar systems engineer Daniel Holland believes it was intentionally disabled.

"The evidence points that way," he said.

"The pilots have never made a 7500 - the international code for 'my plane is hijacked'; it is the pure lack of transponder information (that is suspicious).

"For myself, you would look at the communications panel just behind the throttle quadrant on the Boeing 777 to either switch it off there, or even just removing the fuses."

Mark Weiss, a former commercial pilot now working as an aviation consultant, said he agreed that someone in the cockpit had probably disabled the transponder.

"I don't believe it was an explosive decompression," said Mr Weiss.

"In the US a few years ago we had a Southwest Airlines plane that had an explosive decompression and still maintained the basic structural integrity of the aircraft."

Disabling of the transponder might lend weight to the theory that one of the pilots sabotaged the flight.

However, it is also possible it was turned off for other reasons - for example if it was giving out faulty data.

Malaysia Airlines has opened an investigation into the conduct of one of the pilots, Fariq Abdul Hamid, after pictures emerged of himself with two women he allowed into the cockpit during a flight two years ago.

However, it has said it has "no reason to believe" the pilots had anything to do with the disappearance.

At a news conference on Thursday, Malaysia's transport minister, Hishammudin Hussein, denied reports the homes of crew members had been searched by police.

The plane was last heard from when the pilot responded to a message confirming it was moving from Malaysian to Vietnamese air traffic control.

The pilot replied "Okay, received, goodnight", but Vietnamese officials have said they never heard from flight MH370. 

Not all aviation experts agree that foul play is likely to be to blame for the disappearance.

Dr Colin Brown, director of engineering at Institution of Mechanical Engineers, told Sky he still believes the plane was ripped apart by "explosive decompression".

However, he admitted that the lack of any wreckage or 'black box' signal was hard to make sense of.

"This thing is 300 tons of metal with 239 people on board - I cannot understand how you can hide something that size."

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Missing Malaysia Jet 'One Of Great Mysteries'

By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent in Kuala Lumpur

The oceanographer who helped search for the Titanic and co-led the successful recovery of a doomed Air France plane has told Sky News the case of the missing Malaysian plane is "absolutely perplexing".

David Gallo, one of the world's most accomplished scientists in his field helped locate the black box data recorders of Air France flight 447 in the South Atlantic in 2011, two years after the plane crashed.

On the disappearance of the Malaysian Airlines passenger jet, he said: "This has rapidly become one of the great mysteries of all time in terms of loss of an aeroplane or ship at sea."

Responding to criticism of the Malaysian authorities, Mr Gallo said he believed they were doing all they could in the face of "an unprecedented task".

Mr Gallo told Sky News: "From the outset it's easy to criticise the people in charge.

"I feel strongly that we need to lend some confidence to the Minister of Transportation in Malaysia because that position is a horrible place to be right now.

"He's got the whole world watching, he's got governmental agencies on his back, he's got the families.

The disappearance of the aircraft is "absolutely perplexing" said Mr Gallo

"It's a horrible thing what the families, loved-ones and and friends are going through right now day after day.

"When he says he's going to make every effort to get this solved and leave no stone unturned I believe him."

The Air France flight came down in mid-Atlantic in 2009, without sending out a distress signal and killing all 228 people aboard, after a combination of aircraft technical failure and pilot error.

It took five days to find any wreckage but two years to find the black box recorders.

Mr Gallo said: "In the case of Air France 477 we had a very dedicated team.

"I am hoping the same is true in this case, so that once we can begin an undersea search in earnest that that search happens fairly quick."

But of the Malaysian case he said: "Around every corner you find some fact, then three mysteries appear."

Mr Gallo believed the best hope still came from the area beneath the set flight path of the plane to the east of the Malay peninsula.

History showed most lost planes are eventually found close to where they should have been.

And if it is found east of the peninsula in the South China Sea, the chances of discovering what brought it down are far greater, he said.

The waters are not very deep and in places are shallower than the plane is long, making the recovery of the black box data more likely.

Mr Gallo helped recover the flight recorder from the Air France flight 447

The Andaman Sea and the Straits of Malacca to the west of the peninsula are extremely deep.

Mr Gallo said: "I like to use the idea we are looking for the bits of needle in a pile of hay. Ideally that pile of hay would be very small.

"So you begin by having to know the place on the ocean where the plane, if it did, impact. Where the X marks the spot.

"The way to get to that is by having the last known position, but then by finding bits of floating wreckage that are on the sea being moved around by currents, waves, and winds, and then you can backtrack those using very sophisticated models to find out where they came from, best guess, and then around there you design your search pattern.

"It's all detective work. All step-by-step very methodical, and very slow, but very precise."

He added: "You have to have several ingredients to guarantee success. You have got to have the right people on the job, the right team.

"You need to have the best instruments available - robots, sonar submarines, ships. You need to have a game plan.

"It's almost like a symphony orchestra. You need to have not just the musicians and musical instruments, but you also need to have the conductor with his music.

"When that baton comes down that team needs to play as one.

"This is tortuous for the families. The only way to know what happened, there are no witnesses, is to find those two black boxes, and hopefully the information will be there."

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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Was Missing Plane's Transponder Turned Off?

The transponder on the missing Malaysia Airlines jet is likely to have been deliberately turned off by one of the crew, aircraft experts have told Sky News.

