Chronology/ATC Events before the Disappearance of Flight MH370

Chronology: ATC Events before the Disappearance of Flight MH370

This article presents extracts from the Safety Investigation Report MH370/01/2018 which have been selected because the content is a chronology of events related to Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

Each event in this chronology has been linked to a Timeline Event in the main Timeline articles on this site. This provides a cross-link or check on the well known events.

Table 2.2A - Chronology of ATC Events before the Disappearance of Flight MH370

No.	Time	Event	Remarks
1.	0444 UTC [1244 MYT]	Filed Flight Plan (FPL) of scheduled flight of MH370 transmitted at 070444 UTC [071244 MYT], about 12 hours earlier over the Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunications Network (AFTN).	As required under Annex 10, Volume II.
		Flight planned on ATS/RNAV Routes R208 IGARI M765 BITOD L637 TSN… ZBAA.	Filed Flight Plan (Figure 2.2A)
2.	1450 UTC [2250 MYT]	PIC of MH370 signed in for duty.	As per operational requirements.
3.	1515 UTC [2315 MYT]	FO of MH370 signed in for duty.
		MAS Operations Despatch Centre (ODC) released flight.
4.	1625:52 UTC (0025:52 MYT)	Airway clearance request to Lumpur Airways Clearance Delivery.
5.	1625:52 UTC [0025:52 MYT]	Airway clearance request to Lumpur Airways Clearance Delivery.
6.	1627:31 UTC (0027:31 MYT)	Pushback and start-up clearance request to Lumpur Ground.	As per operational requirements.
7.	1640:31 UTC 0040:31 MYT (0040:37 MYT)	Lumpur Tower cleared MH370 for take-off.
8.	1642 UTC (0042 MYT)	MH370 departed from Runway Three Two Right KLIA.	Departure message (Figure 2.2C)
9.	1642:53 UTC 0042:53 MYT)	Lumpur Departure cleared MH370 to climb to FL180 and to cancel the Standard Instrument Departure (SID) clearance by tracking direct to waypoint (Figure 2.2A) IGARI.	Normal ATC practice for track shortening.
10.	1643:31 UTC (0043:31 MYT)	KL ACC Sector 3+5 coordinated with HCM ACC via direct land line the estimate of MH370 for waypoint IGARI at 1722 UTC on [0122 MYT], request flight level 350 and the assigned SSR Code 2157.	As per Letter of Agreement between Malaysia and Viet Nam. (Appendix 1.1A)
11.	1646:39 UTC (0046:39 MYT)	MH370 transferred to Lumpur Radar (Sector 3+5).	As per operational requirement.
12.	1646:58 UTC (0046:58 MYT)	Lumpur Radar (Sector 3+5) cleared MH370 to climb to FL250.	As per operational requirement.
13.	1650:08 UTC (0050:08 MYT)	Lumpur Radar (Sector 3+5) cleared MH370 to climb to FL350.
14.	1701:17 UTC (0107:17 MYT)	MH370 reported maintaining FL350.	It was noticed that the PIC made the same statement of “maintaining flight level three five zero’ twice at 1701:17 UTC [0101.17 MYT] and at 1707:56 UTC [0107:56 MYT].
15.	1707:56 UTC (0107:56 MYT)	MH370 reported maintaining FL350.	However, the Team did not find any significance of that statement spoken twice by PIC in a short interval of 6.39 minutes. Also refer para. 2.2.9 para 1) a) (1-6) on Radiotelephony Readback on frequency changes for more details.
16.	1719:26 UTC (0119:26 MYT)	The KL ACC radar Controller transferred MH370 to HCM ACC by instructing MH370 to contact Ho Chi Minh on the VHF radio frequency 120.9 MHz.	Transfer of control was effected 3 minutes before the estimate for IGARI. KL ACC passed to HCM ACC estimate for IGARI as 1722 UTC. Transfer of control to HCM ACC was effected at 1719 UTC before MH370 was over IGARI. There was no arrangement between KL ACC and HCM ACC for an “electronic handoff” or other methods to hand over the radar picture.
17.	1719:30 UTC (0119:30 MYT)	MH370 responded with: “Good night Malaysian Three Seven Zero”.	Thereafter there was no further voice communication.

Table 2.2A - Chronology of ATC Events before the Disappearance of Flight MH370

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Air Traffic Control

Malaysian Time (MYT) is Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) + 8 hours

Filed Flight Plan – The flight plan as filed with an Air Traffic Services unit by the pilot or his designated representative, without any subsequent changes.

Filed Flight Plan message

Date-time-group or the transmission time of the filed flight plan message on 7 March at 0444 UTC

Date-time-group or the transmission time of the filed flight plan message on 7 March at 1244 MYT

Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunication Network

Air Traffic Services

Area Navigation

Flight Route R208

Waypoint Country SG Latitude 6° 56' 10.00" N Longitude 103° 35' 6.00" E

Flight Route M765

Waypoint Country VN Latitude N07152400 Longitude E104070600

Flight Route L637

Navaid Name TAN SON NHAT. Country VN Location Ho Chi Minh City Type VOR Latitude 10° 48' 59.00" N Longitude 106° 38' 44.00" E

ICAO 4-letter location indicator for Beijing Capital International Airport (formerly Peking)

Pilot in Command

First Officer

Operations Despatch Centre

Coordinated Universal Time

Kuala Lumpur International Airport

Standard Instrument Departure

A predetermined geographical position that is defined in terms of latitude and longitude coordinates, used for navigation. More Info

Kuala Lumpur Area Control Centre (or Air Traffic Control Centre)

Ho Chi Minh (Viet Nam) Area Control Centre (or Air Traffic Control Centre)

Secondary Surveillance Radar - A surveillance radar system which uses transmitters/receivers system (interrogators) and transponders.

SSR transponder code A2157 allocated to Flight MH370

Flight Level at 25000 feet

Flight Level at 35000 feet

Very High Frequency

Megahertz