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FAA, NTSB Join Malaysia's Investigation; WSJ: Jet May have Flown for Four More Hours; Flight 370 Criminal Investigation?; No Jet Debris on Satellite Images; High-Tech Tools in the Search for Flight 370

Aired March 13, 2014 - 10:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Is it likely in your mind that the plane did crash?

CAPT. SEAN CASSIDY, ALASKA AIRLINE: I think it's highly probable that -- that it crashed if it went off the chart so to speak, if they lost contact with it. And -- and they haven't received any contact since.

I mean, there's lots of theories out there about possibly flying to some other portion but I think as some of your previous guests pointed out that's a very large plane. It would have to travel a fairly large distance. And there's only certain specific facilities that could handle a flight like that.

And surely somebody would have witnessed that or at least been cognizant of the fact that that -- that that plane ended up somewhere.

COSTELLO: Captain Sean Cassidy, thank you so much for being with me this morning.

CASSIDY: You're very welcome.

COSTELLO: Coming up in the NEWSROOM is Malaysia mishandling the search for Flight 370? Officials there are defending their investigation. We'll take a closer look.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Good morning. I'm Carol Costello. Thanks so much for joining me.

It is day six in the search for Malaysian Airlines Flight 370. Efforts to find the Boeing 777 seem to have suffered a couple of blows. Malaysia says these satellite images do not show debris from the jet. Malaysia now says China released the images by mistake. And search crews have found no sign of the airliner.

And "The Wall Street Journal" is reporting an engine on the missing airliner sent data for four hours after the plane vanished from radar. That means the plane could have traveled another 2,500 miles in any direction. Malaysia denies that claim and is defending it's handling of the search. Our Jim Sciutto is in Washington. Good morning -- Jim.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Good morning Carol.

COSTELLO: It just seems like we get new information then Malaysia or someone disputes the report. Do we have anything solid that's new?

SCIUTTO: Well this is a pattern as you said. And it happened three times now right it happened with the radar data that show this alternate path of the flight to say you that left turn continuing several hundred miles out even towards the -- towards the Indian Ocean. It happened with those satellite images, raised and then questioned, denied. And now it's happening again with this -- this report about engine data. Data coming from those engines raised in the newspaper and knocked down immediately by Malaysian authorities.

And often times you even have some different views of things between the Malaysian government and the Chinese government really the two government principally involved in this. Because the Chinese had so many on the plane and it was a Malaysian Airliner.

But it's -- you know it's frustrating for us, no question, but it must be frustrating for the investigators as well because there's so much conflicting information and conflicting interpretations of that information.

COSTELLO: Well the NTSB and the FAA are on the scene in Malaysia and supposedly they're going to get more involved in the investigation. Can you tell us anything more about that?

SCIUTTO: Well I think that's key because we have heard from the Malaysian authorities a call for help on some of these things. Even on interpreting that radar data. They clearly had some trouble interpreting it and even some lack of confidence in it, right, because even when they got that radar data that showed the plane took that turn and went to the other side of the Malaysian Peninsula they still kept their search areas on both sides of the Malay Peninsula

The initial search area close to where the plane lost contact and then there's new one, they are doing both which clearly shows they have their own questions about the radar data and we've heard from them that they reached out to American investigators including the NTSB and others to help interpret that to see how much they should take into account.

And I think -- I think that will make a difference. The trouble is, though, they are the lead right. This is a Malaysian flag lead carrier. When it dropped out of the sky into international waters, it's the flag carrier that leads the investigation.

But obviously we have a lot of sensitivities here because there were many countries with people on that plane and also many different countries now who are offering assets to help search for it, including the U.S. Navy.

COSTELLO: Jim Sciutto, thanks so much. We appreciate it.

SCIUTTO: Thank you.

COSTELLO: So -- so could this search for this missing plane turn into a criminal investigation? I'll talk to our law enforcement analyst, our expert on the matter. Tom Fuentes is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Malaysian authorities are denying there was a raid on the home of the pilot of Flight 370 now missing for six days. Initial reports said police were looking for evidence of strange behavior by that pilot in the days before the flight took off.

But Malaysia's Transportation Minister today said those reports were not true. Even so, the question remains when does this go from a missing plane search to a criminal investigation?

CNN law enforcement analyst Tom Fuentes joins us now. Good morning Tom.

TOM FUENTES, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Good morning Carol.

COSTELLO: OK so -- so when would it go to a criminal investigation? And does the absence of evidence -- does that lead to a criminal investigation too?

FUENTES: Carol the investigation along those lines began when the plane disappeared. This is kind of the equivalent -- if you report your child stolen to the police or missing to the police or to FBI. They don't tell you well when we find the body we'll start looking at this or we'll start the investigation. It begins immediately. And that's what happened in this case.

