Transponder Data News Today

A.m. thats when the captain began knocking on the cockpit door. moments later, transponder data shows the autopilot was reset intentionally and by hand from 38,000 feet down to 100 feet. now, to help us understand how that situation could have transpired there on the plane, why the captain had no possible way of opening that door from the outside, we learn more about that from kyung lah. >> reporter: he cannot imagine why a pilot would do this. >> terrain, terrain. >> reporter: but bugs forsyth ...

Decree -- the aircraft, the floating debris they know the winds and currents, thatll lead us back, hopefully, to the submerges debris, the pingers which will take us to the two black boxes is what we really need to solve this accident. yes, the transponder data is very handy, but what we really need is what went on in the cockpit and what control inputs were being made. trace: we were just talking early, doctor, about the fact that planes just dont sum my fall -- simply fall out of the sky, and ...

First officer and the captain. focusing on them. they want to know essentially the important information, who made that last radio communication, the good night malaysian 370. because within two the nights of that communication, thats when the transponder data was turned off, thats when the radio silence began, the implication being whoever is making that last radio message potentially was the one in control of the aircraft when it took the left turn and when it took this passage. the investigat...

Those transponders provide altitude information and the speed of the aircraft and the position heading and all that specific stuff. the "wall street journal" was not reporting we had new transponder data like that. they were reporting today very specifically that we had engine date to from the missing airplane. a new source of information from long after the other potential sources of information on that plane stopped sending out anything. potentially a huge break in this case. potentially a hug...

Known before xz and two, theres a new source of data, specifically data sent automattically to the ground from the planes engines. as we understand it and as the "journal" described it today, this would not be data from the main transponder for the aircraft. those transponders provide altitude information and the speed of the aircraft and the position heading and all that specific stuff. the "wall street journal" was not reporting we had new transponder data like that. they were reporting today ...

Good to see you again. >> reporter: yes, sure, thank you for having me. >> so what do we have today? that is a huge development in my mind. what do you think? >> reporter: well, we have been able to independently confirm based on our sources that the u.s. investigators have not discounted this idea that the jet flew for several hours after the transponder went dark. and theyre taking the available data from the jet including what i would describe as systems or mechanical data and evaluating it i...

Ground from the planes engines. as we understand it and as the "journal" described it today, this would not be data from the main transponder for the aircraft. those transponders provide altitude information and the speed of the aircraft and the position heading and all that specific stuff. the "wall street journal" was not reporting we had new transponder data like that. they were reporting today very specifically that we had engine date to from the missing airplane. a new source of information...

Good to see you again. >> reporter: yes, sure, thank you for having me. >> so what do we have today? that is a huge development in my mind. what do you think? >> reporter: well, we have been able to independently confirm based on our sources that the u.s. investigators have not discounted this idea that the jet flew for several hours after the transponder went dark. and theyre taking the available data from the jet including what i would describe as systems or mechanical data and evaluating it i...