For almost eight hours after plane was apparently hijacked it flew as low as 5,000ft to avoid commercial radars
The missing Malaysian Airlines plane reportedly flew as low as 5,000ft and used “terrain masking” to avoid radar detection for almost eight hours after it was apparently hijacked.
As dozens of nations continued to search for the plane, Malaysia’s New Straits Times newspaper reported that the Boeing 777 dropped to low altitude to avoid commercial radars.
Using a manoeuvre typically deployed by combat aircraft, the plane would have burnt far more fuel flying in the denser lower air.
Experts said a sharp drop in altitude – the plane was apparently flying as high as 45,000 feet - would have been noticeable for the passengers, but not deadly.
The revelation that the last communication from the cockpit occurred after the plane’s communications systems were turned off has effectively confirmed it was deliberately sabotaged and has focused police attention on the crew and passengers.
Malaysian police confirmed they are investigating Mohd Khairul Amri Selamat, a 29-year-old aviation engineer who was apparently flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing to carry out work on a plane in China.
"Yes, we are looking into Mohd Khairul as well as the other passengers and crew. The focus is on anyone else who might have had aviation skills on that plane," a police official told Reuters.
Khairul said on social media he worked for a Swiss-based jet charter firm, Execujet Aviation Group, though it has not yet confirmed that he worked for them. In his Facebook account in 2011, he identified himself as an employee of Execujet's Malaysian operations.
Khairul had recently bought a house in Malaysia and was last week described by his father, Selamat Omar as a caring son who would regularly visit his parents.
Malaysian authorities have confirmed that the backgrounds of all 239 passengers are being examined. Several foreign intelligence agencies have also been assisting with the checks.
Meanwhile, 26 countries are scouring a huge stretch of territory for any sign of the missing plane, including land, sea and aerial searches.
The missing Malaysian Airlines plane reportedly flew as low as 5,000ft and used “terrain masking” to avoid radar detection for almost eight hours after it was apparently hijacked.
As dozens of nations continued to search for the plane, Malaysia’s New Straits Times newspaper reported that the Boeing 777 dropped to low altitude to avoid commercial radars.
Using a manoeuvre typically deployed by combat aircraft, the plane would have burnt far more fuel flying in the denser lower air.
Experts said a sharp drop in altitude – the plane was apparently flying as high as 45,000 feet - would have been noticeable for the passengers, but not deadly.
The revelation that the last communication from the cockpit occurred after the plane’s communications systems were turned off has effectively confirmed it was deliberately sabotaged and has focused police attention on the crew and passengers.
Malaysian police confirmed they are investigating Mohd Khairul Amri Selamat, a 29-year-old aviation engineer who was apparently flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing to carry out work on a plane in China.
"Yes, we are looking into Mohd Khairul as well as the other passengers and crew. The focus is on anyone else who might have had aviation skills on that plane," a police official told Reuters.
Khairul said on social media he worked for a Swiss-based jet charter firm, Execujet Aviation Group, though it has not yet confirmed that he worked for them. In his Facebook account in 2011, he identified himself as an employee of Execujet's Malaysian operations.
Khairul had recently bought a house in Malaysia and was last week described by his father, Selamat Omar as a caring son who would regularly visit his parents.
Malaysian authorities have confirmed that the backgrounds of all 239 passengers are being examined. Several foreign intelligence agencies have also been assisting with the checks.
Meanwhile, 26 countries are scouring a huge stretch of territory for any sign of the missing plane, including land, sea and aerial searches.
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