A massive search effort, using military warships and planes to scour a massive expanse of water, has failed to find any sign of the plane since it vanished on Saturday.

Theories about its mysterious disappearance include a structural fault causing explosive decompression, a terrorist attack or pilot suicide.

The transponder - a crucial device that identifies the plane, its position and altitude - stopped working just 40 minutes into Saturday's flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.

The transponder is constantly 'pinged' for data by air traffic radar

Radar systems engineer Daniel Holland believes it was intentionally disabled.

"The evidence points that way," he said.

"The pilots have never made a 7500 - the international code for 'my plane is hijacked'; it is the pure lack of transponder information (that is suspicious).

"For myself, you would look at the communications panel just behind the throttle quadrant on the Boeing 777 to either switch it off there, or even just removing the fuses."

A US Sea Hawk helicopter prepares to join the search

Mark Weiss, a former commercial pilot now working as an aviation consultant, said he agreed that someone in the cockpit had probably disabled the transponder.

"I don't believe it was an explosive decompression," said Mr Weiss.

"In the US a few years ago we had a Southwest Airlines plane that had an explosive decompression and still maintained the basic structural integrity of the aircraft."

Disabling of the transponder might lend weight to the theory that one of the pilots sabotaged the flight.

One pilot apparently allowed two women to fly with him in the cockpit

However, it is also possible it was turned off for other reasons - for example if it was giving out faulty data.

Malaysia Airlines has opened an investigation into the conduct of one of the pilots, Fariq Abdul Hamid, after pictures emerged of himself with two women he allowed into the cockpit during a flight two years ago.

However, it has said it has "no reason to believe" the pilots had anything to do with the disappearance.

The search is taking in a massive area of ocean but no trace has been found

At a news conference on Thursday, Malaysia's transport minister, Hishammudin Hussein, denied reports the homes of crew members had been searched by police.

The plane was last heard from when the pilot responded to a message confirming it was moving from Malaysian to Vietnamese air traffic control.

The pilot replied "Okay, received, goodnight", but Vietnamese officials have said they never heard from flight MH370. 

Not all aviation experts agree that foul play is likely to be to blame for the disappearance.

Dr Colin Brown, director of engineering at Institution of Mechanical Engineers, told Sky he still believes the plane was ripped apart by "explosive decompression".

However, he admitted that the lack of any wreckage or 'black box' signal was hard to make sense of.

"This thing is 300 tons of metal with 239 people on board - I cannot understand how you can hide something that size."

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Missing Plane 'Flown Towards Andaman Islands'

Missing Malaysia Jet 'One Of Great Mysteries'

Updated: 3:07pm UK, Thursday 13 March 2014

By Mark Stone, Asia Correspondent in Kuala Lumpur

The oceanographer who helped search for the Titanic and co-led the successful recovery of a doomed Air France plane has told Sky News the case of the missing Malaysian plane is "absolutely perplexing".

David Gallo, one of the world's most accomplished scientists in his field helped locate the black box data recorders of Air France flight 447 in the South Atlantic in 2011, two years after the plane crashed.

On the disappearance of the Malaysian Airlines passenger jet, he said: "This has rapidly become one of the great mysteries of all time in terms of loss of an aeroplane or ship at sea."

Responding to criticism of the Malaysian authorities, Mr Gallo said he believed they were doing all they could in the face of "an unprecedented task".

Mr Gallo told Sky News: "From the outset it's easy to criticise the people in charge.

"I feel strongly that we need to lend some confidence to the Minister of Transportation in Malaysia because that position is a horrible place to be right now.

"He's got the whole world watching, he's got governmental agencies on his back, he's got the families.

"It's a horrible thing what the families, loved-ones and and friends are going through right now day after day.

"When he says he's going to make every effort to get this solved and leave no stone unturned I believe him."

The Air France flight came down in mid-Atlantic in 2009, without sending out a distress signal and killing all 228 people aboard, after a combination of aircraft technical failure and pilot error.

It took five days to find any wreckage but two years to find the black box recorders.

Mr Gallo said: "In the case of Air France 477 we had a very dedicated team.

"I am hoping the same is true in this case, so that once we can begin an undersea search in earnest that that search happens fairly quick."

But of the Malaysian case he said: "Around every corner you find some fact, then three mysteries appear."

Mr Gallo believed the best hope still came from the area beneath the set flight path of the plane to the east of the Malay peninsula.

History showed most lost planes are eventually found close to where they should have been.

And if it is found east of the peninsula in the South China Sea, the chances of discovering what brought it down are far greater, he said.

The waters are not very deep and in places are shallower than the plane is long, making the recovery of the black box data more likely.

The Andaman Sea and the Straits of Malacca to the west of the peninsula are extremely deep.

Mr Gallo said: "I like to use the idea we are looking for the bits of needle in a pile of hay. Ideally that pile of hay would be very small.

"So you begin by having to know the place on the ocean where the plane, if it did, impact. Where the X marks the spot.

"The way to get to that is by having the last known position, but then by finding bits of floating wreckage that are on the sea being moved around by currents, waves, and winds, and then you can backtrack those using very sophisticated models to find out where they came from, best guess, and then around there you design your search pattern.

