some sort -- >> no, i seriously doubt that anyone would try to land a jetliner in the water at night. imagine hitting the water at 100, 200, 300 miles an hour. it's going to make the airplane splatter into pieces. >> reporter: isn't it surprising that we haven't seen any debris anywhere? >> i think there is debris. the ocean is huge. i don't know if all of the ocean has been looked at. i doubt it. my guess is, and it's strictly a guess, that they will find pieces of this airplane soon. >> reporter: the idea that the transponder was turned off deliberately. >> it stopped working because somebody turned it off or perhaps there was a electrical fire or some kind of problem in that airplane that depowered the transponder. we don't know what happened. >> reporter: and because we don't know what happened, he argues the pilots should be given the benefit of the doubt. the idea that their legacy is