Malaysia Airlines Flygning MH370 saknas (2014-03-08)

The report from The Wall Street Journal said U.S. aviation investigators and national security officials were basing their belief that the missing plane kept flying on data automatically transmitted to the ground from the passenger jet's engines.

The account has raised questions among some U.S. officials about whether the plane had been steered off course "with the intention of using it later for another purpose," the newspaper reported, citing a "person familiar with the matter."

The newspaper said it was unclear whether the aircraft had landed somewhere or had crashed.

U.S. officials have an "indication" the missing Malaysia Airlines jetliner may have crashed in the Indian Ocean and is moving the USS Kidd to the area to begin searching.

It will take another 24 hours to move the ship into position, a senior Pentagon official told ABC News.

If MH370 turned west from its last known position and, if it passed close to Pulau Perak as reported earlier by the Malaysian authorities, it would be on a track of 255 degrees (approx.). If it had enough fuel for 3000 nautical miles it could have come down about 200 miles south of the Seychelles.

A lot of "ifs", I know, but is this the scenario the Yanks are investigating?

A source close to the investigation said communications satellites picked up faint electronic pulses from Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 after it went missing on Saturday.

However, the signals gave no indication about where the stray jet was heading nor its technical condition.

The "pings" equated to an indication that the aircraft’s maintenance troubleshooting systems were ready to communicate with satellites if needed, but no links were opened because Malaysia Airlines and others had not subscribed to the full troubleshooting service, the source said.

It seems that the White House is better briefed than the Pentagon press office. Jay Carney, the White House spokesman, has just confirmed that a new search area may be opened in the Indian Ocean, reports the Guardian’s Paul Lewis in Washington.

“It is my understanding the one possible piece of information, or pieces of information, has led to the possibility that a new search area may be opened up over the Indian Ocean,” he said, without detailing the nature of the new information.

He said discussions were ongoing with international partners to “deploy the appropriate assets” in any new search in the Indian Ocean. He added the new search would be based on “additional information” that was not yet “conclusive”.