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Welcome back to Vanish Skies, the MH370 mystery.

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I'm Ed Skerritt here with Marilyn Skerritt,

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and today we are diving into Episode 2,

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Night Overwaters, The Change of Course.

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Thanks, Ed.

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Tonight, we focus on a critical 10-minute window

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that might hold the key to understanding

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the mysterious course change of MH370.

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From 1242 to 1252,

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a series of crucial decisions and actions took place

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that drastically altered the fate of this flight.

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That's right.

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At 1242, air traffic control issued a significant instruction.

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They canceled the Standard Instrument Departure,

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or SID, that MH370 was initially supposed to follow.

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This is not just a routine change.

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It's a complex procedure that requires careful input

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and execution, especially given the conditions and timing.

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And here's where it gets particularly concerning.

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The first officer who was still undergoing training

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and hadn't yet fully qualified for the Boeing 777

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was tasked with this critical job.

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According to the factual report,

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he hadn't completed his certification tests,

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a point that raises serious questions about his readiness

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to handle such unexpected instructions.

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Absolutely, Maryland.

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Changing a flight path involves recalculating routes,

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waypoints, and potentially communicating

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with multiple air traffic controls.

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For an experienced pilot, this is part of the job.

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But for a first officer still in training,

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the stakes are immeasurably higher.

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This is the most dangerous part of flying,

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not just navigating by instruments,

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but also ensuring that every new input

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into the flight management system is correct.

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A single error, a mistyped waypoint,

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or a miscommunication with ground control

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could have catastrophic results.

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And let's paint a picture of what this situation

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might have looked like.

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One minute into the flight, under 10,000 feet,

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in the beginning of the climb phase of flight,

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the captain is pilot flying.

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Let's not forget what we talked about

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in episode one pilot in training.

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I want to remind our listeners,

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the first officer on his last day of training,

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now flying solo, his position,

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responsible for monitoring the controls

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while the captain is actively flying plane

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during the heavy workload in the climb phase of flight.

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Then, before you know it,

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the air traffic controller contacts your plane.

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Malation 370, Suma bagi, identify climb flyable 180,

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and send the same direct to Hikari.

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Okay, level 180, Hikari, Malation 1, 370.

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The instructions come in,

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and now, under immense pressure,

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the first officer must execute changes

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that he might not have been fully prepared to handle.

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It's 1242 AM, the cockpit glows

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under the soft luminescence of control panel lights,

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a stark contrast to the clear visibility

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of daytime operations.

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Exactly, so listeners,

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imagine the cockpit at this moment,

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the pilot focusing on flying the aircraft manually,

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since the autopilot would be disengaged during such a change,

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the first officer frantically reprogramming the flight path

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towards a new waypoint, Hikari.

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It's a tense, precarious situation,

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and this brings us to the heart of today's episode.

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What are the odds that these changes

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were executed flawlessly

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given the first officer's untested skills?

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And if not, could this have been the moment

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where things went wrong for MH370?

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That's what we're here to explore.

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We'll delve deeper into the mechanics of such changes,

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what the standard protocols are,

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and how deviations from these can lead to errors

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when we discuss episode five,

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waypoints to nowhere, navigational quirks.

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Stay with us as we unpack these details and more

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here on Vanished Skies.

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Thanks for tuning in, everyone.

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This episode promises to shed light

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on some of the most technically challenging aspects

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of commercial aviation

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and how they might play a role

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in one of the biggest mysteries in modern history.

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Marilyn, let's do a quick recap of this episode.

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We navigate through the 10 pivotal minutes

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following the unexpected directive

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to cancel the standard instrument departure, SID,

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with the night sky as their backdrop,

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the flight crew face the daunting task

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of recalibrating their route,

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a challenge compounded by the nocturnal setting

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which transforms the familiar dials and screens

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into a tableau of shadows and lights.

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Welcome back to Vanished Skies, the MH370 mystery.

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I'm Marilyn joined by Ed,

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and you're listening to episode two,

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Night Over Waters, The Change of Course.

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In this episode, we're dissecting the crucial 10 minutes

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between 1242 and 1252 AM

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when MH370's fate took a mysterious turn.

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That's right, Marilyn.

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Last we discussed, at 1242 AM,

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air traffic control issued a directive to MH370

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to cancel their standard instrument departure, or SID.

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This required immediate action in the cockpit,

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action that fell on the first officer

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who crucially was still under training.

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And as we dive deeper into those 10 minutes,

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we'll also examine the Rolls-Royce Engine

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monitoring reports.

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These were pivotal in providing real-time data

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on the aircraft's condition.

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The first of these reports came in at exactly 1241-58,

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just seconds before the course changed directive.

