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SIGNALS WITHIN THE LARGE ONE,
THEY COULD VERY CLOSELY IDENTIFY
WHERE THAT AIRCRAFT STOPPED
FLYING.
>> CAN THEY BE CERTAIN?
THIS IS THE PROBLEM, ISN'T IT?
I SPOKE TO A FRIEND OF ONE OF
THE PEOPLE ON BOARD, UNTIL THERE
IS 100% CERTAINTY, UNTIL THERE'S
WRECKAGE FOUND OF ANY
DESCRIPTION THAT COULD BE
VERIFIED AS BEING THIS PLANE,
PEOPLE ARE GOING TO THINK, WELL,
HOW DO WE KNOW FOR SURE?
>> WELL, FIRST OF ALL, THE
PINGING THEY TALK ABOUT, THE
COMMUNICATIONS, THERE'S A 30 BIT
SIGNAL THAT GOES ALONG WITH
THAT, AND WITH THAT 30 BIT
SIGNAL, IT SAYS EXACTLY WHERE
THE AIRCRAFT IS BY SERIAL
NUMBER.
>> DO THEY HAVE THAT, DO YOU
THINK?
>> I BELIEVE THEY DO.
>> WHY ARE THEY NOT TELLING US
THEY GOT THAT?
>> I DON'T THINK THEY'RE
OBLIGATED OR FEEL THEY'RE
OBLIGATED TO GIVE A TECHNICAL
EXPLANATION OF WHAT'S GOING ON.
>> BUT IF THEY HAVE DIRECTLY GOT
A LINK TO THAT VERY PLANE, THAT
IS A CRUCIAL PIECE OF
INFORMATION.
>> ABSOLUTELY IT IS, AND I CAN'T
EXPLAIN THAT, OTHER THAN THE
FACT THAT THIS WHOLE
INVESTIGATION HAS BEEN RUN BY
PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE A LOT OF
EXPERIENCE WITH INVESTIGATIONS.
ALL THE ONES I'VE RUN, YOU START
OUT IN CONTROL OF IT, YOU
MAINTAIN THAT CONTROL, IT'S KIND
OF LIKE THOSE DAYS WHEN YOU WAKE
UP AND YOUR TIRE'S FLAT AND THEN
YOUR CAR DOESN'T START AND IT
KEEPS GOING WORSE AND WORSE AND
WORSE?
THAT'S HOW INVESTIGATIONS CAN
GET.
>> YOU'VE BEEN A CRASH
INVESTIGATOR FOR 30 YEARS AND
WITH THE COAST GUARD, YOU'VE
BEEN IN THE THICK OF THIS THING
MANY TIMES, MAYBE NOT ON THIS
SCALE, BUT I CAN UNDERSTAND
THESE RELATIVES, I CAN
UNDERSTAND THE GHASTLY SCENES
WE'RE SEEING IN BEIJING AND
KUALA LUMPUR WHO HAVE BEEN TOLD
SO MANY DIFFERENT VERSIONS OF
WHAT MAY HAVE HAPPENED AND NOW
THEY JUST DON'T BELIEVE ANYTHING
THEY'RE BEING TOLD?
>> WELL, I THINK PART OF THE
PROBLEM HERE IS THE FACT THAT
THEY WEREN'T TOLD ANY TECHNICAL
INFORMATION FROM THE BEGINNING.
AND ACTUALLY IT'S A FAIRLY
SIMPLE EXPLANATION AND IT TOOK
VERY COMPLEX CALCULATIONS TO DO
IT, IT'S A VERY SIMPLE
EXPLANATION.
IT'S LIKE STANDING IN THE TRAIN
STATION, WATCHING THE TRAIN COME
TOWARD YOU.
YOU'RE GOING TO HEAR A HIGHER
PITCHED SOUND AS THE TRAIN BEARS
AWAY FROM YOU, LOWER PITCHED
SOUND EVEN THOUGH THE TRAIN
ITSELF IS THE SAME VELOCITY,
THAT'S WHAT THE FOLKS WHO
FIGURES THIS OUT IN BRITAIN USED
TO FIGURE OUT APPROXIMATELY
WHERE THE AIRPLANE WAS.
>>.
>> FROM WHAT WE'VE HEARD TODAY,
WHAT YOU SAY AS DAVID SAID THAT
IT'S LEANING MUCH MORE TOWARD
SOME KIND OF CATASTROPHIC
FAILURE ON BOARD THE PLANE,
WHICH TOOK IT OFF RATHER THAN A
NEFARIOUS EXPLANATION?
>> WELL, I -- RIGHT NOW I'M KIND
OF MIXED MYSELF, I'LL TELL YOU
THIS, IN ALL THE YEARS I'VE BEEN
DOING THIS EVERY TIME WE'VE HAD
AN INFLIGHT FIRE, FOR EXAMPLE,
THAT ENDS UP IN THE AIRPLANE
CRASHING, IT HAPPENS RELATIVELY
QUICKLY, WITHIN AN HOUR OR SO.
BECAUSE OF THE TYPES OF THINGS
THAT ARE INVOLVED, THE
TEMPERATURES, HOW QUICKLY IT
SPREADS, AND IN EVERY SINGLE
CASE, WE HAVE HAD A CREW THAT
WAS ABLE TO TELL ADC WHAT WAS