"It's all detective work. All step-by-step very methodical, and very slow, but very precise."

He added: "You have to have several ingredients to guarantee success. You have got to have the right people on the job, the right team.

"You need to have the best instruments available - robots, sonar submarines, ships. You need to have a game plan.

"It's almost like a symphony orchestra. You need to have not just the musicians and musical instruments, but you also need to have the conductor with his music.

"When that baton comes down that team needs to play as one.

"This is tortuous for the families. The only way to know what happened, there are no witnesses, is to find those two black boxes, and hopefully the information will be there."

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

16.15 | 0 komentar | Read More

No Missing Plane Wreckage At 'Debris Site'

Missing Plane: 13 Things You Need To Know

Updated: 7:33am UK, Thursday 13 March 2014

As the search for Flight MH370 continues, we answer 13 questions about the disappearance and what could have happened.

When did the plane disappear?

Flight MH370 vanished from radars early on Saturday local time, an hour into a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. When it last made contact, the jet was cruising at 35,000 feet over the South China Sea.

There are reports that the plane tried to turn around, but this would give rise to the question why didn't the pilot communicate this decision to air traffic control? Meanwhile, at an undisclosed time a relative reportedly managed to call one of the passengers. Investigators have repeatedly tried to call the same number without success.

Who was on board?

The plane's manifest contained 12 crew members from Malaysia and 227 passengers from 14 different countries.

There were 153 Chinese, 38 Malaysians, seven Indonesians, six Australians, five Indians, four French, three Americans, two each from Iran (both travelling on fake passports), New Zealand, Ukraine and Canada, and one each from Russia, Taiwan and The Netherlands.

Among the passengers was a 19-strong group of prominent artists returning from an exhibition in Malaysia. Five children - aged two to four - were on board. The oldest person on the plane was 79.

What are the main theories?

Mechanical error remains the most likely explanation. Poor conditions and strong turbulence always have to be considered, but weather conditions were good in this instance. Four areas of investigation are focused on the possibility of human involvement: hijacking, sabotage, psychological problems or personal problems with passengers or crew.

Could there have been a mechanical error?

Inquiries into Air France Flight 447 that dived into the Atlantic Ocean in 2009 en route from Brazil to Paris, killing 228 people, blamed both technical and human error.

However, in the event of engine failure, a plane such as the Boeing 777-200 could glide for 80-90 miles (128-145km), giving the pilot time to issue a distress signal. The descent would also have been traced by radars. The lack of any Mayday call makes an explosion a possibility.

Could the plane have broken up in the air?

The apparent lack of wreckage from MH370 does point to a high-altitude disaster. In such an event the debris would be spread far and wide, making it difficult to find.

A smaller debris field would indicate the plane probably fell intact, breaking up on impact with the water. In the event of a sudden loss of pressure due to a window blowing out the crew would dive the plane in order to lose altitude - but this would not cause the plane to disintegrate.

How about the plane's safety record?

Sudden, accidental, structural failures are considered extremely unlikely in today's passenger aircraft. This is especially so with the Boeing 777-200, which has one of the best safety records of any jet.

One of the missing plane's wingtips was clipped in an incident while taxiing in 2012, but it was repaired and certified as safe.

Could it have been a terrorist attack or hijacking?

In the event of a hijacker trying to enter the cockpit, a pilot can send a secret distress code - something that wasn't done on Flight MH370.

The profiles of all 239 passengers are being checked against databases worldwide, but the terrorism theory was weakened on Tuesday when Malaysian police confirmed it had identified the two passengers who were travelling on fake passports. Both were said to be seeking asylum in Europe.

In the 1988 Lockerbie bombing, claims of responsibility came soon after the disaster - but no one has come forward to claim the Malaysia incident as their attack.

Human error?

The 53-year-old pilot was experienced, having amassed more than 18,000 flying hours since being employed by the airline in 1981.

However, in Indonesia in 2007, Adam Air Flight 574 disappeared with 102 passengers during a domestic flight, where the authorities found the pilots lost control after becoming preoccupied with malfunctioning navigational equipment.

Former naval pilot Dr Simon Mitchell told Sky News: "We've expended billions of dollars on developing very sophisticated aids to make the life of the pilot safer and more straightforward, but there are still opportunities whereby mistakes can be made."

Why was there no distress signal?

One explanation is that the plane fell into a communications black spot. Former Boeing 777 instructor and United Airlines captain Ross Aimer explained: "These are very sophisticated (items of) equipment that should have been working under any conditions - in the water, in the jungle, after a fire, after an explosion - and none of them have talked to the outside world yet.

"There are spots in the world, however, that are called blind spots, where you cannot communicate for some reason. Unfortunately, that area near Vietnam, over the Gulf of Thailand, those are some of the black spots."

Where is the search taking place?

A number of aircraft and ships have been taking part in the search in the seas off Vietnam and Malaysia. Search teams from Australia, China, Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, the Philippines, New Zealand and the US are assisting.

Officials said on Tuesday that the search was being conducted on both sides of Vietnam's Ca Mau peninsula. The search area has been expanded from 50 nautical miles from where the plane disappeared - over waters between Malaysia and Vietnam - to 100 nautical miles (115 miles; 185km).

This expansion was a result of a new report from the Malaysian military, which said it tracked the plane in the Strait of Malacca - a long distance from where it last made contact - in the hours following its disappearance.