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Exactly, this initial report indicated

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that the autopilot was off,

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confirming that the captain was manually flying the plane.

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The altitude at takeoff was recorded at 344 feet.

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Why does this matter?

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Well, it sets the stage.

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It shows us the starting conditions

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just as this sequence of events began to unfold.

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So if we look at the appendix in the factual report,

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specifically 1.6B, it decodes this data for us.

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The AP column, which stands for autopilot,

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shows a zero at this time,

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indicating that the autopilot was indeed off.

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This is crucial because it tells us

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that every adjustment to the flight's path

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had to be input manually.

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The stakes couldn't have been higher.

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At 1250-221, the second engine report comes through,

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this time showing the autopilot was turned on,

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with the plane now at an altitude of 22,278 feet.

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This rise in altitude and the switching on of the autopilot

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suggests that by this point,

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the first officer might have completed the necessary inputs

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to direct the plane towards the new waypoint, EGARI,

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marking a significant, yet mysterious shift

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in their intended route.

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And here's where it gets interesting.

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According to aviation protocols,

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a flight plan doesn't fully commit

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until the aircraft passes its first waypoint.

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In MH370's case, this was supposed to be EGARI,

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but the plane never continued towards Beijing,

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it turned committing to a new uncharted path.

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Beijing could have been the moment of no return,

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with the destination still set as Beijing,

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the diversion to a new route raises countless questions.

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What was happening in that cockpit?

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What led to that pivotal decision?

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As we peel back the layers of this mystery,

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we're left considering the implications of these findings.

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Was it confusion?

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Was it a calculated move?

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Or something entirely unexpected?

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Hold that thought,

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as we'll explore these possibilities

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and more in our upcoming segments.

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Stay with us as we continue to navigate

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through the night over waters,

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tracing the echoes left by MH370.

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It's a journey for answers, for understanding,

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and perhaps, for closure.

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Ed, moving into the second half of episode two,

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let's discuss the Rolls-Royce engine monitoring reports.

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It's such a crucial piece of the puzzle in the MH370 mystery.

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Absolutely, Marilyn.

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For our listeners, these reports provide real-time data

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on the aircraft's engines.

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In MH370's case,

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they told us how the plane continued to fly

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even after the transponders ceased transmissions.

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Right, and this contradicts the theory

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that MH370 suffered a catastrophic mid-air failure.

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The engines were running,

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suggesting the plane was intact and under someone's control.

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That's the key, isn't it?

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These reports offer insights into the aircraft's health.

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If MH370 deviated from its path,

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it wasn't because of engine failure.

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Yes, and the articles from Forbes and other outlets

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have emphasized that.

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If there was a manual input to change the course,

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the engine's status would reflect that, wouldn't they?

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Exactly.

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Rolls-Royce engines are like the pulse of the aircraft,

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giving us a heartbeat.

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This data could have potentially indicated

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if the plane faced problems,

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or if everything was operating as expected.

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It seems the engines were functioning normally,

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which intensifies the mystery.

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What's your take on how this data was interpreted

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by the investigators, Ed?

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I think it's a matter of connecting the dots, Marilyn.

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These reports are timestamps of the plane's fate.

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If we align them with the last known positions

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and the satellite pings...

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We could track where MH370 could have gone post-diversion.

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It's like a breadcrumb trail left for us to follow.

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Precisely, and these breadcrumbs don't just tell us

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about the plane's path,

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but also its performance.

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Was it climbing? Was it descending?

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Was the fuel consumption as it should be?

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All vital questions.

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And let's not forget, these engine reports

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are sent at regular intervals to ground stations,

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so we're looking at a sequence of data points,

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not just a single moment in time.

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Which brings us to the bigger question.

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If the plane was functioning and the engines were running,

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why was it turned away from its path to Beijing?

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What do you think, Marilyn?

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That's the million-dollar question, Ed.

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And I think our listeners would agree

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that this is where the role of human intervention

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comes into play.

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It wasn't just a plane lost to the skies.

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It was a plane led off course.

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We'll delve deeper into these engine reports

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and what they could mean for MH370 in a later segment.

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But for now, it seems clear that the plane's engines

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were telling us a story that no one expected to hear.

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It's staggering, Ed, the level of scrutiny

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that goes into a flight before takeoff.

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Looking at MH370, there's a routine that unfolds,

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a procedure.

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But so many questions still linger around that.

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Yes, Marilyn and those questions lead us

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straight to the heart of the mystery.

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Let's zero in on the timeline.

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The captain signs in at 10.50 p.m.,

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but it's the first officer's timing that peaks my interest.

