9. What Happened To The Transponders?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYrCrHIBSU0 All right, good night. That was the last known vocal communication from Flight 370, received at 1:19 a.m. It is believed the co-pilot, Fariq Ab Hamid sent the message. Sometime between 1:07 a.m. and 1:37 a.m., the transponders on the 777 were turned off. Why? Nobody knows for certain, but if someone wanted to hide the plane from radar, this would be the first and most crucial step. A transponder is basically a radio transmitter that receives and relays signals to and from the ground. Air traffic systems rely on transponders to detect and monitor aircraft. Its constantly active, relaying such information as call sign, altitude, and aircraft position. Its possible one transponder failed, but this is why there is a backup transponder. Both were off. But heres the thing:
Transponders only work in areas with typical radar coverage. Oceans and lesser-populated areas dont have proper radar coverage. In fact, most of the world doesnt, making transponders only relevant when close to land. Satellites are typically used to track aircraft over oceans and areas without radar. So why would anyone turn off transponders if not for insidious motives? Well, for safety. In the event of a fire or electrical incident, it would be important for the pilots to isolate and protect vital equipment. This should not be discounted as a possibility. Still, both commercial and military radar records are being examined. In fact, military radar last detected the plane hundreds of miles off course, at around 2:15 a.m. As of this writing, no other radar picked up the aircraft again. But there were two other forms of communication from the plane.