Why has no wreckage been found?

Whatever caused the apparent crash, there would be some debris - but it could take a while to find. It took two years to find the main wreckage of Air France Flight 447 in 2009.

In 2007, in the case of the Adam Air flight, it was a week before an Indonesian naval vessel detected metal on the ocean floor. It was a further two weeks before the US Navy picked up signals from the flight data and cockpit recorders and seven months for the recorder to be recovered.

If the plane had crashed on land, chances are the wreckage would have been found by now. At sea, much of the plane would have sunk, but some debris should remain on the surface. But the longer the search takes the harder it becomes as the wind and tide spread any debris further from the initial crash zone.

Could the flight data recorder provide answers?

As well as wreckage, search teams are looking for the aircraft's emergency locator transmitter (ELT) - though these do not always work if a plane hits water. However, attached to the plane's "black box" is a device known as a pinger. This can emit radio signals deep underwater for up to 30 days - or 40 days in warm water.

Has a plane ever simply vanished?

Since the start of the jet age in the 1950s, nearly every major aircraft that disappeared was found - eventually - and the rare exceptions did not involve passengers.

In September 1990, a Boeing 727 plunged into the North Atlantic after running out of fuel. The accident was attributed to poor pilot planning and the wreck was never recovered.

Another Boeing 727 transporting diesel to diamond mines in Africa took off without clearance and with its transponder turned off. It is believed to have crashed in the Atlantic Ocean.

:: Watch Sky News live on television, on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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Obama Hopes For Crimea Referendum 'Rethink'

Barack Obama is hopeful a last-ditch diplomatic effort can put a stop to a Russian-backed referendum to decide the future of Crimea.

At a meeting in the White House with Ukraine's interim prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, the US President said that if the vote went ahead, America would not recognise the result.

"We will not recognise any referendum that goes forward," he said, to which Mr Yatsenyuk added: "Ukraine is and will be part of the Western world."

The proposed referendum in Crimea on Sunday will decide whether the region should separate from Ukraine and become part of Russia.

In a statement issued by the White House on behalf of the G7 leaders, the Obama administration declared that if the vote went ahead it would have no legal effect given the "intimidating presence of Russian troops".

Meanwhile, the US passed a bill authorising a $1bn loan to Ukraine's new government and paving the way for tough economic sanctions on Russia to put pressure on President Putin to pull Russian troops out of Crimea.

Youths hold up a Crimea flag ahead of a planned referendum

Meanwhile, US Secretary of State John Kerry is travelling to London to meet his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov on Friday.

Mr Kerry said he would present Mr Lavrov a "series of options" to resolve the dispute.

"We will offer certain choices to Foreign Minister Lavrov and to President Putin through him and to Russia, with hopes, and I think the hopes of the world, that we will be able to find a way forward that defuses this," Mr Kerry told a House hearing in Washington.

Ukrainian military personnel remain in Crimea despite the tensions

He said it was not in anyone's interests to isolate Moscow "but we will do what we have to do if Russia cannot find a way to make the right choices here".

The frantic diplomatic effort came as Ukraine accused Russia of massing 80,000 troops, 270 tanks and 140 combat aircraft close to the border, creating the "threat of a full-scale invasion". 

The Black Sea peninsula has been the scene of a tense stand-off between Moscow and the West, following the toppling of Kremlin ally Viktor Yanukovych as Ukrainian president.

It led to the seizing of the region by pro-Russian forces.

Vladimir Putin is portrayed as a Nazi officer by protesters in Odessa

Crimea's majority Russian-speaking population are expected to back the split from Ukraine.

The vote has been denounced by the new Ukrainian government in Kiev, which has vowed not to give up a "single centimetre" of territory.

And in a statement ahead of a meeting between US President Barack Obama and Ukrainian prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, the US and other Group of Seven nations said they would not recognise the referendum.

"We call on the Russian Federation to immediately halt actions supporting a referendum on the territory of Crimea regarding its status, in direct violation of the constitution of Ukraine," it read.

"Any such referendum would have no legal effect."

But Russian President Vladimir Putin has defended the move arguing it is legal.

Mr Kerry has been unsuccessfully trying for more than a week to broker a meeting between Russian, Ukrainian and European diplomats to try and ease tensions.

The Secretary of State told Congress he would be flying to London to meet Mr Lavrov on the instruction of President Barack Obama.

He said: "Our job is to present them with a series of options that are appropriate in order to try to respect the people of Ukraine, international law, and the interests of all concerned."

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Watches 'Went Missing' During Pistorius Probe

Pistorius Trial Focuses On Police

Updated: 4:40am UK, Thursday 13 March 2014

By Emma Hurd, Sky Correspondent

As attention shifts to forensic evidence in the murder trial of Oscar Pistorius, the performance of the South African police is under scrutiny, with allegations that officers made serious mistakes.

The athlete's lawyers have produced photos which appear to show that the crime scene was not properly preserved and even marked with a footprint from an officer's shoe. 

If the defence can prove their assertion that the police "contaminated and tampered with" the scene, it will damage the prosecution's assertion that Pistorius murdered Reeva Steenkamp.

Pistorius' legal team is expected to chip away further at the credibility of the prosecution case when the trial restarts at 7.30am on Thursday.

