57. Missing Malaysia airplane

The search¹ for a Malaysia Airlines passenger jet ² expanded this week.  The airplane, a Boeing 777, disappeared³ last Saturday on a flight⁴ from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing.  It was carrying⁵ 239 people. 

At first⁶, the search was along⁷ its expected flight path⁸.  But by week’s end, crews⁹ had expanded the search across¹⁰ parts of southern Asia for any evidence of Malaysian Airlines Flight 370.                          

                       

With satellites and other technology available¹¹, how can¹² a plane as large as the “Triple-7” just¹³ disappear?  Air safety expert¹⁴ John McGraw says it is easier than you may think¹⁵.

“People are under¹⁶ the impression that every airplane, even when¹⁷ it’s flying across the ocean, is observed on some kind of¹⁸ radar scope, with a human being¹⁹ looking at that scope.  And it's just not the case.  Radars don't reach²⁰ that far²¹.”

But John McGraw says there are also²² a lot of devices²³ inside the Triple-7 that can help searchers²⁴ follow²⁵ its movement.

Systems in the aircraft send²⁶ altitude, weather conditions²⁷, position and speed to air traffic controllers²⁸.  There are also at least²⁹ three ways the pilots can communicate with controllers.  Another tool³⁰ is the flight data recorder³¹ or “black box.”  If the plane is downed³² in the ocean, the black box sends out a signal³³ that can travel up to³⁴ three kilometers away³⁵.                                          4

Many people remember when a French passenger jet disappeared five years ago.  Air France Flight 447 went missing³⁶ as it flew³⁷ from Brazil to Paris.  Its wreckage³⁸ was eventually found³⁹ in the Atlantic Ocean.

Air safety expert John McGraw remembers the National Transportation Safety Board⁴⁰ taking action after the French jet went missing.  He says US officials called for continuous download of an aircraft’s flight data recorder information in case of emergencies

“In the past they haven’t been able to justify⁴¹ installing that kind of equipment, because it’s expensive⁴², and because there hadn’t been⁴³ that many accidents where it would have come into play⁴⁴.  This will certainly provide some additional motivation and there may be calls to do that.”

Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 was last seen⁴⁵ on radar above⁴⁶ Vietnam and Malaysia.  Air traffic controllers in both⁴⁷ countries say they did not receive⁴⁸ any message that the plane may have been in trouble⁴⁹.  On Tuesday, Malaysian media reported⁵⁰ that the Malaysian military had noted the aircraft flying toward⁵¹ the country’s west coast.  That is far from where controllers lost contact with the plane.            

                                                                       

The next day, China released⁵² satellite images showing three large objects floating⁵³ in waters between Malaysia and Vietnam.  But China later said it could not confirm the objects belonged to⁵⁴ the missing aircraft⁵⁵.           

                                                                 

The Wall Street Journal reported that the plane could have stayed⁵⁶ in the air for several hours⁵⁷ past the time of its last confirmed location.  The newspaper said later that the plane continued to send information about its engines⁵⁸ and performance to satellites for five more hours. 

That suggests Flight 370 could have remained⁵⁹ in the air or was on the ground⁶⁰ somewhere⁶¹.  Why the signals stopped is unclear⁶². This is a developing story⁶³. For the latest news on the Malaysian airliner, go to VOANews.com.

Vocabulary

1. search = busca
2. passenger jet = jato de passageiros
3. disappeared  = desapareceu
4. flight = vôo
5. carrying = transportando
6. At first = no início
7. along = ao longo
8. path = rota, caminho
9. crews = equipes
10. across = além de
11. available  = disponível
12. how can = como pode
13. just = simplesmente
14. Air safety expert = especialista em segurança aérea
15. easier than you may think = mais fácil do que você possa imaginar
16. under = sob
17. even when = mesmo quando
18. some kind of = algum tipo de
19. human being = ser humano
20. reach = alcançar
21. that far = tão longe
22. there are also = há também
23. devices = dispositivos
24. searchers = buscadores
25. follow = seguir
26. send = enviar
27. weather conditions = condições climáticas
28. air traffic controllers = controladores de tráfego aéreo
29. at least = pelo menos
30. tool = ferramenta
31. data recorder = gravador de dados
32. downed = abatido
33. signal = sinal
34. up to = até
35. away = de distancia
36. went missing = desapareceu
37. flew = voava
38. wreckage = destroços
39. eventually = eventualmente encontrado
40. Safety Board = conselho de segurança
41. able to justify = capazes de justificar
42. expensive = caro
43. there hadn’t been = não tinha havido
44. come into play = entrar em jogo
45. was last seen = foi visto pela ultima vez
46. above = sobre
47. both = ambos
48. receive = receber
49. may have been in trouble = possa ter estado com problemas
50. reported = relatou
51. toward = em direção a
52. released = divulgou
53. floating = flutuando
54. belonged to = pertenciam a
55. missing aircraft = avião desaparecido
56. could have stayed = poderia ter ficado
57. several hours = várias horas
58. engines = motores
59. remained = permanecido
60. on the ground = no chão
61. somewhere = em algum lugar
62. unclear = incerto,obscuro
63. developing story = historia em desenvolvimento