Now the FBI has agents assigned full time in Kuala Lumpur and in every major country in the region. And the agents in Kuala Lumpur were invited into the Malaysian command post the first day. So -- and they have the ability through the U.S. Embassy offices to send secure classified information back and forth to all of the U.S. databases and to communicate with other offices around the world.

So the investigation into the people involved in this -- the passengers, the crew, other circumstances -- that would have begun the first minute it was missing.

COSTELLO: OK what I meant by the absence of evidence, for example the communication abruptly ceased.

FUENTES: Right, right.

COSTELLO: The plane disappeared from the radar. There is no evidence of an explosion, no visible debris field. The plane might have made that deliberate curve. All of that absence of evidence, does that more point to sabotage?

FUENTES: Possibly. I mean, it does point to where we were in the beginning. It points to everything and nothing. So I know that's a horrible answer and it's been a horrible answer for six days.

But they do need the black boxes. They do need to try to hear what went on in the cockpit at the time, whatever happened, happened. So they don't know yet if it's mechanical, they don't know yet if it's human intervention neither by the pilots or someone that got into that cockpit and took over the aircraft. We don't know that now. We may not know that. You know who knows if we're going to know that for sure.

But certainly the possibility of that is something that all of the investigators from the very beginning look at. Now I know this whole thing looks like a massive ball of confusion. I think that one of the biggest problems as I see it with what's going on in Malaysia is that they don't know how to communicate what's occurring in their investigation during the crisis. They don't appear to have a unified command and public affairs system to be able to disseminate accurate and timely information on a regular basis and know what they're doing.

So this is as much a public relations nightmare for Malaysia as it is confusion in the investigations.

COSTELLO: OK so it might not be as chaotic as it seems the investigation that is?

FUENTES: Right it might not.

COSTELLO: I hope you're right. Tom Fuentes thanks so much.

FUENTES: Thank you Carol.

COSTELLO: Still to come in the NEWSROOM. An airliner vanishes and the families of those passengers languish in limbo.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Very, very upset. I am really hoping they will find this plane.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Day six in what must seem like an eternity for the loved ones waiting for word. We'll take you to Malaysia next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: The search area for the missing Malaysia flight now sprawls 35,000 square miles and officials confirm no plane debris was found from China satellite images. For the families of those aboard, the exhaustion and frustration are taking quite a toll.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANICA WEEKS, HUSBAND ABOARD MALAYSIA AIRLINE FLIGHT 370: I'm trying not to take too much of it in because it's been a bit of a roller coaster. One minute this and the next minute, that's not confirmed. That's the toughest part everyday waking up and just looking on the news and seeing that there's nothing and no calls from Malaysia to say we've found something. Everyday it seems like it's an eternity -- it's an absolute eternity. You can only go minute by minute and just try to get through the day. I hope something comes soon.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

COSTELLO: Danica's husband was aboard the plane. CNN's (inaudible) is in Malaysia's capital where officials spoke earlier to reporters. What did they say?

SAIMA MOHSIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, Carol, they're at pains to say that they are being incredibly transparent and they're sharing all the information they have as and when they get it because they tried to say that look our top priority is A, finding the plane, and B, taking care of the loved ones of those that are on board missing from Flight MH 370.

They took us through point by point all of the various reports that we've had over the last six very long days and heading into a sixth night for the loved ones who are waiting to hear any news. Obviously there's going to be speculation. People are trying to investigate what could have possibly happened. They took us through the points.

Can -- did the plane carry on for hours after it's believed to have gone missing and disappeared off the radar? No, they say. That didn't happen. They've spoken to Boeing about it. Did it turn West? Well, yes, possibly. And they have to investigate that. And did the Chinese satellite pick up debris? No, they say that wasn't from the aircraft.

But As we hear so much little information, really, we've heard a lot about what isn't connected to the aircraft but not much about what is connected to it. Families are now really getting to the end of their tether, Carol. Let's take a look at this report where I met one of the family members of someone on board the flight.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MOHSIN (voice over): Frustrations are starting to brim over.

He's been asked not to speak to media.

(on camera): Family, friends and next of kin have been flown to Kuala Lumpur by Malaysia Airlines. And there are support groups on hand to help them through this difficult time. But moments ago, an elderly man who had lost his son on Flight MH 370 approached the desk and the consulate team here and told them we don't want your compensation. We want answers.

(voice over): I spoke to 60-year-old Selamat Omar a short while later. He's visibly agitated and exhausted.

SELAMAT OMAR, SON WAS ONBOARD MALAYSIAN AIRLINES MH370 (through translator): I am upset. Very, very upset. I am really hoping they will find this plane.