The focus has been on the toilet door, through which Pistorius fired the four bullets which killed his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, later claiming to have mistaken her for an intruder.

The actual door was brought into the court as Colonel Johannes Vermeulen, a police forensic analyst, said he had examined the damage caused when the athlete bashed through it with a cricket bat to reach his girlfriend after the shooting. 

He demonstrated the swinging of the bat against the door and said he concluded that Pistorius was on his stumps - not wearing his prosthetic legs - both when he fired his gun and when he smashed the door down.

But the athlete claims he had rushed to put on his false legs before he broke down the door after realising that Reeva could be behind it.

The defence was quick to try to show that the height of the marks could be consistent with Oscar Pistorius's version of events. 

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Then things became more uncomfortable for Colonel Vermeulen, as he was forced to admit that he had not done any tests on the door to establish if the athlete had first tried to kick it down with his prosthetics, even though the police knew that was Pistorius' account. 

The forensic analyst had also not examined wooden splinters from the door - claiming not to had access to them - but a police photo clearly showed them next to the door when Colonel Vermeulen first examined.

More damaging still was another photo produced by defence advocate Barry Roux, showing a footprint - apparently from a police officer's shoe - on the door that was meant to have been so carefully preserved. 

Other photos were shown by the defence documenting further marks that had appeared on the door in the time it was in the custody of the police.

Colonel Vermeulen was unable to explain any of them.

The performance of the police in the case was the subject of controversy early on in the investigation when it emerged that the lead detective, Hilton Botha, did not follow procedures and was facing charges of manslaughter.

Detective Botha was swiftly replaced.

It was clear that the allegations of police "bungling" would play a part in the trial but we now know that the defence has amassed evidence to back up those claims. 

Further police witnesses might clarify the apparent errors, but it does not bode well for the prosecution - or the reputation of the South African Police Service - that the first representative from the force had such a tough time in the witness box.

:: Watch day nine of the trial from 7.30am on Sky News live on Sky channel 501, Virgin Media channel 602, Freeview channel 82 and Freesat channel 202.

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Ukraine: Rival Rallies As Putin Defends Vote

Clashes have broken out between tens of thousands of pro-Ukrainian and pro-Russian protesters at rival rallies across Ukraine, as Moscow continues to cement its control over Crimea.

In the Crimean port city of Sevastopol, pro-Russians gathered at Lenin Square holding flags and singing Russian songs to support the autonomous republic's upcoming referendum on joining Russia.

According to local media reports, scuffles then broke out, with claims that "whip-wielding Cossacks" had attacked their opponents.

In the eastern city of Luhansk, people who gathered in the main square to mark the 200th birth anniversary of Ukraine's national poet Taras Shevchenko were reportedly attacked by pro-Russia protesters.

Chanting "Russia! Russia!" the demonstrators then broke through a police barricade and took over the local government building, where they raised the Russian flag and demanded a citywide referendum on joining Russia, reports said.

A woman in the city claimed her son had been beaten up by pro-Russian demonstrators as they moved into the square carrying Russian flags.

In the eastern city of Donetsk, a rally in support of an undivided Ukraine was called off as hundreds of pro-Russian demonstrators disrupted the construction of the stage.

Riot police then asked people to leave the square to avoid further trouble.

Pro-Russian activists beat a pro-Ukrainian supporter in Sevastopol

The referendum, to be held on Sunday, will ask Crimeans whether they would like to remain part of Ukraine or join Russia. It has been denounced by the new Ukrainian government, which has vowed not to give up a "single centimetre" of territory.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has defended the breakaway move by pro-Moscow authorities in Crimea, despite warnings by the West that it is illegal.

According to the Kremlin, he told Prime Minister David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a phone call that "the steps taken by the legitimate leadership of Crimea are based on the norms of international law and aim to ensure the legal interests of the population of the peninsula".

But Chancellor Merkel said the referendum violated both Ukraine's constitution and international law.

However, Mr Putin also said he wanted to find a "diplomatic solution" to the crisis, and agreed the need to de-escalate tensions in Ukraine.

Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke to US President Barack Obama and said all sides needed to act with calm and that "political and diplomatic routes must be used to resolve the crisis", according to China's foreign ministry.

Meanwhile, video footage has emerged which appears to show pro-Russian forces firing on a Ukrainian military aircraft.

And there are signs Russia is flexing its economic as well as its military muscle, with reports it is likely to increase the price Ukraine pays for its gas supplies, having previously agreed to cut it.

Foreign observers from the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe have also been turned away from the region after warning shots were fired as they approached.

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Missing Malaysia Airlines Plane Remains Mystery

Investigators say a yellow object seen floating in the sea is not a life raft from the Malaysia Airlines plane that disappeared with 239 people on board.

Rescue helicopters and boats were sent to an area 90 miles southwest of Tho Chu island, 250 miles off the coast of southern Vietnam, after the crew of a plane reported seeing the object.

Investigators remain "puzzled" about the "unprecedented" disappearance of flight MH370, which went missing between Kuala Lumpur and Beijing.

Investigators say Vietnam has not confirmed a possible plane door sighting

Security services from around the world are investigating whether the plane was hijacked or destroyed in a terror attack.