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25 minutes later, I believe it's the captain's responsibility

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to confirm flight plan, order the correct fuel,

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inspect the plane, check weight and balance,

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weather, who's required to do what?

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Since the captain is ultimately the one in charge of the flight,

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he is the one who ultimately will be to blame

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for anything that goes wrong in the flight,

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whether it's intentional or unintentional.

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And the question that stands out is the first officer

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who's still training to transition from Airbus to Boeing

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adequately prepared for this flight.

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Was it his last day of training or an examination day?

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The lines are blurred.

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What exactly are the requirements of a first officer pre-flight?

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What exactly are the requirements of a captain

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and the examination of the first officer training?

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Blurred indeed.

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You mentioned the equipment transition.

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I find that a crucial point.

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Switching from Airbus to Boeing isn't a simple feat.

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It's like rewiring your brain from Mac to PC.

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And under pressure, that's where mistakes happen.

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Right, you are.

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And those small mistakes can have cascading effects.

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Now, the crew had their pre-flight rituals,

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which includes a series of checks.

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At 11.55 p.m., the plane undergoes satellite tests, data tests,

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all while still at the gate.

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That brings us to another critical moment, takeoff.

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At 12.41 p.m. 58 a.m., the Rolls-Royce report shows the plane

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headed from Malaysia to Beijing with the autopilot off.

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This matches with the plane's pre-takeoff status.

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But Ed, here comes the pivotal change.

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They're cleared for Beijing via P-Bos,

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but then ATC instructs a change to Igari.

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Post, takeoff.

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Why?

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What was the urgency or the need to alter the route so suddenly?

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Mostly likely to save fuel.

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Maryland, that's where every aviator's ears perk up.

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Changing course right after takeoff is not standard.

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It's risky, and it's usually avoided unless absolutely necessary.

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This makes you wonder, doesn't it?

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If the first officer is in the hot seat,

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handling the flight management system for the first time on a Boeing,

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was this switch to Igari too much too soon?

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Could be.

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And let's consider this.

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The destination remains Beijing, according to the Rolls-Royce data.

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If the plane was following the altered path to Igari,

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it was still on a programmed route, not a rogue flight.

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It lays out an unsettling scenario.

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A perfect storm of procedural deviations and potential human error

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on what should have been a routine flight to Beijing.

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Exactly, and these are the moments, these 10 crucial minutes,

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where MH370's fate veered off into the unknown.

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This isn't just about finding a missing aircraft,

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it's about unraveling a sequence that led to one of aviation's biggest enigmas.

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It's a discussion that deserves more than just time.

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It demands deep analysis, and that's what we're here for.

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Stay with us as we continue to dissect these pre- and post-takeoff changes

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and what they mean for MH370.

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In a later episode, we'll be looking at what should have been a routine handover

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to air traffic control, but instead became a mystery.

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This is where the path changed, and so did the fate of MH370.

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As we look toward the horizon of our next episode,

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echoes in the ocean decoding satellite pings,

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we delve into the silent whispers from space

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that could unravel the flight path of MH370.

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We'll dissect the satellite pings, what do they reveal,

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what's left unsaid, and the enigma of the uncompleted ping.

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Did it signal a low-fuel emergency?

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Could it have stirred the crew back to consciousness?

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We'll sift through the satellite data,

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piecing together the puzzle that challenges the theories we've grappled with.

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Looking further ahead, episode 4, a pilot, a hijacker, or a ghost

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will navigate the stormy debate over pilot intent versus unexpected intervention.

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Was it an act of deliberate disappearance, a breach of security,

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or an abrupt end met by an unseen catastrophic failure?

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We'll dive into the numbers, aviation accidents, crew errors, psychological profiles,

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all in the quest for an answer.

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Then, in episode 5, Waypoints to Nowhere, navigational quirks,

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we scrutinize the Waypoint Dogar and its role in the narrative.

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Could similar-sounding waypoints have misled MH370?

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We'll discuss ICAO's efforts to declutter the skies for navigational clarity

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and attempt to reconstruct the vanished flight's path through these critical aerial crossroads.

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And with that, we reach the end of another episode.

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Our journey through the enigma of this aviation mystery is far from over.

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We're here to ask the hard questions, to analyze every detail,

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and to possibly draw nearer to the elusive truth of what really transpired with MH370.

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So stay with us, keep that dial tuned.

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I'm Ed Scarrett, alongside my co-host, Marilyn Scarrett,

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and you've been listening to Vanished Skies, episode 2, Night Over Waters, The Change of Course,

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the truth behind the dialogue we need in solving Malaysian flight 370.

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Thank you for joining us, and we hope you'll be with us next time,

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as we continue to unravel the mystery that has captivated the world. Good night.