MOHSIN: His son is just 29 years old.

OMAR: My son is a normal happy guy. He called and told me he was going to Beijing. Less than 24 hours later, it happened. The plane went missing.

MOHSIN: I asked how long he's prepared to wait here.

OMAR: My plan is still to hope the authorities, government and others can locate the plane as soon as possible. That's our biggest hope. But I will wait until Malaysia Airlines comes out with answers.

MOHSIN: But those answers are few and far between. Six days in, the Malaysian government working with the FBI and Mi-6, as well as intelligence agencies from China, have failed to come up with concrete evidence of where the plane might be. Instead of narrowing their search operation, it's expanded each day. It's the lack of knowledge and answers that's leading to the kind of frustration we witnessed here.

OMAR: This morning they were supposed to give us the latest updates. They were late. That's what made me really upset.

MOHSIN: While the world's media watches on and pushes for answers, so too do the families. Helpless but still full of hope.

OMAR: My family is hoping they'll find the plane and really hoping all on board are still a live.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MOHSIN: A lot of frustration Carol. But a lot of sadness too. I also spoke to one man who has two brothers, his older brother and younger brother on board that missing flight. And he tells me, they have young children, both of them. The four-year-old keeps saying when is daddy going to come home? Carol.

COSTELLO: Saima Mohsin, thanks so much.

Searchers are turning to high-tech tools to find Flight 370. We'll have more details on that just ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

COSTELLO: Dozens of ships and planes have joined the search for the Malaysian airliner now missing for six days. And while eyes scan the waters, teams are also using high-tech tools to cover an area nearly 36,000 square miles. CNN's Rene Marsh has more for you.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

RENE MARSH, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): From the sea, air, land and even space, search teams are using everything at their disposal to find Malaysian Airlines Flight 370. The first question figuring out where radar last picked up the plane.

TOM HAUETER, FORMER DIRECTOR, NTSB OFFICE OF AVIATION SAFETY: It's a big task because you have multiple radar sites and possibly from multiple different countries. So they're not all in the same format.

MARSH: Some of the top radar experts in the world are helping analyze every possible blip but searching can also be low tech like looking out a window for debris.

JOHN HANSMAN, PROFESSOR OF AERONAUTICS AND ASTRONAUTICS: Most of the search is being done either by air, airplanes flying over because they can cover the largest area.

MARSH: The U.S. military is even searching in the dark.

WILLIAM MARKS, USS BLUE RIDGE: We're looking at tonight actually flying a night mission which can use its radar, infrared and even night vision goggles there.

MARSH: And high above, it gets even more high tech. Devices that look for nuclear explosions and missile launches were checked to see if the plane blew up. And satellites were focused on the area. NASA says it's using weather satellites to look for wreckage along with a camera on the International Space Station. Besides these photos released from the Chinese government, the Pentagon is checking its satellites.

But below the waves, the plane itself could be calling if anyone is close enough and listening.

HANSMAN: There is the acoustic pinger which is on the flight data recorder. But that requires that you have basically a microphone that will work in the water. Most ships don't have the right equipment so you have to get ships to the area that have the right equipment to start looking for it.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: Rene Marsh reporting.

It's not just official government teams looking for that plane. Millions of you are going online to try to spot the crash site. Digital Glow, a U.S. earth imaging firm activated its crowd sourcing platform and asked for your help to comb through satellite images. And it turns out you want to help, the world wants to help.

The firm estimates some two million people have logged on and started looking through the satellite images. The response so overwhelming, the site crashed multiple times. But keep on trying because they value your input.

Before I sign off today, a programming note about our newest CNN original series "CHICAGOLAND". On the next episode, it's summertime in the city by the lake. But while some Chicagoans start to kick back and relax others prepare for the violence that heats up in the summer. You can watch "CHICAGOLAND" tonight at 10:00 Eastern, 9:00 Central on CNN.

Thank you so much for joining me today. I'm Carol Costello.

"@ THIS HOUR" with Berman and Michaela starts now.

MICHAELA PEREIRA, CNN HOST: Hello and good morning. I'm Michaela Pereira.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN HOST: I'm John Berman. It is 11:00 a.m. in the East, 8:00 out west.

PEREIRA: At this hour the startling new Developments in the mystery surrounding the jetliner that vanished with 239 people on board. We're in day six of the search. Right now Malaysian officials are denying that flight 370 may have kept flying for four hours after it lost contact -- reported contact.

This scenario comes in response to a report in "The Wall Street Journal" that says Rolls Royce engines aboard that Boeing 777 automatically sent data to the engine manufacturer as part of its maintenance program.