Earlier reports of objects, including an aircraft door, spotted floating in the sea have not been confirmed, while a possible sighting of a section of the plane's tail has been ruled out.

The search, which involves teams from seven countries, has been widened after radar suggested the plane may have turned back before it vanished.

Paul Weeks, seen with wife Danica and son Lincoln in 2010, was on the plane

Tests are also being carried out on oil from two slicks in the South China Sea, which may finally provide answers for relatives of those on board.

At least two passengers boarded the flight using stolen passports and additional "suspect" documents are being investigated by Interpol.

The men using the false passports - one issued in Italy and the other in Austria - bought their tickets together and were due to fly to Europe after landing in Beijing.

Spotter planes and ships are involved in the search for the missing flight

Officials are discussing whether images of the mystery passengers should be made public as part of an appeal for information.

Initial investigations suggest the plane disintegrated at about 35,000ft, according to the Reuters news agency.

Had the plane plunged into the sea and broken up on impact, search teams would have expected to find a concentrated pattern of debris, a source involved in the probe said.

Investigators have told relatives to 'prepare for the worst'

Relatives of those on the flight are enduring an agonising wait for information and anger is growing in China about the lack of progress with the investigation.

Nearly two-thirds of the passengers were Chinese and if the loss of the plane is confirmed, it would be the country's second-worst air disaster.

In a scathing editorial, the Global Times newspaper, which has links to the Chinese Communist Party, said: "The Malaysian side cannot shirk its responsibilities. The initial response from Malaysia was not swift enough.

"There are loopholes in the work of Malaysia Airlines and security authorities."

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Pathologist Evidence 'Too Graphic' For Cameras

Pistorius Trial: Evidence Summary

Updated: 1:26pm UK, Friday 07 March 2014

A summary of the evidence heard in the first two days of the Oscar Pistorius murder trial.

Day Five

Prosecution witness Samantha Taylor, ex-girlfriend of Oscar Pistorius, broke down in court as she told how the athlete cheated on her with Reeva Steenkamp.

Miss Taylor also told the court how Pistorius once fired a gun out of the sunroof of a car after being stopped by police.

The star's ex-lover described how Pistorius would sometimes "scream at her" and often carried a gun with him.

The court was told how Pistorius once woke Ms Taylor fearing there was an intruder in the house and got up to investigate with his gun.

Security guard Pieter Baba described the moment he saw a distressed Pistorius carrying Reeva down the stairs.

The guard said that Pistorius assured him everything "is fine" after shots were reported. 

More evidence from Ms Taylor suggested that Pistorius once feared he was being followed and waved his gun at the suspect car until it drove off near his home.

Day Four

Prosecution witness Dr Johan Stipp told the court how he went to Oscar Pistorius' residence after hearing shots fired on the night Reeva Steenkamp was killed.

He said he saw Ms Steenkamp lying on her back and Pistorius by her side, frantically trying to resuscitate her.

It was clear Ms Steenkamp was mortally wounded, he said, and Pistorius was crying and praying that she'd survive. During his evidence, Pistorius broke down in the dock, sobbing as he held his head in his hands.

Earlier, Pistorius' defence team said it would have been "impossible" for neighbours to hear screams on the night Ms Steenkamp died.

Lawyer Barry Roux said neighbour Charl Peter Johnson's claim that he heard gunshots followed by a woman screaming was incorrect.

"You cannot hear it inside your house," he said. "At any distance, she was in a locked bathroom."

Mr Johnson also claimed to have heard five or six shots on the night of the killing. But Mr Roux pointed out that in his initial notes he wrote that he "did not count the number of shots fired".

Day Three

Mr Johnson's evidence continued, and he was repeatedly challenged by Mr Roux who at one point said: "You are saying all the evidence that your wife gave us yesterday."

Mr Johnson replied that it was not unusual for two people to use the same words when describing an incident.

He mentioned some notes that he'd taken after the shooting, which are on his laptop and iPad. He was asked to end his evidence for the day and come back the next day, so the defence team had the opportunity to view his notes.

Pistorius' friend Kevin Lerena was then called, who described an incident in January last year in which Pistorius allegedly discharged a firearm by mistake while eating with friends in a restaurant.

He said the athlete then asked his friend Darren Fresco to take the blame.

The owner of the restaurant, Jason Loupis, and his wife Maria, later confirmed the incident after taking the stand.

Mrs Loupis said there was a child nearby when Pistorius' gun went off in the restaurant.

Day Two

The evidence of Ms Burger continued.

Defence lawyer Barry Roux said her evidence had been influenced by media coverage of the shooting, but she denied this.

Mr Roux said that evidence later in the trial would show that Ms Steenkamp would not have been able to scream after the final shot hit her in the head.

Ms Burger stood by her initial statement that she heard Ms Steenkamp after the final shot.

Another neighbour then took the stand for a short time, before Ms Burger's husband gave his evidence.

He told how he thought Pistorius and Ms Steenkamp were being held up in their house and said he looked at additional security measures for his own home the next day.

He backed up his wife's evidence, saying he heard screams after the final shot.

Day One

The first witness, university lecturer Michelle Burger, took the stand.

She says she woke on the night of the killing to the sound of gunshots and a woman screaming.

She described hearing "bloodcurdling screams" and four shots.

