Airliner missing between Malaysia and Cambodia/Vietnam, terrorism possible

[TheCurmudgeon]

This is what I was saying yesterday. ACARS radio links weren't disabled prior to last voice contact.

With that change, electrical/computer failures are back on the table.

I actually considered the possibility that the rapid climb (tied to an intentional depressurization) was an intentional attempt to starve the fire of oxygen - as unlikely as that would be. More likely that the radar data is flawed.

The hardware answers are incredibly compelling. We now know that the ACARS radio links were not disabled before last voice contact. We've got a radar track that shows the aircraft turning off to the best possible shot at a safe landing at Langkawi and a bunch of stuff that looks like shutting down systems in the cockpit to eliminate a fire, which they may have managed to do, but not before succumbing to asphyxia or hypoxia.

The hardware answers look far less like terrorism.

Lets say that there was a fire,

1) why no Mayday? Aren't there backup comms systems? Aren't there automatic systems that would communicate a fire on board?

2) why the continued course changes? I suppose the system could have continued to degrade, but it seems odd (assuming there is any credibility to the radar information, a dangerous assumption based on recent events).