[underscore]

Originally Posted by hud 91gt

Interesting, but totally true article.
Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 makes it clear: we need to rethink black boxes | Stephen Trimble | Comment is free | theguardian.com

I'm sorry, but this article just screams "written by someone with no concept of technology". Just because the author thinks it should be possible, doesn't mean it is possible. You might be able to get wifi on a domestic flight, but I doubt both the ability for a system like this to work in an area such as this, and the difficulty in getting the tech into the field in large-scale use.

Originally Posted by StylinRed

Some experts were discussing that on tv just now they believed it was possible for this pilot to land it in the water but noted that it was at night and suggested that would make it unlikely

Originally Posted by Soundy

Something similar (at least initially) happened with a plane that nose-dived into the Everglades several years ago: the whole thing was essentially swallowed by the swamp, with practically no floating debris and almost no visible impact crater.

Other cases have had planes going down in thick jungles that literally close back in over them, making the wrecks extremely difficult to find.

What if it went down into land-locked water? I'm not overly familiar with all of the geography of the area, but if one of the following happened, it would be pretty hard to find (due to the lack of obvious debris fields and craters/fire):

1) Pilot attempts to put down into a remote lake for whatever reason, plane shreds like that Ethiopian highjacking. By now the debris would likely all be pushed to the shores making it even harder to find.
2) Plane explodes over the jungle, debris rains down into dense bush which basically just absorbs it.
3) Combo of 1 & 2, plane explodes and debris lands mostly in lakes.

edit: after reading that wiki article on ValuJet 592, if it went down nose first into the jungle, you'd have a hell of a time finding it unless someone witnessed it.