The $44,000,000+ answer

[Drolefille]

Isn't knowing how the plane came down worth knowing in case a mechanical problem reveals a risk to other planes of the same model/age/etc?

 

[Revoltingest]

Isn't knowing how the plane came down worth knowing in case a mechanical problem reveals a risk to other planes of the same model/age/etc?

I think they've already established that it wasn't a plane defect. But the black box might yield other
useful info. Perhaps what these planes need is live data transmitted continuously to remote storage.

 

[Drolefille]

I think they've already established that it wasn't a plane defect. But the black box might yield other
useful info. Perhaps what these planes need is live data transmitted continuously to remote storage.

I haven't been following recently so I didn't know that.

I think some of this data is transmitted, but the plane stopped transmitting, so that may not have been a solution in this case.

You're talking about a much bigger battery though if you want your black box to be a powerful constant streaming transmitter too..

 

[Revoltingest]

I haven't been following recently so I didn't know that.
I think some of this data is transmitted, but the plane stopped transmitting, so that may not have been a solution in this case.
You're talking about a much bigger battery though if you want your black box to be a powerful constant streaming transmitter too..

Data streaming would be done in flight, so power is supplied by the main engines.

 

[Drolefille]

Data streaming would be done in flight, so power is supplied by the main engines.

Doh, yeah that'd work too.

I don't know how much data IS streamed back in flight, if any. Anyone actually know?

Same issue with transmitting on this flight though, if you have transmission, then you should still have the pilots, the autopilot, etc. If you don't have one, not sure you'd still have the other

 

[Skwim]

now i trusted you not to edit that!

? ? ? ? ? ?

 

[esmith]

Doh, yeah that'd work too.

I don't know how much data IS streamed back in flight, if any. Anyone actually know?

Same issue with transmitting on this flight though, if you have transmission, then you should still have the pilots, the autopilot, etc. If you don't have one, not sure you'd still have the other

The 777 has a system basically that transmits all aspects of the aircraft's flight information. However, the airline that purchases the aircraft has to pay for enhanced flight data. Malaysian airlines did not purchase the additional service.

Malaysian Air Said to Opt Out of Boeing Jet-Data Service - Bloomberg

http://www.boeing.com/787-media-resource/docs/AHM-overview.pdf

Of course if all electric power is lost or there is a catastrophic event data can not be transmitted; There may be battery backup but I don't know. Who knows what data could have been gleaned from the enhanced system that MAS did not take.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

I think they've already established that it wasn't a plane defect. But the black box might yield other
useful info. Perhaps what these planes need is live data transmitted continuously to remote storage.

Have they established this? Just this week, they were discussing the possibility that what happened could have been the result of a fire (i.e. on-board fire damages a number of systems including the transponder or its power supply, the crew diverts to a nearby airport for an emergency landing but are overcome by the smoke or fire quickly. The plane flies out to sea on autopilot with an unconscious or dead crew).

I realize that there's little to no evidence to support this hypothesis, but AFAIK it hasn't been ruled out.

 

[Revoltingest]

Have they established this? Just this week, they were discussing the possibility that what happened could have been the result of a fire (i.e. on-board fire damages a number of systems including the transponder or its power supply, the crew diverts to a nearby airport for an emergency landing but are overcome by the smoke or fire quickly. The plane flies out to sea on autopilot with an unconscious or dead crew).
I realize that there's little to no evidence to support this hypothesis, but AFAIK it hasn't been ruled out.

True, it cannot be ruled out.
The duration of the whole episode just strongly smells of human causes.

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

The 777 has a system basically that transmits all aspects of the aircraft's flight information. However, the airline that purchases the aircraft has to pay for enhanced flight data. Malaysian airlines did not purchase the additional service.

Malaysian Air Said to Opt Out of Boeing Jet-Data Service - Bloomberg

http://www.boeing.com/787-media-resource/docs/AHM-overview.pdf

Of course if all electric power is lost or there is a catastrophic event data can not be transmitted; There may be battery backup but I don't know. Who knows what data could have been gleaned from the enhanced system that MAS did not take.

Many airliners have a RAT... basically a propeller-driven generator that can be deployed to generate power so that critical systems can still work even with power loss from all engines (or the one engine that provides power to the electrics, depending on the design of the plane). As long as the plane is still in the air, a RAT can generate power.

Ram air turbine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

True, it cannot be ruled out.
The duration of the whole episode just strongly smells of human causes.

I agree that what little evidence we have points that way.

 

[LuisDantas]

I guess I agree with Skwim and Revoltingest.

That said, on the global scale of wasteful expenses, this is not a particularly noteworthy one.

What if it was terrorists? I for one would like to know just in case I am ever in Malaysia and need to fly to Papua New Guinea and see someone in a turban and haven't had enough to drink so I can turn around and take the next plane.

Terrorists usually insist on making their presence well-known. That is not what happened in this case.

Granted, there is a point in investigating to some extent. But 44 million dollars is money perhaps best spent elsewhere. How much of a difference could it make in fighting hunger, for instance?

Isn't knowing how the plane came down worth knowing in case a mechanical problem reveals a risk to other planes of the same model/age/etc?

That may well be. There is a choice to be made about how much expense is too much, though. There is no way to ensure that the black box or the remains will ever be found, after all. It took decades to find the Titanic, and we knew exactly where it sinked.

Personally, I see this episode as an illustration of how futile it can be to want to be certain about things.

 

[RFForumMember]

Waste of money.

Depends on how you see money and how much value you assign to it.

 

[Revoltingest]

Depends on how you see money and how much value you assign to it.

I see a dollar as about 57 cents.

 

[Revoltingest]

I agree that what little evidence we have points that way.

Ya know, if you agree with me too often, you might start
dreaming about gear trains instead of highway overpasses.

 

[Willamena]

As of date, more than 44 million dollars have been spent trying to retrieve the black box from the Malaysia Airlines Flight 370.

As interesting as it may be to find the cause of the flight's disappearance, I don't see any justification for spending this huge amount of money.

To be able to prevent such a thing from happening again.

I see four possible causes for the plane's disappearance:

1) The pilot(s) purposely went off course and crashed the plane.
2) The plane malfunctioned and went off course.
3) Someone hijacked the plane.
4) Some outside entity purposely forced the plane off course.

​

However, what would be gained knowing

1) The pilot(s) purposely went off course and crashed the plane. OR
2) The plane malfunctioned and went off course. OR
3) Someone hijacked the plane. OR
4) Some outside entity purposely forced the plane off course.​

that can justify spending $44,000,000 on the answer?

What would be gained from knowing is freedom from speculation. There's worse things to waste 44 million dollars on.

 

[LuisDantas]

I see a dollar as about 57 cents.

Care to exchange?

 

[Revoltingest]

Care to exchange?

Fax me some roll'n money, & I'll
fax you some fold'n money!

 

[9-10ths_Penguin]

Ya know, if you agree with me too often, you might start
dreaming about gear trains instead of highway overpasses.

I've been involved enough in competitive robotics now that I already daydream about the comparative advantages of mecanum wheels vs. omnidirectional wheels.

 

[Skwim]

What would be gained from knowing is freedom from speculation. There's worse things to waste 44 million dollars on.

IMO that's a pretty poor reason. Lets waste 44 million dollars so we no longer have to speculate.