Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 was just over an our into a flight to Beijing when its transponder stopped sending positional and identifying signals. Some radar images from sources in Indonesia and Malaya indicate the plane may have changed course west and over flew Indonesia. The plane was fueled for a six hour flight.

This morning, a story was leaked that said the Rolls Royce engines sent reports to Rolls Royce for four hours following the last transponder ping. This allows the plane, from a position over the Straits of Malacca, to fly to Pakistan, for example, or deep into China.  The engines would only ping if operating; They would not ping from the ocean floor.

This leads to the thought that the plane has been hijacked and is sitting on some airport between Norhwestern Pakistan and Northeasten China. Adding to the mystery is the presence on the flight of passengers flying on one way tickets with stolen passports, a reason to suspect nefarious purpose for boarding the flight.  Indonesian sources have reported that radar images of an unidentifed plane overflew that Island near Penang.  The timing, radar image and absence of a transponder report are consistent with the theory that this was MH 370.  Of great significance is that no wreckage has been found. Planes are full of stuff that floats, but nothing has been found.  It is, therefore, very likely that the plane is on the ground, in one piece. We will find out soon.