She is a key witness for the prosecution, as her evidence would appear to contradict Pistorius' claims that he thought he was shooting at an intruder.

The defence argued she is unreliable due to alleged discrepancies between her police statement and court testimony.

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Crimea: US Urges Russia To Show Restraint

US Warship In Black Sea Amid Ukraine Crisis

Updated: 7:53pm UK, Friday 07 March 2014

Turkey scrambled fighters jets after a Russian surveillance plane flew along Turkey's Black Sea Coast, shortly after a US destroyer sailed through the area.

The report comes amid heightened tension over the crisis in Ukraine.

The USS Truxtun passed the Dardanelles strait on its way to the Black Sea, amid reports that Russia has now 30,000 troops in Crimea.

The US Navy said in a statement that the Truxtun would conduct training with Romanian and Bulgarian naval forces.

"While in the Black Sea, the ship will conduct a port visit and routine, previously planned exercises with allies and partners in the region," it said.

Crimea is home to Russia's Black Sea military base in Sevastopol.

The Obama administration has taken steps to support the defences of US allies in Europe.

The Pentagon also sent six US F-15 fighter jets in Lithuania to bolster air patrols over the Baltics.

The fighter jets and 60 US military personnel landed at Siauliai Air Base in Lithuania, adding to the four F-15s and 150 troops already there to do the air patrol mission.

The warship, which has a crew of about 300 sailors, is part of an aircraft carrier strike group that deployed from the US in mid-February.

"This type of ship is one of the mainstays of the US Navy, pretty advanced, relatively recent," said defence analyst Francis Tusa.

Mr Tusa said that while military training exercises are routine, on this occasion the US appeared to make sure "people were aware that this was happening" to raise its profile.

"It's almost perfect," he told Sky News.

"You can both make the Russians aware the ship is going into the Black Sea - but it's a pre-planned deployment, so you're not flooding the area with a fleet.

"It's best of both worlds."

The straits has seen increased naval traffic amid the escalating tension between Ukraine and Russia.   

One Ukrainian ship and two Russian ships were seen passing through the Bosphorus strait on Tuesday.

President Barack Obama has already ordered sanctions on people responsible for Moscow's military intervention in the Crimean peninsula, including travel bans and freezing of their US assets.

He also said a referendum by the region to join Russia would violate international law.

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Russian Expats Eye Future Of Crimea From US

Ukrainians In Their Own Words

Updated: 3:20am UK, Sunday 09 March 2014

Three citizens of Ukraine write for Sky News about the sense of dread gripping ordinary people as their country slides towards conflict with its powerful neighbour.

:: Marina's story

"The course of life is the same in the capital of Ukraine. People go to work, visit cafes, cinemas and shopping centres. Public transport operates as normal. No special precautions need to be taken while on the streets.

"But there is a growing feeling that something is going to happen. Politics has become a part of daily life in Ukraine.  People discuss the latest news everywhere - in the streets, on public transport, in cafes, at home and at work. 

"Having lived through these past months, people have hardly had any time to realise what changes had taken place in the country. Hardly any time to mourn over people who perished on streets of Kiev.   

"At present we check news hourly. Everyone shares news, reposts important messages on social platforms, and leaves comments on news sites.

"Ukrainian men of all ages in Kiev and other cities and towns of their own free will are registering at military enlistment offices. The number is more than enough.

"We are facing an information war. The amount of misinformation, misinterpretation of events and barefaced lies from the Russian mass media is staggering and detrimental as the result.

"The news is presented in the most twisted way. It is so unbelievable that it becomes a farce. Ukrainians speak to their family and friends in Russia to try to explain what is really going on in Ukraine.

"Some months ago we thought that our worst enemy on the way to better life and a more prosperous country was the corrupted and vicious president and his environment - but it turned out to be just the tip of the iceberg.

"It has been about two weeks since it became known that Russian troops stepped on Crimean soil right after the transitional Ukrainian government was formed.

"It was almost impossible to get rid of the corrupt government, but such a great unity of people, speaking both Russian and Ukrainian from different regions of Ukraine got together and did it.

"It is obvious that Russia has its own interest in Ukraine with Crimea being the pretext. The goal is to destabilise our country, bring chaos and civil unrest and eventually prove to the world that Ukraine is incapable to hold its sovereignty."

:: Nastya's story

"I come from the eastern part of Ukraine, from a city called Sumy, which is 60km from the border with Russia.

"I speak both Russian and Ukrainian, and consider them both my native languages. Never in my life was I humiliated or abused because of speaking Russian. 

"We are used to being bilingual and 99% of the people I personally know support European values, no matter which language they speak.

"The issue of languages and nationalities is just a thing to manipulate us with during the election campaign and sadly now, to draw us into a terrible war which no one needs.

"Both of my grandfathers took part in the Second World War, fighting against German fascists. 

"They are probably turning in their graves because the people they were fighting with shoulder to shoulder against fascists, are now invading our beautiful land and calling us fascists for simply loving our country.

"It's like a bad divorce, when you don't recognise the person you've been living with all you life.

"This situation seems surreal. Germany is trying to convince Russia not to attack Ukraine. It's like a bad dream.

"It's like a bug in the system which prevents it from functioning correctly. It is beyond our understanding and our system of values.

