(CNN) -- New information from the Thai government bolsters the belief that missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 took a sharp westward turn after communication was lost. And it looks like that turn was no accident. A law enforcement official told CNN Tuesday that the aircrafts first turn to the west was almost certainly programmed by somebody in the cockpit. The official, who has been briefed on the investigation, said the programmed change in direction was entered at least 12 minutes before the planes co-pilot signed off to air traffic controllers, telling them, All right, good night. Analysts on CNNs AC360 offered different interpretations of what that could mean -- with some experts cautioning the change in direction could have been part of an alternate flight plan programmed in advance in case of emergency, and others warning it could show something more nefarious was afoot. We dont know when specifically it was entered, said Mary Schiavo, a CNN aviation analyst and former inspector general for the U.S. Department of Transportation. New York Times reporter Michael Schmidt said the new timeframe makes the issue of foul play seem more significant. Because by doing that, he said, what it basically shows is that this thing was already heading in a different direction when theyre saying good night. But still, the new details about what happened dont add up to a clear answer. Like everything on this story, we learn a little bit, Schmidt said, but then we just have more questions. Inside the cockpit of a Boeing 777 Police search pilots homes Partner: I have to prepare for worst Did plane drop 5,000 ft. to avoid radar? Photos: The search for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 Evidence that someone programmed the planes computer and the Thai data that surfaced Tuesday corroborate a leading theory from Malaysian investigators: The missing plane veered off course in a deliberate act by someone who knew what they were doing. But investigators still dont know who was at the controls, or why whoever was flying the plane apparently took it far from its original destination. An initial search of the pilots personal computers and e-mails found nothing to indicate that the sudden deviation in the aircrafts route was planned, U.S. officials said Tuesday after being briefed by Malaysian authorities. The officials said they had also reviewed cockpit conversations between the plane and air traffic controllers and heard nothing suspicious or anything that would explain why the jetliner changed course. And a flight simulator belonging to pilot Zaharie Ahmad Shah did not show any of the unexplained paths the plane may have flown after it went off the grid, officials said. Schiavo said its no surprise investigators found nothing suspicious in the pilots homes. Ive worked on many cases were the pilots were suspect, and it turned out to be a mechanical and horrible problem, she said. And I have a saying myself: Sometimes an erratic flight path is heroism, not terrorism. And I always remind myself of that, not to jump to that conclusion. Sometimes pilots are fighting amazing battles, and we never hear about it.
Posted on: Thu, 27 Mar 2014 11:11:02 +0000
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