Can a plane really go missing?

[Chronopolitano]

Another said to be missing. Just gone.

I ask this in complete ignorance, and since there appears to be a lot of engineers here, here goes;

Is it really possible for a commercial airline to just disappear without a trace?

I've talked to a professional pilot and he told me "Yes" - especially if there is a fire, bcz it is very easy to be asphyxiated in a very short amount of time, and in such an event, the pilot's main priority is not to call for help but to steer the plane and try to land somewhere safe. But if he fails, then he may never have a chance to phone home. So, if a plane disappears, it can do so without any communication as to whether there was a malfunction.

And, if the fire is somehow extinguished, but all the crew are dead anyway, a plane can and would most likely fly indefinitely on auto pilot, incommunicado.

Moreover, if there is no satellite looking at the area where it went missing at the time it went missing, there is no data regarding a plane's disappearance.

That said, what I want to to know is:
Do we really NOT have that kind of technology - to see the entire surface of the planet 24-7?
Or rather, do we have it but do not wish to divulge its existence - ostensibly for national security reasons?

[tribe125]

Do we really NOT have that kind of technology - to see the entire surface of the planet 24-7?

Not every square yard at once, no.

[Bwana]

I pondered this very question the last time, until she explained it in depth....now a lot of things make sense



Ok, any questions ?

[WWII70]

..

[WWII70]

Say it ain't so......

[Seriously]

Do we really NOT have that kind of technology - to see the entire surface of the planet 24-7?

Not every square yard at once, no.

Exactly, it's rather a big planet

or we haven't got big enough LCD monitors yet , one or the other.

[Nokie]

Most excellent!

[Spooky]

I would expect certain parts of the ocean to hide a plane quite well.

[Mediocre]

I really would have expected there to be electronic eyes on every plane flying in that part of the world after what happened earlier this year. Surprising and sad

[T Bone]

Yep, it really can.