"We are all very scared, too. For our children, our families, our future. We are praying to God to save Ukraine and our people. To make the people who make horrible decisions to come to their senses.

"We are asking the world to help us, because if the evil isn't stopped now, it will be next to impossible to stop it from spreading all over the world."

:: Ivan's story

"Right now the situation in Kiev has certainly cooled off and the main focus is on Crimea.

"During Maidan protests we were advised to avoid Maidan (Independence Square) and the centre of Kiev. Particularly the areas around the centre were very dangerous.

"There were a lot of reports of people just disappearing or being beaten up by 'Berkut' special forces. Former government forces showed their true attitude towards citizens.

"Thugs hired by the former government, people dressed in sports wear that were noticeably well-trained. We call them 'titushki'. Their purpose was to frighten, bully, or simply beat up the peaceful population of the city.

"They walked through police barriers without even a single question asked, while members of the public were not permitted in and did not get any answers as to why that was even allowed.

"As to the pro-Russian mood in the east of the country, people are very proud over there and do not like to be told what to do.

"Through lies and by playing on their feelings (many have families and relatives in Russia) they were duped into believing that Maidan protestors are fascist thugs who will take away their right to speak Russian, which is complete and utter rubbish.

"True, there are people who support partnership with Russia, but what they certainly do not support is Russia's military intervention. They hate the fact that Putin decided that we aren't capable of solving our own problems.

"The majority of people have changed their mindset and want our country to embrace other values, different to the values of a post Soviet bloc country.

"And that makes Putin go mad. He lost his grip on us - his puppet is no longer our president and, believe me, no one in southeast Ukraine or in Crimea is crying crocodile tears over him.

"I can assure you that people from both sides agree that Yanukovich is corrupt, incompetent and, frankly speaking, stupid."

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Malaysia Plane's 'Four Suspect' Passengers

Officials are investigating the identity of four passengers on a missing Malaysia Airlines plane carrying 239 people - but have not determined if it was downed in a terror attack.

Malaysia's defence and transport minister Hishamuddin Hussein told a news conference in Kuala Lumpur: "All the four names are with me."

The two oil slicks seen off Vietnam

He confirmed Malaysian investigators have met counterparts from the FBI, and said the operation is focusing on "the entire passenger manifest".

It emerged on Saturday that two people boarded the Boeing 777-200 using stolen European passports.

"On the issue of the passports, I'm in touch with the international intelligence agencies," he said.

Journalists try to interview a grieving relative in Beijing

"At the same time our own intelligence has been activated, and of course, the counter-terrorism units...from all the relevant countries have been informed."

Asked whether he believes the plane was hijacked, he would only say: "We are looking at all possibilities."

The two people using stolen passports bought their flight tickets at the same time, and were due to fly to Europe from Beijing, according to reports.

A relative of a passenger on the flight waits for news in Beijing

Flight MH370, carrying 239 passengers and crew, was travelling from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing when it vanished around two hours into the flight.

The plane disappeared from radar at 1.30am (5.30pm UK time) on Friday, about 85 miles (135km) north of the Malaysian city of Kuala Terengganu.

A photo of the missing plane - seen taking off in Paris in 2011

A huge search involving 22 aircraft and 40 ships is continuing in the vast waters of the Gulf of Thailand, between Vietnam and Malaysia.

It concentrated around the Vietnamese island resort of Phu Quoc after Vietnamese air force jets spotted two huge oil slicks.

The parallel slicks - both between 10 miles (16km) and 12 miles (19km) long and 500 metres apart - were consistent with the kind of spills caused by fuel from a crashed airliner, a Vietnamese government statement said.

The jet is reported to have crashed in the ocean off southern Vietnam

The search has now widened to the sea off Malacca, on the west coast of Malaysia, after radar data indicated the plane may have turned back from its scheduled route to Beijing before disappearing.

US federal safety officials said a team of experts are heading to Asia to help in the investigation.

The team includes accident investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board, as well as technical experts from the Federal Aviation Administration and Boeing.

Family members have complained of a lack of information

Earlier today, Malaysia's Civil Aviation chief Azaharudin Abdul Rahman said search teams have not found any debris from the plane.

He said no other aircraft in the Malaysia Airlines fleet would be grounded and indicated there were "no abnormalities" in the data received from the flight.

Two-thirds of the jet's passengers were from China. The rest were from elsewhere in Asia, North America and Europe.

Distraught relatives and friends wait at Beijing International Airport

The plane's disappearance is especially mysterious because it apparently happened when the plane was at cruising altitude, not during the more dangerous phases of take-off or landing.

Officials are examining CCTV footage of passengers boarding the plane after it emerged two passengers had been travelling on stolen passports.

The airline listed one of the passengers as a 37-year-old Italian called Luigi Maraldi.

Malaysia's Civil Aviation chief says no wreckage has yet been found

However, Mr Maraldi has contacted his parents in Italy to say he was not on the airliner.

He had his passport stolen in Thailand several months ago, leaving questions over who used his passport to board the plane and whether that has anything to do with the airliner's disappearance.

Another passenger used a passport belonging to Austrian citizen Christan Kozel. He is listed as one of the passengers although he has been confirmed as safe and well by authorities.

His passport was stolen in Thailand two years ago.

Relatives are still waiting anxiously at Beijing airport for news of their loved ones.

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