Malaysia Airlines MH370 - Verifiable Sources

Edit - please see new article -
Could A Fire Have Caused The Loss Of MH370?

This is a follow-up to MH370 - Pieces Of The Puzzle, in which I said:

There has been a great amount of idle speculation and misinformation about the missing flight MH370 in the media and around the web.  Much of the news story has been colored by idle speculation bordering on xenophobia regarding the stolen passports.

The best way to solve any puzzle is to separate the available information into what is known, what is probable, what is plausible and what is mere speculation.
Unverified speculation has been compounded by journalists citing each other's articles as sources.  Much of the rumour now circulating cannot be traced back to a verifiably knowledgeable source.

CBS News and ABC News, citing unidentified U.S. officials, said American investigators believe that  ...
Source - USA Today


Reuters, citing unidentified sources familiar with the investigation, reported ...

An aviation industry source tells CNN that the flight's automated communications system appeared to be intact for up to five hours, because pings from the system were received after the transponder last emitted a signal.

Aviation experts say it's possible, if highly unlikely, that someone could have hijacked and landed the giant Boeing 777 undetected.

Source - CNN

A U.S. official said in Washington that investigators are examining the possibility of “human intervention” in the plane’s disappearance, adding it may have been “an act of piracy.”

The official, who wasn’t authorized to talk to the media and spoke on condition of anonymity, said it also was possible the plane may have landed somewhere.

Source - Nationalpost.com

All over the world media sources are citing each other in terms of some unidentified source saying that x,y and z may have happened, employing more caveats than an insurance contract lawyer having a bad hair day.

Meanwhile ...

If MH370 went down within about 50 miles of its last known position then any floating debris may by now have passed the East coast of Malaysia on its way south, carried by the prevailing surface currents.  I am not aware of any search being carried out much further south than about the latitude of Kuala Lumpur.


Here are some verifiable news sources.

Inmarsat statement on Malaysia Airlines flight MH370

14 March 2014: Inmarsat has issued the following statement regarding Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

Routine, automated signals were registered on the Inmarsat network from Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 during its flight from Kuala Lumpur.

This information was provided to our partner SITA, which in turn has shared it with Malaysia Airlines.

For further information, please contact Malaysia Airlines.

Source - Inmarsat


Friday, March 14, 12:00 AM MYT +0800 Malaysia Airlines MH370 Flight Incident - 18th Media Statement

Malaysia Airlines reiterates that we will continue to give our full support in cooperating with the search and rescue mission which is coordinated by the Department of Civil Aviation Malaysia (DCA) under the purview of the Ministry of Transport, Malaysia.

Malaysia Airlines is fully aware of the on-going media speculations and we have nothing further to add to the information we have already provided.

Our primary focus at this point in time is to care for the families of the passengers and crew of MH370. This means providing them with timely information, travel facilities, accommodation, meals, medical and emotional support.

Malaysia Airlines will continue to provide regular updates to the general public via the media and our website on all matters affecting MH370.

Source - Malaysia Airlines

Q    And on the missing Malaysian plane, there had been some reporting that U.S. investigators have received some type of indication that the plane may have flew for another four hours or so after it was last -- sent a signal about where it was.  There now seems to be some questions about the veracity of those reports.  Can you provide any clarity about what U.S. investigators have been able to determine about that?

MR. CARNEY:  I can tell you that the investigation is ongoing and it is being led by the Malaysian government.  U.S. air safety officials are in Kuala Lumpur working closely with the Malaysian government on the investigation.

There are a number of possible scenarios that are being investigated as to what happened to the flight, and we are not in a position at this time to make conclusions about what happened, unfortunately.  But we’re actively participating in the search.  And, again, we, in an investigation led by the Malaysian government -- an investigation that involves many nations with many assets -- are following leads where we find them.  And it’s my understanding that based on some new information that’s not necessarily conclusive, but new information, an additional search area may be opened in the Indian Ocean, and we are consulting with international partners about the appropriate assets to deploy.

But I don’t have anything more on that at this time.  It’s obviously an ongoing investigation, and one that has not produced conclusive results.  And it’s frustrating for everyone, but agonizing for the families of those passengers on the flight.  And our thoughts and prayers go out to them especially because this is truly agonizing for them.

Q    Just to follow on one thing you said.  You said there may be a new area over the Indian Ocean?

MR. CARNEY:  Again, we’re looking at information, pursuing possible leads, working within the investigation being led by the Malaysian government.  And it is my understanding that one possible piece of information or collection of pieces of information has led to the possibility that a new area, a search area may be opened in the Indian Ocean.  But I don’t have any more details on that; Department of Defense might, and certainly the Malaysian government might.

Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jay Carney, 3/13/2014
Source - White House press room

Further White House press briefings mentioning MH370 -


Can the world's media please now get its act together and provide its collective viewer/readership with links to verifiably well-informed or expert sources, or is that too much to ask in this age of the internet?