False News/RMAF Scrambled Jets
False News - RMAF Scrambled Jets on 8 March
Did the Malaysian Military, specifically the Royal Malaysian Air Force, send jets to look for or intercept MH370?
No
When it became known that an aircraft presumed to be Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777 on flight MH370 made an 'air turnback' across peninsula Malaysia, tracked by military radar, many people queried why the military had not responded by sending fighter jets to locate or intercept the missing aircraft. A related question is 'why didn't the military send jets to intercept the Boeing 777?'. Later, the question became one of 'did the military send jets?'. This question was answered by CNN which on at least two occasions quoted Malaysian sources who provided details of air force search aircraft being 'scrambled'. This report was not true.
The false news items are quoted below, followed by a statement from the Royal Malaysia Air Force.
CNN Article dated 10 April 2014
What else have we learned about the Malaysian government’s response?
Malaysian air force search aircraft were scrambled about 8 a.m. March 8, hours after the plane lost contact with air-traffic controllers and disappeared from radar but soon after Malaysia Airlines reported that its plane was missing, Malaysian sources told CNN. The aircraft took off before authorities corroborated data indicating that the plane turned back westward and found no trace, a senior Malaysian government official told CNN.
In addition, the air force did not inform the Department of Civil Aviation or search and rescue operations until three days later, March 11, a source involved in the investigation told CNN.
Source: CNN (article extract) CNNUS-034
Slightly Different CNN Article also dated 10 April 2014
New flight details revealed
Malaysian sources told CNN...
The sources also told CNN that Malaysian air force search aircraft were scrambled about 8 a.m. March 8 to the South China Sea and the Strait of Malacca, soon after Malaysia Airlines reported that its plane was missing. The aircraft took off before authorities corroborated data indicating that the plane turned back westward, a senior Malaysian government official told CNN.
But the air force did not inform the Department of Civil Aviation or search and rescue operations until three days later, March 11, a source involved in the investigation told CNN.
Later Thursday, communications officials from Malaysia’s Transportation Ministry denied that jets had scrambled shortly after the plane went missing, calling that claim a “false allegation.”
Source: CNN (article extract) CNNUS-035
MH370 PRESS STATEMENT BY GENERAL TAN SRI DATO’ SRI RODZALI DAUD CHIEF OF ROYAL MALAYSIAN AIR FORCE
11 April 2014 MH370 PRESS STATEMENT BY GENERAL TAN SRI DATO’ SRI RODZALI DAUD CHIEF OF ROYAL MALAYSIAN AIR FORCE
With regards to yesterday’s (10 April) release on the CNN website which stated that:
“Malaysian air force search aircraft were scrambled around 8 a.m., soon after Malaysia Airlines reported that its plane was missing early March 8, Malaysian sources told CNN. The aircraft were scrambled before authorities corroborated data indicating that the plane turned back westward, a senior Malaysian government official told CNN. But the air force did not inform the Department of Civil Aviation or search and rescue operations until three days later, March 11, a source involved in the investigation told CNN.”
In my capacity as the Chief of the Royal Malaysian Air Force, I can confirm that the above allegation is totally false.
-- end --
Source: General Daud, Royal Malaysian Air Force RMAF-MS-035
Comments
CNN devoted 24 hours per day to coverage of the saga of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
To obtain content for articles and video CNN contacted many experts and commentators, friends and family of passengers, staff employed by the government of Malaysia - basically anyone who had information, an opinion or wanted a voice. In the process, CNN did not validate all of the information they published.
According to official documents, the first Malaysian aircraft to search for MH370 was a Bombardier CL415 from the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) which took off at 11:30 am MYT and headed to the search area.
- The Royal Malaysian Air Force was involved in the search for MH370 east of peninsular Malaysia; and the SAR Plan for the search west of peninsular Malaysia was developed by the RMAF. See 8 March to 15 March 2014 - Search Summary.
- By 8am on Saturday, 8 March 2014 the Boeing 777 would have been overdue in Beijing by 1.5 hours and if the aircraft was still flying fuel would soon be exhausted, so scrambling jets would be inappropriate. Fighter jets are suitable for an intercept but not for a search.
- The RMAF alerted the KL ARCC of a possible air turnback at 2230 MYT on Saturday, 8 March 2014. Prior to then the search was focussed on the south China Sea.
- The CNN article says that the air force informed the Department of Civil Aviation or search and rescue operations [KL ARCC] on 11 March, three days later. That is also not true. As stated above, the KL ARCC was informed of the possible air turn-back on Saturday, 8 March 2014. What was in doubt at that time, however, was whether the aircraft tracked by military radar was the same aircraft that was missing (MH370). See the article Inmarsat and Malaysia Airlines flight MH370 for more detail.